Ye Goode Olde Days?

[Badstench]

I buy a newspaper every morning on my way to work. In today's issue I spotted a headline that sparked my interest.

I thought you might find this interesting, too.

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Slice of life... insight into a knight's brutal existence

A 620-year-old skeleton discovered under the floor of Stirling Castle has shed new light on the violent life of a medieval knight.

Archaeologists believe that bones found in an ancient chapel on the site are those of an English knight named Robert Morley who died in a tournament there in 1388.

Radio carbon dating has confirmed that the skeleton is from that period, and detailed analysis suggests that he was in his mid-20's, was heavily muscled and had suffered several serious wounds in earlier contests.

He appears to have survived for some time with a large arrowhead lodged in his chest, while the regrowth of bone around a dent in the front of his skull indicates that he had also recovered from a severe blow from an axe.

He eventually died when he was struck by an sword that sliced through his nose and jaw. His reconstructed skull also indicates that he was lying on the ground when the fatal blow was delivered.

The knight was laid to rest under the stone-flagged floor of a chapel near the castle's royal apartments and his skeleton was excavated along with 11 others in 1997.

However, it was only recently examined following advances in laser scanning techniques that not only revealed the nature of three wounds, but also showed that the knight had lost teeth, probably from another blow or from falling from his horse.

Gordon Ewart, of Kirkdale Archaeology, said, "We believe he was aged between 18 and 26 when he died. He was about 5ft 7in tall and was well built, but he clearly had a hard life. These were troubled times." - Telegraph group Ltd
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[Badstench]

Here's another interesting little snippet I found in the newspaper:

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Grim criminal history online

Criminal trials in England dating back to the 18th century are to go online for the first time today.

The documents include 900,000 sentences of imprisonment, 97,000 transportations and 10,300 executions.

Files include the trial of Roderick McLean, who attempted to assassinate Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle with a pistol in the late 1800’s.

Other criminals include Dr Thomas Neill Cream, hanged in 1892 for poisoning several people, and who allegedly confessed to being Jack the Ripper, although he was in prison at the time of some of the killings.

The fate of Isaac “Ikey” Solomon, considered to be the inspiration for Charles Dickens’ Fagin in Oliver Twist, is also recorded.

The death penalty was imposed for crimes ranging from stealing anything worth more than five shillings – less than a labourer’s weekly wage in the 19th century – theft of livestock, poaching of rabbits and cutting down of trees.

Being caught at night with a blackened face was also a capital offence, because the authorities assumed the accused was a burglar.

Hangings were popular events, with people coming from far and wide to view them. The wealthy even hired the use of balconies to get a better view.

Source: AFP

[Badstench]

I'm thinking I should start a new thread dedicated to quirky-but-interesting news items... like this one:

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‘Junk’ dates back to Crusades

A pile of junk cleared from a country home finds its way to a garage sale in a nearby market town. Among the detritus is a piece of wood measuring 25cm by 10cm, covered with painted figures.

Antiques dealer, Martin Roberts suspected the item might be worth something. The gamble now looks like it might pay off handsomely after the piece was identified as a panel from a tabernacle door belonging to the Knights Templar and dating back to the middle ages.

“When I touched it, it sent shivers through me”, he said.

It was initially checked out by a dealer who thinks it shows a Roman stabbing a Turk, a reference to the Crusades, as well as a priest carrying a cross. A second expert suggested that its origins could be traced back to the Orthodox Church, between 700 and 1200AD.

The door was found in Middleham Castle, the former home of Richard III, which dates back to the time of the Norman Conquest.

Roberts hopes this latest find could match his best discovery; a 3500-year-old artifact he found in a box full of silverware at a house clearance sale. Having paid £50 (US$85) for that lot, he sold the 10cm royal shabti torso of Amenophis III, thought to be the grandfather of King Tutankhamun, for £30,000 (US$51,000).

Source - Independent

[Oldschool]

Ka-ching.... that would buy a lot of ATs. :cool:

[Badstench]

Power Went to Their Heads

It is one of the great mysteries that has baffled explorers, archaeologists and anthropologists alike – what was the meaning of the giant Easter Island statues and where did they get those hats?

Now British experts believe they are a step closer to solving the puzzle of the huge red boulders that sit astride the massive monolithic heads in the world’s most remote inhabited place.

Dr Sue Hamilton, from University College, London, believes the “hats” may have represented a plait or top knot worn by the elite chieftains who were engaged in a bitter struggle for prestige and power, which was symbolized by the building of ever-taller statues, known as moai, created in memory of their ancestors.

But while more than 1000 statues have been found on the island, only 70-75 hats have been discovered, suggesting the headgear was an added symbol of power. The hats may have been later additions to existing statues to boost them beyond their rivals.

“Chieftain society was highly competitive. It was suggested that they were competing so much that they over-ran their resources”, said Dr Hamilton.

The exact cause of the dramatic decline of the Easter Island indigenous society is hotly debated, but it is agreed that it was brought on by a dramatic crisis, possibly as a result of resource depletion, war, or disease, or a combination of all three.

Source - Independent

[zmflavius]

Huh, resource depletion (oil, natural gas, coal), war (Iraq and Afghanistan just to name a few), and disease (HIV/AIDS, cancer, Heart disease) are all problems which plague our society today.

[thingirl]

A lost world populated by fanged frogs, grunting fish and tiny bear-like creatures has been discovered in a remote volcanic crater on the Pacific island of Papua New Guinea.

A team of scientists from Britain, the United States and Papua New Guinea found more than 40 previously unidentified species when they climbed into the kilometre-deep crater of Mount Bosavi and explored a pristine jungle habitat teeming with life that has evolved in isolation since the volcano last erupted 200,000 years ago. In a remarkably rich haul from just five weeks of exploration, the biologists discovered 16 frogs which have never before been recorded by science, at least three new fish, a new bat and a giant rat, which may turn out to be the biggest in the world.

The discoveries are being seen as fresh evidence of the richness of the world's rainforests and the explorers hope their finds will add weight to calls for international action to prevent the demise of similar ecosystems. They said Papua New Guinea's rainforest is currently being destroyed at the rate of 3.5% a year.

"It was mind-blowing to be there and it is clearly time we pulled our finger out and decided these habitats are worth us saving," said Dr George McGavin who headed the expedition.

The team of biologists included experts from Oxford University, the London Zoo and the Smithsonian Institution and are believed to be the first scientists to enter the mountainous Bosavi crater. They were joined by members of the BBC Natural History Unit which filmed the expedition for a three-part documentary which starts tomorrow night.

They found the three-kilometre wide crater populated by spectacular birds of paradise and in the absence of big cats and monkeys, which are found in the remote jungles of the Amazon and Sumatra, the main predators are giant monitor lizards while kangaroos have evolved to live in trees. New species include a camouflaged gecko, a fanged frog and a fish called the Henamo grunter, named because it makes grunting noises from its swim bladder.

"These discoveries are really significant," said Steve Backshall, a climber and naturalist who became so friendly with the never-before seen Bosavi silky cuscus, a marsupial that lives up trees and feeds on fruits and leaves, that it sat on his shoulder.

"The world is getting an awful lot smaller and it is getting very hard to find places that are so far off the beaten track."

*

The world is getting an awful lot smaller and it is getting very hard to find places that are so far off the beaten track.
Well, they found it in an extinct volcano, of course it's hard to find.

[Badstench]

This announcement was inspiring, I thought. It just goes to show that there are still places in the world untouched by human hand that can offer us a little wonder in this world become so small.

Thanks for bringing that to us, thingirl. repped

[Badstench]

New Zealand’s Deadly Lion of The Skies

A giant man-eating bird of Maori legend did once exist, scientists have found. In the Maori tongue, “Te Hokioi” was a huge black-and-white predator with a red crest and yellow-green tinged wingtips.

Scientists now think the stories handed down by word of mouth and depicted in rock drawings refer to Haast’s eagle, a raptor that became extinct only 500 years ago. It was assumed the bird, with a wingspan of up to 3 metres (9.8ft), was a scavenger like a vulture.

But new tests suggest that it filled the same role as the lion in Africa, and if it were alive today, parents would be well advised not to let their children roam outdoors.

Remains of Haast’s eagle were discovered by Sir Julius von Haast in the 1870’s. It was thought to be a scavenger because its bill was similar to a vulture’s, with hoods over the nostrils to stop flesh blocking its air passages as it rooted around inside carcasses.

A re-examination of skeletons using modern technology showed it had a strong enough pelvis to deliver a killing blow as it dived at speeds of up to 80kph (50mph).

The female, weighing up to 18kg (40lb), was twice as large as the largest living eagle, and its talons were as big as a tiger’s claws.

“It was certainly capable of swooping down and taking a child,” said the curator of vertebrate zoology at the Canterbury Museum, Paul Schofield. “Not only could they strike with their talons, but they could close them into dagger-like shapes that could penetrate solid objects. It was designed as a killing machine, and it wasn’t just the equivalent of a giant predatory bird, it was the equivalent of a flying lion”.

Source – The New Zealand Herald

[Badstench]

The above report gains credibility when comparing the ecology of animal species in New Zealand to the rest of the world.

New Zealand was isolated from the main continents for millions of years. Evolution was forced to develop with the only fauna available to it, and in New Zealand, that was birds. The only mammal that existed in NZ was the bat, so birds were used to fill all the roles of the food chain.

Haast's eagle would have been at the pinnacle of that food chain... until the arrival of man, when they started to die out.

[thingirl]

Can anyone say "Takabak"? :D

[Young Ned]

Or "gryphon"?

[thingirl]

That's more likely.

[Young Ned]

I think what made me think of that is that they described this eagle as being like a "lion of the skies", and the traditional description of a gryphon in mythology is that it's half lion and half eagle. Of course, this one is technically all eagle, but still... :cool:

[Badstench]

What capture my imagination is the description of how it could close it's talons into a "dagger-like" shape that could penetrate solid objects.

I guess I should admit that I edit these posts to cut out all the references to statistics and names of scientists and anthropoligists.

That sort of stuff is boring.

But one thing I also cut from the presented version was the power with which the 'closed' talons could strike. In effect, it was like taking a pointed metal stake and shoving it through a piece of paper.

ouch!

[Badstench]

Vikings Were Scared of Scots

The Viking reputation as bloodthirsty conquerors has endured for more than a millennium, but now research shows that Norsemen approached the British islands with more than a little trepidation.

Uppermost in the minds of the Scandinavians weighing anchor off Scotland in the Middle Ages were the ferocious reception they expected from hostile locals, the incomprehensible language and the terrible weather (very foggy).

Advice handed down to Norse travelers in the 13th Century warns those making the journey to Scotland that they did so at their own peril. A new analysis of the classic Icelandic Sagas (Islendingasagur) has unearthed the following counsel: “Icelanders who want to practice robbery are advised to go there… but it may cost you your life”.

Orkney historian, Tom Muir, said the Norse raiders typically preyed on easy targets such as monasteries. “The truth is, there were raids both ways, and the Norse had every reason to fear Celtic neighbours.

Source - Independent

[Badstench]

I have this view of Scotsmen as being completely 'bonkers'! (after all, wasn't it a Scotsman who invented golf?) They are still scarey people, and even though they speak English 99% of the time, they are also still incomprehensible!

[Doolipalally]

I have this view of Scotsmen as being completely 'bonkers'! (after all, wasn't it a Scotsman who invented golf?) They are still scarey people, and even though they speak English 99% of the time, they are also still incomprehensible!

It depends on the Scot! For me, some Glaswegians can be incomprehensible, but other Scottish accents are much clearer.

EDIT: I'm not even going to try and address the question of whether Scottish people are scary and/or bonkers. Any more than I'm going to address the issue of whether all New Zealanders are obsessed with sheep... ;)

[Doolipalally]

OK, maybe it's a stereotype that doesn't translate!

I know different countries have different sterotypes about the inhabitants of other countries. In the UK, people tell jokes about stupid Irishmen. In France I believe they tell the same jokes about stupid Belgians. The American stereotype of the British seems to be that all British people have bad teeth and upper-class accents. British sterotypes also include 'Germans have no sense of humour', and 'Frenchmen are great lovers who smell of garlic'.

I was just attempting to suggest politely that I think this sort of thing is garbage.

[Badstench]

I think Dooli is absolutely right:
I was just attempting to suggest politely that I think this sort of thing is garbage.
...which was a statement to 'stereotyping' people.

However, I was a but surprised that my comment elicited this response.

If I said, "I think Scotsmen are bonkers and scary because... of some imgained trait, then yes, I'd be guilty.

But I didn't.

As for being incomprehesible, this might have been over-the-top. Their accent is (for me) simply "difficult to understand".

My bike pedals backwards.

[Doolipalally]

I think Dooli is absolutely right:

...which was a statement to 'stereotyping' people.

However, I was a but surprised that my comment elicited this response.

If I said, "I think Scotsmen are bonkers and scary because... of some imgained trait, then yes, I'd be guilty.

But I didn't.

As for being incomprehesible, this might have been over-the-top. Their accent is (for me) simply "difficult to understand".

My bike pedals backwards.

For me, if you think all Scotsmen are bonkers, that's a stereotype. You don't need a reason, any more than someone who thinks all Irishmen are stupid has a reason for thinking so. Being bonkers, or indeed scary, is a trait in itself.

My point about the accent was that there's more than one Scottish accent, and some are a lot harder to understand than others. I don't know which ones you've encountered.

No idea what you mean about the bike!

[thingirl]

He's saying that he wished he hadn't said that. Now, no offense to anyone, but I find some Boston accents hard to understand.

[Doolipalally]

My bike pedals backwards.


No idea what you mean about the bike!

He's saying that he wished he hadn't said that.

Ah, thanks. Sorry, feeling a bit dense this evening.

[Badstench]

And I'll probably wish I hadn't said this either...

I think all New Zealand Maori's are bonkers and scary... and I am one! (Okay... to be factual, I'm partly one).

[thingirl]

I think I'm, like, 1/64 Cherokee. (Native American tribe.) And if you are at least part Maori, then you can get away with slightly insulting them, because you are one, sort of. (I don't think you're bonkers.)

[Young Ned]

I've been to some places in the Southern US on business trips, and I find some Southern accents almost incomprehensible. Not scary, though, because even when you can't understand what they're saying, you can tell that they're being extremely friendly and polite about it. :)

Certain bits on Monty Python are fairly incomprehensible to me, too, though that may not be just because of the accents... :cool:

Basically, accents you aren't used to can be hard to understand. There's a guy I know on one game's forums who can be pretty incomprehensible even in writing, when he starts writing in broad Scots dialect. (Even so, he's usually hilarious.)

[thingirl]

I recently moved from southern Indiana to Memphis, Tennessee. So far I can understand everybody. So far...

[Badstench]

I found this interesting in light of recent developments with gold in the game…

Amateur treasure hunter unearths Anglo-Saxon gold

A treasure hunter has unearthed the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold in history. The collection, which lay hidden under farmland in Staffordshire, could redefine perceptions of Anglo-Saxon England.

Terry Herbert, from Burntwood, Staffordshire, found the hoard as he searched a field near his home with his 14-year-old metal detector.

Experts said the collection of more than 1500 pieces was unparalleled in size and may have belonged to Saxon royalty.

The hoard, believed to date back to the 7th century, contains about 5kg of gold and 2.5kg of silver. Many of the items are warfare paraphernalia, including sword pommel caps and hilt plates, often inlaid with precious stones.

It may take more than a year to value the collection and, because of its scale, its financial worth cannot be estimated.

An expert said, “The quantity of gold is amazing but, more importantly, the craftsmanship is consummate. This was the very best that the Anglo-Saxon metalworkers could do, and they were very good.

“Tiny garnets were cut to shape and set in a mass of cells to give a rich, glowing effect; it is stunning.

“Its origins are clearly the very highest-levels of Saxon aristocracy or royalty. It belonged to the elite.

“It could be a collection of trophies, but it is impossible to say whether it was the spoils from a battle or a long and successful military career”.
Source – Telegraph Group Ltd

[Badstench]

Given the entry for 1066 in the "Brithdays" thread, this snippet pulled from the newspaper was extra meaningful.

[Doolipalally]

Given the entry for 1066 in the "Brithdays" thread, this snippet pulled from the newspaper was extra meaningful.

Except that your info's dodgy again. The Saxons won the Battle of Stamford Bridge. It was losing the Battle of Hastings on October 14th that was the problem.

I'm looking forward to seeing this hoard one day, though. Sounds like a truly incredible find.

[Badstench]

For me, 1066 was always the Battle of Hastings (Where Harold purportedly lost an eye due to the inconvenience of an arrow).

I guess I get blinded by the thought that anything reported on the internet... gosh, it must be true!

Dooli... if you can correct me, I'm happy to be corrected.

Most of what I present in this thread is transposed from "real" articles. Sometimes I edit the stuff for "acceptable presentation".

feel free to rep me for the pun about Harold losing an eye and me being blinded by reports issued on the internet!

Anyway, as answer to Dooli, I think what was meant is that the Battle of Stamford Bridge marked the beginning of the end of the Anglo-Saxon era; the point at which, even though the Saxons won, the Normans went on to defeat them at Hastings.

And anyway... what do you mean my info's dodgy again?

[Badstench]

‘Here marketh not the spot’

One of the most celebrated British battle sites is on the wrong spot, archaeologists now believe.

For hundreds of years, history buffs have visited Ambion Hill in Leicestershire, believing it to be the site of the Battle of Bosworth, which marked the end of the War of the Roses and the beginning of the reign of the Tudors.

It was also the last time a British king was killed on a battlefield, an event marked by William Shakespeare in his play, Richard III.

After a three-year archaeological survey, experts believe that the correct site is actually 1.6km away.

The news could prove an embarrassment for Leicestershire county council, which built an award-winning interactive visitor centre at Ambion Hill, near the village of Market Bosworth. It attracts thousands of visitors each year and the council has always believed it marks the spot where, in 1485, King Richard III lost his life and his crown to Henry Tudor. Richard’s death spelled the end of the Plantagenet dynasty and Henry VII took the throne.

Richard Knox, the curator of Bosworth Battlefield, said it appeared likely that the battleground was on low-lying ground between the villages of Shenton, Stoke Golding and Darlington, a site first proposed in 1990.

He said tests had ruled out that the battle took place on Ambion Hill, and also that the stone memorial erected to Richard III half a mile away, on the spot where he supposedly fell, is also situated in the wrong location.
Source - Telegraph Group

[Badstench]

Royal Connections in Ancient Bones

Scientists believe that they have discovered the oldest surviving remains of a member of an English ruling family.

They have found what could be the coffin and skeleton of Queen Eadgyth (pronounced 'Edith'), who was the sister of King Athelstan, who reigned from 925 to 939, and the granddaughter of Alfred the Great.

It was thought that her remains had been lost when they were moved in 1510 and that a monument built in Magdeburg Cathedral in central Germany was merely a cenotaph in her honour. But when the tomb was opened as part of a wider research project, a lead coffin was found bearing her name. Inside was the nearly complete skeleton of a woman aged between 30 and 40.

Queen Eadgyth died in 946, aged 36. She was the half-sister of King Athelstan, described in a 934 church charter as the "King of the English" - the first to be given that title. Eadgyth was given in marraige to the Holy Roman Emeror, Otto I, 929. She bore him two children and lived in Saxony until her death.

King Athelstan is generally thought to be the first King of England, after he unified the various petty kingdoms following the battle of brunanburgh in 937. The site of the battle has never been identified and etsimates renge from Devon to south-west Scotland.

His tomb survives in malmesbury Abbey, Wiltshire, but is thought to be empty.

Source: Telegraph Group Ltd