Welcome to the 32nd episode of History News This Week. Please note that History News This Week will be online every Sunday at 09:30 PM Indian Standard Time i.e. 04:00 PM GMT. This week I have six interesting pieces of news items from the world of History and Archaeology followed by three wonderful articles. Let’s start!
Links to the news items, articles, latest released books and the history podcast recommendation of the week below:
North America's first people may have arrived by sea ice highway as early as 24,000 years ago
Druids, pagans and archaeologists gather in London in latest battle for Stonehenge
2,200-year-old tiles found in Jerusalem provide direct link to the history of Hanukkah
Medieval 'curse tablet' summoning Satan discovered at the bottom of a latrine in Germany
History in a shambles: Humayun’s tomb in grave condition
Archaeologists have discovered Pueblo astronomical carvings and paintings in Colorado
When did Homo sapiens first appear?
Why the Oracle of Delphi Still Beguiles
The plague came from Egypt: Myth or reality?
Links to order 'Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, A Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor' below:
Amazon India:
Hardcover
Kindle
Amazon USA:
Hardcover
Kindle
Link to pre-order 'Waiting for Shiva: Unearthing the Truth of Kashi’s Gyan Vapi' below:
Amazon India:
Hardcover
History podcast recommendation of the week:
Dan Snow's History Hit
Please don't forget to checkout Historylogy.com for latest book reviews and tidbits from the pages of history.
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Coming up: History News This Week - Episode: 032
Namaste Friends. My name is 'Shinil Subramanian Payamal' and you are listening to the Historylogy podcast.
Welcome to the 32nd episode of History News This Week. Please note that History News This Week will be online every Sunday at 09:30 PM Indian Standard Time i.e. 04:00 PM GMT.
This week I have six interesting pieces of news items from the world of History and Archaeology followed by three wonderful articles. Let’s start!
1st ─ North America's first people may have arrived by sea ice highway as early as 24,000 years ago
One of the hottest debates in archaeology is how and when humans first arrived in North America. Archaeologists have traditionally argued that people walked through an ice-free corridor that briefly opened between ice sheets an estimated 13,000 years ago.
But a growing number of archaeological and genetic finds—including human footprints in New Mexico dated to around 23,000 years old—suggests that people made their way onto the continent much earlier. These early Americans likely traveled along the Pacific coastline from Beringia, the land bridge between Asia and North America that emerged during the last glacial maximum when ice sheets bound up large amounts of water causing sea levels to fall.
2nd ─ Druids, pagans and archaeologists gather in London in latest battle for Stonehenge
Campaigners are making a second High Court bid to try and block a £1.7 billion scheme to overhaul eight miles of the A303 in Wiltshire, which will include a two-mile tunnel.
Campaigners fear the new road scheme would be the first step in ‘de-listing’ the UNESCO world heritage site.
3rd ─ 2,200-year-old tiles found in Jerusalem provide direct link to the history of Hanukkah
Archaeologists in Jerusalem have unearthed 16 ceramic tile fragments used in the construction of a Greek fortress.
The 16 tile fragments — which date to around the second century B.C., during the Hellenistic period — are the oldest roofing tiles ever found in Israel and were brought there during the reign of the Greek Hellenistic king described in the Hanukkah story.
4th ─ Medieval 'curse tablet' summoning Satan discovered at the bottom of a latrine in Germany
Upon first glance, the researchers thought the "inconspicuous piece of metal" was simply scrap, since it was found at the bottom of a latrine at a construction site in Rostock, a city in northern Germany, according to a translated statement.
5th ─ Mughal Emperor Humayun’s tomb in grave condition
The replica graves of Humayun, the second Mughal emperor, and his family on the first floor of the tomb complex are crying for repair, upkeep and deep cleaning, despite their being part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Though Archaeological Survey of India officials claimed that the graves and the tomb complex were cleaned at least four times a year, dust has blackened the marble dome.
6th ─ Archaeologists have discovered Pueblo astronomical carvings and paintings in Colorado
The discovery was made at the Castle Rock Pueblo settlement complex, located on the Mesa Verde plateau on the border between Colorado and Utah, United States.
Previous research of the area has identified Pueblo petroglyphs from the 12th and 13th century AD, and 15th-17th century AD rock panels featuring hunting scenes associated with the Ute tribe.
Now, coming to the three articles:
1st ─ When did Homo sapiens first appear?
The origin of our species, Homo sapiens, has puzzled paleoanthropologists for generations — and finding the answer has only gotten more complicated with the discovery of far-flung fossils and the advent of genetic analysis. So where and when did our ancestors first appear?
Currently, the answer is still up for debate: Researchers have so far unearthed 300,000-year-old fossils attributed to our species, while some scientists trace modern humans' origins to 1 million years ago. One of the reasons for the lack of clarity is the definition of species itself: what do we mean by Homo sapiens?
2nd ─ Why the Oracle of Delphi Still Beguiles
The Oracle at Delphi influenced Greek politics for a millennium. She continues to speak to us today.
3rd ─ The plague came from Egypt: Myth or reality?
Many reports from antiquity about outbreaks of plague mention Egypt as the source of pestilences that reached the Mediterranean. But was this really the case? Researchers from the University of Basel are conducting a critical analysis of the ancient written and documentary evidence combined with archaeogenetic findings to add some context to the traditional view.
Latest history book release of the week:
‘Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, A Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor’ written by Mark Harmon and Leon Carroll, Jr. is our pick of the week.
A U.S. naval counterintelligence officer working to safeguard Pearl Harbor; a Japanese spy ordered to Hawaii to gather information on the American fleet. On 7th December, 1941, their hidden stories are exposed by a morning of bloodshed that would change the world forever. Scrutinizing long-buried historical documents, NCIS star Mark Harmon and co-author Leon Carroll, a former NCIS Special Agent, have brought forth a true-life NCIS story of deception, discovery, and danger.
Also, Dr. Vikram Sampath’s upcoming book titled 'Waiting for Shiva: Unearthing the Truth of Kashi’s Gyan Vapi' which is scheduled to release on the 28th of February, 2024, is now available for pre-order on Amazon India.
History podcast recommendation of the week:
‘Dan Snow's History Hit’ hosted by Dan Snow is our pick of the week.
Dan Snow’s History Hit explores the deep history behind today’s headlines – giving you the context to understand what is going on today. Everything has a history, every challenge made easier by understanding its nature, its genesis.
I will provide links to all the news items, articles, books and podcast mentioned above in the show notes. Please feel free to check them out.
Thank you for listening to this week's episode of the ‘History News This Week’. Hope you found it interesting.
Please don't forget to subscribe to the Historylogy podcast on your favourite podcasting app and check Historylogy.com for book reviews and interesting tidbits from the pages of History. Looking forward to hearing from you. Have a great day and take care. Bye!