July/August 2017 Issue

NEW ZEALAND: The site of a future convention center in Christchurch is shedding light on the lives of the city’s first European settlers. Apparently, even back then, men were concerned with hair loss. Among the hundreds of artifacts found at the site in rubbish pits and deposits dating to the mid-19th century was a container of Russian Bears Grease. The quirky pharmaceutical product purportedly aided hair growth and prevented baldness—the underlying theory being that because bears were hairy, their fat could stimulate hair growth for humans. —Jason Urbanus

MALAYSIA: An area that was once part of the moat that surrounded Fort Cornwallis in George Town proved to contain an array of artifacts dating back to the colonial era, including coins, porcelain, ceramics, plates, and glasses. The fort was originally built in 1793 at the behest of the British East India Company, and the moat was added in 1804 for extra security against a possible French attack. It was filled in during the 1920s to curb mosquito breeding during a malaria outbreak. —Jason Urbanus

TAIWAN: Until recently, little was known about the Spanish colony of San Salvador de Isla Hermosa, which was founded on Heping Dao in 1626. However, current work is finally exposing parts of the early settlement, including the foundations of a church or convent and an adjacent cemetery. One of the burials, an adult male with his hands folded in prayer, is believed to be the earliest European Christian-style interment in the Asia-Pacific region. —Jason Urbanus