return of the neep!
My afternoon turned unexpectedly frustrating, but I mostly regained my Zen by getting my geek on. I'm delighted that current finds in archaeology are actually rocking out with insight into various bits of legend, magic spells, and other random stuff.
Sacred Cave of Rome's Founders Discovered
Most of y'all probably know the story of Romulus and Remus, but I'm linking to this little summary because it's on a cool site where you can find other wolf myths, legends, and stories that should appeal to those interested in folklore. (For a slightly more austere version, you can check out An Abridged History of Rome.) Those two are arguably the most famous of feral children. Definitely kick around this site if you get the chance, btw. You'll not only find a wealth of fact, but a tidy little summary of other myths and legends that probably wouldn't hurt to know.
Anyway. This find is at the remains of the palace of Emperor Augustus on the Palatine Hill. Although the Romans weren't too big into religion, this cave definitely rates as one of their most sacred sites. I hope the efforts to preserve it work out.
For the hell of it, here's this because I just adore the early Romans so much. They were my kind of people. :)
Spell May Comprise Oldest Semitic Text
How could I not get my squee on over this article? For years, researchers have been stumped by one of the passages in the pyramid of Unas. Turns out? It was composed in Egyptian but was, in fact, written in the Semitic language. See, back in the day (circa 25th century BCE), the Egyptians had no big love for their neighbors. Generally speaking, they just happened to have a morbid fear of snakes that outweighed their collective contempt for their neighbors. As such (and rather comically at this late date), they reasoned that snakes understood Canaanite. That's why they had no problem importing Semitic spells to protect their mummified pharaohs. Just for fun, here's a colorful page on Phoenician Canaanite religion. I can't attest to the accuracy of everything on there (especially since it cites Herodotus *g*) but it was fun to read.
Enough about that, though. Because I am clearly capable of sexass research from time to time, I can even present you with the actual just-deciphered spell itself:
Y'all know sometimes Sam Winchester totally doodles my name in the margins of his notes, right?
While I was scuttling after this spell, btw, I scored a couple more interesting articles on current Egyptology research. These are just cool, IMO. I'm pretty sure some of y'all have similar kinks.
Mathematics in Ancient Egypt. Very nifty.
Discovering the Pharmacy of the Pharaohs. A new project -- I'll be very interested in the results.
And, of course, my favorite...Human Remains in Jar a Mystery. Seriously. Just go read it. It's awesome.
ETA Halved Cat Mummified. Okay, I had no idea this was actually the sort of novelty one could once score in ancient Egypt. Dude.
See, at this point, I just know y'all are all wondering how the hell I could even hope to top all these links. I mean, we've got sacred caves and magic spells and even some mystery dude in a jar...what's left, right? What more could modern archaeology have going on that rocks so hard Pete Townsend is in danger of losing the rest of his hearing without even picking up his axe?
Why, only one thing, my friends. Only. One. Thing.
Archaeologist Digs for Proof of Sasquatch
The only thing this article is missing to truly make my heart sing is a theory that involves the frequent use of the word "mandroid." Aside from that? It totally rates an AWESOME. Totally.
Sacred Cave of Rome's Founders Discovered
Most of y'all probably know the story of Romulus and Remus, but I'm linking to this little summary because it's on a cool site where you can find other wolf myths, legends, and stories that should appeal to those interested in folklore. (For a slightly more austere version, you can check out An Abridged History of Rome.) Those two are arguably the most famous of feral children. Definitely kick around this site if you get the chance, btw. You'll not only find a wealth of fact, but a tidy little summary of other myths and legends that probably wouldn't hurt to know.
Anyway. This find is at the remains of the palace of Emperor Augustus on the Palatine Hill. Although the Romans weren't too big into religion, this cave definitely rates as one of their most sacred sites. I hope the efforts to preserve it work out.
For the hell of it, here's this because I just adore the early Romans so much. They were my kind of people. :)
Spell May Comprise Oldest Semitic Text
How could I not get my squee on over this article? For years, researchers have been stumped by one of the passages in the pyramid of Unas. Turns out? It was composed in Egyptian but was, in fact, written in the Semitic language. See, back in the day (circa 25th century BCE), the Egyptians had no big love for their neighbors. Generally speaking, they just happened to have a morbid fear of snakes that outweighed their collective contempt for their neighbors. As such (and rather comically at this late date), they reasoned that snakes understood Canaanite. That's why they had no problem importing Semitic spells to protect their mummified pharaohs. Just for fun, here's a colorful page on Phoenician Canaanite religion. I can't attest to the accuracy of everything on there (especially since it cites Herodotus *g*) but it was fun to read.
Enough about that, though. Because I am clearly capable of sexass research from time to time, I can even present you with the actual just-deciphered spell itself:
Y'all know sometimes Sam Winchester totally doodles my name in the margins of his notes, right?
While I was scuttling after this spell, btw, I scored a couple more interesting articles on current Egyptology research. These are just cool, IMO. I'm pretty sure some of y'all have similar kinks.
Mathematics in Ancient Egypt. Very nifty.
Discovering the Pharmacy of the Pharaohs. A new project -- I'll be very interested in the results.
And, of course, my favorite...Human Remains in Jar a Mystery. Seriously. Just go read it. It's awesome.
ETA Halved Cat Mummified. Okay, I had no idea this was actually the sort of novelty one could once score in ancient Egypt. Dude.
See, at this point, I just know y'all are all wondering how the hell I could even hope to top all these links. I mean, we've got sacred caves and magic spells and even some mystery dude in a jar...what's left, right? What more could modern archaeology have going on that rocks so hard Pete Townsend is in danger of losing the rest of his hearing without even picking up his axe?
Why, only one thing, my friends. Only. One. Thing.
Archaeologist Digs for Proof of Sasquatch
The only thing this article is missing to truly make my heart sing is a theory that involves the frequent use of the word "mandroid." Aside from that? It totally rates an AWESOME. Totally.