Tuesday, October 31, 2023
HALLOWEEN
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. . . Some amazing pumpkin carving . . .
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Pumpkin Carving Of Carving A Pumpkin
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Instead Of Carving The Jack-O'-Lantern This Year, the person Poked A Bunch Of Small Holes In A Pumpkin And Stuffed The Holes With Peanut Butter. The person then let the squirrels go at it for two days. The result is something truly disturbing.
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Carved Pumpkins By Danish Midwives At A Local Hospital
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Monday, October 30, 2023
SKELETON LOVERS
This seems appropriate with Halloween coming up . . .
From:
Amusing Planet
July 31, 2023
Embracing, the act of holding someone or something close, goes far beyond a physical gesture; it is a powerful expression of love that transcends language, culture and time. Whether it's a warm hug between friends, a tight squeeze from a parent to a child, or an intimate embrace between romantic partners, the act of embracing communicates a deep and profound connection.
When archeologists dig up graves, sometimes they find manifestations of love through this form of expression—skeletal bodies of couples buried together, still locked in embrace. Who were they and how did they end up six feet under?
Modern scientific methods have allowed us to unravel some of these mysteries, giving us an opportunity to glimpse into the final moments of these prehistoric couples, bound together even in death.
Lovers of Valdaro
In 2007, archeologists discovered a pair of human skeletons buried face to face with their arms around each other in a lover’s embrace. The discovery was made at a Neolithic tomb in San Giorgio near Mantua, Italy. Carbon dating showed the couple died approximately 6,000 years ago.
At first, it was thought that the couple had met a tragic end. The skeletons, identified as those of a young man and woman aged between 18 and 20 years old, seemed to align perfectly with the backdrop of an Italian region renowned for its numerous tales of ill-fated romance. Mantua, the city where Romeo was banished and mistakenly informed of Juliet's death, and which inspired Giuseppe Verdi's opera Rigoletto, featuring another tale of star-crossed love and demise, fit seamlessly into this narrative.
But that didn’t seemed to be the case. There was no evidence of violent death, no fracture, or any other signs of trauma. Rather, they found a long flint blade along the thigh, and two flint knives under the pelvis. These indicate that the flint tools were buried along with the people as grave goods, and their “embrace” was carefully positioned when they were placed in the grave.
In 2014, the excavated skeletons were permanently displayed inside a glass case in the National Archaeological Museum of Mantua.
Embracing Skeletons of Alepotrypa
This burial was discovered in the Alepotrypa cave in Laconia, Greece. The pair were dated to 3,800 BCE and DNA analysis confirmed that the remains belong to a man and woman who died when they were 20 to 25 years of age.
The Alepotrypa Cave is renowned as one of Europe's largest Neolithic burial grounds. Nestled within a mountain above Diros Bay, its vast interior chambers extend more than half a kilometer. Throughout the Neolithic period in Greece, from 6000 to 3200 B.C., the cave served as a final resting place for numerous individuals, with at least 170 sets of bones discovered inside.
Around 3000 B.C., an earthquake shook the region, leading to the cave entrance's collapse. This event inadvertently sealed and preserved the cave's contents. Rediscovered in 1958, excavations began in the 1970s, unearthing a wealth of archaeological treasures.
Among the most recent finds, outside the cave on a terraced slope, are three double burials dating back to approximately 4200 to 3800 B.C. One of these burials contains the remains of a child and a newborn. In another, the bones of a young man and a young woman rest facing each other in curled positions, knees tucked beneath their chins. The final burial, however, captivated archaeologists with its extraordinary sight—an embracing couple.
Bill Parkinson, an associate curator of Eurasian anthropology at Chicago's Field Museum and part of the excavation team, described the scene as the couple appearing to be "totally spooning." The two bodies lie in an unmistakable pose of affection, with the boy as the big spoon and the girl as the little spoon. Their limbs intertwine, their arms draped over each other, frozen in a timeless hug.
Anastasia Papathanasiou, a Greek archaeologist who has been involved in the site's exploration since the late 1980s, suggests that the couple likely died in this tender embrace or were carefully arranged in this posture soon after their passing.
Hasanlu Lovers
The Hasanlu Lovers were discovered at the Teppe Hasanlu archaeological site, located in northwestern Iran. This site was once the thriving city of Hasanlu, but in 800 BCE it was destroyed by an unknown invader. The inhabitants were mercilessly slain and left unburied, while much of the city was engulfed in flames during the invasion.
Centuries later, when the site was excavated, archeologists unearthed hundreds of skeletons, and among them were the entwined remains of the “lovers”. Nestled together in a mudbrick and plaster bin, they were found facing each other and appeared to be in an embrace. The left skeleton even reached out a hand to caress the face of the other, with their arms encircling each other in an intimate gesture.
Although some signs of trauma were evident around the time of their death, no definitive fatal injuries were observed in their bones. However, this lack of evidence doesn't rule out death by injuries, as some soft tissue injuries may not have left discernible marks on the skeletons.
There is no definitive explanation as to how the two skeletons ended up in the bin. It is assumed that they crawled into the bin to escape the killings, and somehow got trapped. They probably died of asphyxiation.
At first, it was thought that the skeletons represented a male-female pair. However, through DNA analysis, it was determined that both individuals were male—one aged approximately 19–22 years old and the other between 30 and 35 years old. The revelation of their shared gender prompted media speculation regarding the nature of their relationship. But archaeologist Kristina Killgrove contends that it is erroneous to impose contemporary assumptions about sex, gender, and sexuality onto historical contexts.
Page Selinsky writes for the Penn Museum: “Human experience is full of difficult times and the need for comfort from others. As these two individuals and the other inhabitants of Hasanlu faced their darkest hour together, an embrace from a friend, lover, relative, or even a stranger might have been a natural outcome of extreme duress.”
Lovers of Cluj-Napoca
This pair of human skeletons were discovered in the cemetery of a former Dominican convent in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The skeletons belong to a man and a woman around 30 years of age. The couple were buried facing each other, and with their hands interlocked.
The monastery was built around 1455 on the site of a Roman church and an earlier 13th century monastery. It was active only for a century until it underwent secularization in 1556 during the turbulent times of the Reformation. As a result, the historical context of the lovers' story falls within the time span between the 1450s and 1556. This timeframe is further supported by the coffin nails' material and style, which align with the date range of 1450-1550.
The man appears to have been killed by a blunt-force blow that broke his sternum, and while there is no immediately obvious cause of death for the woman, it is possible that both were murdered and buried together.
Lovers of Modena
The Lovers of Modena were discovered in a cemetery in Modena, in northern Italy. The two skeletons were buried with their hands interlocked and are believed to have been buried between the 4th and 6th century AD. Originally it was assumed that the two were composed of a male and a female, but upon scientific analysis of enamel peptides it was confirmed that the skeletons belong to two males. Researchers believe the two might have been siblings, cousins or soldiers who died together in battle. Some skeletons of other individuals discovered in the same area showed signs of trauma, probably related to death during times of violent conflict.
The pair are now on display at the Civic Museum of Modena
The Embracing Lovers of Datong
Two ancient skeletons wrapped in an eternal embrace was discovered at a construction site in Datong, in Shanxi province, China, in 2020. The remains likely belonged to a man and woman who lived during the Northern Wei period (386 to 534 C.E.) They were positioned with their arms wrapped around each other’s waists and the woman’s face pressed against the man’s shoulder.
The man’s skeleton shows signs of an unhealed injury to his right arm. Conversely, the woman appeared to be without injury, which led the researchers to speculate on two potential scenarios. One hypothesis was that she might have taken her own life after the man's demise, choosing to be buried alongside him. Alternatively, it is also possible that both individuals passed away simultaneously, possibly due to an illness.
Sunday, October 29, 2023
I READ THE NEWS TODAY, OH BOY: STATUES AND MORE
Caution: risque content ahead
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Statue Found: #1
Daily Mail
October 28, 2023
Link:
A report yezterday announced tthat a dig in the Middle East has uncovered a statue of a winged deity, which was almost entirely intact despite its size. The 2700-year-old alabaster statue depicting the winged Assyrian deity Lamassu was found in northern Iraq on October 24, in almost one piece.
Only the head was missing from the massive sculpture, but that was already in the possession of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad after being confiscated from smugglers by customs officers in the 1990s.
French archaeologist Pascal Butterlin, who led the dig, said he had “never unearthed anything this big in my life before”. The sculpture weighs 18 tonnes and measures 3.8 by 3.9 metres. Normally, it’s only in Egypt or Cambodia that you find pieces this big,” he said.
The statue was erected at the entrance to the ancient city of Khorsabad, some 15 kilometres north of the modern city of Mosul. It shows the Lamassu: an Assyrian deity with a human head, the body of a bull, and the wings of a bird. Mr Butterlin, who is a professor of Middle East archaeology at the University of Paris I Pantheon-Sorbonne, said “the attention to detail is unbelievable”. He said the piece was commissioned during the reign of King Sargon II who ruled from 722 to 705BC and erected at the city’s gates to provide protection to the Assyrian capital.
The head of the lamassu was stolen in 1995, before later being recovered and placed in the Iraqi Museum in Baghdad
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Statue Found: #2
Daily Mail
October 2, 2023
Link:
One of the earliest and most lifelike examples of a human sculpture – depicting a man holding his phallus with both hands – has been uncovered by archaeologists in Turkey.
The unusual 7.5ft (2.3m)-tall statue was discovered at a prehistoric site known as Karahan Tepe, which is around 22 miles (35km) from a Mesolithic temple built 6,000 years before Stonehenge.
It is similar in style to the 10,300-year-old Urfa Man sculpture that was also found in southeast Turkey during construction work in 1993. That had been considered the 'oldest naturalistic life-sized sculpture of a human'. But because Karahan Tepe dates back to around 9,400 BC, it is believed the new discovery eclipses Urfa Man as the oldest human statue of its kind ever found on Earth.
Nearby excavations also uncovered a bird statue with a beak, eyes, and wings, which archaeologists in Turkey suggest depicts a vulture.
Urfa Man sculpture
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Statue Found: #3
Daily Mail
September 14, 2023
Link:
A 'spectacular' Roman sculpture has been found buried little more than a foot deep next to an A-road in Kent.
The unique stone statue depicts Triton – a merman with the torso of a man and the tail of a fish – riding on a sea monster. In Roman mythology, Triton was the son of Neptune, the god of the sea. As a demi-god, he could calm the waves by blowing on his conch shell, which he appears to be holding in the uncovered sculpture. That part has been broken off, but the artefact is otherwise in incredible condition. It was carved between the late first century and second century AD.
The statue was found by archaeologists from the Canterbury Archaeological Trust (CAT) when they were excavating a site near the A2 in Teynham, Kent, ahead of a new housing development. The A2 follows part of the route of the original Roman Watling Street, which linked the ports of Richborough and Dover with London and continued north-west via St Albans.
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Statue found: #4
Daily Mail
October 6, 2022
Link:
Archaeologists unearthed a well-preserved statue of the Roman god Hercules during excavations at a site in Greece's ancient city of Philippi.
A team from Aristotle University found the statue, which was in a few pieces but still in good condition, in an area that was once part of the Roman and Byzantine empires.
Hercules is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmene - who was herself the granddaughter of the hero Perseus.
In classical mythology, Hercules was famous for having super-human strength and was seen as the champion of the weak and a great protector. Hercules is often depicted with a lion skin cloak over his arm and holding a club. The group of professors and students found each of these elements, which helped them identify the ancient artifact as Hercules.
Researchers believe that the statue once adorned a building that dates to the late Byzantine period in the 8th or 9th century AD.
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Noah’s Ark found?
A report also in yesterday’s Daily Mail referred to the possible dicovery of Noah’s Ark. Whether you believe in the story of Noah’s Ark or not is up to you,
According to wikipedia:
The story in Genesis is based on earlier flood myths originating in Mesopotamia, and is repeated, with variations, in the Quran, where the Ark appears as Safinat Nūḥ.Early Christian and Jewish writers such as Flavius Josephus believed that Noah's Ark existed, even though unsuccessful searches for Noah's Ark have been made from at least the time of Eusebius (c. 275–339 CE). Believers in the Ark continue to search for it in modern times, but no scientific evidence that the Ark existed has ever been found, nor is there scientific evidence for a global flood. The ship and natural disaster as described in the Bible would have been contingent upon physical impossibilities and extraordinary anachronisms. Some researchers believe that a real (though localized) flood event in the Middle East could potentially have inspired the oral and later written narratives; a Persian Gulf flood, or a Black Sea Deluge 7,500 years ago has been proposed as such a historical candidate.
The article:
Daily Mail
Pctober 28, 2023
Link:
Archaeologists believe they are one step closer to confirming the resting place of Noah's Ark.
A team excavating a geological formation in Turkey has aged rock and soil samples they believe contain ruins of the vessel, which puts the site at the same time the Bible puts the Great Flood 5,000 years ago.
The project began in 2021 and is ongoing, but the initial analysis determined samples to contain clayey and marine materials and seafood.
According to the researchers, these results mean human activity was present on the boat-shaped mound between 5500 and 3000 BC.
The Bible claims the ark settled on the 'mountains of Ararat' in Turkey following a 150-day flood that drowned the Earth and every living thing on it that was not housed inside the wooden ship. The geological formation located in Doğubayazıt district of Ağrı has been a potential site since it was discovered in 1956. The mountain is the highest peak in Turkey, standing 16,500 feet tall and carved out like an ark would be.
The vessel was said to measure '300 cubits, 50 cubits, by 30 cubits', which translates to up to 515 feet long, 86 feet wide and 52 feet high.
A team of experts led by Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ), Andrew University, and Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University (AİÇÜ) have been working at the site for nearly one year, collecting samples they believe hold the key to confirming the Biblical story.
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By the way . . .
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Saturday, October 28, 2023
FAILS WEEK CONTINUED
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The following item is from yesterday’s Daily Mail and continues fails Week. Hard to believe, some of the examples . . .
The link is:
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And you thought your boss was bad! Employers appalling attempts at making their workers feel appreciated are revealed
People shared their employers' dismal attempts to make them feel appreciated
It is important to feel valued in the workplace - but when a boss cuts corners with their attempts at appreciation it can have the total opposite effect.
People from around the world have shared their employers' dismal attempts to make them feel appreciated and Bored Panda collated the best into an online gallery.
The examples include one person who was gifted a stone with the words 'you rock' written on it by her employer.
Another company gave their employees an empty sandwich bag with a note saying even though the bag 'looks empty it's actually filled with our love.'
Elsewhere another person was treated to an office 'pizza party' but the small slither of pizza left a lot to be desired.
People from around the world have shared their employers' dismal attempts to make them feel appreciated and Bored Panda collated the best into an online gallery. One company gave their employees an empty sandwich bag with a note saying even though the bag 'looks empty it's actually filled with our love'
While nursing staff were given an 'anti stress kit' by their management which included a green tea bag, an elastic band and a snickers.
Elsewhere, an employee, who works in a college dorm in the US, was told she would get a 'free meal' from her boss, only to receive crisps, an apple and water after a 12 hour shift.
Here is a look at some of the most shocking fails at making staff feel appreciated...
While one person who was gifted a stone with the words 'you rock' written on it by her employer
Elsewhere another person was treated to an office 'pizza party' but the small slither of pizza left a lot to be desired
hile nursing staff were given an 'anti stress kit' by their management which included a green tea bag, an elastic band and a snickers
Another person received a 'lucky lotto scratch' card from their employer only for it to say have 'an amazing day'
An office, in the US, received 12 donuts between an office of 200 people for 'employee appreciation day'
Another employee, in the US, got a polo mint as a thank you for driving sales past $6,000,000
Nothing says appreciation like this manager, in the US, saying he is watching his staff on a camera
While this employee, who works in a college dorm in the US, was told she would get a 'free meal' from her boss, only to receive crisps, an apple and water after a 12 hour shift
While another person, in the UK, was gifted a £2.50 voucher for the canteen as a thank you for a good job
A hospital, in the US, offered a bizarre reward system for work milestones, including $25 for five years in the company
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Plus some additional from the Bored Panda post, link:
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I Left My Job Shortly After Receiving This Prize For My Good Work 😂😂😅
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This Banana My Boss Gave Me To Celebrate 1 Year Of Work
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Took One Of Those Employee Surveys At Work Today, And They Gave Me This As A Gift Bag. 3 Pieces Of Candy From 1972 And A Pen That Doesn't Even Work. Sure Feel Appreciated!
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This Is The “Thank You” Our ER Got For The Killer Month We’ve Had. One Of The Worst Since Covid
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Just Got This Email From Our Employee Appreciation Committee
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My Work Got Me A Set Of Assorted Legos In A Tin For My Work Anniversary…. They’re Used With Child Bite Marks And Stains
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It’s Employee Appreciation Week And This Is What My Girlfriend's Employer Gave Her. She’s A PA At A Community Health Center In The City 🤦🏽♂️
(Reader comment: If you say it really weird, 'orange you' kinda sounds like 'aren't you'. It's pretty lame.)
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My Work Had An Employee Appreciation Lunch For Us
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Meals (1 Per Person) We Get At My Job For Shifts Up To 12hrs
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How We Are Rewarded At Our Fortune 500 Company
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Job Perk: Free Food!
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