Archaeology on Stamps Primer

Our primer is a source of basic information on specific archaeological subjects appearing on postage stamps of the world. These descriptions are only a small taste of each area and we hope they fire your imagination enough to start your own collection. Subjects are listed by area in alphabetical order for quick reference.

Prehistory

A reasonably complete 3.2 million year old skeleton was found in Hadar, Ethiopia by Donald Johanson in 1974. Says Johanson; "I glanced over my right shoulder, light glinted off a bone. I knelt down for a closer look. This time I knew at once I was looking at a hominid elbow. Everywhere we looked on the slope around us we saw more bones lying on the surface. Here was a hominid skeleton."
The find was celebrated at the camp until the next morning. "We must have been a curious sight to the nomads in the desert, said Johanson, "Our work tent aglow with butane lamps and the music of "Lucy in the Sky with diamonds" blasting from a cassette player." Inspired by the song, they affectionately named the partial skeleton "Lucy".

Egypt (More Egyptian primers | Nubian checklist)

The entrance to Nefertari’s temple is flanked by six standing statues of Nefertari and Rameses II. On each side there are 2 statues of Rameses and 1 on Nefertari, each stands over 33 feet tall. Nefertari’s temple also honors Hathor, the goddess of love and music. Inside the temple is a famous relief of Nefertari being crowned by goddesses Hathor and Isis, which is depicted on many stamps which were issued to publicize the plight of these monuments in the 1960s.

Greece (Hercules checklist)