Category: Society
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Late-antique mass grave discovered in Florence
The skeletal remains of more than 60 people are found underneath the famous Uffizi Gallery, Florence, during construction work. Coins that were found in the grave date back to the 4th or 5th century AD, so it is likely the men and women died around that age. Since there is no physical trauma to the…
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Late Antique-treasure looted by an amateur archaeologist
A Roman treasure dating from the early 5th century was dug up last week near Germersheim in the Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Not by official archaeologists, but by an amateur who conducted an illegal attempt to recover the treasure after he found it with his metal detector. He dug up the metal objects and destroyed the historical context…
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Archaeologists unveil gaming culture of 7th century Anglo-Saxons
An extremely rare gaming piece is dug up at an early medieval royal complex at Lyminge, Kent. The piece was used for a game that’s similar to backgammon. Archaeologists discovered the piece in what was probably it’s original ‘gaming setting’, namely an Anglo-Saxon royal hall. Anglo-Saxons loved games. Their strong gaming tradition is reflected in…
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The historical precedent for America’s fast food strikes
Thousands of American fast-food and retail-workers striked last week, in protest of their extremely low wages. These strikes have a historical precedent. In modern history, Americans thought that waiters and waitresses just couldn’t be organized in a worker-union. These unskilled workers weren’t allowed to join larger labor movements, in spite of their poor working conditions.…
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American post-war policy created conditions for Kim-dynastie to become all powerful
Last week, the new Korean leader Kim Jong Un executed his uncle, who was accused of betraying the “warmest paternal love” by his 30-year-old nephew. Kim Jong Un’s Uncle was likely a threat to his supreme command. His execution was a result of a power struggle of the inner circle of North Korea’s ruling family. The origins of this notorious and all-powerful dynasty, that…
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The earliest pet-cats came from China
Approximately 5.400 years ago the first cats were domesticated in North China. That is about thousand years earlier than the first pet-cats in Egypt appeared. Chinese archaeologists made this conclusion after the analyzed cat-bones that were found in the Shaanxi Province in China. These first house-cats were smaller than modern cars. Scientists believe that cats were living along humans because the…
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Why corporal punishment on schools was invented
Until recently, it was common practice on schools to conduct corporal punishment on unruly students. Medievalist Dr. Ben Parsons researched the origins of this violent teaching method. He found out that medieval philosophers thought there were many benefits to these methods. For instance, it was believed that pain helped students to remember their wrongdoing. A…