For our readers “Down Under,” please note that a fantastic exhibition is in your country for the very first time. The Melbourne Museum and National Geographic are sponsoring “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” in Melbourne, Australia. This has already drawn over seven million visitors in the United States and Europe in the past five years, and now begins its tour of Oceania. This is the first visit of King Tutankhamun’s treasures to Australia to date. Tickets will be available to purchase from April 8 to July, 17 2011.

The study of ancient warfare is a broad and well established subject that stretches across a range of disciplines. However, persistent controversies regarding interpretations of and approaches to the subject matter remain. In light of this and in celebration of the recent 2,500 year anniversary of the battle of Marathon, the UCD Schools of Archaeology and Classics will be co-hosting a two-day interdisciplinary conference entitled “Warfare in Antiquity: Approaches and Controversies”.

Nubia: Ancient Kingdoms of Africa, an exhibition at New York University’s Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, takes the visitor deep into the heart of one of Africa’s most mysterious and fascinating ancient kingdoms. Showcasing over a hundred objects and works of craftsmanship, this is the first major Nubian exhibition in the United States in recent decades. The show continues through June 12 at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York University (15 East 84th Street, Manhattan). In order to read the New York Times‘ recent review of the exhibition, please click here.

Roads of Arabia is the first major exhibition of ancient objects, jewelery, art, and goods from the Arabia Peninsula –specifically, Saudi Arabia. It will be on international tour until 2013, visiting Paris, Barcelona, St. Petersburg, Berlin, and Chicago along the way. Writing in the Parisian daily Le Figaro, Eric Biétry-Rivierre marveled at the discovery of “a brilliant and prosperous past, almost completely unknown in our latitudes.” International Herald Tribune art critic Souren Melikian remarked that “the revelations to be found in hundreds of artifacts never before seen outside Saudi Arabia are startling.” This groundbreaking exhibition sheds light on an interesting corner of the ancient world long overlooked, but interconnected with India, the Greco-Roman Mediterranean, China, Egypt, and Nubia. For more information, please visit the link above to read Richard Corvington’s review of the exhibition in current edition of Saudi Aramco Magazine (March-April 20011). 

We have another new feature: Book recommendations! Now you can recommend books on every subject on the site. Recommended books will always display with the related books at the bottom, and are specially highlighted. You can also leave a review (which isn’t displayed yet, but will be soon). I’m looking forward to all your recommendations!

There is a new feature on Ancient History Encyclopedia: visual timelines! Now, above every timeline column you will find a link to a visual timeline, where each event is visually placed on a timeline. When searching the timeline you will now also always see a visual timeline. I hope you like the new feature — feedback is always welcome!

Google Chrome users, listen up: Ancient History Encyclopedia is now also available as Google Chrome app in the Chrome Web Store. You can now simply install the AHE Chrome app to have easy access to the site!

Ancient History Encyclopedia has a new and improved design! Thanks to the help of designer Alexis Chovas we’ve now got a website that’s not only functional but also looking great! It’s not 100% done yet: I still want to change the way contributions are done, and add some more UI improvements. Your feedback is welcome, of course! Just post a comment under this news item, or send an email to jan AT ancient DOT eu DOT com.

Yesterday for the first time in its history AHE has had over 500 uniqe visitors in one day. I thought I should use this opportunity not only to celebrate this milestone, but also take the time to assemble some statistics about the site. Continue reading to see the numbers!

SPEYER, GERMANY: For the past three millennia, the exploits of the Amazon tribe have become the stuff of legend. These implacable female warriors are supposed to have battled before Troy and laid siege to Athens. To this day, scholars have searched the world for evidence of their true nature. In this unique international historical and cultural exhibition with the title Amazons – Mysterious Warriors the Historical Museum of the Palatinate seeks to cast some light on the Amazons in all their facets from antiquity to the present day.