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More than four centuries ago, English colonists hoped to carve out a new life

An art historian and a medical researcher say they have pushed back by hundreds of years the earliest use of a medicinal plant. Until now, the earliest known use was around 1000 B.C., with visual and written evidence for the myrtle, the lily, the poppy and others. Now, scholars say, the dating of a volcanic eruption and botanically accurate wall paintings indicate that saffron has been a versatile medicine since 3,500 years ago. full article at the NYTimes (free subscription needed)

I thought it is appropriate to post here the sketch that gave the email spam the name. here it goes. Spam Sketch The Spam Sketch from the second series of "Monty Python's Flying Circus" and "Monty Python's Previous Record" (Spam = Spiced Pork And Ham, a sort of cheap luncheon meat) Scene: A cafe. One table is occupied by a group of Vikings with horned helmets on. A man and his wife enter. Man (Eric Idle): You sit here, dear. Wife (Graham Chapman in drag): All right. Man (to Waitress): Morning! Waitress (Terry Jones, in drag as a bit of a rat-bag): Morning! Man: Well, what've you got? Waitress: Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam; spam bacon sausage and spam; spam egg spam spam bacon and spam; spam sausage spam spam bacon spam tomato and spam; Vikings (starting to chant): Spam spam spam spam... Waitress: ...spam spam spam egg and spam; spam spam spam spam spam spam baked beans spam spam spam... Vikings (singing): Spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Waitress: ...or Lobster Thermidor a Crevette with a mornay sauce served in a Provencale manner with shallots and aubergines garnished with truffle pate, brandy and with a fried egg on top and spam. Wife: Have you got anything without spam? Waitress: Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it. Wife: I don't want ANY spam! Man: Why can't she have egg bacon spam and sausage? Wife: THAT'S got spam in it! Man: Hasn't got as much spam in it as spam egg sausage and spam, has it? Vikings: Spam spam spam spam (crescendo through next few lines) Wife: Could you do the egg bacon spam and sausage without the spam then? Waitress: Urgghh! Wife: What do you mean 'Urgghh'? I don't like spam! Vikings: Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!) Waitress: Shut up! Vikings: Lovely spam! Wonderful spam! Waitress: Shut up! (Vikings stop) Bloody Vikings! You can't have egg bacon spam and sausage without the spam. Wife (shrieks): I don't like spam! Man: Sshh, dear, don't cause a fuss. I'll have your spam. I love it. I'm having spam spam spam spam spam spam spam beaked beans spam spam spam and spam! Vikings (singing): Spam spam spam spam. Lovely spam! Wonderful spam! Waitress: Shut up!! Baked beans are off. Man: Well could I have her spam instead of the baked beans then? Waitress: You mean spam spam spam spam spam spam... (but it is too late and the Vikings drown her words) Vikings (singing elaborately): Spam spam spam spam. Lovely spam! Wonderful spam! Spam spa-a-a-a-a-am spam spa-a-a-a-a-am spam. Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Spam spam spam spam!

Archaeological digging might soon unveil the mystery surrounding a sword buried in a Gothic abbey in Tuscany, Italian researchers announced. Known as the "sword in the stone," the Tuscan "Excalibur" is said to have been plunged into a rock in 1180 by Galgano Guidotti, a medieval knight who renounced war and worldly goods to become a hermit. Built in Galgano's memory, the evocative Gothic abbey at Montesiepi, near the city of Siena, still preserves the sword in a little chapel. Only the hilt and a few centimeters of the blade protrude from the rock in the shape of a Cross. via Discovery

As some might have noticed, there are since last month Userank and blue pips under the member name. Tirones: This level you reach with your first post. Milites: With your 10th post you become this title. Discens: You need 20 post to become just that. How long it takes to get to the next rank, well you just have to post to find out! Visit our Legions Page for an explanations on what those ranks mean.

One hundred and fifty years ago, the first settlements of ancient lake-dwelling peoples emerged from Lake Zurich. The discovery gave Europeans a new insight into the lives of the distant ancestors. In the winter of 1854, the commune of Meilen took advantage of exceptionally low water levels to start building a harbour on the shore of Lake Zurich. Quite by chance, the excavations unearthed a number of odd-looking, superbly preserved ancient artefacts, and a series of wooden poles embedded in the mud. The diggers had found a prehistoric lake village. full article at Swiss Info

If ancient Romans observed Family Day, their celebrations would have included wet nurses, slaves and possibly many others who had no blood relationship, according to new University of Calgary research. A landmark analysis by classicist Dr. Hanne Sigismund Nielsen of more than 4,500 inscriptions on Roman tombstones shows that our concept of the Roman family needs to be broadened to include much more than just parents, grandparents and children. full article at the University of Calgary

more on the king of stonehenge; "King" of Stonehenge may have been Swiss

The Thracian treasure from Rogozen is said to be Bulgaria's archaeological find of the previous century or as many archaeologists say "the horn of plenty was poured out over Bulgaria once again in 1986 when that great treasure was found". Its uniqueness gave the archaeologists much material to work on as it revealed some ancient secrets unknown by now. The exclusive finding is now strictly guarded in the Vratsa History Museum that offers its visitors a rare journey through the ancient world of the Thracian art. full article including an image at novinite

While excavating a burial tomb near Jerusalem in 1979, Gabriel Barkay uncovered the oldest known copy of Old Testament scripture. The priestly blessing, recorded in Numbers 6:24-26, was discovered on two small silver scrolls dated to the 7th century B.C.

GoGuides.org GoGuides.org the spam free web directory has added UNRV to their History > By Time Period > Ancient Category.

The historic Paris - the Gallic town of Lutetia captured by Julius Caesar in 52 BC - lay not on the island in the centre of the modern French capital but in a suburb 10 kilometres (six miles) to the west, according to archaeological evidence published on Thursday. Recent excavations at a building site in the suburb of Nanterre have brought to light a pre-Roman settlement that far outstrips in density and sophistication traces discovered on the Ile de la Cite - until now regarded as the main base of the Parisii tribe. full article at Expatica

Bear in mind that polynesia was inhabitated that way, not sure about the time frame though

People in North America were voyaging by sea some 8,000 years ago, boosting a theory that some of the continent's first settlers arrived there by boat. That is the claim of archaeologists who have found evidence of ancient seafaring along the Californian coast. The traditional view holds that the first Americans were trekkers from Siberia who crossed a land bridge into Alaska during the last Ice Age. The report in American Antiquity makes arrival by boat seem more plausible. more at the BBC

Lovers of archaeology - be it Pharaonic, Roman, Greek, Coptic or Islamic - can now log on to a new website to access more than 5 000 years of history. Project organisers on Tuesday launched the website, Eternal Egypt, against the backdrop of the Pyramids of the Giza plateau and the Sphinx. Work on the project began three years ago in a partnership between the Egyptian Centre for Documentation of Cultural and Natural Heritage (CultNat) and US technology manufacturer IBM. "IBM funded the project and the Egyptian government contributed a team of experts to develop the website," said IBM project manager John Tolva. People logging onto the website will view multimedia animations, 360-degree image sequences, panoramas of important archeological locations and three-dimensional scans and thousands of high resolution images, according to a press release issued for the launching. "There are also five cameras set up from which people can get into and see live footage of the Giza pyramids, Qait Bey in Alexandria, the Mohammed Ali Citadel in Cairo, the Abu Simbel and Karnak temples in Upper Egypt," said Sabri Abdel Aziz, an official at Egypt's Supreme Council for Antiquities. The website also includes a virtual reconstruction of Tutankhamun's tomb as it looked the day English archeologist Howard Carter discovered it in 1922. "Viewers can even examine the face of the Sphinx as it looked 2 000 years ago," according to the press release. CultNat director Fathi Saleh described the website as "the most comprehensive site on Egyptian heritage", adding that the project was realised "in a formidable effort by 150 Egyptian archaeology and technology experts". "All combined, the new technology has made it possible to see Egypt in ways we never imagined, to see our country as it was thousands of years ago," Saleh said. In addition to outdoor archeological sites, the website includes all artifacts within prominent museums in Egypt - all in high resolution images that can be seen from the comfort of one's desk. "This join venture between IBM and the Egyptian government is an unprecedented experience," said Amr Tawfik, general manager of IBM, Egypt. "This is a project that opens the grandeur of Egypt to the world." to Eternal Egypt

Here is an article from the BBC with the image of the coin http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/oxfords...ire/3518621.stm

A new Roman emperor has emerged from the mists of history, in a muddy field 10 miles south-east of Oxford. After 1,700 years, a coin has revealed an imperial ruler called Domitianus, who seems to have seized power for a few weeks. Last year, a man with a metal detector unearthed a hoard of 5,000 Roman coins, from the mid-third century, fused into a lump of bronze. Conservators separated them and found one inscribed IMP C DOMITIANUS P F AUG, which means Emperor Caesar Domitianus Dutiful and Fortunate Augustus. History refers to one general by that name. Almost certainly, he seized power in the secessionist Gallic Empire, probably in 271 after that Caesar, Galienus, was murdered. Domitianus was toppled by a Galienus relative, and probably executed by Rome. By David Keys, Archaeology Correspondent at Independent

Werent the brits not merchant? I mean wouldn't there be also celtic traders in the roman empire, say gallia?

Two of the oldest mummies found in Peru - so well preserved that one had an eye and internal organs intact - have gone on display after their discovery by building workers two weeks ago. Officials from the National Institute of Culture said the mummies - a young boy and a man in his mid-30s - were at least 700 years old. They came from a culture that predated the Incas, who dominated a vast swathe of South America from Colombia to Chile until they were toppled by Spanish invaders in the 1530s. full article at smh.au.com

The World Archaeological Congress (WAC) has condemned the destruction of heritage sites in Palestine by Israeli forces. "Of particular concern," notes the scholarly organization's January press release, "is the destruction of heritage sites by the wall being constructed by the Israeli government." Israel justifies the wall as a necessary security barrier. This past fall, bulldozers preparing ground for a section of the wall running through Abu Dis, East Jerusalem, damaged remains of a 1,500-year-old Byzantine monastery. Construction was halted, and Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) archaeologists conducted an excavation, recovering a mosaic and other artifacts. An IAA official quoted in the press blamed the army for proceeding without a go-ahead from IAA. full article at Archaeology.org

With Jug and PP on board it was obvious that at some stage the Monty Pythons would be mentioned, so to honor those brilliant dudes i split it it and dedicate them its own thread. This thread is for Jug, PP and everyone else who thinks that Monty Python rocks.

Now thats a story! The proof that the Tudor monarch played the beautiful game has been discovered by an academic at Southampton University. Textile expert Maria Hayward has found what could be the first ever specific reference to football boots. The pair of boots, costing four shillings, were in an inventory of Henry VIII's clothes when he died. As part of a wardrobe that would have made Footballers' Wives look understated, Henry VIII possessed a pair of specially made boots for playing football. full article at the BBC

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Tiberias was founded in 20 C.E. and its Jewish community continued in existence until the 11th century. At its height, from the 3rd to the 8th century, some 25,000-30,000 people lived there. According to Hirschfeld, "the city was full of life, with crowded streets, a busy fishing port and a market for the entire Galilee." Tiberias served as a spiritual and political hub for the Jewish people, as well as a center for halakha (Jewish religious law). By the end of the 4th century, Tiberias also became a center of Christian pilgrimage. In terms of the finds he hopes will be unearthed, Hirschfeld believes the excavation will produce "signs and wonders." full article at Haaretz