Free Republic

According to a Live Science report, an archaeological investigation conducted ahead of a road construction project in northern Israel, near the ancient city of Tel Meggido, has unearthed a teapot-shaped vessel with a ram's head as a spout and a few small bowls. The items were buried together some 3,300 years ago, possibly by the Canaanites. Researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said that the vessel was likely used to pour a valuable liquid such as milk, oil, or wine into someone's mouth or a smaller vessel to be consumed, or poured out as a religious offering. Storage jars,...

ZME Science reports that a team of researchers led by Pau de Soto of the Autonomous University of Barcelona has created a high-resolution digital map of the entire known network of Roman roads called Itiner-e. These routes, as they were circa A.D. 150, cover some 186,000 miles. The study will help archaeologists calculate more accurate travel times across the Roman world, which would have had an effect on trade and warfare. De Soto and his colleagues began by extracting data from historic copies of Roman maps and the more than 8,000 known miliaria, or Roman milestones. Then they examined more...

There are only two accepted representations of William Shakespeare that are considered "official" -- but could a portrait that has been hanging over a family's mantelpiece for the last 50 years be the third? British window washer Steven Wadlow, whose father bought the portrait in the 1960s, is on the hunt to prove the painting is indeed genuine. If so, it could be worth as much as $200 million. New Shakespeare Portrait Could Change History | Full Episode Secrets of the Dead | 55:35 PBS | 1.62M subscribers | 59,578 views | November 12, 2025

No serious art collection today is complete without a genuine Rembrandt. Born in 1606, the son of a miller, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn revolutionized painting, famously capturing the very souls of his subjects through his portraits. But the life of this Baroque genius was as dramatic as his art. Plagued by tragedy and family struggles, the art titan died at 63, lonely, poor, and misunderstood. This documentary journeys back to his Dutch roots and offers an intimate look at the groundbreaking conservation effort, "Operation Nightwatch," underway at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. New Technology Reveals Hidden Secrets Behind Rembrandt's Masterpiece |...

...Tacitus, a Hellenistic writer on the art of war, invented the hydraulic telegraph.It used a set of predetermined messages attached to a vertical rod floating in a container of water. A twin of the system sat with at the second location, and its controller could mimic the messages sent by the first via a signal sent by torchlight.The system was adopted in situations that required urgent communication, such as war, but it had its drawbacks... the optical telegraph, also known as a semaphore telegraph, already used long-distance, line-of-sight signaling for rapid communication, typically with torches. With a predetermined set of...

The clay tablet is part of a guide to exorcising ghosts held in the collections of the British Museum, reports Dalya Alberge for the Observer. Irving Finkel, a curator in the London museum’s Middle Eastern department and the author of the forthcoming book The First Ghosts: Most Ancient of Legacies, says the image on the tablet is only visible when viewed from above under a light. The museum acquired the artifact in the 19th century, but it has never been exhibited.

The tale of Akhetaten, the ancient Egyptian city that for a brief point in the 14th century BCE was the state's capital and home of the god-king Akhenaten, is one of tragedy. It was founded in the middle of nowhere by a pharaoh who would go on to be all but stricken from the record; it was almost immediately hit by a devastating plague that left nine royals and many hundreds of commoners dead; finally, it was abandoned entirely, becoming once again as deserted as it had been just 20 years before.At least, that's what we thought happened. There's just...

As Phoenician sailors ventured into the waters of the western Mediterranean Sea to establish new settlements in the early first millennium b.c., they deliberately brought the familiar scents of home with them, according to a statement issued by the University of Tübingen. Researchers from the University of Tübingen and the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) recently analyzed more than 50 miniature ceramic vessels found in ancient tombs, houses, and sacred areas at a Phoenician site on the island of Motya, off the west coast of Sicily. The study determined that all had been made in southern Phoenicia, near present-day Beirut,...

Explore the concept of fast food in ancient Rome, focusing on the thermopolia—small bars and eateries that catered to busy city dwellers. These establishments were especially important for those who didn’t have kitchens at home, offering pre-prepared food like grilled meats, vegetables, cheese, and even heated wine. The thermopolia were found near busy urban areas like the forum and the baths, providing a quick and affordable dining experience for Romans on the go. We visit Ostia Antica, the port city of Rome, where frescoes still depict typical menu items, such as olives, eggs, and cheese. These establishments also featured large...

Hieroglyphs appear beautiful but baffling. However, these ancient Egyptian signs are not as complicated as they seem. Once you realise that they can simply spell out words just like our alphabet does, hieroglyphs become much easier to understand. Let me show you how. Many thanks to Ilona Regulski of the Egyptian Museum at Berlin's marvellous Neues Museum. CORRECTION: At the end I get my quail chicks and my sparrows mixed up. The sparrow meant "small", not the quail chick. Sorry. Hieroglyphs are easier than they look | 21:22 RobWords | 723K subscribers | 576,945 views | August 23, 2025

Rome's love for pepper and incense fueled a global trade network. This episode follows their journey -- from Arabian deserts and Indian coasts, through Petra and Red Sea ports, to Mediterranean hubs -- ending in the spice markets of the Eternal City, including the Horrea Piperataria. From Desert to Rome: the Spice Roads of the Ancient World | 8:35 Ancient Rome Live | 80K subscribers | 475 views | August 11, 2025

A fragment of marble column dating to the fifth century b.c. unearthed at the site of Casas del Turuñuelo in southwestern Spain is believed to be part of the oldest Greek altar ever found in the western Mediterranean, according to the Greek Reporter. First discovered a decade ago, Turuñuelo was founded by the enigmatic Iron Age Tartessian culture, which flourished in southern Iberia between the eighth and fifth centuries b.c. Analysis of the marble stone indicated that it was quarried from the island of Maramara, in present-day Turkey. Lead archaeologists Esther Rodríguez González and Sebastián Celestino Pérez said that while...

Travel back 20,000 years into the last Ice Age, to a time when the upper reaches of the Blue Mountains were treeless and the ridgelines and mountain peaks laden in snow and ice. At an elevation of 1,073 meters, you will find Dargan Shelter, an ancient rock shelter resembling a large amphitheater. Looking around, you could easily assume this cold and barren high country was too difficult for people to spend time in. But our new research, published in Nature Human Behaviour, indicates Dargan Shelter was occupied as early as the last Ice Age and repeatedly visited during this cold...

If you look at a map of Earth's gravity, you will see a huge blue spot south of India, indicating a region where gravity is weaker than average. This spot is called the Indian Ocean Geoid Low (IOGL), and it is the largest gravity anomaly on our planet.A gravity anomaly is a difference between the actual gravity measured at a location and the theoretical gravity expected for a perfectly smooth and spherical Earth. But Earth's gravity isn't perfectly uniform and variations in mass distribution beneath the surface cause fluctuations in gravitational pull.Gravity anomalies can be caused by variations in the...

...Sapinuwa, also known as Šapinuwa in Hittite, was a significant Bronze Age city of the Hittite Empire, located in modern Ortaköy, Çorum province, Türkiye, approximately 70 kilometers east of the Hittite capital, Hattusa. This ancient city served as one of the major religious and administrative centers of the Hittites, functioning as a military base and occasionally housing several Hittite kings.The identification of Ortaköy as the site of ancient Sapinuwa began when a local farmer discovered two clay cuneiform tablets in his field and reported the find to the Çorum Museum. This discovery prompted a survey in 1989, leading to further...

This video contains excerpts of Sam Altman's 9/15/16 interview with Elon Musk. They were the original Co-Chairs of OpenAI. Here, they openly promote the connection of AI and transhumanism (the merging of the human brain/mind with technology, as is being developed by Musk's Neuralink company). Elon Musk himself said that there's a "ten to twenty percent chance AI goes BAD." We are gambling with the future of every man, woman, and child on earth. At the very least, we should ensure that those who are involved in the Stargate Project are ethical and sensible human beings. There is a serious...

Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and Tel Aviv University have discovered a large 30 metre wide moat that separated the City of David from Temple Mount.Excavations in the Jerusalem Walls National Park revealed a massive impassable channel up to 9 metres deep by 30 metres wide.Archaeological evidence indicates that the moat was cut when Jerusalem was the capital of the Kingdom of Judah. At this time, the moat would have separated the southern residential part of Jerusalem from the upper city, where the palace and temple were located...The exact date the moat was cut is inconclusive, however, most...

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...

Arnold Schwarzenegger announced he will be voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 presidential election. The former Republican governor of California shared his shock endorsement on X Wednesday. 'I don’t really do endorsements. I’m not shy about sharing my views, but I hate politics and don’t trust most politicians,' the actor wrote. Despite that, the Terminator star, 77, said that it's time for the country 'to move forward,' and that 'the only way to do that is with Harris and Walz.' 'We need to close the door on this chapter of American history, and I know that...