From the Daily Telegraph
"Angie Powell, 57, and her husband Rhodri, 56, uncovered the 20ft wide, six ft high, wall painting as they peeled back wallpaper and mortar from their grade II listed home.
The priceless picture, which shows the monarch sitting on his thrown wearing his crown and holding a sceptre, is thought to have been painted shortly after the house was built at the turn of the 15th century."
Monday, January 31, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Hackers and hippies: The origins of social networking
From the BBC
"People that have been to see last year's blockbuster The Social Network, could be forgiven for thinking that the rise of sites like Facebook started just a few years ago.
But to find the true origins of social networking you have to go further back than 2004.
In a side street in Berkeley California, the epicentre of the counterculture in the 1960s and 1970s, I found what could well be the birthplace of the phenomenon."
"People that have been to see last year's blockbuster The Social Network, could be forgiven for thinking that the rise of sites like Facebook started just a few years ago.
But to find the true origins of social networking you have to go further back than 2004.
In a side street in Berkeley California, the epicentre of the counterculture in the 1960s and 1970s, I found what could well be the birthplace of the phenomenon."
Friday, January 21, 2011
Caligula's tomb found after police arrest man trying to smuggle statue?
From the Guardian
"The lost tomb of Caligula has been found, according to Italian police, after the arrest of a man trying to smuggle abroad a statue of the notorious Roman emperor recovered from the site.
After reportedly sleeping with his sisters, killing for pleasure and seeking to appoint his horse a consul during his rule from AD37 to 41, Caligula was described by contemporaries as insane."
However not all are convinced. From Past Horizons
"However Mary Beard, professor of classics at Cambridge University, reported in the Times newspaper that she disagrees with the conclusion of the Italian police and cites some compelling evidence to show why this can’t be the tomb of Caligula."
"The lost tomb of Caligula has been found, according to Italian police, after the arrest of a man trying to smuggle abroad a statue of the notorious Roman emperor recovered from the site.
After reportedly sleeping with his sisters, killing for pleasure and seeking to appoint his horse a consul during his rule from AD37 to 41, Caligula was described by contemporaries as insane."
However not all are convinced. From Past Horizons
"However Mary Beard, professor of classics at Cambridge University, reported in the Times newspaper that she disagrees with the conclusion of the Italian police and cites some compelling evidence to show why this can’t be the tomb of Caligula."
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Hoodlums in bloomers: The female army of shoplifters that ransacked West End shops and hid loot in their knickerbockers
From the Daily Mail
"The air was thick with smoke and a huge number of empty wine and beer glasses were scattered about the bar of The Canterbury Arms Club in Waterloo, South London. It was December and a group of young men and women were getting into the festive spirit.
Though 1925 had been a bad year for many, for these revellers it had been lucrative. Their business — if that was the right word — was booming, and they had good reason to celebrate."
"The air was thick with smoke and a huge number of empty wine and beer glasses were scattered about the bar of The Canterbury Arms Club in Waterloo, South London. It was December and a group of young men and women were getting into the festive spirit.
Though 1925 had been a bad year for many, for these revellers it had been lucrative. Their business — if that was the right word — was booming, and they had good reason to celebrate."
Madresfield Court: The King's redoubt if Hitler called
From the Telegraph
"January 1941: the Battle of Britain, so long in the balance during the summer and autumn of the previous year, is lost. The Germans, despite heavy casualties sustained during four months of desperate fighting following their landings near Dover, Folkestone and Eastbourne, have broken through the British line at Ashford and are preparing a thrust towards London. It is time to institute Black Move."
"January 1941: the Battle of Britain, so long in the balance during the summer and autumn of the previous year, is lost. The Germans, despite heavy casualties sustained during four months of desperate fighting following their landings near Dover, Folkestone and Eastbourne, have broken through the British line at Ashford and are preparing a thrust towards London. It is time to institute Black Move."
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Neanderthal faces were not adapted to cold
From Physorg
"Neanderthal faces had prominent cheekbones and wide noses previously thought to have developed in extremely cold periods because large sinuses were needed to warm air as it was inhaled. One problem with this theory is that modern people such as the Inuits, and other mammals living in Arctic regions have not developed large sinuses, and their sinuses are often smaller, and another problem is that it has never been proven that Neanderthal sinuses were larger."
"Neanderthal faces had prominent cheekbones and wide noses previously thought to have developed in extremely cold periods because large sinuses were needed to warm air as it was inhaled. One problem with this theory is that modern people such as the Inuits, and other mammals living in Arctic regions have not developed large sinuses, and their sinuses are often smaller, and another problem is that it has never been proven that Neanderthal sinuses were larger."
How even German civilians took part in killing concentration camp survivors
From the Daily Mail
"A new book about the closing days of World War II chronicles how German civilians murdered many concentration camp survivors as they moved through their towns and villages on infamous 'death marches' back into the shrinking Reich.
The violence shows how even with their nation in ruins, the Allies advancing on all fronts and the war hopeless, ordinary people were so indoctrinated with Nazi hate they were prepared to kill defenceless people in cold blood."
"A new book about the closing days of World War II chronicles how German civilians murdered many concentration camp survivors as they moved through their towns and villages on infamous 'death marches' back into the shrinking Reich.
The violence shows how even with their nation in ruins, the Allies advancing on all fronts and the war hopeless, ordinary people were so indoctrinated with Nazi hate they were prepared to kill defenceless people in cold blood."
Monday, January 17, 2011
2,100 year-old Greek coin may have marked rare astronomical event
From Unreported Heritage News
"An unusual Greek coin, minted around 120 BC, may have marked a moment in time when people in ancient Syria saw Jupiter being blocked out by the moon.
On one side is a portrait of Antiochos VIII, the king who minted it. On the reverse is a depiction of Zeus, either nude or half-draped, holding a sceptre in his left hand. Above the god’s head is the crescent of the moon, and his right arm is outreached with a star like figure (that may in fact be Jupiter) hovering just above his palm."
"An unusual Greek coin, minted around 120 BC, may have marked a moment in time when people in ancient Syria saw Jupiter being blocked out by the moon.
On one side is a portrait of Antiochos VIII, the king who minted it. On the reverse is a depiction of Zeus, either nude or half-draped, holding a sceptre in his left hand. Above the god’s head is the crescent of the moon, and his right arm is outreached with a star like figure (that may in fact be Jupiter) hovering just above his palm."
King James Bible: How it changed the way we speak
From the BBC
No other book, or indeed any piece of culture, seems to have influenced the English language as much as the King James Bible. Its turns of phrase have permeated the everyday language of English speakers, whether or not they've ever opened a copy."
No other book, or indeed any piece of culture, seems to have influenced the English language as much as the King James Bible. Its turns of phrase have permeated the everyday language of English speakers, whether or not they've ever opened a copy."
Climate change may be responsible for the rise and fall of Roman empire, scientists find
From the Telegraph
"Researchers who used tree growth rings to study the impact of unstable climate patterns found that they could be linked to historical events that have had devastating consequences.
"Researchers who used tree growth rings to study the impact of unstable climate patterns found that they could be linked to historical events that have had devastating consequences.
Scientists discovered that periods of warm, wet weather coincided with prosperity while dry or varying conditions occurred at times of political turmoil, such as the fall of the Roman Empire and the Thirty Years' War. "
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Pioneering Edsac computer to be built at Bletchley Park
From the BBC
The Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator (Edsac) was a room-sized behemoth built at Cambridge university that first ran in 1949."
"The first recognisably modern computer is to be rebuilt at the UK's former code-cracking centre Bletchley Park.
Neanderthals and early modern humans had same lifespan
From Past Horizons
"A new study by a Washington University in St. Louis suggests life expectancy was probably the same for early modern and late archaic humans and did not factor in the extinction of Neanderthals."
"A new study by a Washington University in St. Louis suggests life expectancy was probably the same for early modern and late archaic humans and did not factor in the extinction of Neanderthals."
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
'Oldest known wine-making facility' found in Armenia
From the BBC
A wine press and fermentation jars from about 6,000 years ago were found in a cave in the south Caucasus country."
"The world's earliest known wine-making facility has been discovered in Armenia, archaeologists say.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Study Of Lice DNA Shows Humans First Wore Clothes 170,000 Years Ago
From Medical News Today
"A new University of Florida study following the evolution of lice shows modern humans started wearing clothes about 170,000 years ago, a technology which enabled them to successfully migrate out of Africa. "
"A new University of Florida study following the evolution of lice shows modern humans started wearing clothes about 170,000 years ago, a technology which enabled them to successfully migrate out of Africa. "
Out for the count: Could the 2011 census be the last?
From the Indy
Who'll be sharing your bed? Will you say bedtime prayers or will you be using a Jedi mind trick in the morning? Strange questions, but ones you could well be asked during the UK census this spring, when an incredibly detailed questionnaire will drop through the letterboxes of 25 million households."
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
The Mediterraneans
From Popular Archaeology (includes video)
"Plato's writings about an ancient advanced civilization may not be altogether fantasy. New scientific research is raising some tantalizing new considerations. Was there indeed a great founding culture and people that gave rise to the well-known civilizations that ringed and navigated the Mediterranean and laid foundations for the emergence of European societies?"
"Plato's writings about an ancient advanced civilization may not be altogether fantasy. New scientific research is raising some tantalizing new considerations. Was there indeed a great founding culture and people that gave rise to the well-known civilizations that ringed and navigated the Mediterranean and laid foundations for the emergence of European societies?"
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
A prehistoric map painted on a cave in India
From Archaeo News
"A team of researchers from the Archaeological Survey of India has unearthed maps depicted on the roof of a cave in Karnataka (India) that date back to 1500-2000 BCE. What was once thought to be a megalithic burial site with just paintings of animals and humans, could be the proof of the cartographic skills of prehistoric Indians.
The discovery by deputy superintending archaeologist T.M.Keshava and his colleagues a few months ago in the caves of Chikramapura village on the Tungabhadra river's left bank (Koppal district) is believed to be the first-ever aerial map of a region drawn by prehistoric people."
"A team of researchers from the Archaeological Survey of India has unearthed maps depicted on the roof of a cave in Karnataka (India) that date back to 1500-2000 BCE. What was once thought to be a megalithic burial site with just paintings of animals and humans, could be the proof of the cartographic skills of prehistoric Indians.
The discovery by deputy superintending archaeologist T.M.Keshava and his colleagues a few months ago in the caves of Chikramapura village on the Tungabhadra river's left bank (Koppal district) is believed to be the first-ever aerial map of a region drawn by prehistoric people."
A triage to save the ruins of Babylon
From the NY Times
"The damage done to the ruins of ancient Babylon is visible from a small hilltop near the Tower of Babel, whose biblical importance is hard to envision from what is left of it today.
Across the horizon are guard towers, concertina wire and dirt-filled barriers among the palm trees; encroaching farms and concrete houses from this village and others; and the enormous palace that Saddam Hussein built in the 1980s atop the city where Nebuchadnezzar II ruled. "
"The damage done to the ruins of ancient Babylon is visible from a small hilltop near the Tower of Babel, whose biblical importance is hard to envision from what is left of it today.
Across the horizon are guard towers, concertina wire and dirt-filled barriers among the palm trees; encroaching farms and concrete houses from this village and others; and the enormous palace that Saddam Hussein built in the 1980s atop the city where Nebuchadnezzar II ruled. "
Cretan tools point to 130,000-year-old sea travel
From the Guardian/AP
"Archaeologists on the island of Crete have discovered what may be evidence of one of the world's first sea voyages by human ancestors, the Greek Culture Ministry said Monday
A ministry statement said experts from Greece and the U.S. have found rough axes and other tools thought to be between 130,000 and 700,000 years old close to shelters on the island's south coast."
"Archaeologists on the island of Crete have discovered what may be evidence of one of the world's first sea voyages by human ancestors, the Greek Culture Ministry said Monday
A ministry statement said experts from Greece and the U.S. have found rough axes and other tools thought to be between 130,000 and 700,000 years old close to shelters on the island's south coast."
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