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The fourth-century a.d. Chronicles of Huayang, the oldest surviving Chinese geographical survey, records that Sichuan was once the domain of the Kingdom of Shu. According to these chronicles, one Shu king, who is described as having bulging eyes, taught his people how to cultivate silkworms, while another had the ability to communicate with fish. For thousands of years, the Kingdom of Shu was known only through such semilegendary accounts. Then, in 1927, a father and son dug a ditch at the site of three earthen mounds near the banks of the Yazi River in central Sichuan, 25 miles northeast of...

In Latin American popular legend, the chupacabra is a monstrous creature with gray, scaly skin, spikes along its back, sharp fangs, and a taste for small livestock. Chupacabra sightings have been reported throughout the Americas and even as far north as the United States. The first report of chupacabras came from Puerto Rico in 1995. The creatures were blamed for attacks on goats, sheep, and other animals. Apparently, they left behind uneaten carcasses that were drained of blood. The name chupacabra translates from Spanish to mean “goat-sucker.” The mythical monster has inspired fear across some areas in the Americas for...

Two Australian mathematicians have called into question an old adage, that if given an infinite amount of time, a monkey pressing keys on a typewriter would eventually write the complete works of William Shakespeare. Known as the "infinite monkey theorem", the thought-experiment has long been used to explain the principles of probability and randomness. However, a new peer-reviewed study led by Sydney-based researchers Stephen Woodcock and Jay Falletta has found that the time it would take for a typing monkey to replicate Shakespeare's plays, sonnets and poems would be longer than the lifespan of our universe. Which means that while...

The Associated Press reports that sandstone sculptures depicting door guardians have been unearthed near the north gate of the Royal Palace at Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Khmer Empire. Long Kosal of the Apsara National Authority said that archaeologists were looking for fallen stones around the gate at the eleventh-century palace when they found the statues, which range in height from about 39 to 42 inches. Each of the 12 guardians are standing at attention, and wearing unique facial hair ornaments, added archaeologist Sorn Chanthorn. The statues have also been dated to the eleventh century, based upon their...

DNA from 131 ancient individuals throughout the Caucasus region between Europe and Asia has been analysed, pointing to a split into two populations – one group became farmers, while the others continued living a hunter-gatherer lifestyle.The region is known as one of the earliest places people practiced animal husbandry. The new study adds insight into how this developed.The study, published in Nature, spans nearly 6,000 years of genetic data in the region.The Caucasus mountains are on the border between Europe and Asia. They stretch between the Black Sea to the west and the Caspian Sea to the east. The mountain...

Archaeologists have found a previously unknown network of massive Bronze Age sites in Central Europe that could explain so-called Bronze Age "megaforts."..."Some of the largest sites, we call these mega-forts, have been known for a few years now, such as Gradište Iđoš [modern-day Serbia], Csanádpalota, Sântana [Hungary] or the mind-blowing Corneşti Iarcuri [Romania] enclosed by 33km of ditches and eclipsing in size the contemporary citadels and fortifications of the Hittites, Mycenaeans or Egyptians," says lead author Barry Molloy, an associate professor at University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland."What is new, however, is finding that these massive sites did not stand alone,...

During the Roman period, Apsaros was an important port and garrison on the Colchis coast—a term that refers to a historical region on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, roughly corresponding to what is now western Georgia—Karasiewicz-Szczypiorski said. Apsaros, constructed around 2,000 years ago, was of particular importance in the time of the Roman emperors Trajan (who ruled from A.D. 98-117) and Hadrian (who ruled from A.D. 117-138).The votive plaque found during the 2024 excavation season at the site, which ran from mid-May to the end of July, is essentially a thin gold plate. It features a Greek inscription...

While digging to find an ancient settlement in southern Sweden, archaeologists made a completely unexpected discovery: an enormous Viking Age cemetery with more than 100 graves and several ship-shaped mounds...The cemetery was initially found in 2017 in the village of Tvååker, in southwestern Sweden, ahead of planned road construction. Although Tvååker is mentioned in historical sagas, the aboveground remains of this particular cemetery were lost to time until recently."The problem is that the land has been plowed and leveled to create pastures," Nordin said, "so all the occupation levels, above-ground remains, and burials have been plowed to pieces."During excavations carried...

Japan has been inhabited by people since about 35,000 years ago. Roughly 16,500 years ago a group of Neolithic hunter-gatherers, referred to as the "Jomon" culture, developed a complex society including the production of pottery and jewellery.About 3,000 years ago, rice cultivation in paddy fields was introduced to Japan. This saw the beginning of the Yayoi period which ended around the year 300 CE. After the Yayoi came the Kofun period (300–538 CE)...The authors note that the current consensus based on DNA evidence from modern Japanese people is that there was 2 or 3-way mixing between the indigenous Jomon people...

A 4,000-year-old copper dagger has been unearthed in northeastern Italy's Tina Jama Cave, according to a SciNews report. Federico Bernardini of Ca' Foscari University said that the dagger is similar to copper daggers uncovered in Slovenia. "The findings are essential for understanding the technological, cultural, and social transformations in Europe during that period," added Elena Leghissa of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences. "The discovery of the copper dagger is an exceptional event that raises questions about the cave's use," she added. A structure made of stone slabs and blocks between about 2000 and 1500 B.C. was also excavated near the...

Archaeologists were recently able to confirm an 800-year-old tale of medieval biological warfare. The Norwegian historical chronicle Sverris saga tells the story of an attack that involved a corpse hurled down a well in order to poison the local water supply. Scholars long debated the veracity of the story, but a team of archaeologists used DNA analysis to confirm that a corpse found at the site was indeed the much-discussed “Well Man.

A strange and unknown story exists within the history of Wales: an Irish king in Wales, Serygei, and his defeat by the Welsh king Cadwallon on Ynys Mon (Anglesey). This video will trace the story across 1,500 of myths, legends, and rumours.0:00 - Britain's Irish King1:14 - Cadwallon4:08 - Caergybi6:15 - The 1700s10:30 - The 1800s14:14 - The 1900s18:53 - The Irishman's Monuments21:37 - Ynys Mon24:02 - Serygei | Sirigi26:36 - MaelgwnThe Mystery of Britain's Irish King | 29:29Cambrian Chronicles | 201K subscribers | 25,497 views | November 1, 2024

The table was set. The pastries arranged. A white tablecloth dangled placidly in the early morning mist, surrounded by 12 golden-hued high-backed chairs. Five decades ago, a dozen friends gathered here, on the National Mall, for breakfast. They wore morning coats and floor-length dresses, dined on oysters, drank champagne and danced together as a string quartet played in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial. The extravagant scene on July 19, 1974, drew in a Washington Post photographer, who captured the moment in an image that would ricochet around the country in newspaper reprints. But the people and circumstances at...

In the wake of the shocking headline that tens of millions of Christians are unlikely to vote in the 2024 election, there have been any number of articles urging Christians to vote. The articles’ reasons why they should range from patriotic duty to Christian duty to Biblical reasons. But there's one overlooked reason why Christians absolutely need to turn out to vote: Influence. Before we get there, let me address the two biggest reasons cited in that study from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University. Some 68% of respondents said they were uninterested in politics. Plato, who lived...

A study published in L'Anthropologie by Professor Ella Been from Ono Academic College and Dr. Omry Barzilai from the University of Haifa sheds new light on the burial practices of Homo sapiens and Neanderthals in the Levant region during the Middle Paleolithic (MP).The research, which examined a total of 17 Neanderthal and 15 Homo sapiens burials from various archaeological sites, revealed both similarities and differences in how these two species treated their dead, including differences in burial location, body posture and specific grave goods.The MP in Western Asia, specifically the Levant, is of particular interest in the study of human...

Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of an "extraordinary" prehistoric house that dates back to around 8,000 years ago.The rectangular dwelling was discovered by researchers with the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) in Svinjarička Čuka, Serbia, which is located in the Balkans region of southeastern Europe...The building—described as an "extraordinary" find by the ÖAW—was constructed around 8,000 years ago from wattle and daub in combination with wooden posts. Its remarkable preservation can be explained by the fact that it was struck by a fire...The dwelling contains evidence that its inhabitants were storing food, such as grain and seeds, providing fascinating glimpses...

Halloween is seen in our modern age as a day lacking in any historical meaning. It has become known for scary movies, candy, costumes and mischief. But there is a deep, universal tradition behind Halloween, also known as the Festival of the Dead, All Souls Day or Feast of the Ancestors. This festival is observed around the world, in the northern and southern hemispheres at the SAME time of year. In this video, we take a dive down the rabbit hole with Randall Carlson to uncover the mysterious origin of Halloween. Randall Carlson is a master builder and designer, a...

A graduate student analyzing publicly available drone data in Mexico unexpectedly stumbled across a huge ancient Mayan city buried beneath dense jungle. For centuries, the city lay hidden amid jungle canopy in the state of Campeche, on the Gulf of Mexico. New research published Tuesday in the journal Antiquity reveals sites that in total cover area about one-and-a-half times the size of Washington, D.C.

The Dorchester County Historical Society is trying to identify a mystery machine that has been in storage since the 1990s and includes components believed to be about 100 years old. Photo courtesy of the Dorchester County Historical Society/Facebook ================================================================== Oct. 30 (UPI) -- Historians in Maryland are seeking the public's help to identify a mysterious machine donated to a museum in the 1990s. The Dorchester County Historical Society posted photos to social media showing a machine composed of a flat ceramic counter top and two spinning objects that resemble rolling pins. The contraption was donated to the historical society's Neild...

An international team of archaeologists, led by Antonis Bartsiokas with Democritus University of Thrace, in Greece, has uncovered evidence that a tunic found in one of the Royal Tombs at Vergina once belonged to Alexander the Great. In his paper published in the Journal of Field Archaeology, Bartsiokas outlines the evidence surrounding the purple and white tunic and also claims that he and his team have definitively identified the remains of three of the people entombed at the famous burial site. Prior research has suggested that several members of Alexander the Great's family were laid to rest in the Royal...