Remains of the real Mona Lisa found??

According to scientists and historians in Italy, the remains of Mona Lisa have been found, the woman who inspired the famous painting by Leonardo Da Vinci. Her body was found in a crypt in Florence, Italy; it's believed she died in 1542, aged 63. Lisa, real name Lisa Gheradini (married name - Giocondo) became a nun after her husband died. (He was a wealthy silk merchant.) The next step is to employ DNA testing to confirm Lisa's identity, testing it against the remains of her children, who were all buried in the crypt with her. Scientists will then use facial reconstruction to match it to the painting.

According to scientists, small initials could be found in the eyes of Mona Lisa under a microscope...another clue to the mystery?

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/07/18/have-archaeologists-uncovered-mona-lisa-model-remains/?intcmp=features

Argentinians sentenced for war crimes

Two Argentine dictators have been sentenced for the kidnapping of children during the 1976-1983 dictatorship. Jorge Videla, was sentenced to 50yrs in prison while Reynaldo Bignone was given a 15yr term. The case against the dictators began in February last year, and human rights groups such as the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo have fought tooth and nail to bring them to justice. At least 500 babies were kidnapped from political opponents and given to right-wing supporters. In a number of cases, the mothers were kidnapped, blindfolded while giving birth and then thrown from aeroplanes shortly after. They belonged to the 30,000 "disappeared".

http://www.afp.com/en/news/topstories/tough-sentences-argentina-stolen-babies-case

Historical costume design!

As part of the Shakespeare season on BBC, costume designer Eliza Kessler sat down to answer some questions about historical period drama. Kessler explains she immersed herself in paintings, visited buildings, and even studied modern football games to get an idea of 'chivalry'; all to immerse herself in the c.15/16th centuries. Kessler describes that the costumes must not only to look real, but to be versatile so the actors can move around and, to use her phrase, look "sexy." (she's talking about tom hiddleston here i believe.) It's a really interesting interview as it sheds some light on a topic that should get more attention.

Also, I would blatantly fight for tom hiddleston if he gave this speech...just saying.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/tv/

World's Oldest Handbag!!

Archaeologists have found the oldest handbag on record! It was discovered in a grave dating back to 2,500 B.C. and is absolutely COVERED in dog teeth. (that was the fashion then, obviously). How incredible is it to imagine someone walking around with this?!

For a pic follow this link -

http://cocoperez.com/2012-07-02-worlds-oldest-handbag-dog-teeth

(getting history info from perez hilton - priceless.)

Britain's Lost Atlantis?

As much as I loathe quoting the Daily Mail, it does have a very interesting article on 'Britain's Lost Atlantis.' Divers have found a lost city in the North Sea that may have been home to tens of thousands of people from 18,000 to 5,000 BC. The area, called Doggerland, stretched from Scotland to Denmark, and has been nicknamed the "heartland of Europe" until it was hit by a tsunami that destroyed the city. The discovery will lead to some fascinating details about climate change, as well as how this ancient population used to live. Exploring the remains can give us a clearer idea of what animals lived there and what the human population ate. An exhibition at the Royal Society in London chronicles the discovery, and provides answers to some of these questions.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2167731/Britains-Atlantis-North-sea--huge-undersea-kingdom-swamped-tsunami-5-500-years-ago.html

(to be fair it does have good pictures.)

Old Shakespeare theatre found!

The remains of the Curtain Theatre, opened in 1577, have been found beneath a pub in Shoreditch. Some of Shakespeare's plays were performed there (including Henry V and Romeo and Juliet), and it is hoped the theatre will be restored and opened to the public. Shakespeare's company, or the Lord Chamberlain's Men, used the Curtain in 1597 for two years until the Globe Theatre opened. According to archaeologists, this is the most important Shakespearean discovery for a number of years!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18351007

(the link is a couple of weeks old but the video is worth a watch!)

Lincoln's Assassination: Doctor's Notes found

At Ford's Theatre, on April 14 1865, President Lincoln was assassinated by the actor John Wilkes Booth. Shooting him in the back of the head, Booth jumped down from the President's box, (landing badly) and fled the theatre, with a dagger in his hand. Dr Charles Leale was the first doctor on the scene, and his notes regarding Lincoln's death have been found by a British student in the National Archives.

Initially Leale believed the President had been stabbed, but then found the "large clot of blood" at the back of his head. "His breathing became more regular" once he had removed the clot, and Leale continued his desperate attempts to save Lincoln's life in a house across the street. Leale gave a detailed account of his experience, which was found among the papers of the surgeon-general. Studies will be conducted as to whether the President could have survived.

Why can't I find something like that?!

(BBC)

Buffy is REAL!

Perusing the gossip site Perez Hilton I was surprised to find this little historical gem (yes I realise celebrity websites are not the best source of historical information, but I just saw a trailer for the new film Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter so I think I can be excused...)

An auction house, Tennants Auctioneers, are selling of this AMAZING box of c19th vampire hunting tools. It contains stakes, a gun, holy water, consecrated earth, a crucifix and this psalm from the Bible:

"But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me." (Luke, 20:27).

I think this has got to be one of the best things I have ever seen.

Buffy anyone?

Vampires in Bulgaria?

The current obsession with vampires is no modern invention. Bulgarian archaeologists have discovered several medieval skeletons staked through the chest with iron rods, apparently to prevent them from becoming vampires...

If you were labelled as an evil person in life, you were buried with an iron rod through the heart, as people feared you would return from the dead and ransack villages, murdering the townsfolk. Altogether, over a hundred skeletons buried in this way have been found across Bulgaria. Astonishingly, in some small villages this practice was still carried out until the c20th!!

These burials led Bram Stoker to pen his famous novel, Dracula, published in 1897.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18334106

The Silence of Prohibition...

I've been spending a bit of time in Winchester Archives for a project on Hinton Ampner House, near Petersfield. Aside from the odd, boring invoice, perusing through the documents has been really interesting - I've found out some great information about the ghost story, and reading a 300 year old account of the disturbances was INCREDIBLE. The last owner of the house, Ralph Dutton (1898-1985) left hundreds of articles, speeches and diaries to the archive, so there was a lot to get through, but something draws me back...

Dutton travelled extensively throughout his life, and his travel diaries are extraordinary windows into twentieth century history. One recounts his memories of communist Berlin, and his experiences with Germans whose families are beyond the wall, fully expecting never to see each other again. Other diaries take him through Tahiti, New Zealand (he wasn't impressed with Maori dancing) and Australia. But it was his diary from the US which I (obviously...) found most interesting. He made his way through D.C., New York and New Orleans in the 1920's, an incredible journey and if there was a time machine going, one that I would sell my soul for. Ralph wasn't fussed about New York, but an entry in 1926 amused me greatly. He alludes to a day spent sight seeing, and then he was taken to a friend's house for a cocktail party (which, again he didn't enjoy and left early). A cocktail party in 1926 - the height of prohibition! And no mention of it whatsoever! I'm not surprised really - the rich had ways of not only getting alcohol but avoiding detection. But this small entry speaks volumes about American society. After all, it's all about who you know...

WW2 Tree carvings...

A PhD student has traced love letters carved on trees from soldiers to their sweethearts in WW1 and WW2. Chantel Summerfield has traced hundreds of these carvings, some from Tommies in France who wanted to carve a message somewhere just in case they never returned. Summerfield has tried to contact as many people as possible that may be connected to the carvings, using census records to identify the carved names. She says that "some of them will have given their lives with hardly anyone learning anything about them", and wants to record as many as possible.

Sounds kind of quirky but very interesting...

http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/146500.html

Presidential Poetry

This sounds intriguing...

Paul J. Ferlazzo has written a book entitled Poetry and the American Presidency, focusing on American leaders and their love for reading and writing poetry. John Adams never failed to carry a poetry book in his pocket, and told his son, future president John Quincy Adams "you will never be alone with a poet in your pocket." JQA wrote over 350 poems; Abraham Lincoln and Jimmy Carter often penned a short poem, and Woodrow Wilson and George Washington liked to write love poetry. Theodore Roosevelt was so fascinated by American poetry that he raised money to help financially struggling poets. Harry Truman carried a poem in his wallet, and Herbert Hoover declared that "perhaps what this country needs is a great poem - something to lift people out of fear and selfishness." Also, JFK said that "when power leads man towards arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations." Ferlazzo argues that "an appreciation of poetry reveals a love of language...[and] the individual who reads or writes poetry is willing to explore the emotional side of life." Because poetry is so interpretative, it is incredible to study these poems and try to understand the meaning behind them. Who knew poetry was such a massive influence on the American presidency?