Legendary Lost Persian Army Found in Sahara

FOXNews ^ | 11/9/09 | Alfredo and Angelo Castiglioni

[LibWhacker]

Herodotus wrote of a 50,000-man strong army that set out on foot into the Egyptian desert in 525 B.C. and was never heard from again ... until today.

A pair of Italian archaeologists have uncovered bronze weapons, a silver bracelet, an earring and hundreds of human bones in the vast desolate wilderness of the Sahara desert. Twin brothers Angelo and Alfredo Castiglioni are hopeful that they've finally found the lost army of Persian King Cambyses II.

According to the Greek historian Herodotus, Cambyses II and his armied were buried by a cataclysmic sandstorm in 525 B.C. He wrote, "a wind arose from the south, strong and deadly, bringing with it vast columns of whirling sand, which entirely covered up the troops and caused them wholly to disappear."

[LibWhacker]

More here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33791672/ns/technology_and_science-science/

[SolidWood]

Fascinating. An archeologist's gold mine.

The Achaemenid "violin" shields were neat.

Iran History Ping!

[donhunt]

It had to have been George Bush’s fault.

[edcoil]

I told them LEFT at the SECOND sand dune.....

[El Sordo]

Cool.

[edcoil]

Sorry, Iran does not exist. It is called Persia.

[mcmuffin]

ROFL X’s 2

[SolidWood]

Huh? If that’s a joke, it’s lost on me.

[G8 Diplomat]

The first shah of Iran asked that the world refer to his country as “Iran.” Persia is the Western corruption of the Pars tribe, the first Aryan settlers in the region. Iran means “land of the Aryans.”

[Grizzled Bear]

At the time of their disappearance, they were following a rabbit who said, “Maybe I should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque...”

[grey_whiskers]

WTF? Herotodus got something *right* ?

Cheers!

[omega4179]

I wish that would happen to the Basij and Mullahs.

[allmendream]

Herodotus got quite a bit right, there is a good reason he is called ‘the first historian’. He records what he heard, many things quite fantastical, but says of many things “this I saw with my own eye.”

Travel guides in the Middle Ages had the East populated by headless people with faces in their torso's and other fantastical creatures. Herodotus was a shining beacon of truth compared to such rubbish.

[SunkenCiv]

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	Gods Graves Glyphs	WOW! I've waited over twenty-five years (hey, I'm only 51) since I first read about this; I'll have to post some of the archival stuff from my folder, "Cambyses' Lost Army". Meanwhile, Happy Belated Birthday, Herodotus, oh Father of History! Thanks LibWhacker! Of course, this has been announced before, and turned out to be incorrect, but I'm FIRED UP (in case no one could tell). To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
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[Little Bill]

Put a spear in the cleft and you have a Shield Wall, an interlocking wall of Iron Points. The Ancient Greeks did the same thing, the troops were better armored though.

[grey_whiskers]

Aye. I stand convicted of exaggeration, thereby being hoist on me'own petard. A'RRRRR.

Cheers!

[SunkenCiv]

[’Civ shoots a rubber band at GW while he’s looking the other way]

[SunkenCiv]

Whoops, sorry!

Thanks SolidWood

[edcoil]

Shah’s are all gone. I know a lot of Iranians and a lot in my daughters school and they prefer to say they are from Persia. I always ask where is Persia. Just to tick them off.

My experience.