Free Republic

The Royal Mint, the British maker tasked with producing all of the UK's coinage, has released a new limited edition coin design depicting the national icon Britannia as a woman of color for the first time. Britannia was the Latin name given to the UK by the Romans after their invasion in 43 CE. The weapon-clad warrior woman became a personification of the British Isles and has fronted the country's currency since 1672.

An archeological dig in Pocklington has unearthed a prehistoric man buried with a shield. The skeleton was found in one of the square barrows at the recently discovered Iron Age burial ground on Burnby Lane, which is where developer David Wilson Homes is planning to build 77 new houses. MAP Archaeological Practice, the company which is carrying out the excavation work, says it has also discovered a man "of an impressive stature." The site has so far yielded more than 38 square barrows and in excess of 82 burials... Several of the square barrows contain personal possessions, including jewellery, and...