History yays

[comrade_general]

http://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/ancient-etruscan-text-may-reveal-identity-gods-and-deities

Sorry for the IFL link. I unfollowed them a long time ago.

[Jubal]

Ooh, awesome

Meanwhile the biggest history yay of the past week has probably been the news that Palmyra may be in rather better shape than we feared - ISIS seem to have wrecked some gorgeous temples, but most of the Roman ruins are still standing fortunately.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/palmyra-ruins-not-destroyed-isis_uk_56faa7c2e4b0691b0c563a7c

[Glaurung]

And, nearer to home (at least for UK people), some more Roman ruins (a villa, to be specific) discovered by someone laying electricity cables in his garden! Apparently the site hasn't been touched for 1,400 years, so it's very rich archaeologically.

Details, as ever, on the BBC News site.

[Jubal]

There's a buried one in the village near my house in Norfolk that's only ever been partly excavated - I imagine there must still be really quite a large number across the UK (which presents certain difficulties in terms of long-term preservation).

[comrade_general]

Yeah I've got Roman ruins on my land too.

[Jubal]

...that's rather more interesting, you might want to get someone to look at that

[comrade_general]

http://globalnews.ca/news/2785544/archaeologists-discover-skeletons-coins-in-ancient-pompeii-shop/?sf29605258=1

Nice looking coin, funny looking guy on it.

Is the edge misshaped due to being tumbled around in the ground? Surely not because then the markings and face would be deformed as well. Then it would seem they didn't make the thing perfectly round in the first place which doesn't make sense because they were perfectly capable of doing so.

[Glaurung]

I suspect two things:
- The rim has been hit against something hard at some point; it's gold so it would dent easily
- The coin has been "clipped", i.e. it's had bits cut off the edge to steal some of the gold. This would account for the irregular edge in the lower left quadrant in the picture.

[comrade_general]

That could be. Though it seems like most old coins have irregular edges even the non-gold ones.

[Jubal]

It's that the coin wasn't made round - they could make round objects with moulds or whatever for jewellery, but most ancient & medieval coins were generally made by striking a blob of metal with a marked die & hammer, which doesn't lead to nice perfect round coins but is a considerably quicker & cheaper process than pouring molten metal into moulds.

[comrade_general]

http://www.seeker.com/pompeii-victims-bodies-revealed-in-scans-photos-1770334701.html?slide=qNxQAZ

Better teeth than modern day British.

[comrade_general]

Today is D-Day.

[Tusky]

Better teeth than modern day British.

I am highly offended by this

As an English person - to have our distinctive brown wonky teeth bundled in with the boring white straight teeth of the Welsh and the Scottish

[comrade_general]

Sorry m8

[comrade_general]

Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944 ! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory!

I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle.
We will accept nothing less than full Victory!

Good Luck! And let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

Dwight D. Eisenhower