https://www.sott.net/category/19-Secret-History Signs of the Times: The World for People who Think. Featuring independent, unbiased, alternative news and commentary on world events. en-us Original content Copyright 2026 by Signs of the Times/Sott.net. For other content, see our Fair Use Policy at www.sott.net. Wed, 08 Apr 2026 20:45:25 +0000 https://www.sott.net/images/sottlogo_rss.jpg SOTT.net https://www.sott.net https://www.sott.net/article/505615-3000-year-old-Silk-Road-city-discovered-in-Uzbekistan-rich-with-artifacts A Chinese-Uzbek archaeological team has discovered a remarkable 3,000-year-old city along the Silk Road that is rich with artifacts, providing new insights into urban development during the early Iron Age in Central Asia. Originally discovered in 1969, the expansive Bandikhan II site, covering 107,639 square feet, is located in the Bandikhan oasis. The Surxondaryo region in southern Uzbekistan is known as an archaeological treasure trove, containing multiple ancient settlement mounds. It was only recently, in 2023, that a team began excavations at Bandikhan II, which served as a crucial hub on the legendary Silk Road. During the excavation, archaeologists uncovered remnants of an eastern wall, numerous structures, and interconnected rooms, along with a wealth of artifacts. These findings enabled researchers to identify the city as belonging to the Yaz culture, further enhancing our understanding of their role within ancient Bactria, according to TV Brics. https://www.sott.net/article/505615-3000-year-old-Silk-Road-city-discovered-in-Uzbekistan-rich-with-artifacts Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:46:06 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/505608-What-bombs-cannot-kill-part-I-Ali-Shariati-the-Iranian-Revolution-and-the-arrogant-new-empire "Every century has its Abou Dharr. Islam is waiting for its own." (Ali Shariati, Islam and the Social Question, 1972) "The wretched of the earth no longer wait. They act." (Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth, 1961) "The human being is not a product of his environment but a project in the making." (Malek Bennabi, The Problem of Ideas in the Muslim World, 1970) Author's Note: This article is published in three parts. Part I [this article] traces the life, thought, and intellectual legacy of Ali Shariati. Part II explores Shariati's intellectual dialogue with Frantz Fanon and the decolonization of consciousness, his revolutionary distinction between Alavid (Red) and Safavid (Black) Shiism, his debt to Malek Bennabi's concept of colonizability, the figure of Abou Dharr as the archetype of Islamic social justice, and the forces that closed in on him until his mysterious death in Southampton in 1977. Part III draws the bridge between Shariati's unfinished revolution and the world... https://www.sott.net/article/505608-What-bombs-cannot-kill-part-I-Ali-Shariati-the-Iranian-Revolution-and-the-arrogant-new-empire Wed, 08 Apr 2026 02:53:17 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/505571-The-Netflix-prize-How-a-1M-competition-changed-home-movie-viewing-forever "We need to go win a million dollars." Lester Mackey was just a senior computer science major at Princeton when a friend burst into his dorm room in a hysterical fit of excitement. "We need to do this." In October 2006, Netflix, then a service peddling discs of every movie and TV show under the sun, announced "The Netflix Prize," a competition that lured Mackey and his contemporaries for the computer programmer equivalent of the Cannonball Run. The mission: Make the company's recommendation engine 10% more accurate -- or die coding. Word of the competition immediately spread like a virus through comp-sci circles, tech blogs, research communities, and even the mainstream media. ("And if You Liked the Movie, a Netflix Contest May Reward You Handsomely" read the New York Times headline.) And while a million dollars created attention, it was the data set -- over 100 million ratings of 17,770 movies from 480,189 customers -- that had number-crunching nuts salivating. There was nothing... https://www.sott.net/article/505571-The-Netflix-prize-How-a-1M-competition-changed-home-movie-viewing-forever Sun, 05 Apr 2026 22:00:58 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/505563-How-Native-Americans-shaped-gambling-and-probability-long-before-the-Old-World A new Colorado State University study presents evidence that the earliest known dice in human history were made and used by Native American hunter-gatherers on the western Great Plains more than 12,000 years ago - at the end of the last Ice Age and long before the earliest known dice from Bronze Age societies in the Old World. Published in American Antiquity, research by author and Ph.D. student Robert J. Madden indicates that dice, games of chance and gambling have been a persistent feature of Native American culture for at least the last 12,000 years, with the earliest examples appearing at Late Pleistocene Folsom-period archaeological sites in Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. These artifacts predate the earliest known Old World dice by more than 6,000 years. "Historians have traditionally treated dice and probability as Old World innovations," Madden said. "What the archaeological record shows is that ancient Native American groups were deliberately making objects designed to... https://www.sott.net/article/505563-How-Native-Americans-shaped-gambling-and-probability-long-before-the-Old-World Sun, 05 Apr 2026 18:01:48 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/505538-Thirty-previously-unpublished-verses-by-Empedocles-discovered-on-a-papyrus-from-Cairo A two-thousand-year-old papyrus fragment, discovered in the archives of the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology in Cairo, reveals thirty previously unpublished verses by Empedocles, a pre-Socratic philosopher of the 5th century BCE. This discovery offers researchers direct access to a body of thought previously known only through quotations from later authors. The very first edition, translation and commentary on these verses are published in the book L'Empédocle du Caire, edited by Nathan Carlig, Alain Martin and Olivier Primavesi. It was at the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology in Cairo (IFAO) that Nathan Carlig, a papyrologist at the University of Liège, identified papyrus P.Fouad inv. 218 as an unknown fragment of the Physica, the great poem by the philosopher Empedocles of Agrigentum. "Until now, our knowledge of Empedocles' work relied exclusively on indirect sources such as fragmentary quotations, summaries or allusions scattered throughout the works of authors... https://www.sott.net/article/505538-Thirty-previously-unpublished-verses-by-Empedocles-discovered-on-a-papyrus-from-Cairo Fri, 03 Apr 2026 21:55:25 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/505440-What-victory-are-we-fighting-for Allow me, for once, not to offer you an analysis of the geopolitical situation, but a testimony and a reflection. The "Axis of Resistance" is an Iranian defense concept based on the mobilization of Shiite minorities in the Middle East. Initially, it aimed to capitalize on the appeal of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's Islamic Revolution by arming and organizing Shiite minorities. This revolution was a liberation from Anglo-Saxon colonialism. Protecting Iran was a necessity for all those fighting against colonialism. Imam Khomeini's interpretation of Islam transformed Shiite suffering into a force: Imam Ali had fought for justice. His example paved the way for all to reach paradise. However, this system of proxies violated the sovereignty of the states where these minorities formed militias. It became intolerable to all states in 2011 with the uprising of the Shiite majority in Bahrain and the subsequent attempt to overthrow the ruling Sunni family, the Al Khalifa. This was the moment... https://www.sott.net/article/505440-What-victory-are-we-fighting-for Mon, 30 Mar 2026 19:05:19 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/505437-The-lady-in-the-black-dress-From-Zionist-smuggler-to-Gazas-deportation-architect Gaza did not become a laboratory of expulsion overnight. It was turned into one by planners, brokers, generals, travel agents, and politicians who looked at a trapped Palestinian population and saw not families rooted in a homeland, but a demographic obstacle to be thinned, rerouted, and erased. The history is not marginal to the zionist project. It sits inside Israel's bureaucratic memory, its migration networks, and its long habit of dressing forced removal in the language of administration and opportunity. At the centre of that machinery stood Ada Sereni, later mythologised in Israeli memory as the Lady in the Black Dress, a wealthy Roman Jewish Zionist operative who helped organise clandestine Jewish migration to Palestine and later became entangled in efforts to push Palestinians out of Gaza. Most readers have never heard of her, which is part of what makes the story so revealing, because Sereni sits precisely where sanctified Zionist legend merges with the practical logistics... https://www.sott.net/article/505437-The-lady-in-the-black-dress-From-Zionist-smuggler-to-Gazas-deportation-architect Mon, 30 Mar 2026 15:35:07 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/505429-Archaeologists-unearth-1600-year-old-Christian-monastic-site-with-paintings-and-a-mysterious-inscription Officials say 13-room structure was used for hospitality and teaching Egyptian archaeologists recently unearthed the remnants of a Christian monastic site from the 5th century, some 400 years after the time of Jesus Christ. The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities wrote in a translated statement March 23 that a building was recently found in the Qallaya area in Egypt's Beheira Governorate. The structure, likely a guesthouse used to host visitors, is a remnant of the "early beginnings of Coptic monasticism," the release said. Previous buildings have also been found at the site, and the newly discovered structure had 13 multipurpose rooms used for "hospitality and teaching ... in addition to service facilities such as a kitchen and storage areas," officials said. https://www.sott.net/article/505429-Archaeologists-unearth-1600-year-old-Christian-monastic-site-with-paintings-and-a-mysterious-inscription Sun, 29 Mar 2026 22:18:35 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/505392-Second-sphinx-buried-under-sand-suggests-megastructure-below-the-Pyramids-of-Giza Italian researchers claim they might've found signs of a Sphinx located beneath the Pyramids of Giza, suggesting the existence of a sprawling subterranean citadel. Radar engineer Filippo Biondi dropped this alleged historical bombshell during a recent episode of the "Matt Beall Limitless" podcast, the Daily Mail reported. He said, "There is something very huge that we are measuring" beneath the Giza Plateau, which features the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Khafre, the Pyramid of Menkaure and the Great Sphinx. He and his team said they were tipped off to the alleged underground guardian by explaining that lines between the pyramids to the known Sphinx also point to a parallel mound under which the second feline facsimile supposedly resides — like a cryptic puzzle from an "Indiana Jones" movie. https://www.sott.net/article/505392-Second-sphinx-buried-under-sand-suggests-megastructure-below-the-Pyramids-of-Giza Sat, 28 Mar 2026 14:51:37 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/505343-New-theories-on-the-origin-of-the-Book-of-Kells Book dubbed 'the work of angels' may have been made in the Highlands Medieval monks in Easter Ross - and not the tiny island of Iona - may have created the intricately decorated 1,200-year-old Book of Kells, according to researchers. The illuminated manuscript depicting the four Gospels of the Christian New Testament has been described as "the work of angels" due to the complexity of its lettering and illustrations. Its origins are a mystery, but it was thought to have been made on Iona before being taken to Kells in Ireland by monks who survived a Viking attack on the Hebridean isle. But a new project will explore the possibility it was created at a monastery in Portmahomack where there was a workshop turning animal hides into vellum - a fine parchment used for writing on. https://www.sott.net/article/505343-New-theories-on-the-origin-of-the-Book-of-Kells Thu, 26 Mar 2026 15:17:33 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/505216-Evidence-of-a-fabled-ancient-Greek-machine-gun-the-polybolos-discovered-in-Pompeii A recent study suggests Roman forces may have used a rare ancient Greek repeating ballista — known as the polybolos and sometimes described as a 'machine gun of antiquity' — during the siege of Pompeii in 89 BCE. Researchers say markings discovered on the city's stone walls could be the earliest physical evidence of a repeating arrow-firing device known from ancient texts. The findings, led by Adriana Rossi of the University of Campania, were published in the Nexus Network Journal and focus on a section of Pompeii's northern wall, near the gates of Vesuvius and Herculaneum. https://www.sott.net/article/505216-Evidence-of-a-fabled-ancient-Greek-machine-gun-the-polybolos-discovered-in-Pompeii Wed, 18 Mar 2026 21:14:44 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/505207-15000-year-old-ice-age-female-figurine-finally-returns-home-to-Switzerland A tiny prehistoric object — just 2.8 centimetres tall — is now at the centre of a significant cultural decision in Switzerland. A 15,000-year-old female figurine from the Ice Age has been officially returned to the canton of Schaffhausen, marking a rare case of voluntary repatriation between Swiss institutions and highlighting the enduring value of regional archaeological heritage. The statuette, carved from jet (fossilized wood, also known as gagat or black lignite), had been housed for decades at the Museum of Cultures in Basel. Now, following a formal request submitted in 2025, the Basel-Stadt government has approved its transfer back to the region where it was originally discovered. A Small Artifact with Regional Significance At first glance, the figurine may seem modest. Yet for archaeologists, its importance is anything but small. The object was found near Schweizersbild, a well-known prehistoric site on the outskirts of Schaffhausen. This location has long been associated... https://www.sott.net/article/505207-15000-year-old-ice-age-female-figurine-finally-returns-home-to-Switzerland Wed, 18 Mar 2026 03:46:27 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/505173-Julius-Caesars-Forgotten-Assassin William Shakespeare might have given Marcus Junius Brutus all the credit, but Caesar's true betrayer was a much closer friend. On March 15, 44 B.C. a group of Roman senators murdered Julius Caesar as he sat on the podium at a senate meeting. The dictator fell bleeding to his death from 23 stab wounds before the horrified eyes of the rest of the house. It was a little after noon on the Ides of March, as the Romans called the mid-day of the month. The spectators didn't know it yet but they were witnessing the last hours of the Roman Republic. But who was to blame? As readers of William Shakespeare know, a dying Caesar turned to one of the assassins and condemned him with his last breath. It was Caesar's friend, Marcus Junius Brutus. "Et tu, Brute?" - "You too, Brutus?" is what Shakespeare has Caesar say in the Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Except, Caesar never said these words. And Brutus was neither his closest friend nor his biggest betrayer, not by a long shot. https://www.sott.net/article/505173-Julius-Caesars-Forgotten-Assassin Sun, 15 Mar 2026 21:46:04 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/505170-Will-the-Indus-Valley-script-ever-be-deciphered The Indus Valley script dates back around 4,000 years but has yet to be deciphered. Can AI help decode it? Around 4,000 years ago, one of the world's oldest civilizations emerged: The Indus Valley Civilization, flourishing in what is now Pakistan, western India, eastern Iran and parts of Afghanistan. In addition to building sizable cities, its people created a written script that consists of hundreds of signs that remain undeciphered. The signs, sometimes called Harappan script, vary, with some looking like a diamond with a square in its corner; a U with three "fingers" at each end, and an oval with an asterisk-like shape inside it. Most of the surviving texts are inscribed on nonperishable materials, like clay and stone. So will this undeciphered script ever be deciphered? Could recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) help with decipherment? https://www.sott.net/article/505170-Will-the-Indus-Valley-script-ever-be-deciphered Sun, 15 Mar 2026 16:56:16 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/505038-Operation-Ajax-1953-The-CIAs-templateand-warnings-for-today In light of the US's actions against Iran and the overt goal of regime change, it is worth recalling the original, covert regime change the CIA brought about in Iran and its decades-long consequences. The 1953 Iran coup is widely recognized as the first major covert regime-change operation carried out by the CIA and served as a template for future interventions. It set key precedents in technique — bribery, propaganda, covert action, and the installation of a non-Communist, US-friendly repressive regime — that were replicated throughout the Cold War and later operations. The long-term geopolitical impact and resentment in the region still shape US-Iran relations. A Brief Review of the History In the early twentieth century, Iran possessed a constitutional monarchy with a parliament (the Majles), though it operated under significant British and later Anglo-Soviet influence. In 1951, the Western-educated nationalist Mohammad Mossadegh was elected prime minister and moved to... https://www.sott.net/article/505038-Operation-Ajax-1953-The-CIAs-templateand-warnings-for-today Sat, 07 Mar 2026 19:16:45 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/236475-The-Most-Dangerous-Cult-in-The-World Comment: Given that many conservatives today, including Donald Trump, support Israel, we thought it time to republish this article, first posted 19 years ago. The article explores the explosive intersection of Christian Zionism, dispensationalist eschatology (often called Armageddon theology), and the long-standing push for a Third Temple on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. Drawing from the works of Gershom Gorenberg (The End of Days) and Grace Halsell (Forcing God's Hand), it examines how certain evangelical Christian groups — along with allied militant Zionist elements — view the modern State of Israel, the regathering of Jews, and preparations like the breeding of unblemished red heifers as literal fulfillments of biblical prophecy signaling the approach of Christ's Second Coming, the Rapture, Tribulation, and ultimate apocalyptic battle. These beliefs, rooted in 19th-century teachings from figures like John Darby, portray support for Israel's expansion and control over contested holy... https://www.sott.net/article/236475-The-Most-Dangerous-Cult-in-The-World Thu, 05 Mar 2026 15:53:45 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/504954-The-Purim-War-Against-Iran The US, UK, France and Germany are flattered to call themselves "the West", but it is more realistic to call them the Jewish-State-in-progress, or "Epsteinia". We have just learned that President Trump had already made up his mind to go to war against Iran weeks ago, and that the pretence of diplomacy carried out by two Jewish real estate dealers (Witkoff and Kushner) on his behalf was little more than a nothingburger to keep Iran busy until the Chosen moment. So what exactly was the purpose behind Trump's diplomatic pause before commencing hostilities? There is a reason; quite shameful, but true. Trump and his superior, Bibi Netanyahu, were guided by Kabbalah magic. They agreed to carry out this historic attack on a particularly auspicious date in the Jewish calendar, called Remembrance Shabbat, the last Saturday before the feast of Purim. The facts are overwhelmingly clear: International Jewry decreed the attack day and the US military jumped like obedient dogs to a Jewish... https://www.sott.net/article/504954-The-Purim-War-Against-Iran Tue, 03 Mar 2026 18:38:06 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/504807-Mysterious-Greek-inscription-reignites-debate-on-whether-a-Syrian-mosque-stands-atop-Roman-Emperor-Elagabalus-Temple A recently discovered Greek inscription at the base of a column inside the Great Mosque of Homs in Syria has rekindled a longstanding scholarly debate about the exact location of the Temple of the sun, whose high priest ascended to the Roman imperial throne in the third century AD under the name Elagabalus. Known in antiquity as Emesa, Homs is the capital of its namesake province and has long been celebrated for its remarkable historical landmarks, foremost among them its imposing Great Mosque, famous for its oval layout. The mysterious inscription was discovered beneath one of the mosque's columns during restoration work. The site carries additional religious and historical significance as it is associated with the 12th-century Zengid ruler Nur ad-Din. Believed to have been built on the ruins of a church dedicated to St. John the Baptist, the mosque follows a rectangular architectural plan and has long been renowned for its sacred importance and significance since antiquity. A... https://www.sott.net/article/504807-Mysterious-Greek-inscription-reignites-debate-on-whether-a-Syrian-mosque-stands-atop-Roman-Emperor-Elagabalus-Temple Mon, 23 Feb 2026 17:09:23 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/504805-Not-just-a-president-Notable-accomplishments-of-US-presidents-outside-of-their-office From Abraham Lincoln's patent to James A. Garfield's geometry proof, learn how these 19th- and 20th-century commanders in chief shaped their legacies beyond politics In 1876, when James A. Garfield was serving his seventh term in Congress, he devised an original proof for the Pythagorean theorem. A classics scholar who'd taught math, history, philosophy, Greek, Latin and rhetoric at an Ohio college, the 20th president was also a preacher, a Union major general during the Civil War and a lawyer. Garfield is far from the only former commander in chief to boast an impressive array of accomplishments. Many of the 45 individuals who have served as president of the United States demonstrated leadership in public service or the military before assuming the highest office in the land. Some numbered among the best educated and most talented of their generation. https://www.sott.net/article/504805-Not-just-a-president-Notable-accomplishments-of-US-presidents-outside-of-their-office Mon, 23 Feb 2026 14:27:26 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/504775-Help-is-on-the-Way-Cosmic-Reset-Mechanism "There are periods in the life of humanity, which generally coincide with the beginning of the fall of cultures and civilizations, when the masses irretrievably lose their reason and begin to destroy everything that has been created by centuries and millenniums of culture. Such periods of mass madness, often coinciding with geological cataclysms, climatic changes, and similar phenomena of a planetary character, release a very great quantity of the matter of knowledge. This, in its turn, necessitates the work of collecting this matter of knowledge which would otherwise be lost. Thus the work of collecting scattered matter of knowledge frequently coincides with the beginning of the destruction and fall of cultures and civilizations." - George Ivanovich Gurdjieff, quoted by P. D. Ouspensky, In Search of the Miraculous: Fragments of an Unknown Teaching (1949). On July 7th, 2003, SOTT.net's founding editor Laura Knight-Jadczyk published 'Independence Day', in which she posited a 'cosmic... https://www.sott.net/article/504775-Help-is-on-the-Way-Cosmic-Reset-Mechanism Sat, 21 Feb 2026 22:38:17 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/504766-DNA-analysis-provides-insight-into-Mongol-Empires-genetics-and-integration-with-local-cultures Are one in 200 men really related to Genghis Khan? Maybe not, according to a new study from researchers at UW-Madison. In present day Kazakhstan, both local folklore and genetic evidence found buried in royal tombs have shone a light on the region's ties to Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire. New DNA analysis of ruling elites from the Golden Horde — the northwestern extension of the Mongol Empire — reveals implications for the genetic ancestry of the broader Mongolian Empire. The findings were recently published in Proceeding of National Academy of Sciences. "Even though the medieval genetic landscape of Central Eurasia is already known thanks to previous studies, we believe this is the first ancient DNA evidence to support the genomic ancestry of ruling elites in the Golden Horde," says Ayken Askapuli, lead author of the study and PhD candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Golden Horde was founded and ruled by Genghis Khan's eldest son, Joshi, and his descendants.... https://www.sott.net/article/504766-DNA-analysis-provides-insight-into-Mongol-Empires-genetics-and-integration-with-local-cultures Sat, 21 Feb 2026 17:37:13 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/504765-Archaeologists-discover-massive-8000-year-old-petroglyph-complex-in-Venezuela A remarkable archaeological discovery in northeastern Venezuela is drawing international attention after authorities confirmed the finding of a major petroglyph complex estimated to be between 4,000 and 8,000 years old. The ancient rock carvings were uncovered on January 30 in the highland community of Quebrada Seca, located 3.5 kilometers from San Félix in Cedeño municipality, in Monagas state, at an elevation of 647 meters above sea level. Officials from Venezuela's National Land Institute and local authorities announced the discovery, describing it as one of the most significant archaeological finds in the country in recent years. If early dating estimates are confirmed, the Quebrada Seca petroglyphs could rank among the oldest known symbolic expressions in eastern Venezuela. Ancient Symbols Reflect Cosmology and Migration The newly identified stone features a striking array of engravings, including spirals, concentric circles, and anthropomorphic (humanoid) figures. Researchers... https://www.sott.net/article/504765-Archaeologists-discover-massive-8000-year-old-petroglyph-complex-in-Venezuela Sat, 21 Feb 2026 17:22:48 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/504761-Epstein-ally-Jean-Luc-Brunel-spoke-with-feds-in-2016-then-mysteriously-went-silent French modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel - whose network delivered new girls from around the world to Jeffrey Epstein on a regular basis, was prepared in 2016 to tell U.S. prosecutors what he knew about Epstein's sex-trafficking operation. According to newly released files from the DOJ, the now-deceased Brunel's lawyer was negotiating with attorneys for Epstein's victims about a possible meeting with federal prosecutors in New York in exchange for immunity - and Epstein knew it. And of course,Goldman Sachs (soon to be ex-) General Counsel Kathy Ruemmleris involved. According to handwritten notes taken by a federal prosecutor in February 2016 state: "One of Epstein's bfs, Jean Luc Brunel, has helped get girls. He is wanting to cooperate." The notes add: "Brunel is afraid of being prosecuted," the Wall Street Journal reports. https://www.sott.net/article/504761-Epstein-ally-Jean-Luc-Brunel-spoke-with-feds-in-2016-then-mysteriously-went-silent Sat, 21 Feb 2026 14:22:50 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/504728-Family-relationships-identified-in-Stone-Age-graves-on-Gotland A woman was buried with two children, but they were not her own. In another grave, two children were placed. They were not siblings and were more distantly related, perhaps cousins. In a new study, researchers at Uppsala University have clarified family relationships in four graves from a 5,500-year-old hunter-gatherer culture at Ajvide on Gotland, Sweden. DNA analyses suggest that the people were well aware of family lineages and that relationships beyond the immediate family played an important role. Ajvide is one of the most important Stone Age sites in Scandinavia and is known for its well-preserved graves and rich archaeological finds. Around 5,500 years ago, hunter-gatherers lived there, supporting themselves primarily by hunting seals and fishing. By this time, agriculture had spread across Europe, but in the north, hunter-gatherer cultures persisted and remained genetically distinct from the farmers. The large burial site contains 85 known graves. Among the findings here,... https://www.sott.net/article/504728-Family-relationships-identified-in-Stone-Age-graves-on-Gotland Thu, 19 Feb 2026 17:06:23 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/504706-Can-you-buy-a-country The debate over Greenland revives a question that has shaped America's rise for more than two centuries. When US President Donald Trump revived the idea of buying Greenland - and refused to rule out stronger measures if Denmark declined - the reaction across Europe was swift and indignant. The proposal was framed as an anachronism: a throwback to imperial horse-trading that modern international politics had supposedly outgrown. But the outrage obscures an uncomfortable historical reality. The United States was not only forged through revolution and war; it was also built through transactions - large-scale territorial purchases concluded at moments when the balance of power left the seller with limited options. From continental expanses to strategic islands, Washington has repeatedly expanded its reach by writing checks backed by leverage. If the idea of buying land now sounds jarring, it is worth recalling that some of the largest such deals helped shape the United States into the... https://www.sott.net/article/504706-Can-you-buy-a-country Wed, 18 Feb 2026 19:26:54 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/504647-DNA-analysis-reveals-Northern-Britains-oldest-human-remains-are-of-a-young-female-child University of Lancashire archaeologists discover more about identity of 11,000 year-old 'oldest northerner'. The oldest human remains ever found in Northern Britain have been identified as a young female three years after being discovered in a Cumbrian cave. Excavated at Heaning Wood Bone Cave in Cumbria's Great Urswick by local archaeologist Martin Stables, the 11,000-year-old bones provided clear evidence of Mesolithic burials in the North. Now, an international team led by archaeologists at the University of Lancashire were able to extract enough DNA from the bones to identify the remains as a female child aged between 2.5 and 3.5-years-old. "It is the first time we have been able to be so specific about the age of a child whose remains are so old and be certain that they are from a female," said lead researcher Dr Rick Peterson. The team has also determined that these remains are the third oldest Mesolithic burial in North West Europe and present some of the earliest dates for... https://www.sott.net/article/504647-DNA-analysis-reveals-Northern-Britains-oldest-human-remains-are-of-a-young-female-child Sun, 15 Feb 2026 15:49:28 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/504620-Archaeologists-have-identified-a-forgotten-city-of-Alexandria-on-the-Tigris-in-southern-Iraq Archaeologists working in southern Iraq have identified the site of Alexandria on the Tigris, a large port city founded in the late fourth century BCE during the campaigns of Alexander of Macedon. The ruins lie at Jebel Khayyaber, near the modern border with Iran. Surveys show a planned urban center that linked river traffic from Mesopotamia with sea routes through the Persian Gulf and trade networks reaching India and Central Asia. Ancient authors described a place called Charax Spasinou near the head of the Persian Gulf. Scholars argued for decades about its position. In the 1960s, British researcher John Hansman studied Royal Air Force aerial photographs and noted a huge walled enclosure and traces of settlement in this area. Field research stalled soon after. The war between Iraq and Iran turned the border zone into a military landscape, and armed forces built installations across parts of the ruins. https://www.sott.net/article/504620-Archaeologists-have-identified-a-forgotten-city-of-Alexandria-on-the-Tigris-in-southern-Iraq Fri, 13 Feb 2026 19:59:30 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/504614-Data-centers-are-a-repeat-of-history-in-PAs-coal-region By the 1920s, Pennsylvania's anthracite coal region was already living with the consequences of decisions made far from its towns and patch villages. The industry that had built the coal towns and cities of eastern Pennsylvania was no longer organized around mineworkers or the communities they lived in, but around efficiency, scale, and centralized control. Mechanization, electrification, and consolidation were already reshaping daily life above and below ground. Coal companies framed these changes as modern necessities. In 1929, the president of the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company (P&RC&I) explained declining production not as a crisis of employment, but as a problem of outdated infrastructure. The solution, Andrew J. Maloney argued, lay in "more flexibility in our producing units," achieved through "the construction of two modern centralized breakers to electrify the mines tributary thereto." The new Locust Summit and St. Nicholas district breakers,... https://www.sott.net/article/504614-Data-centers-are-a-repeat-of-history-in-PAs-coal-region Fri, 13 Feb 2026 18:58:29 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/504584-Israel-and-the-Birth-of-Modern-State-Terrorism Architecture of Deception: A Forensic History of Israel's False-Flag Operations — from Irgun/Likud Bombings to the USS Liberty and Mexico City after 9/11 To understand the operations that reshaped the Middle East — and would one day touch America itself — you must begin with the men in this photograph: Where an Operational Tradition Learns to Wear Another Man's Face The Philosophy Behind Modern State Terrorism Benjamin Netanyahu once revealed far more than he intended when he told Oliver Stone, in Persona Non Grata: "You must shock people — then you can disregard all the normal rules of morality." Most viewers heard provocation. Students of covert history heard a blueprint. Netanyahu wasn't speaking in metaphor. He was summarizing the core operational logic of a system that learned — long before it had tanks, embassies, or formal intelligence units — how to weaponize chaos, seize the narrative in the first minutes, and turn crisis into political advantage. https://www.sott.net/article/504584-Israel-and-the-Birth-of-Modern-State-Terrorism Wed, 11 Feb 2026 21:32:41 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/504554-5300-year-old-bow-drill-rewrites-story-of-ancient-Egyptian-tools A new study reveals that Egyptians were using a mechanically sophisticated drilling tool far earlier than previously suggested. Researchers at Newcastle University, and the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, have re-examined a small copper-alloy object excavated a century ago from a cemetery at Badari in Upper Egypt, and concluded it is the earliest identified rotary metal drill from ancient Egypt, dating to the Predynastic period (late 4th millennium BCE), before the first pharaohs ruled. The artefact (catalogued as 1924.948 A in the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge) was found in Grave 3932, the burial of an adult man. When first published in the 1920s, the artefact - which is only 63 millimetres long and weighs about 1.5 grams - was described as "a little awl of copper, with some leather thong wound round it." That brief note proved easy to overlook, and the object attracted little attention for decades. However, under magnification, the researchers... https://www.sott.net/article/504554-5300-year-old-bow-drill-rewrites-story-of-ancient-Egyptian-tools Tue, 10 Feb 2026 14:40:55 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/504544-Ondor-Gongor-The-search-for-Mongolias-lost-giant This story is a kind of postscript to our series on the history of the world's tallest men. I wanted to mention one of the candidates that didn't make the final list, and talk through the GWR investigation into his claim to the title. This is the tale of my quest to learn more about Öndör Gongor, the Keeper of the Khan's Elephant. Narrowing the field It starts, as all good (and bad) research projects do, with a trip to Wikipedia. When this feature was originally proposed (as something for the 2025 edition of the book), we decided that the history of the tallest man couldn't reasonably be extended to before 1900. That made things easier, but it still left a long blank stretch of timeline between Willie "Bud" Rogan and the founding of GWR in 1955. There are a lot of names that get thrown around, but the number of credible candidates for the title of world's tallest man is much smaller. https://www.sott.net/article/504544-Ondor-Gongor-The-search-for-Mongolias-lost-giant Mon, 09 Feb 2026 20:42:01 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/504386-Johannes-Kepler-Inventor-of-science-fiction-and-defender-of-his-mother-in-a-witchcraft-trial All while revolutionizing our understanding of the universe This is how I picture it: A spindly middle-aged mathematician with a soaring mind, a sunken heart, and bad skin is being thrown about the back of a carriage in the bone-hollowing cold of a German January. Since his youth, he has been inscribing into family books and friendship albums his personal motto, borrowed from a verse by the ancient poet Perseus: "O the cares of man, how much of everything is futile." He has weathered personal tragedies that would level most. He is now racing through the icy alabaster expanse of the countryside in the precarious hope of averting another: Four days after Christmas and two days after his forty-fourth birthday, a letter from his sister has informed him that their widowed mother is on trial for witchcraft — a fact for which he holds himself responsible. He has written the world's first work of science fiction — a clever allegory advancing the controversial Copernican model of the... https://www.sott.net/article/504386-Johannes-Kepler-Inventor-of-science-fiction-and-defender-of-his-mother-in-a-witchcraft-trial Sun, 01 Feb 2026 20:46:16 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/504373-Isaac-Newtons-lost-papers-and-his-search-for-Gods-divine-plan 'This most beautiful system ... could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful being,' wrote Newton. Few have had as profound an effect on modern scientific understanding as Sir Isaac Newton. Many people are familiar with the story of how a falling apple first inspired Newton to investigate the force that would come to be known as gravity, and as he later concluded in his seminal scientific treatise, "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy," it is this same force that pulls a fruit to ground that keeps the planets in orbit. While Newton undoubtedly possessed a keen sense of observation and an insatiable curiosity that enabled him to make some of the most influential mathematical and scientific discoveries in recorded history, his prolific notes and writings — especially the vast amount of manuscripts that went unpublished until hundreds of years after his death — reveal a more profound motivation. https://www.sott.net/article/504373-Isaac-Newtons-lost-papers-and-his-search-for-Gods-divine-plan Sat, 31 Jan 2026 22:11:03 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/504308-New-study-says-the-Great-Pyramid-is-far-older-than-we-thought A newly published preliminary study has reignited one of archaeology's most enduring controversies: when was the Great Pyramid of Giza actually built? In a paper released in January 2026, Italian engineer Alberto Donini presents an unconventional dating approach — known as the Relative Erosion Method (REM) — which he argues may challenge the long-accepted chronology placing the construction of the Pyramid of Khufu around 2560 BC. According to Donini's calculations, erosion patterns at the pyramid's base could suggest a construction date tens of thousands of years earlier, potentially as far back as the late Paleolithic period. The claim, if substantiated, would have far-reaching implications for the history of ancient Egypt and early civilization. Yet it also raises immediate questions about methodology, assumptions, and how such results should be interpreted within archaeological science. Dating Stone Through Erosion At the core of Donini's work is REM, a method designed to... https://www.sott.net/article/504308-New-study-says-the-Great-Pyramid-is-far-older-than-we-thought Wed, 28 Jan 2026 16:47:10 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/504214-1700-year-old-Roman-marching-camps-discovered-in-Germany The find yielded a a multitude of artifacts like coins, nails and the remnants of shoes Archaeologists in Germany have discovered four Roman marching camps, dating to 1,700 years ago, along with a multitude of artifacts, including coins and old shoe parts. During the third century A.D., the Roman Empire conducted several military campaigns into what is now Germany. Their goal was to expand Roman territory north along the Elbe River, which flows into the North Sea. But Germanic tribes resisted Roman occupation and contributed to an imperial crisis in the third century. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of Roman occupation in the form of military camps. They noted that a "characteristic feature of marching camps is the so-called titulum — a segment of ditch with a rampart [defensive wall] located in front of the gate passages." https://www.sott.net/article/504214-1700-year-old-Roman-marching-camps-discovered-in-Germany Thu, 22 Jan 2026 20:17:23 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/504177-Worlds-oldest-known-rock-art-predates-modern-humans-entrance-into-Europe-and-it-was-found-in-an-Indonesian-cave The hand stencil is more than 1,000 years older than the previous earliest evidence of rock art. Scientists have identified the world's oldest known rock art — a hand stencil created at least 67,800 years ago in Indonesia. This artwork, nestled in a cave in southeast Sulawesi, is also the earliest archaeological evidence of modern humans (Homo sapiens) living on the islands between the Asian and Australian continental shelves, according to a study published Wednesday (Jan. 21) in the journal Nature. The hand stencil is surrounded by younger rock art, including another hand stencil. This discovery could fill a major gap in scientists' understanding of the journey the ancestors of Indigenous Australians took before reaching the continent at least 60,000 years ago. "It is very likely that the people who made these paintings in Sulawesi were part of the broader population that would later spread through the region and ultimately reach Australia," study first author Adhi Agus Oktaviana,... https://www.sott.net/article/504177-Worlds-oldest-known-rock-art-predates-modern-humans-entrance-into-Europe-and-it-was-found-in-an-Indonesian-cave Wed, 21 Jan 2026 17:05:27 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/504160-A-5000-year-old-skull-reveals-one-of-the-earliest-medical-interventions-in-Anatolia One of the most striking testimonies to early medical knowledge in Anatolia is now on display at the Samsun Museum. Dating back nearly 5,000 years, a human skull bearing clear evidence of surgical intervention is considered among the earliest known examples of cranial surgery in human history. What makes this discovery exceptional is not only the operation itself, but scientific indications suggesting that the individual survived the procedure for a period of time. This finding challenges long-held assumptions about the limits of prehistoric medical knowledge and points to a surprisingly advanced understanding of the human body. From İkiztepe to the Museum Galleries According to regional cultural authorities, the skull was unearthed during excavations at İkiztepe, one of the most important prehistoric settlements in the central Black Sea region. The site has yielded extensive burial contexts, offering rare insight into early social structures and ritual practices. Alongside the... https://www.sott.net/article/504160-A-5000-year-old-skull-reveals-one-of-the-earliest-medical-interventions-in-Anatolia Tue, 20 Jan 2026 17:48:46 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/503979-Ancient-cave-paintings-in-Texas-are-thousands-of-years-older-than-expected-new-study-reveals Archaeologists working in the canyonlands of southwest Texas have discovered that some of North America's most iconic cave paintings are far older than previously believed. According to new scientific dating, Pecos River-style murals found along the U.S.-Mexico border may have been first created nearly 6,000 years ago, revealing a remarkably long and continuous artistic tradition among ancient hunter-gatherer societies. The findings come from a large interdisciplinary study led by Dr. Carolyn E. Boyd of Texas State University, published in Science Advances. The research redefines what is known about early ritual art in North America and challenges outdated assumptions about the complexity of forager cultures. A Sacred Landscape Along the Rio Grande The Lower Pecos Canyonlands, located near the Rio Grande, contain hundreds of rock shelters formed by limestone overhangs. These natural alcoves provided smooth, protected wall surfaces — ideal conditions for painting. Many murals remain... https://www.sott.net/article/503979-Ancient-cave-paintings-in-Texas-are-thousands-of-years-older-than-expected-new-study-reveals Sun, 11 Jan 2026 17:03:22 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/503936-Why-the-Monroe-Doctrine-cannot-be-reestablished The Monroe Doctrine occupies an unusual place in American political discourse. It is often invoked as though it announced a permanent rule of hemispheric governance, capable of being revived or enforced by later administrations. In contemporary usage, it is frequently treated as a declaration of American authority over the Western hemisphere or as a justification for intervention against foreign powers and regional governments. This understanding does not reflect the document as written, the circumstances that produced it, or the limits its authors assumed. The Monroe Doctrine was not a standing policy. It was a situational proclamation issued in response to a narrow set of geopolitical concerns in the early nineteenth century. Once those conditions passed, the doctrine lost its operative meaning. What remains today is not a living policy, but a historical text repeatedly repurposed to justify authority it never conferred. The doctrine originated in President James Monroe's annual... https://www.sott.net/article/503936-Why-the-Monroe-Doctrine-cannot-be-reestablished Fri, 09 Jan 2026 19:20:24 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/503870-Britains-secret-role-in-Yugoslavias-destruction December 23rd marked the 35th anniversary of an independence referendum in Slovenia, then a Yugoslav republic. In all, 88.5% of registered voters - 95.7% of participants - said "da" to secession. The plebiscite prompted Ljubljana's formal declaration of independence, and ensuing Ten Day War between Slovene territorial defence forces and the Yugoslav federal army. This was the spark that triggered bitter, bloody inter-ethnic conflicts throughout Yugoslavia over the subsequent decade, and the multi-ethnic socialist federation's ultimate destruction. In May 2000, Britain's Observer exposed how in the Ten Day War's leadup, London secretly supplied Slovenia with tactical military communications equipment worth millions, to assist Ljubljana's impending battle against the Yugoslav military. The disclosure elicited outcry, as London was officially at the time committed to preserving Yugoslavia, leading international efforts to prevent the country descending into fractious civil wars. The... https://www.sott.net/article/503870-Britains-secret-role-in-Yugoslavias-destruction Tue, 06 Jan 2026 18:39:55 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/503866-Ancient-clay-cylinders-provide-first-foundation-text-documenting-Nebuchadnezzar-IIs-restoration-of-the-ziggurat-of-Kish In 2013, two local Iraqis handed over two inscribed clay cylinders to the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage. Subsequent analysis and translation of the inscriptions published in Iraq revealed them to belong to King Nebuchadnezzar II (604 — 562 BC), with their text relating to the restoration of the remains of the ziggurat in the ancient city of Kish. These cylinders represent the first foundation text documenting the construction works of King Nebuchadnezzar II to restore the ziggurat, thus confirming what had previously only been inferred from stamped bricks found in archaeological excavations. The two cylinders The two clay cylinders were recorded by the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage in December of 2013. They had been found on the surface of Tell Al-Uhaimir, which includes the ruins of a ziggurat belonging to the ancient city of Kish. They were made in the common style of foundational documents often found in the Neo-Babylonian period and the time of... https://www.sott.net/article/503866-Ancient-clay-cylinders-provide-first-foundation-text-documenting-Nebuchadnezzar-IIs-restoration-of-the-ziggurat-of-Kish Tue, 06 Jan 2026 17:38:13 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/503862-Maduros-capture-follows-a-long-list-of-US-interventions-in-Latin-America Washington orchestrated dozens of regime changes in the region in the 20th century alone, including via direct military invasions The US operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is just the latest chapter in a long list of interventions and regime changes staged by Washington throughout Latin America over the past century. With the adoption of the Monroe Doctrine in the 19th century, the US essentially declared the Western Hemisphere to be its own backyard. Under this policy, the US played a role in staging dozens of coups and government overthrows in the 20th century alone, including several cases of direct military intervention and occupation, reaching a peak during the Cold War. The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, told a press conference on Saturday that the operation to capture Maduro had been "meticulously planned, drawing lessons from decades of missions." According to the general, "there is always a chance that we'll be tasked to... https://www.sott.net/article/503862-Maduros-capture-follows-a-long-list-of-US-interventions-in-Latin-America Tue, 06 Jan 2026 14:19:44 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/503846-Thousands-of-dinosaur-footprints-discovered-in-remote-Italian-Alps The tracks date to the late stages of the Triassic Period. A wildlife photographer who was exploring a remote pocket of the Italian Alps has discovered thousands of dinosaur footprints preserved in the vertical face of a mountainside. In September, Elio Della Ferrera was looking for deer and vultures in Stelvio National Park, near the Swiss-Italian border, when he noticed a rock face riddled with unusual depressions through his binoculars. After hiking cross-country for half a mile through thick terrain, Della Ferrera arrived at the site and photographed it, sending the images to Cristiano Dal Sasso, a paleontologist at the Natural History Museum of Milan, whom he knew from earlier collaborations. Scientists have now confirmed that Della Ferrera has uncovered the largest dinosaur track site in the Alps. The footprints date back 200 million years to the late stages of the Triassic Period, a time when the Italian region of Lombardy had a tropical climate and bordered the Tethys Ocean... https://www.sott.net/article/503846-Thousands-of-dinosaur-footprints-discovered-in-remote-Italian-Alps Mon, 05 Jan 2026 18:33:02 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/503830-Ancient-Egyptians-built-the-Red-Sea-Suez-Canal-and-connected-East-and-West For centuries, merchants, generals, and statesmen contemplated how to connect the eastern and western parts of the Eurasian landmass. This dream led to the creation of the first Silk Road system in the late second century BCE to mid-third century CE. This system proved to be quite stable and lucrative, buoyed by Han China, Parthian Persia, and Rome. But long before this land-based bridge was built, the ancient Egyptians developed a much more efficient bridge that connected Eurasia, primarily by the sea. In the late second millennium BCE, the Egyptians built the first of several versions of a canal that connected the Red Sea to the Nile River. An examination of the classical historians and archaeological sources shows that the Egyptians primarily built the canal for trade purposes and that numerous versions of the canal were built, sometimes by non-Egyptians. https://www.sott.net/article/503830-Ancient-Egyptians-built-the-Red-Sea-Suez-Canal-and-connected-East-and-West Sun, 04 Jan 2026 19:25:41 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/503805-Mysterious-Voynich-manuscript-may-be-a-cipher-a-new-study-suggests A newly invented cipher may shed light on how the mysterious Voynich manuscript was made in medieval times. A unique cipher that uses playing cards and dice to turn languages into glyphs produces text eerily similar to the glyphs in the Voynich manuscript, a new study shows. The finding suggests that an equivalent cipher could have been used to create the mysterious medieval manuscript. The new cipher — called "Naibbe," from the name of a 14th-century Italian card game — does not decode the medieval Voynich manuscript, but it offers an idea for how the manuscript was made. The Voynich manuscript, which has been radiocarbon-dated to the 15th century, contains roughly 38,000 words written in glyphs that have never been translated. Despite more than a century of intense scrutiny, the manuscript has not been explained conclusively. However, it continues to intrigue people, with its bizarre and inexplicable illustrations of plants, astrology and alchemy, including supposedly... https://www.sott.net/article/503805-Mysterious-Voynich-manuscript-may-be-a-cipher-a-new-study-suggests Sat, 03 Jan 2026 18:17:26 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/503762-In-1970-they-killed-labor-leader-Walter-Reuther-and-now-they-re-trying-to-kill-a-book-about-it The truth about that killing, long suppressed, will never come to light, if the CIA succeeds in using "social media" (i.e., Meta) to make sure that this invaluable book remains unadvertised Of all the murders managed by the CIA and FBI to crush the (real) left after the Fifties, most of us know only of those few that have "iconic" status: JFK in 1963, and both MLK, Jr. and RFK in 1968. Malcolm's, carried out by NOI gunmen in 1965, is not so well-known (although there's a rich literature about it), since he was not so towering a figure. https://www.sott.net/article/503762-In-1970-they-killed-labor-leader-Walter-Reuther-and-now-they-re-trying-to-kill-a-book-about-it Wed, 31 Dec 2025 20:24:52 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/503691-A-brief-history-of-consumer-culture Over the course of the 20th century, capitalism preserved its momentum by molding the ordinary person into a consumer with an unquenchable thirst for more stuff. The notion of human beings as consumers first took shape before World War I, but became commonplace in America in the 1920s. Consumption is now frequently seen as our principal role in the world. People, of course, have always "consumed" the necessities of life — food, shelter, clothing — and have always had to work to get them or have others work for them, but there was little economic motive for increased consumption among the mass of people before the 20th century. Quite the reverse: Frugality and thrift were more appropriate to situations where survival rations were not guaranteed. Attempts to promote new fashions, harness the "propulsive power of envy," and boost sales multiplied in Britain in the late 18th century. Here began the "slow unleashing of the acquisitive instincts," write historians Neil McKendrick, John... https://www.sott.net/article/503691-A-brief-history-of-consumer-culture Sun, 28 Dec 2025 16:43:56 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/503580-Frozen-in-time-Pompeiis-graffiti-captures-every-joke-boast-and-argument-of-an-ancient-Roman-city The roughly 11,000 inscriptions preserved by Mount Vesuvius' eruption in 79 C.E. offer a glimpse into everyday life in the Roman Empire Nearly 2,000 years ago, the ancient Roman cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae bustled with merchants, farmers and families going about their daily lives. Unbeknownst to them, Mount Vesuvius, a still-active volcano that rises above the Bay of Naples in southern Italy, was beginning to stir. A catastrophe was brewing in the Pompeians' backyard. To the locals, however, it was just another morning in 79 C.E. On the day of the infamous disaster, Vesuvius started erupting around noon, sending a towering column of gases, ash and rock fragments into the sky. Author and administrator Pliny the Younger, who was living in the port city of Misenum with his uncle, the naturalist Pliny the Elder, at the time, recorded one of the few eyewitness accounts of the devastation. In his view, the volcanic plume "more closely resembled a pine tree than anything... https://www.sott.net/article/503580-Frozen-in-time-Pompeiis-graffiti-captures-every-joke-boast-and-argument-of-an-ancient-Roman-city Sun, 21 Dec 2025 01:20:29 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/503462-Huge-ancient-undersea-wall-dating-to-5800-BCE-discovered-off-the-French-coast In waters off the coast of Brittany, archaeologists have identified an impressive set of submerged stone structures that reveal the presence of a remarkably sophisticated coastal society more than 7,000 years ago. The findings, which were made near the Île de Sein in western France, include a massive granite wall and at least a dozen smaller constructions now located several meters beneath the surface. The largest structure is a wall measuring 120 meters long, which spans a submerged valley. Divers investigating it between 2022 and 2024 discovered stacked blocks of granite, reinforced by more than 60 upright monoliths and slabs nearly two meters high. Other structures, labeled TAF2A, TAF2B, and TAF3, appear to use the same construction methods, while a second group — identified during the dives of 2024 — is characterized by narrower walls composed of smaller stones that were arranged to block natural depressions in the terrain. One of these later discoveries, YAG3C, consists of a... https://www.sott.net/article/503462-Huge-ancient-undersea-wall-dating-to-5800-BCE-discovered-off-the-French-coast Sat, 13 Dec 2025 14:59:51 +0000 https://www.sott.net/article/503455-Keeping-time-in-early-modern-England In 1563 Elizabeth Flynte, a servant from Haselor, Warwickshire, described the extra-marital activities of her mistress to the church court of the Lichfield diocese: He come in here this night, remained four or five hours, left til some other time about 3 of the clock in the morning. The first night being about Michaelmas last and the second night was about a month or 3 weeks then next following and the third night was about Lenton Fayre last past. To explain when her mistress' lover had visited the house, Elizabeth combined complementary systems of time reckoning. She clearly knew how to use clock and calendar time but also opted for other familiar markers, such as ecclesiastical and local events. Informal references such as these were considered robust enough for court proceedings - as long as the courts could understand the dates and times they represented. https://www.sott.net/article/503455-Keeping-time-in-early-modern-England Fri, 12 Dec 2025 22:47:35 +0000