Facts About Roman Gladiators

A Roman Gladiator was an ancient professional fighter who usually specialised with particular weapons and types of armour. They fought before the public in hugely popular organised games held in large purpose-built arenas throughout the Roman Empire from 105 BCE to 404 CE (official contests).

As fights were usually to the death, gladiators had a short life expectancy and so, although it was in some respects a glamorous profession, the majority of fighters were slaves, former slaves or condemned prisoners. Without doubt, gladiator spectacles were one of the most-watched forms of popular entertainment in the Roman world.

12 Most Incredible Ancient Artifacts Finds

A question we ask ourselves a lot on this channel is, "what's been happening recently in the world of archaeology." No matter how many times we ask it, we're never disappointed with the answer! There's always something new and exciting happening. Because of that, we're always able to bring you interesting and informative videos like this one. Let's get on with it!

Cleopatra: Insanely Inbred in Real Life- Family Tree

Cleopatra was even more inbred than Habsburg's Charles II of Spain. In this video we recreate the Berlin Cleopatra Bust to see how she might have looked in real life. We also add her coin to recreate her real face. Enjoy!

Neanderthals Passed Down a Gene for Nose Shape

In a new study done by UCL academics, it was discovered that humans have Neanderthal genetic material that influences the shape of our noses.

Modern human and archaic Neanderthal skulls side by side, showing difference in nasal height. Credit: Dr Kaustubh Adhikari, UCL

A new study published in Communications Biology suggests that a particular gene, which causes a higher nose (from top to bottom), may have evolved naturally when early humans adapted to colder climates after leaving Africa.

Dr. Kaustubh Adhikari, a co-corresponding author from UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment and The Open University, stated: "In the last 15 years, since the Neanderthal genome has been sequenced, we have been able to learn that our own ancestors apparently interbred with Neanderthals, leaving us with small bits of their DNA.

“Here, we discover that some Neanderthal DNA affects the way our faces seem. Given that information has been handed down for many years, this might have been useful to our ancestors.”

The study examined information from more than 6,000 Latin American participants in the UCL-led CANDELA study, who were of mixed European, Native American, and African heritage. Participants were recruited from Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, and Peru. In order to determine how various facial traits were connected to the presence of various genetic markers, the researchers compared genetic data from the participants with photographs of their faces, specifically examining distances between points on their faces, such as the tip of the nose or the edge of the lips.

In comparisons with data from different ethnicities employing volunteers from east Asia, Europe, or Africa, the researchers were able to duplicate 26 of the 33 newly discovered genomic areas linked to face shape.

The researchers discovered that many study participants with Native American ancestry (as well as others with east Asian ancestry from another cohort) had genetic material in this gene that was inherited from the Neanderthals, contributing to increased nasal height. This region of the genome is known as ATF3. Additionally, they discovered evidence of natural selection in this gene region, which suggests that those who possessed the genetic material benefited from it.

Since our noses can help us regulate the temperature and humidity of the air we breathe in, different shaped noses may be better suited to different climates that our ancestors lived in, according to first author Dr. Qing Li (Fudan University), who made the following statement. The gene that we have discovered here may have come from Neanderthals and helped early humans adapt to colder regions when they migrated out of Africa.

Aix-Marseille University, Fudan University, and UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment co-corresponding author Professor Andres Ruiz-Linares added, "Most genetic studies of human diversity have investigated the genes of Europeans; our study's diverse sample of Latin American participants broadens the reach of genetic study findings, helping us to better understand the genetics of all humans."

The discovery marks the second time that DNA from ancient people, apart from Homo sapiens, has been found to influence our facial features. The same scientists found in a paper published in 2021 that a gene affecting lip shape was passed down from the prehistoric Denisovans.

Researchers from the UK, China, France, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, Germany, and Brazil participated in the study.

Source: https://www.ancientpages.com/2023/05/08/ne...

15 Genius Ancient Siege Weapons

Ingenious ancient engineers construct some of the most innovative siege weapons in history. Today we'll be taking a look at the most amazing ancient siege weapons!

"The History of Makkah." Islamic Stories in 3D (Regular Version)

Makkah is considered once of the most Sacred Places on earth for Muslims. Yet sadly many people, both Muslim and Non-Muslim, don't know the History of this Important City. Therefore, Simply Seerah Studios has presented a short clip which covers the History of Makkah in 3D format. Insha Allah with your help and support our Studio will continue to cover important topics in Islam.

Hidden Chamber in Great Pyramid as big as a Plane Confirmed by New Scan | Egypt

In 2017 a big discovery in the Great Pyramid was announced in a paper in Nature: “a large void” (at least 30m/100ft in length) above the Grand Gallery. The find constituted “the first major inner structure found in the Great Pyramid since the 19th century”.

The new discovery was achieved by the Scan Pyramids project – a cross-disciplinary, multi-institution/nation effort that has employed various high-tech, non-destructive methods – such as infra-red thermography and muons radiography – to ‘scan’ the Great Pyramid for hidden cavities and/or structures.

In 2019 the Scan Pyramids team released a video announcing that the large cavity – which generated some controversy, with questions raised as to whether it truly was there, or was just some sort of scanning artifact – has been confirmed by more scans taken from new points within the pyramid, including the so-called ‘relieving chambers’ that sit above the ‘King’s Chamber’:

The big void was again observed from these new measuring points, confirming and refining the results published in 2017. The cavity is just above the Grand Gallery, between 10 and 15 metres above. Its minimum length, estimated initially at 30 metres, has been reevaluated to 40 metres minimum probably in one single section. However the mission scientists continue to debate about a slope.

The video also discusses other aspects of the project, including the other cavity found behind the entrance to the pyramid, as well as the lack of anomalies between the top of the relieving chambers and the peak of the pyramid.

15 Illegal Places You're Not Allowed to Visit

You’ve probably heard the phrase ‘the world is your oyster’ but, guess what? It’s not entirely true. There are some places where you absolutely cannot go: or else the weight of the law will come crashing down on you. These are illegal places you’re not allowed to visit!

A 30,000-year-old baby woolly mammoth emerges from the permafrost in the Yukon in good condition

Travis Mudry, a miner working in Canada's Yukon territory's Klondike goldfields, hacked into a wall of permafrost, or permanently frozen earth, on a rainy June morning. The thick mixture of ice soil must be removed by miners, a technique known as placer mining, in order to access the gold resources buried in the stream beds.

The trunk, ears and tail of this baby woolly mammoth, named Nun cho ga, are almost perfectly preserved. Government of Yukon

A sizable piece of the frozen ground suddenly broke off the wall. Strangely, the remains of a dark, shiny animal with short legs poked out from the sludge. Mudry started examining the animal, noticing its skin, fur, and stub of a tail, suspecting he had discovered a mummified newborn buffalo. After that, he saw a trunk.

Brian McCaughan, the general manager and chief operating officer of the privately held gold mining company Treadstone Equipment, was Mudry's boss. McCaughan immediately gave the order to halt all work after taking one glance at the tiny animal, which was in such good condition it appeared as though it had just passed away. He started contacting experts after taking some pictures of the discovery.

The Yukon government's paleontologist, Grant Zazula, received an email containing a picture of the frozen woolly mammoth, the most complete specimen discovered in North America to date, a half-hour later. She is stunning and one of the most amazing mummified Ice Age creatures ever found, according to Zazula.

There was only one issue: June 21 was National Indigenous Peoples Day, a Yukon government holiday. Zazula was in Whitehorse, some six hours south of Dawson City from the location of the finding in Eureka Creek. (The Tr'ondk Hwch'in, a Yukon First Nation whose presence in the area dates back thousands of years, have the goldfields in their traditional territory.)

The site where Nun cho ga was found, on the Eureka Creek in the Yukon Klondike Placer Miner's Association

Zazula sought the help of two geologists, one from the Yukon Geological Survey and the other from the University of Calgary, to recover the mammoth. Less than an hour before a storm hit, they hurried to the creek, inspecting the scene and removing the bones.

According to Zazula, CBC News, "[I]f she wasn't recovered at that time, she would have been lost in the storm."

After being safely enclosed, the mammoth was transported to a nearby place for a ceremony involving researchers, miners, officials, and Tr'ondk Hwch'in elders. The elders blessed the mammoth and gave it the name Nun cho ga, which translates to "big baby animal" in the Hän language.

Zazula says that Nun cho ga is a female who was probably around a month old when she passed away more than 30,000 years ago based on a cursory study. The geology of the area where the mammoth was discovered suggests that she was likely grazing over the treeless grassland when she wandered off and became enmeshed in the mud.

The baby woolly mammoth in situ Government of Yukon

Nun cho ga's short demise and the particular setting of her death account for her state of preservation. Only the fossilized bones of Ice Age species are still present in the majority of the earth. However, in the Yukon, permafrost serves as a freezer, protecting sensitive data like DNA as well as soft tissue like muscle, skin, and hair. A wolf pup, a caribou calf, a gigantic camel, and other long-deceased creatures' well-preserved remains have recently been discovered in the area by miners and researchers. Nun Cho Ga will now join them as the first fully developed infant woolly mammoth discovered in North America and the second in the entire planet.

The Yukon and Klondike Rivers meet near the Yukon's geographic center in Dawson City. The rough peaks of Tombstone Territorial Park (in the Hän language, ddhäl ch'èl cha nän, or "ragged mountain land,") are to the north. Rolling permafrost formations with rivers and creeks running through them may be seen to the south. A lush boreal forest of white spruce, lodgepole pine, quaking aspen, and willow spreads across it all.

Nun cho ga was born into a very different environment. Her native land was dry and bitterly cold. Massive glaciers covered the majority of Canada during the Wisconsin glaciation period, which lasted between 100,000 and 75,000 years ago and terminated around 11,000 years ago. However, the interior of the Yukon and Alaska's coastal mountains prevented all precipitation, resulting in areas of land that were too dry to produce glaciers.

Zhùr, a 7-week-old female wolf pup who died in the Yukon roughly 57,000 years ago Government of Yukon

Instead, the area developed into an Ice Age animal haven in the north. Fossilized remains reveal that, in addition to camels, rhinos, and ancient wolves, the treeless region formerly was home to huge woolly mammoths, steppe bison, giant beavers, and Yukon horses. Sea levels fell by as much as 395 feet as a result of the expansion of glaciers during the Ice Age. The ancient landmass known as Beringia was formed when the Bering Land Bridge, which connected Asia and North America, was exposed as a result of this drop.

Wild grasses and forbs, which are small, nutrient-rich plants that include fragile tundra flowers like poppies and buttercups, covered large areas of Beringia. Nun cho ga would have been smaller than the Columbian mammoth, her southern counterpart, if she had reached adulthood. A lot of her time (up to 20 hours per day, according to estimates by the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre in Whitehorse) would have been spent grazing her way across the steppe, consuming as much as 440 pounds of grass and flowers daily. She would have also had cold-weather adaptations like smaller ears and a furrier body.

A well-known scientific idea states that Indigenous peoples crossed the Bering Land Bridge and started dispersing over North America once Nun cho ga was covered by permafrost, maybe approximately 15,000 years ago. According to Trondk Hwchin creation myths, the First Nation has always resided in the Yukon. In any case, the Trondk Hwchin's little, transient fishing community was thriving in what is now Dawson City by the middle of the 19th century.

Three Indigenous people and one white prospector came together in August 1896 to find gold in Rabbit Creek, a Klondike River tributary. Following this, 30,000 people quickly flooded the area, starting the Klondike Gold Rush.

Prospectors buying miner's licenses in 1898 Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Of these miners, only 4,000 or so really found gold. The bones of enormous, mythological beasts were a different kind of treasure that some people discovered. Scientists from the Paris Natural History Museum traveled to the Klondike in 1904 to gather the enigmatic fossils. International teams from the Canadian Museum of Nature, the Smithsonian Institution, the American Museum of Natural History, and the United States Biological Survey came after them.

With the scientists' arrival, a special partnership between gold miners and paleontologists was created and is still going strong today. Government paleontologists are frequently present at the site collecting fossils as placer miners utilize heavy machinery and hydraulic water cannons to remove permafrost and uncover gold. Each summer, Zazula and his coworkers gather 6,000–8,000 bones. A 7-week-old female wolf pup named Zhùr and a horse bone from 700,000 years ago that contained the oldest DNA ever sequenced are among their most important discoveries.

Nun Cho Ga stands out even among these uncommon discoveries. Zazula claims she is "perfect" and "beautiful," measuring just over four and a half feet from the tip of her tail to the base of her trunk.

She has a trunk, he continues. Her tail is present. Her ears are really little. She might use the small prehensile end of her trunk to grasp some grass. The newborn mammoth might be in better shape than Lyuba, a calf discovered in Siberia in 2017.

Nun cho ga is assisting in the reconstruction of a more full image of the Ice Age Yukon while also assisting in the reconciliation between the Trondk Hwch'in, the traditional landowners, and the miners and researchers who have long claimed ownership of the region's riches.

Members of the Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin First Nation, the Yukon government, Treadstone Mine and University of Calgary with Nun cho ga Government of Yukon

In the statement, Trondk Hwchin Chief Roberta Joseph says, "This is... a remarkable recovery for our First Nation, and we look forward to collaborating with the Yukon government on the next steps in the process for moving forward with these remains in a way that honors our traditions, culture, and laws." "We are grateful for the elders' guidance and the name they have given us thus far. Nun cho ga has decided to unveil herself to us all at this time, and we are committed to treating her with respect."

Nun cho ga's next moves have not yet been determined. If she follows Zhùr's example, she will be reverently researched and treated as something much more valuable than a specimen for scientific study. The effort will continue to be directed by Trondk Hwchin elders as the scientific community seeks to understand more about Nun cho ga and the period she lived in.

Elder Peggy Kormendy said in the statement, "It's great. When they took the tarp off, it stopped me in my tracks. All of us need to respect it. We will heal when it occurs, and it will be powerful."

Source: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/wel...

How the “lost cities” of the Amazon were finally found

The Amazon has always been one of the most mysterious places on earth.

When European colonizers arrived in the 16th century, they were captivated by rumors of a golden city, hidden somewhere in the rainforest. Their search for “El Dorado” lasted more than a century, but only resulted in disaster, death, and further conquest of the indigenous people there.

Experts thereafter looked at the Amazon and saw only a desolate jungle; too harsh for extensive agriculture and therefore sparsely populated. They believed that it had always been this way.

Until recently.

Beginning in the late 20th century, archaeologists began looking more closely at the forest floor. Working with the indigenous people who still remained there, they excavated long ditches and mounds. After mapping them, they could see that these were the markings of large settlements; walls, moats, plazas, and roads that connected even more settlements. And they were all over the Amazon.

10 Terrifying Things Recovered from the Titanic

It's April 10, 1912, when the RMS Titanic left Southampton harbor to usher in a new era of civil shipping. The steel giant with its exquisite interior fittings looked more like a floating luxury hotel than an ordinary steamer. Her modern watertight bulkheads and advanced pumping system earned the Titanic a reputation for being unsinkable in the public eye. Today we know that this was nothing more than a gigantic fallacy: In the late evening hours of April 14, 1912, the whole pride of the White Star Line collided with an iceberg and sank a few hours later in the freezing cold waters of the Atlantic.

Who Would Win: You VS. Neanderthal

Are modern humans the pinnacle of the food chain, the strongest and most intelligent creatures ever to walk this Earth? Maybe now, but once upon a time, we had some real competition: Neanderthals.

Wait, like, cave people? Weren’t Neanderthals our ancestors? Nope! We came from the Cro-Magnon, which were early modern humans. Neanderthals were a separate branch of humans. Their DNA is even different from ours, so we can safely say that Neanderthals were a completely different species.

12 Most Unusual Abandoned Places That Really Exist

Any building or location has the potential to become abandoned, whether it’s an old factory or an old family home. Although you might find a few traces of the past in any abandoned place, most of them aren’t all that interesting. They’re just empty monuments to what came before them. The places you’re about to see in this video are very different - they’re strange, unique abandoned places with fascinating stories behind them. In fact, they’re the most unusual real abandoned places in the world!

New tunnel discovered in Great Pyramid of Giza

Archaeologists scanning inside the great pyramid of Giza detected a hollow spot. That discovery made headlines a few years ago, but access to the chamber remained elusive - until now. A group of researchers has managed to insert a fiber optic camera into the secret chamber, bringing us sights not seen for thousands of years.

Mysterious & Bizarre Discoveries

In this video below we will be exploring some more mysterious and bizarre discoveries. Watch the video to find out more!

Incredible Lost Worlds Revealed

In the following video we will be talking about incredible lost worlds that have been revealed. Watch the video below to find out more!