Harrison Ford has a new Peruvian snake species named after him

Unlike his Indiana Jones character, Ford says he likes snakes and called the discovery "humbling".

from BBC News - Entertainment & Arts https://ift.tt/koUhtVS

Tributes to Essex-born Game of Thrones actor Darren Kent

Darren Kent, 36, from Essex, died on Friday, a statement from his agent says.

from BBC News - Entertainment & Arts https://ift.tt/tJdRrPA

China’s earliest drainage system unearthed

The earliest urban water drainage system in China has been discovered in the ancient city of Pingliangtai in the Huaiyang District of Zhoukou City, central China. The ceramic water pipes are 4,000 years old, dating to the Chinese Neolithic Longshan period.

The Neolithic settlement of Pingliangtai had a population of about 500 people and was enclosed by earthen walls surrounded by a moat. It was on a river plain and subject to seasonal monsoons that flooded the city in a flash. Figuring out how to drain accumulated water outside the walls was essential to the city’s survival. The excavation has revealed an extensive and well-designed urban drainage system running along roads, through the earthen walls and city gates.

To help mitigate the excessive rainwater during the rainy seasons, the people of Pingliangtai built and operated a two-tier drainage system that was unlike any other seen at the time. They built simple but coordinated lines of drainage ditches that ran parallel to their rows of houses in order to divert water from the residential area to a series of ceramic water pipes that carried the water into the surrounding moat, and away from the village.

One set of pottery pipes in excellent condition were found under the pavement in the guardhouse of the South Gate, passing through the city walls. They were set in a ditch dug at a slight incline (high inside the city walls, low outside), wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. Two pottery water pipes of the same dimensions and diameter were laid side-by-side at the bottom of the ditch. They were then buried and paved over by the road leading in and out of the gate.

Another set of pipes were found to have been installed through a break in the city wall. This was likely an emergency measure to drain the city after a flood event. After the water was drained, the gaps in the city wall were repaired and the pipes laid in ditches for permanent drainage.

The ceramic pipes are straight tubes in segments about 14-18 inches long. The sections interconnected to extend the length of the pipes and transport the water over long distances. The thickness of the pipe walls are consistent, as is the pattern on the surface, indicating they were a standardized product built specifically for the municipal drainage system. It could not have been ad hoc, laid down by neighborhoods or individual property owners; this was a designed and executed example of urban planning by the community, not a powerful central state authority.

What’s surprising to researchers is that the settlement of Pingliangtai shows little evidence of social hierarchy. Its houses were uniformly small and show no signs of social stratification or significant inequality among the population. Excavations at the town’s cemetery likewise found no evidence of a social hierarchy in burials, a marked difference from excavations at other nearby towns of the same era.

But, despite the apparent lack of a centralized authority, the town’s population came together and undertook the careful coordination needed to produce the ceramic pipes, plan their layout, install and maintain them, a project which likely took a great deal of effort from much of the community.

The level of complexity associated with these pipes refutes an earlier understanding in archaeological fields that holds that only a centralized state power with governing elites would be able to muster the organization and resources to build a complex water management system.

* This article was originally published here

Audit & Assurance - Financial Services - Senior Manager | Deloitte & Touche (M.E.)

The Role Audit & Assurance | Financial Services | Senior Manager - Riyadh When you work for us, you commit to a career at one of the largest and most prestigious professional services firms in the world. Looking for a rewarding career? Take a closer look at Deloitte & Touche ME. You'll understand that Deloitte is a T...

Michael Oher, subject of The Blind Side, alleges 'adoptive parents' tricked him

Former NFL star Michael Oher accuses a couple of wrongfully making millions of dollars off his name.

from BBC News - Entertainment & Arts https://ift.tt/WJdftp5

Receptionist | Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC)

The Role DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES - Greets customers, vendors, and other visitors in a courteous, friendly, professional and timely manner. - Provides entry level administrative support including but not limited to emails, administrative works, office requirements etc. - Retrieves, sorts and routes mail, corresponde...

source http://www.gulftalent.com/qatar/jobs/receptionist-383291?utm_source=feed_subscriber&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=rss_feed

Michael Oher, subject of The Blind Side, alleges 'adoptive parents' tricked him

Former NFL star Michael Oher accuses a couple of wrongfully making millions of dollars off his name.

from BBC News - Entertainment & Arts https://ift.tt/AIa1xUp

Disney's Snow White: Has the fairy tale already gone sour?

The forthcoming remake of the 1937 animation is facing a backlash for its new interpretation.

from BBC News - Entertainment & Arts https://ift.tt/7OgZVY8

Disney's Snow White: Has the fairy tale already gone sour?

The forthcoming remake of the 1937 animation is facing a backlash for its new interpretation.

from BBC News - Entertainment & Arts https://ift.tt/Wkxtgan

EastEnders: Shane Richie's Alfie Moon set for prostate cancer story

Shane Richie's character is diagnosed with prostate cancer in a script devised to raise awareness.

from BBC News - Entertainment & Arts https://ift.tt/92HIcQP

EastEnders: Shane Richie's Alfie Moon set for prostate cancer story

Shane Richie's character is diagnosed with prostate cancer in a script devised to raise awareness.

from BBC News - Entertainment & Arts https://ift.tt/OKinNLS

First hoard of Iron Age gold coins found in Wales

A group of 15 Iron Age gold coins discovered by metal detectorists on the Isle of Anglesey is the first Iron Age gold coin hoard ever found in Wales.

The coins were found scattered in a field in Llangoed between July 2021 and March 2022 by metal detectorists Lloyd Roberts, Peter Cockton and Tim Watson. Roberts found the first one which he immediately recognized as one of his bucket least dream coins, an Iron Age gold stater. He also found the second one. His friend Peter Watson found the next three. The coins were in such condition they still shone even fresh out of the earth. Tim Watson found the remaining 10 coins scanning the same field.

All 15 staters were struck between 60 and 20 B.C. at three mints in Lincolnshire by the Corieltavi, a Celtic tribe who inhabited the East Midlands area. They were mostly farmers and had no single ruler. They began producing coins in the beginning of the 1st century, and the names of multiple people — believed to have been rulers and subordinate rulers — are inscribed on them.

The design of each of the coins is very stylised, derived from Macedonian gold coins of Phillip II, which show the bust of Apollo on the obverse (heads side) and a two-horsed chariot and charioteer on the reverse (tails side).

The obverse of the staters shows Apollo’s wreath and hair, while the reverse shows a stylised triangular-headed horse with various symbols surrounding it. The symbols are the key distinguishing features for separating the coins into their different types.

The Iron Age tribes inhabiting modern Wales did not make their own coins and rarely used other tribes’ coins, so coin finds are rare in Wales from this period. Iron Age coins are rarely found on pre-Roman settlement sites in Britain.

The coins were probably not used for everyday transactions in the way that we use coins today. Instead, they are thought to have been used as gifts between elites to secure alliances or loyalty or as offerings to the gods, although in some cases they may have been used for high value purchases.

Commerce, politics and religion were inextricably linked. This hoard may therefore have been buried for one or multiple reasons. Pagan priests known as druids feature in Roman sources referring to Anglesey, and archaeological finds, such as the votive deposit at Llyn Cerrig Bach, indicate that the island was an important religious centre during the 1st centuries BC and AD. The apparent holy nature of the island is likely to have played a role in the deposition. Additionally, Parys Mountain on Anglesey and the nearby Great Orme were sources of copper, so these coins may have formed part of an exchange of by the Corieltavi in exchange for copper.

The finds were reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme. With such a notable discovery of gold staters at one location, the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust surveyed the find site, guided by Peter Watson and landowner Gwyn Jones, in September 2021. The field had been long dedicated to pasture, and was last ploughed 15 years ago. The investigation of the find site did not reveal any information about the hoard, where it was originally buried, in what container, etc.

The 15 coins have now been officially declared treasure at a coroner’s inquest. The Oriel Môn museum on Anglesey hopes to acquire them for public display.

* This article was originally published here

Talent Acquisition Executive | Chalhoub Group

The Role Who we are We are a leading partner for luxury across the Middle East. With more than 600 stores, 300 brands and over 65 years of experience in the region, we have become a major player in the beauty, fashion and gift sectors, by offering service excellence to our partners and delighting all our customers. W...