Peruvian tomb discovery deemed 'as important as Machu Picchu' The discovery of nine ancient tombs in the Peruvian jungle is being called the most important find since Machu Picchu. The tombs belong to the Wari, a pre-Incan civilisation, and were unearthed in the highland province of Cuzco (pictured above). Experts expect to also unearth a city in the area, possibly that of the legendary lost city of riches, Paititi. "It opens a new chapter on archaeological research and forces us to re-write history," Juan Garcia from Peru's ministry of culture said. The site, known as Vilcabamba, was the Inca's last foothold of resistance against the Spanish before their nearly 400-year reign over the region came to an end in 1572AD. The find -- the first evidence of the Wari inhabiting Peru's jungles -- suggests the civilisation may have dominated other areas later taken over by the Incas, and indicates that the Incas will have inherited much of the Wari culture. Nazca culture appears to have been passed on to the Wari, and likewise the Wari to the Incan.
This free online encyclopedia has achieved what Wikipedia can only dream of The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy may be the most interesting website on the internet. Not because of the content—which includes fascinating entries on everything from ambiguity to zombies—but because of the site itself. Its creators have solved one of the internet’s fundamental problems: How to provide authoritative, rigorously accurate knowledge, at no cost to readers. The internet is an information landfill. The story of how the SEP is run, and how it came to be, shows that it is possible to create a less trashy internet—or at least a less trashy corner of it. The impossible trinity of information The online SEP has humble beginnings. That makes it positively ancient in internet years. The SEP is neither pre-internet, nor is it ossified. John Perry, the director of the center, was the one who first suggested a dictionary of philosophical terms. That paper is so old that it mentions “CD-ROMs” in the second sentence. Where other encyclopedias fall short The Stanford solution
Japanese Folktales selected and edited by D. L. Ashliman © 1998-2008 Contents Return to D. The Two Frogs Once upon a time in the country of Japan there lived two frogs, one of whom made his home in a ditch near the town of Osaka, on the sea coast, while the other dwelt in a clear little stream which ran through the city of Kyoto. So one fine morning in the spring they both set out along the road that led from Kyoto to Osaka, one from one end and the other from the other. They looked at each other for a moment without speaking, and then fell into conversation, explaining the cause of their meeting so far from their homes. "What a pity we are not bigger," said the Osaka frog; "for then we could see both towns from here, and tell if it is worth our while going on." "Oh, that is easily managed," returned the Kyoto frog. This idea pleased the Osaka frog so much that he at once jumped up and put his front paws on the shoulder of his friend, who had risen also. "Dear me!" The Mirror of Matsuyama Source: F. "Buried!"
10 Most Fascinating Castles and Palaces The Potala Palace: Tibet's greatest monumental structure Perched upon Marpo Ri hill, 130 meters above the Lhasa valley, the Potala Palace rises a further 170 meters and is the greatest monumental structure in all of Tibet. In 637 Emperor Songtsen Gampo decided to build this palace on a hill, and the structure stood until the seventeenth century, when it was incorporated into the foundations of the greater buildings still standing today. Construction of the present palace began in 1645 during the reign of the fifth Dalai Lama and by 1648 the Potrang Karpo, or White Palace, was completed. Mont Saint-Michel: a Medieval Castle on a Small Island Mont St Michel France is situated on a quasi-island on the Normandy coast, near Brittany, which at high tide is almost entirely separated from the mainland. Predjamski Castle: Integrated in a Cave Neuschwanstein Castle: the Classic Fairytale's Castle The construction of the castle was carried out according to a well thought-out plan.
Everything You Need to Know About “Click and Drag” If you’re a regular reader of the brilliant xkcd, then you probably got lost in today’s comic, “Click and Drag.” It features three short panels sitting above a seemingly larger, finite panel. However, when you perform the comic’s titular action, click and drag, the larger, bottom panels seems to sprawl on forever in various directions, revealing amusing quips, sad stories, and what is essentially an entire world. There are many impressive facets about “Click and Drag,” such as the panel measuring in at 1.3 terapixels, as well as small community of coders creating applets to help readers better navigate the behemoth. Head on past the break for some stellar info, and maybe set aside some time later today to explore the enormous comic. Comic Size We have some pretty interesting numbers regarding the xkcd comic. Different Ways to View the Image In this image, you can treat the comic like Google Street View, zooming in and out until the actual bits and pieces of the comic are indecipherable.
Ancient underwater cities being found that are 10,000 years old Lost city 'could rewrite history' By BBC News Online's Tom Housden The remains of what has been described as a huge lost city may force historians and archaeologists to radically reconsider their view of ancient human history. Marine scientists say archaeological remains discovered 36 meters (120 feet) underwater in the Gulf of Cambay off the western coast of India could be over 9,000 years old. The vast city - which is five miles long and two miles wide - is believed to predate the oldest known remains in the subcontinent by more than 5,000 years. Using sidescan sonar - which sends a beam of sound waves down to the bottom of the ocean they identified huge geometrical structures at a depth of 120ft. Debris recovered from the site - including construction material, pottery, sections of walls, beads, sculpture and human bones and teeth has been carbon dated and found to be nearly 9,500 years old. Lost civilization "Nothing else on the scale of the underwater cities of Cambay is known.
Flood Stories | Thematic Essay Stories about a great flood are found in the folklore of many cultures. The earliest written sources are inscribed in Sumerian on clay tablets and date to the late third millennium B.C. Mesopotamian versions of the flood story may have had their beginnings in the annual spring flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Alternatively, some scholars believe that a change in the ancient sea level in the Persian Gulf may have given rise to stories about a deluge. The Sumerian King List, a literary composition existing in several different versions, traces kingship from its origins to contemporary dynasties that ruled in southern Mesopotamia between the twenty-first and nineteenth centuries B.C. Another Sumerian tale, "The Death of Bilgamesh" ("The Great Wild Bull Is Lying Down"), preserved in a copy dating to the Old Babylonian period, contains a section in which the gods review the life and career of the hero Bilgames (Gilgamesh in Akkadian).
Catherynne M. Valente – The Boy Who Lost Fairyland – SFF Book Reviews I drew it out as long as humanly possible, I really did. Any new Cat Valente novel is like Christmas to me, and the only reason I gave in and finished this book (at 4 in the morning, mind you) is the knowledge that two new Valente books will arrive in my mailbox sometime this year. Thanks, Cat, for being prolific and brilliant and full of magic. THE BOY WHO LOST FAIRYLANDby Catherynne M. Valente Published by: Feiwel & Friends, 2015Hardcover: 256 pagesSeries: Fairyland #4My rating: 8,5/10 First sentence: Once upon a time, a troll named Hawthorn lived very happily indeed in his mother’s house, where he juggled the same green and violet gemstones and matching queens’ crowns every day, slept on the same weather-beaten stone, and played with the same huge and cantankerous toad. What? Hawthorn is a troll. Fore more than half the novel, we don’t get to see September at all, but we do meet new characters. But this wouldn’t be a Fairyland book if we didn’t go to visit Fairyland. Other reviews: