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Act like Megalochelys atlas and smile, because it’s Fossil Friday! One of the largest known land turtles, scientists think this massive reptile could reach heights of 5.9 ft (1.8 m)—tall enough to look a grown human in the eye. This specimen’s shell measures some 7.4 ft (2.3 m) long and in life, it may have weighed more than 2,000 lbs (907 kg). Megalochelys lived during the Late Pliocene about 2 million years ago. The fossil on display in the Museum’s Hall of Vertebrate Origins was found in 1922 in Chandigarh, India.  

Photo: © AMNH

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Oldest Wine Ever Discovered in Liquid Form Found in Untouched Roman Tomb

A 2,000-year-old Roman funerary urn unearthed in southern Spain has been shown to contain the oldest wine ever found still in liquid form.

Discovered during home renovations at a property in Carmona in 2019, the contents of the urn were analyzed by a team of scientists from the University of Cordoba in a study published Monday.

Study lead author José Rafael Ruiz Arrebola, a professor of organic chemistry at the university, said that the urn was found to contain cremated remains, burned ivory thought to come from a funeral pyre and around 4.5 liters (1.2 gallons) of reddish liquid.

“When the archaeologists opened the urn we almost froze,” he said. “It was very surprising.”

The team then carried out a chemical analysis of the liquid and found that it was wine.

This was a big surprise, because wine normally evaporates quickly and is chemically unstable, Ruiz Arrebola said.

“This means it is almost impossible to find what we have found,” he said, explaining that the wine had been preserved by a hermetic seal that prevented it from evaporating, but it is not clear how the seal formed.

Further chemical analysis allowed the team to identify the liquid as a white wine, as it didn’t contain syringic acid, a substance only present in red wines, Ruiz Arrebola said.

It also has a similar mineral salt composition to the fino wines produced today in the region, he added.

“It’s something unique,” said Ruiz Arrebola. “We have been lucky to find it and analyze it – it’s something you only see once in your life.”

The researchers believe their discovery dethrones the current holder of the record for oldest wine in a liquid state, the Speyer wine bottle, found in Germany, which is thought to be around 1,700 years old. However, the age of the Speyer bottle has not been confirmed by chemical analysis.

The vessel was one of six funerary urns containing remains found in the mausoleum.

The discovery of a gold ring and other valuable artifacts suggest it was built by a family of considerable wealth, Ruiz Arrebola said.

However, little else is known about their lives, because cremation would have destroyed any DNA, he explained, adding that this means it is impossible to say whether the six people were related.

Ruiz Arrebola now plans to try to work out which modern-day local wine it was most similar to, although there are hundreds to work through.

By Jack Guy.

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A Sword from the arsenal of the Venetian Council of Ten

Blade Length: 37.5 in/95.3 cm

Venice, Italy, ca. 1475-1500, from Olympia Auction House.

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Octopus vase from Palaikastro

c. 1500 BCE, painted stone

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Horseman's war pick/ war hammer, Germany, circa 1550

from The Victoria and Albert Museum

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Pharaoh Kufu’s Solar Barge.

Discovered in a pit at the foot of the Great Pyramid in Giza, this boat was intended to carry the Pharaoh Kufu in the afterlife. At 4,600 years old, It is the oldest boat in existence.

It is truly a marvel of ancient engineering, as there are no nails or screws holding it together, instead a complex system of knots and lashes hold the interlocking wooden planks together with rope.

The boat was powered by 20 oarsmen, and four sternsman who would steer the 143-foot-long vessel.

It has been given the name “Solar Barge” by egyptologists because the ancient Egyptians believed that the pharaoh Khufu would travel to the sun in the boat to be reunited with the sun god Ra in the afterlife.

#travel #egypt #cairo #pyramids #travelguide #pharaoh #travelblogger #travelphotography #funfact #explore #travelling #giza #travelgram https://www.instagram.com/p/B0I89zFB4Vn/?igshid=tkvvuhud3s0u

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Dagger with Scabbard

Indian, Mughal 1605–27

The hilt of the dagger is constructed of heavy sections of gold over an iron core and its scabbard mounts are of solid gold. All the intricately engraved surfaces are set with gems and colored glass finely cut with floral forms. The designs closely parallel those in Mughal painting of the early seventeenth century, suggesting the dagger dates from the reign of Emperor Jahangir (1605–27), whose deep love of nature, especially flowers, is well documented in his memoirs, the "Tuzuk." The blade is forged of watered steel.

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Silver penannular brooch with thistle designs, Ireland, 9th-10th century

from The Hunt Museum, Limerick

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The Roman Draco (dragon) of Cavalry.

Photography by Jim Weavill, 2024. Roman Army exhibition, British Museum.

This exhibition is on right now.

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Bronze dagger with gold hilt, Minoan, 1800-1700 BC

from The Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Crete

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Assyrian dog figurines with names carved on them, 650 BC “Expeller of evil” (mušēṣu lemnūti) with white pigment and red spots “Catcher of the enemy” (kāšid ayyāb) with red pigment “Don’t think, bite!” (ē tamtallik epuš pāka) with white pigment “Biter of his foe!” (munaššiku gārîšu) with turquoise pigment “Loud is his bark!” (dan rigiššu) with black pigment

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Skull and antlers of a large deer uncovered from a bog in Ireland, circa 10,000 BC

from The National Museum of Archaeology, France

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Antler engraving found in Lortet Cave in the Hautes-Pyrénées region of France. It was carved from a reindeer antler and shows a group of reindeer crossing a river or lake full of swimming salmon. Dating to the Magdalenian period, approximately 17,000-12,000 years ago.

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Dumortierite quartz, one of the rarest Quartz varieties to find. And, one of the most expensive as well!

🎥:theeancients

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The dazzling colors seen in gem tourmalines depend on the metals present in each gemstone’s crystal structure. Pink tourmalines contain more manganese, while green crystals include iron, chromium, or vanadium. When conditions change during crystal growth, tourmalines can grow as bi-colored and multicolored crystals, such as watermelon elbaite—such as the specimen pictured!🍉

Photo: E. Louis/© AMNH

American Museum of Natural History

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Tourmaline crystals From Paprok, Nuristan Province, Afghanistan

Photo: Godlegocrystal