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The Benin Bronzes Consist of Thousands of Metal Sculptures and Plaques Which Adorned the Royal Palace of the Kingdom of Benin, Presently Located in Edo State, Nigeria...Although the collection is commonly referred to as the Benin Bronzes, the pieces are predominantly crafted from brass of varying compositions using the lost-wax casting method, a process by which a duplicate sculpture is cast from an original sculpture.Edo artisans used manillas, meaning bracelet, as a metal source for making the Benin Bronzes. Manillas were also used as decorative objects and currency across parts of Western Africa.In a new study published in the journal,...

For some time I've been exploring possible connections between the ancient Annu of the Upper Nile, the Ainu of Hokkaido and Okinawa, and the Ainu of Canada's eastern seaboard. DNA studies have revealed that the Ainu of Hokkaido and the Ryukyuans of Okinawa have a closer genetic affinity than either group has to the Japanese. The ancient Nilotic Ainu were priests associated with the shrine at Heliopolis, one of the most prestigious of the ancient world. Still lacking is a study of the Miqmac Ainu of Canada. The information here comes from a Canadian Ainu informant whose grandfather was pure...

Retired Adm. Dennis Blair, the former commander-in-chief of the U.S. Pacific Command, is surfacing as a leading contender for the director of national intelligence, sources say. The director oversees the nation’s intelligence activities and is the principal adviser to the president and his National Security Council. In addition to leading Pacific Command and filling several high-powered jobs within the military, Blair was the associate director of central intelligence for military support, coordinating intelligence and military operations during the Clinton administration. He retired from the Navy in 2002. Blair receives high marks from those in the defense and intelligence communities. “He...

The oldest Ainu-Japanese dictionary created by a Buddhist monk over 300 years ago has been discovered at a temple here. The ancient document containing Ainu-Japanese glossary was found at Fumon-ji Temple in Fukui's Minamiyama-cho district. It was created by local Buddhist monk Kunen in 1704 when he visited Ezo -- the present Hokkaido Prefecture and home to Ainu people -- during his pilgrimage around the country. It is the oldest Ainu-Japanese glossary among those whose published year is understood. "It contains a wide variety and number of vocabulary. Few ancient documents written in Ainu are available today, and it is...