Vandal warrior grave weapons given to museum in Poland

The Father Stanisław Staszic Museum in Hrubieszów, Poland, has received an complete set of Vandal weapons, likely from a cremation burial, that is one of the richest Vandal warrior burials ever found in the region. The assemblage includes a sword, spearpoints, shield fittings, spurs and a bronze fibula.

Buried approximately 2,000 years ago, the group consists of an iron sword deliberately broken into three parts, plus pieces of its scabbard, two spear points, one intact made of iron and the other broken, a shield boss with a sharp protrusion, a shield handle, a helmet with a collar, a dagger, two spurs, a belt buckle, a bronze fibula for closing a cloak. All of these elements, especially the presence of the rare scabbard and spurs, indicate that the deceased was a high-ranking cavalry warrior.

The origin of the find is murky. The collection was delivered anonymously, and the only thing museum officials know is that the artifacts emerged on farmland in a few years ago in the municipality of Werbkowice. They were not recovered at that time, and since then the contents were exposed to damage.

The objects are in poor condition, heavily corroded, and in need of urgent intervention to prevent further deterioration. Specialists have been engaged to conserve the pieces. The process is expected to take months.

The museum plans to verify the location with an excavation next year. For now, researchers believe the objects came from a single grave. There may be others at the site, which would shed light on the assemblage that has been removed from its context.

* This article was originally published here

Colleges student finds ancient spear point on field trip

A biology student from Mark Baldwin University in Virginia has discovered a rare Native American spear point while on an ecology field trip to Virginia’s Eastern Shore. The stone tool is about six inches long and is of a type known as a Lehigh/Koens-Crispin point, used by East Coast Native Americans between 3,000 and 4,500 years ago. It is in exceptional condition.

Brooklyn Rolph found the weapon while looking for shark teeth on a barrier island the last day of the trip to the University of Virginia’s Anheuser-Busch Coastal Research Center. High winds delayed the outing, so she only had 40 minutes or so to explore the island.

In the water on the shore of an inlet with the tide coming in rapidly, she spotted a pointy thing she’d be looking for. When she picked it up, she realized there was a lot more of it below the point. She showed it to her professors and they recognized it as an ancient spear point.

Their excitement at the find was tempered by the understanding that Rolph was probably not going to be able to take it home. The island they were exploring is part of a nature preserve owned by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. She showed the point to the research center’s site director and he confirmed that everything found on the preserve was owned by the state.

The point was transferred to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources for further study.

* This article was originally published here

Brewery acquires historic 1832 tipstave

A turned wooden painted tipstave, a ceremonial truncheon created for the High Constable of the Hundred of Ringmer in Sussex in 1832, has sold at auction for £16,000 ($21,500),16 times the pre-sale estimate, at Gorringe’s in Lewes. It is one of the highest prices ever paid for a tipstave.

The High Constable was the most important official of the Anglo-Saxon county division known as a hundred court. High Constables were charged with maintaining order and managing administrative affairs of the parish. Turned, carved and elaborately painted truncheons were emblems of their authority, used in ceremonies.

This tipstave was made during the reign of William IV and is inscribed with the name of the first High Constable who wielded it: G Hoey. The names of another 15 other locals of influence who held the positions of constable and high constable are included on silver labels. The largest and most decorative of these is engraved “B Thorpe High Constable 1868 – Cliffe Volunteer Fire Brigade Estd 1864.” It features an engraving of a fireman with his fire engine.

The last one, engraved for Thomas Reader White, headmaster of the Lewes Grammar School, is dated to 1879. That was the last gasp of the High Constable of the hundred courts. The County Courts Act, passed in 1867, had eliminated their judicial powers. The Local Government Act of 1894 ended the position altogether.

The name of greatest local import was John Harvey, whose High Constable plaque is engraved with the date 1838. Harvey was the founder of Harvey’s Brewery, the oldest independent brewery in Sussex. In 1838, he built a brewhouse and hung out his shingle for the first time as Harvey & Sons. It was the brewery that bought this lot at auction.

Miles Jenner, joint managing director of Harvey’s Brewery, said: “The hammer price reflects how unique this item is. It relates to an historic area of the town, the parish of Cliffe, that had an independent system of local government until 1881. It was the commercial heart of the community and the names on the tipstaff are those of local tradesmen.

The fact that these include the founder of Harvey’s Brewery, John Harvey, and his son William bears witness to their prominence at that time. We felt it was essential that it should remain within the parish and are delighted to have secured it.”

* This article was originally published here

Russell Brand's ex Jemima Goldsmith accuses him of violence and abuse against her

Goldsmith accuses the disgraced entertainer of "violence, coercive control and abuse" while the two were together.

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'Baffling but brilliant' post-apocalyptic novel The End of Everything wins Booker Prize

M John Harrison becomes the oldest ever winner of the prestigious literary award at the age of 81.

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Ioan Gruffudd in AI warning after fan claimed they had been in year-long affair

The Aberdare actor urged fans not to send money, saying "explicit and disturbing" images are "not me".

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Maya Jama steps down as host of reality TV show Love Island

The presenter tells fans it is "time to throw myself into something new" after recent Celebrity Traitors success.

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Massive 18th c. pediment returns to Rotterdam plague hospital site

A massive sandstone pediment weighing five metric tons that once topped the entrance to the 18th century plague hospital in Rotterdam is returning to its original site after 115 years in storage.

The triangular tympanum is 9.4 meters (31 feet) wide, more than two meters (6.6 feet) high and features seven coats of arms from members of the Rotterdam City Council bounded by two allegorical figures representing the rivers Meuse and Rotte with bound the city of Rotterdam.

The Pesthuis was built to house plague victims in 1716. It was the first building constructed south of the New Meuse river in what is now the Feijenoord neighborhood, intended to quarantine patients with infectious diseases away from the heart of the populated city. A century later, the Nederlandsche Stoomboot Maatschappij (Dutch Steamboat Company) made the Feijenoord one of the city’s most active industrial areas.

The Pesthuis was demolished in around 1900. Only the tympanum was saved. In 1910, it entered the collection of the Museum Rotterdam, but was never displayed. Its sheer massiveness made it challenging to exhibit.

The Hunter Douglas industrial complex was built where the Pesthuis once stood, and this year the Piekfabriek on the former Hunter Douglas site is hosting the 12th International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam.

For the biennial, architectural firm LNML designed an installation in which the (re)use of stone takes center stage. The tympanum of Museum Rotterdam is part of this installation. The former industrial area is once again at the beginning of a major transformation. In the coming years, it will be given a new future with space for living, working, and amenities.

It is fantastic that a masterpiece from our city historical collection can be fully displayed again after more than a hundred years. This was always a problem due to its enormous size and weight. It is especially wonderful that, in doing so, it is also returning to the place where it came from .
— Curator and Historian Rob Noordhoek of Museum Rotterdam

* This article was originally published here

Why Kim Kardashian came back to 'the worst TV drama ever'

The media personality and businesswoman says she's worked on her acting for series two of All's Fair.

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India's costliest film retells a beloved Hindu epic - but divides critics

Easily the most anticipated Bollywood film of the year, Ramayana: Rise of a Legend is the first of two parts.

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5,000-year-old bread loaves go on display in Turkey

Eight loaves of bread that were baked 5,000 years ago found at Seyitömer Mound in Turkey’s northwestern province of Kütahya have gone on display to the public for the first time. The bread barely even looks stale, preserved in excellent condition from have been carbonized by the fire that ravaged the settlement in the Early Bronze Age.

The loaves were discovered last year in a room with a furnace and the remains of shelves on its walls. Eight bread loaves were found between the shelf supports. Raw materials — the remains of wheat and lentils — were also present. This suggests the shelf collapsed under pressure from the fire, dumping the bread and what had been sacks of wheat and lentil, which then opened, spilling the contents and allowing them to mix together.

Seyitömer Mound is 85 feet high today, 460 feet wide and 490 feet long. It lies within the operating area of Çelikler Seyitömer Electricity Generation Inc. who mine the lignite deep underneath it. Rescue excavations have been ongoing at the mound since 1989. More than 17,000 artifacts have been recovered. A selection of the finds is on display at the Kütahya Archaeology and Mining Museum. The loaves, wheat and lentils have now joined the exhibits from the mound at the museum.

Noting that the artifacts are among the most popular finds in the museum, [lead archaeologist Sevgi] Gurdal said Seyitomer Mound “actually makes up a large part of the artifacts exhibited in our museums.”

She added: “The Seyitomer Mound artifacts offer various data on the daily and social life, artistic understanding and eating habits of their period.”

* This article was originally published here

तबीयत बिगड़ने की खबरों के बीच भावुक पोस्ट:अमिताभ बच्चन बोले- हाथ में दर्द है, लिख नहीं पा रहा; दावा- KBC की शूटिंग रोकी गई

शनिवार शाम महानायक अमिताभ बच्चन की सेहत से जुड़ी चिंताजनक खबरें सामने आईं। रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, तबीयत बिगड़ने के चलते अमिताभ बच्चन ने केबीसी की शूटिंग रोक दी है। अब बिग बी ने रविवार तड़के भावुक अंदाज में फैंस को दिवाली की शुभकामनाएं देते हुए पोस्ट की। साथ ही उन्होंने बताया कि उन्हें हाथ में दिक्कत हो रही है। अमिताभ बच्चन ने आधिकारिक ब्लॉग में लिखा, सबको दीपावली की अनेक अनेक शुभकामनाएं और चतुर्दशी की भी बधाई व स्नेह, आदर, शुभ मंगल की प्रार्थनाएं। ईश्वर की कृपा हमेशा हमे घेरे रहे। आगे अमिताभ बच्चन ने लिखा है कि उन्हें इतनी बधाई और तोहफे मिलते हैं कि अब उनके पास इन्हें रखने की भी जगह कम पड़ने लगी है। उन्होंने लिखा, मैं अपनी तरफ से तोहफे भेजने वालों को पत्र लिखकर जवाब देने की कोशिश कर रहा हूं। खुद जवाब देना चाहता हूं, लेकिन जिस हाथ से लिखते हैं, उस हाथ को चलाने में कष्ट हो रहा है। देरी के लिए माफी चाहता हूं। ब्लॉग के अगले हिस्से में उन्होंने लिखा है कि पिछले कुछ दिनों से ऐसी स्थिति बन रही है जिससे उन्हें बार-बार माफी मांगनी पड़ रही है। इसके अलावा भी अमिताभ बच्चन ने आधिकारिक X अकाउंट से दो पोस्ट शेयर कीं। पहले में लिखा, ‘हो हो हो गया।’ और दूसरे में लिखा, ‘और क्या? बस।’ दावाः तबीयत बिगड़ने पर रोकी गई केबीसी की शूटिंग न्यूज एजेंसी आईएएनएस ने कौन बनेगा करोड़पति से जुड़े सूत्र के हवाले से लिखा है कि अमिताभ बच्चन की तबीयत पिछले कुछ दिनों से खराब चल रही थी। जिसके चलते शो के नए एपिसोड की शूटिंग रोकी गई है। रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, तबीयत में सुधार होने पर अमिताभ बच्चन जल्द ही नए एपिसोड शूट करेंगे। इसी बीच अमिताभ बच्चन ने एक ब्लॉग शेयर कर बताया कि वो रूटीन पर लौटने की कोशिश कर रहे हैं।

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पिता सलीम खान का नाम सुनकर रो पड़े सलमान खान:सिंगर मोहित चौहान ने कहा- आपसे ज्यादा आपके पिता का फैन हूं; फिर गाया भावुक गाना

टेलीविजन रियलिटी शो बिग बॉस 20 के सेट पर सलमान खान भावुक हो गए। शो में सिंगर मोहित चौहान बतौर गेस्ट पहुंचे थे। बातचीत के दौरान मोहित ने कुछ ऐसा कह दिया कि सलमान अपने आंसू नहीं रोक पाए। मोहित चौहान ने सलमान खान से कहा, मैं आपका बहुत बड़ा फैन हूं। इस पर सलमान ने उन्हें शुक्रिया कहा। आगे मोहित चौहान ने कहा, लेकिन मैं उससे भी बड़ा फैन हूं आपके पिता जी का। आगे मोहित ने साल 1963 में रिलीज हुई फिल्म बचपन का गाना, ‘मुझे तुमसे मोहब्बत है, मगर मैं कह नहीं सकता…’ गाया। मोहित का गाना सुनकर सलमान खान बेहद भावुक हो गए और आंसू नहीं रोक सके। बता दें कि इस गाने को लीजेंड्री गायक मोहम्मद रफी ने आवाज दी थी। इस फिल्म में सलमान के पिता सलीम खान लीड रोल में थे। उन्होंने 1960 की फिल्म बारात से बतौर हीरो करियर की शुरुआत की थी, लेकिन उनकी शुरुआती कुछ फिल्में सफल नहीं रहीं। इसी बीच उन्होंने फिल्म बचपन की। इस फिल्म में हेलन ने भी छोटी सी भूमिका निभाई, जिनसे सालों बाद सलीम खान ने दूसरी शादी की थी। बिग बॉस के दिवाली स्पेशल एपिसोड में गेस्ट से भिड़ीं लव गिल मोहित चौहान से पहले शो में कॉमेडियन गौरव गुप्ता पहुंचे थे। उन्होंने घर के सभी कंटेस्टेंट्स को रोस्ट किया। उन्होंने स्काउट ओपी और लव गिल के विवादित मसाज सीन पर भी जोक किया, जिस पर लव गिल भड़क गईं। उन्होंने तुरंत कॉमेडियन से बहस करना शुरू कर दी और निजी बातों का मजाक उड़ाने पर आपत्ति जताई। इसके बाद स्काउट ने भी गौरव की जमकर आलोचना की। गौरव ने इसके बाद दूसरे कंटेस्टेंट्स पर रोस्ट किया, जिस पर सब जमकर हंसे। गौरव के अलावा करण जौहर, शनाया कपूर समेत कई और गेस्ट भी शो में पहुंचे हैं। मनीष गोयल हो सकते हैं शो से बाहर बता दें कि बिग बॉस 20 से अब तक रोहेद खान, ईशा रिखी, रिती तिवारी, अमन गांधी, मैरी कॉम एलिमिनेट हो चुकी हैं। बीते हफ्ते एक्टर आसिफ खान कम वोट मिलने से शो से बाहर हुए थे। वहीं इस हफ्ते एक्टर मनीष गोयल के एलिमिनेट होने की संभावना जताई जा रही है।

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