Category Archives: EUROPE

EUROPE, FRANCE, WORLD

Priceless Art Found In Paris Apartment Vacant Since 1939

Priceless Art Found In Paris Apartment Vacant Since 1939

Caked in dust and full of turn-of-the-century treasures, this Paris apartment is like going back in time. Having lain untouched for seven decades the abandoned home was discovered three years ago after its owner died aged 91.

The woman who owned the flat, a Mrs De Florian, had fled for the south of France before the outbreak of the Second World War. She never returned and in the 70 years since it looks like no one had set foot inside.

The property was found near a church in the French capital’s 9th arrondissement, between Pigalle red-light district and Opera.

Priceless Art Found In Paris Apartment Vacant Since 1939
Back in time: The flat near the Trinité church in Paris between the Pigalle red-light district and Opera

Experts were tasked with drawing up an inventory of her possessions which included a painting by the 19th-century Italian artist Giovanni Boldini.

One expert said it was like stumbling into the castle of Sleeping Beauty, where time had stood still since 1900. ‘There was a smell of old dust,’ said Olivier Choppin-Janvry, who made the discovery.

But he said his heart missed a beat when he caught sight of a stunning tableau of a woman in a pink muslin evening dress.

The painting was by Boldini and the subject a beautiful Frenchwoman who turned out to be the artist’s former muse and Mrs de Florian’s grandmother, Marthe de Florian, a beautiful French actress and socialite of the Belle Époque.

Under a thick layer of dusk lay a treasure trove of turn-of-the-century objects including a painting by the 19th century Italian artist Giovanni Boldini
Untouched: The cobweb-filled flat was discovered in the 9th arrondissement of Paris
Treasure trove: Behind the door, under a thick layer of dusk lay a treasure trove of turn-of-the-century objects, including the Boldini painting that sold for £1.78million
When the owner died aged 91, experts were tasked with drawing up an inventory of her possessions
Mrs de Florian fled Paris before the outbreak of war in 1939, which saw the Nazis invade France and reach Paris on June 14. Pictured here, German officers and Parisians mingle near a sidewalk cafe on the Champs Elysees on Bastille Day in 1940

Marthe de Florian was an actress with a long list of ardent admirers whose fervent love letters she kept wrapped neatly in ribbon and were still on the premises.

Among the admirers was the 72nd prime minister of France, George Clemenceau, but also Boldini.

The expert had a hunch the painting was by Boldini, but could find no record of the painting.

‘No reference book dedicated to Boldini mentioned the tableau, which was never exhibited,’ said Marc Ottavi, the art specialist he consulted about the work.

When Mr Choppin-Janvry found a visiting card with a scribbled love note from Boldini, he knew he had struck gold. ‘We had the link and I was sure at that moment that it was indeed a very fine Boldini’.

He finally found a reference to the work in a book by the artist’s widow, which said it was painted in 1898 when Miss de Florian was 24.

The starting price for the painting was £253,000 but it rocketed as ten bidders vyed for the historic work. Finally, it went under the hammer for £1.78million, a world record for the artist.

‘It was a magic moment. One could see that the buyer loved the painting; he paid the price of passion,’ said Mr Ottavi.

ENGLAND, EUROPE, WORLD

Rare 200-million-year-old dinosaur footprints discovered on a beach in Wales, scientists believe

Rare 200-million-year-old dinosaur footprints discovered on beach in Wales, scientists believe

Dinosaur footprints found on a Welsh beach could have been made more than 200 million years ago, experts believe. Palaeontologists at the Natural History Museum believe the footprints – known as a trackway – date back to the Triassic period and were most likely left by an early relative of the famous Diplodocus.

Rare 200-million-year-old dinosaur footprints discovered on beach in Wales, scientists believe
The footprints were most likely left by an early relative of the Diplodocus

The footprints were discovered on a beach in Penarth in April last year by youth worker Kerry Rees, who was taking her daily lockdown stroll having recently moved to the area.

Kerry, from Ferndale in the Rhondda, was aware of the area’s history of dinosaur discoveries – with a fossilised skeleton of a distant cousin of the fearsome Tyrannosaurus Rex found on the same stretch of coastline back in 2014 – and sent pictures of the footprints to the Natural History Museum for experts to investigate.

Museum palaeontologists Dr Susannah Maidment and Professor Paul Barrett were initially sceptical of the report – but now believe that the footprints are from the late Triassic era.

“We get a lot of enquiries from members of the public for things that could be trackways but many are geological features that can easily be mistaken for them,” said Dr Maidment.

“However, from the photographs, we thought they were a fairly good contender for something that could be tracked and that it would be worth taking a look.”

Kerry Rees discovered the trail whilst out walking on the beach in Penarth

After visiting the site to examine the discovery, Prof. Barrett said: “We believed the impressions we saw at Penarth were consistently spaced to suggest an animal walking. We also saw displacement rims where mud had been pushed up.

“These structures are characteristic of active movement through the soft ground.”

Researchers now think that the impressions are an example of Eosauropus, which is a name not of a dinosaur, but a type of track thought to have been made by a very early sauropod or near sauropod-relative – the group of dinosaurs that later included the Diplodocus.

“We know early sauropods were living in Britain at the time, as bones of Camelotia, a very early sauropod, have been found in Somerset in rocks dated to the same period,” said Dr Maidment. “We don’t know if this species was the trackmaker, but it is another clue which suggests something like it could have made these tracks.”

Experts visited the site to examine the discovery

Dinosaur trackways can provide information about how herds moved, as well as the way an animal may have walked – but there is not much existing evidence akin to the trail of footprints discovered in Penarth.

“These types of tracks are not particularly common worldwide, so we believe this is an interesting addition to our knowledge of Triassic life in the UK,” concluded Prof. Barett.

“The record of Triassic dinosaurs in this country is fairly small, so anything we can find from the period adds to our picture of what was going on at that time.”

The coastline has a history of dinosaur discoveries

The footprints are not the first to be discovered in Wales in 2021, with a four-year-old girl stunning palaeontologists finding an “internationally important” print on a trip to the supermarket.

Lily Wilder was walking along the coast between Barry and Sully with her father Richard when she spotted what experts have called “the finest impression of a 215 million-year-old dinosaur print found in Britain in a decade”.

ENGLAND, EUROPE, WORLD

‘Incredible’ 3,000-year-old Bronze Age roundhouse discovery dubbed ‘Britain’s Pompeii’

‘Incredible’ 3,000-year-old Bronze Age roundhouse discovery dubbed ‘Britain’s Pompeii’

The discovery of the “best-preserved” Bronze Age dwellings ever found in Britain was carried out by archaeologists excavating a site in East Anglian Fens, Cambridgeshire, back in 2016.

But to this day, Prof Alice Roberts, who presents the television programme Digging For Britain and has seen spectacular digs unearthed up and down the country, said this could be the best dig she has ever covered. She told Express.co.uk: “It is one of my favourite sites ever, it was just incredible.“

Cambridge University archaeologists digging at Must Farm quarry, in Whittlesey, uncovered the charred oak roof timbers of a roundhouse, conserved in stunning detail.

The wooden house is part of a 3,000-year-old settlement of family homes that would have been built on stilts above the water.

Prof Roberts said: “It is so unusual to have buildings from the Bronze Age first-of-all, wood preserved so you can actually see the whole structure of those roundhouses and several of them.

“And then it was the fact that it had gone up in flames and then fallen into the water and obviously nobody has gone back to collect anything from the site and afterwards you wonder what happened to the inhabitants of the village.

'Incredible' 3,000-year-old Bronze Age roundhouse discovery dubbed 'Britain's Pompeii'
A 300-year-old roundhouse from the Bronze age was dubbed ‘Britain’s Pompeii”
They are some of the “best-preserved” Bronze Age dwellings ever found in Britain

“Because of that, you have got all the contents of those houses as well, and that is what I found utterly astonishing.“

The roundhouses, made out of wattle, reed and timber, and their contents collapsed into the water and into the river silt. Archaeologists say the speed and brevity of the event led to an almost instant entombment of the material.

Prof Roberts said: “Normally you just find scattered metal objects, bone objects and that kind of thing.

“But because of the incredible preservation, it went much further than that.“

The village was built about 1,000 years before the Romans settled in Britain.

The village was built about 1,000 years before the Romans settled in Britain. The surviving settlement was made up of five wooden roundhouses built closely together. Its discovery gives fantastic domestic detail into how ancient Britons arranged their homes, from cooking, to storage to crafts.

Prof said: “There was a fragment of a basket with little bundles of looked like twine inside it. It looked like a craft basket that had just fallen over inside somebody’s house.

“There were beautiful pieces of fabric, amazing pieces of textile that looked like very fine linen.

Prof Roberts comments come as her new series of Digging For Britain is set to air at the beginning of January 2022.

It was like somebody had gone to Bronze Age John Lewis and bought a whole dining set.”
Around 30 or so people lived in nine or ten wooden roundhouses erected on stilts on a platform

“It’s just a range of cultural artefacts. It was like somebody had gone to Bronze Age John Lewis and bought a whole dining set. Rather than one or two bowls, there were a whole set of different sized bowls with different functions. It was amazing.”

Duncan Wilson, Historic England’s chief executive said back in 2016: “A dramatic fire combined with subsequent waterlogged preservation has left to us a frozen moment in time.

“This site is of international significance and its excavation really will transform our understanding of the period.”

The site has been dubbed “Britain’s Pompeii,” although the Roman town-city was much larger (a plot of over 60 hectares with a population of approximately 11,000).

But in the English Fens, it was just a small river community of around 30 or so people living in nine or ten wooden roundhouses erected on stilts on a platform by the water.

Like the “Britain’s Pompeii” find, which featured on the series several years ago, the latest season of the show is jam-packed with stunning finds too.

EUROPE, POLAND, WORLD

Skeletal remains of children amid 119 burials stun archaeologists

Skeletal remains of children amid 119 burials stun archaeologists

The chilling archaeological discovery unearthed the skeletal remains of adults and children, some of whom were buried in pairs and coins in their mouths. The remains were buried in the village of Jeżowe in the Subcarpathia region of southeast Poland, where the S19 motorway is being constructed. Archaeologists have dated the discovery to the 17th century.

According to the General Director for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKIA), 115 burials were first unearthed in Jeżowe in the Góry Kościelne or Church Mountain range.

Archaeologists have since expanded their discoveries to a total of 119 remains.

The experts have since confirmed up to 80 per cent of the bones belong to children.

According to archaeologist Kataryna Oleszek of the archaeology group Arkadia, the burial site could have been designated specifically for children.

A second theory suggests there was a high mortality rate among children in this area.

Archaeology News: Archaeologists have found 115 burials in southeast Poland
Archaeology news: The majority of skeletons belonged to children

The archaeologists hope to learn more after a careful analysis by anthropologists.

She told TVN24: “We must take all precautions, we must work with as much delicacy and attention to detail as possible.

“First of all, so we do not miss anything, and second of all, these bones are very fragile.”

The archaeologists are, however, certain the buried people were most likely poor as they were buried without any personal possessions.

The GDDKIA said in a statement: “115 skeletal graves were discovered during archaeological works on the construction of the S19 Podgórze-Kamień section.

“While carrying out archaeological surveillance work as part of the S19 motorway, graves with human remains were discovered.

“The burial pits were located in the Kościelne Mountains, a range of hills in Jeżówe, wherein 1604 the first parish was erected.

“To date, archaeologists have found 115 skeletal graves.”

The grave pits were all oriented along the east to west axis, with heads pointing towards the west.

The GDDKIA said: “Based on archaeological observations to date, we can conclude that about 70 to 80 percent of all burials are children.

“This is probably tied to the fact that in this place a part of the cemetery was separated, where the youngest residents of Jeżowe were buried.”

The burial pits were poorly equipped and the archaeologists were surprised to find coins in the mouths of the remains.

Archaeology news: A motorway is being constructed near the discovery
Skeletal remains of children amid 119 burials stun archaeologists
Archaeology news: Some of the skeletons had coins in their mouths for the afterlife

The coins are most likely a link to old Polish folklore and beliefs about the afterlife.

These coins are known as an obol of the dead or Charon’s obol – a form of payment used by the soul in the afterlife. In ancient Greek mythology, the souls of the dead would hand over the coin to Charon, the ferryman of Hades.

The ferryman would then carry the deceased across the rivers Styx and Acheron into the world of the dead. These particular coins are known as boratynki and półtoraki.

The coins were minted at the start of the 17th century during the reign of King Sigismund III Vasa. According to Eric J. Gilchrest”s book Revelation 21-22 in Light of Jewish and Greco-Roman Utopianism, the practice of burying people with obols in the fifth century BCE.

He wrote: “As early as the sixth and into the fifth centuries BCE, the landscape of the afterlife began to change dramatically.

“Archaeological evidence shows that it is during the fifth century that the dead begin to be buried with an obol meant for Charon, the ferryman at the river Styx.”

Many more incredible archaeological discoveries have been made in Poland. In 2019, for instance, researchers found evidence of two 7,000-year-old structures.

EUROPE, TURKEY, WORLD

Shattered Skeletons of Man and Dog From Eruption and Tsunami 3,600 Years Ago

Shattered Skeletons of Man and Dog From Eruption and Tsunami 3,600 Years Ago

The remains of a young man and a dog who were killed by a tsunami triggered by the eruption of the Thera volcano 3,600 years ago have been unearthed in Turkey. Archaeologists found the pair of skeletons during excavations at Çeşme-Bağlararası, a Late Bronze Age site near Çeşme Bay, on Turkey’s western coastline.

Despite the eruption of Thera being one of the largest natural disasters in recorded history, this is the first time the remains of victims of the event have been unearthed.

Moreover, the presence of the tsunami deposits at Çeşme-Bağlararası show that large and destructive waves did arrive in the northern Aegean after Thera went up.

Previously, based on the evidence available, it had been assumed that this area of the Mediterranean only received ash fallout from the eruption of Thera.

Instead, it now appears that the Çeşme Bay area was struck by a sequence of tsunamis, devastating local settlements and leading to rescue efforts.

Thera — now a caldera at the centre of the Greek island of Santorini — is famous for how its tsunamis are thought to have ended the Minoan civilisation on nearby Crete.

Based on radiocarbon dating of the tsunami deposits at Çeşme-Bağlararası, the team believe that the volcano’s eruption occurred no earlier than 1612 BC.

The remains of a young man (pictured) and a dog who were killed by a tsunami triggered by the eruption of the Thera volcano some 3,600 years ago have been unearthed in Turkey
Archaeologists found the pair of skeletons during excavations at Çeşme-Bağlararası, a Late Bronze Age site near Çeşme Bay, on Turkey’s western coastline
Despite the eruption of Thera is one of the largest natural disasters in recorded history, this is the first time remains of victims of the event have ever been found. Pictured: part of the fortifications at the Çeşme-Bağlararası. The remains of the dog can be seen on the wall, while beneath that can be seen a shell-rich muddy patch deposited by the first wave
The presence of the tsunami deposits at Çeşme-Bağlararası show that large and destructive waves did arrive in the northern Aegean after Thera went up. Previously, based on the evidence available, it had been assumed that this area of the Mediterranean only received ash fallout from the eruption of Thera. Pictured: a map of the dig site as seen in 2012, showing the location of the human and canine remians within the Late Bronze Age fortifications

The study was undertaken by archaeologist Vasıf Şahoğlu of the University of Ankara and his colleagues.

‘The Late Bronze Age Thera eruption was one of the largest natural disasters witnessed in human history,’ the researchers wrote in their paper.

‘Its impact, consequences, and timing have dominated the discourse of ancient Mediterranean studies for nearly a century.

‘Despite the eruption’s high intensity and tsunami-generating capabilities, few tsunami deposits [have been] reported.

‘In contrast, descriptions of pumice, ash, and tephra deposits are widely published.’

Amid stratified sediments at the Çeşme-Bağlararası site, the researchers found the remains of damaged walls — once part of a fortification of some kind —  alongside layers of rubble and chaotic sediments characteristic of tsunami deposits.

Within these were two layers of volcanic ash, the second thicker than the first, and a bone-rich layer containing charcoal and other charred remains. According to the team, the deposits represent at least four consecutive tsunami inundations, each separate but nevertheless resulting from the eruption at Thera.

Tsunami deposits associated with the eruption are relatively rare — with three found near the northern coastline of Crete and another three along Turkey’s coast, albeit much further south than Çeşme-Bağlararası.

Within these tsunami deposits (pictured) were two layers of volcanic ash, the second thicker than the first, and a bone-rich layer containing charcoal and other charred remains
According to the team, the deposits (H1a–d in the above) represent at least four consecutive tsunami inundations, each separate but nevertheless resulting from the eruption at Thera.
The young man’s skeleton — which shows the characteristic signatures of having been swept along by a debris flow — was found up against the most badly damaged portion of the fortification wall (pictured, centre), which the team believe failed during the tsunami

Traces of misshapen pits dug into the tsunami sediments at various places across the Çeşme-Bağlararası site represent, the researchers believe, an ‘effort to retrieve victims from the tsunami debris.’

‘The human skeleton was located about a meter below such a pit, suggesting that it was too deep to be found and retrieved and therefore (probably unknowingly) left behind,’ they added.

‘It is also in the lowest part of the deposit, characterized throughout the debris field by the largest and heaviest stones (some larger than 40 cm [16 inches] diameter), further complicating any retrieval effort.’

The young man’s skeleton — which shows the characteristic signatures of having been swept along by a debris flow — was found up against the most badly damaged portion of the fortification wall, which the team believe failed during the tsunami. 

The full findings of the study were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Tsunami deposits associated with the eruption of Thera are relatively rare — with three found near the northern coastline of Crete and another three along Turkey’s coast, albeit much further south than Çeşme-Bağlararası
EUROPE, GREECE, WORLD

Roman-Period Statue Unearthed in Southern Greece

Roman-Period Statue Unearthed in Southern Greece

On Thursday, December 16, an important find came to light at the market of ancient Epidaurus. This is a life-size marble female statue of very good quality.

The statue was found intact, with the exception of the arms, which were extra, and the head, which probably broke during its fall, leaving in its place the inserted mortar for fixing it.

This year the excavation period was over, but the heavy rainfall of the previous days, showed a small part of the back of the statue. in the area of ​​the precinct, where the works have not yet proceeded to deeper layers.

Roman-Period Statue Unearthed in Southern Greece
New find in Epidaurus: Statue of a woman in a tunic

In consultation with the Head of the Ephorate Alkisti Papadimitriou and with staff of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Argolida, the area was immediately excavated, under the supervision of the civil engineer of the Ephorate Ev. Kazolia and the excavator of the site V. Lambrinoudaki.

The statue represented a woman wearing a tunic and a robe.

The robe was fastened to the left shoulder and arm, from where it hung with rich folds.

One end of it passed behind the back, under the right armpit and was thrown sideways back, over the left shoulder.

In place of the right arm, surfaces that retain the ligaments from additional parts, indicate that the figure made the gesture of discovery , that is, the lifting of the robe with the right hand outwards and upwards, which was typical of married women in antiquity. , and with which the Health, wife or daughter of Asclepius was often depicted.

A first assessment places the work in imperial Roman times. The statue was transferred to a warehouse in the Asclepieion for storage, cleaning and maintenance.

A systematic excavation has been carried out at the site since 2015 by a research team of the University of Athens with the financial support of the Ioannis S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation.

Near the theater of the ancient city (“small theater of Epidaurus” today), which was located in the ancient market, an important building of Krini has been discovered and connected to it an enclosure of the 4th BC. ai., which in Roman times acquired a new form with the addition of a portico on the west and a vaulted building on their north side.

Evidence has emerged that encourages the identification of this complex with the mosque of Asclepius mentioned by Pausanias in the city of Epidaurus.

EUROPE, TURKEY, WORLD

Died 3,600 years ago: the skeleton of a young man who became a victim of a tsunami found in Turkey

Died 3,600 years ago: the skeleton of a young man who became a victim of a tsunami found in Turkey

An international team of researchers has found and excavated the remains of a young man killed approximately 3,600 years ago by a tsunami created by the eruption of Thera—a volcano located on what is now the island of Santorini.

In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group describes how the remains were found and how they were identified as belonging to a victim of the Thera tsunami.

Prior research has shown that the eruption of Thera was a major event—so powerful that it has been blamed for the decline of the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete.

Prior research has also shown that the eruption occurred sometime during the 1500s to 1600s B.C.

Santorini is located in the eastern Mediterranean, north of Crete, between southern Greece and southern Turkey. And while evidence of the ash that fell from the skies in areas all around the eruption site has been plentiful, there has been scant evidence of the tsunami.

This is because tsunamis tend to pull debris and bodies back into the sea, rather than leave covered evidence onshore. And because of that, the remains of the victims of the Thera tsunami have never been found—not one single body—until now.

Died 3,600 years ago: the skeleton of a young man who became a victim of a tsunami found in Turkey
The excavated skeleton of a tsunami victim.

The remains of the young man were found at a dig site known as Çeşme-Bağlararası. It sits along a shoreline on Çeşme Bay in western Turkey.

The dig site has been yielding Late Bronze Age artefacts for several years but it was only recently that the digging uncovered evidence of a tsunami—layers of ash and debris that were prevented from being washed back into the sea by a retaining wall.

In addition to the remains of the young man, the researchers also found the remains of a dog.

The evidence also showed that the area had been struck by several tsunamis related to the Thera eruption. Radiocarbon dating of materials surrounding the remains showed them to be from a time no earlier than 1612 BC.

The researchers also found damaged walls, rubble, sediment and ash, all evidence of multiple tsunamis. They also found evidence of what they describe as misshapen pits—likely created by people looking for victims shortly after the tsunamis struck.

The remains of the young man were found pushed up against a retaining wall, positioned in a way familiar to those who have worked on tsunami search efforts in modern times.

EUROPE, ITALY, WORLD

Possible World War II Wreckage Uncovered in Sicily

Possible World War II Wreckage Uncovered in Sicily

An archaeological dig in Sicily has uncovered traces of a lost World War II American heavy bomber shot down in 1943, and possible human remains that could lead to the identification of five airmen whose bodies were never recovered.

Possible World War II Wreckage Uncovered in Sicily
American B-25 bombers flying over southern France in 1943

The six-week dig that ended this week was carried out by a team from the Pentagon’s Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which locates and identifies missing U.S. military personnel around the world.

The site near Sciacca was identified in 2017 by investigators using historical records and metal detectors.

This year’s dig uncovered wreckage “consistent only to a B-25 aircraft,” said archaeologist Clive Vella, the scientific director of the expedition, contributing to hopes that any confirmed remains would be linked to the missing crew.

“We owe (their) families accurate answers,” Vella told the Associated Press Thursday.

The North American B-25 Mitchell heavy bomber with a crew of six was one of 52 air losses with missing personnel in the area during WWII, mostly during 1943 as the Allies pushed into southeastern Sicily.

It was shot down as it targeted a camouflaged German airstrip amid olive groves and pastureland on July 10, 1943. A German military report documented the crash of a U.S. aircraft about two kilometres (just over a mile) from the Sciacca airport, Vella said.

One crew member was located immediately and buried in the town’s cemetery. The body was claimed in 1944 by U.S. military officials, but the other five airmen remained missing.

In the intervening decades, the crash site “like most others in the Mediterranean region, was scavenged for metal, the land restored to its original use,” Vella said. “The scars of a crash were mostly gone.”

The evidence, which includes possible human bones as well as potential remnants of the aircraft, has been transported to a laboratory in the U.S. for examination.

Worldwide, there are more than 81,600 missing U.S. military personnel, including 72,350 from World War II, 7,550 from the Korean War and 1,584 from the Vietnam War.

Over 41,000 of the total are presumed lost at sea.