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Illyria - Exploring Ancient Albania

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Albania is located at the crossroads of the eastern Adriatic and was known as Illyria and Epirus throughout the Classical era. It played a strategic role in ancient times and was a point of contact between Illyrian, Greek, and Roman civilizations. Even though Albania is off the mainstream tourist trail, the country is now emerging as one of the most enchanting corners of Europe. More tourists visit Albania every year, drawn to its spectacular and unspoiled natural wonders, its rich history, and extraordinary archaeological heritage. Dubbed the “Pearl of the Balkans”, Albania offers a captivating journey through time, with 3,000 years of untouched archaeological heritage. Archaeological sites such as Apollonia, Antigoneia, and Byllis hide a wealth of historic value, while the Butrint National Park, famed for its ruins and beauty, was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1992 CE. If you happen to travel to the lands of Southern Illyria and Northern Epirus, read on for som
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1,700-year-old coins, Jesus ‘Good Shepherd’ ring, found in shipwrecks off Caesarea

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Marine archaeologists diving off the coast of Caesarea have discovered a number of ancient artifacts in recent months, including some dating back to the third century, the Israel Antiquities Authority revealed on Wednesday.   The finds came from the wrecks of two ships that went down near the northern coastal town during the Roman and the Mamluk periods.  “The ships were probably anchored nearby and were wrecked by a storm,” said Jacob Sharvit and Dror Planer of the IAA’s Marine Archaeology Unit. “They may have been anchored offshore after getting into difficulty, or fearing stormy weather, because sailors know well that mooring in shallow, open water outside of a port is dangerous and prone to disaster,” they added. Some of the most intriguing finds include those believed to be personal effects of those on board. Archaeologists discovered a thick gold ring with an inlaid green gemstone that depicts a young shepherd boy dressed in a tunic with a ram or sheep on his shoulders. 
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Early Humans May Have Transformed Their Surroundings

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LEIDEN, THE NETHERLANDS—UPI reports that hundreds of butchered animal bones, some 20,000 stone artifacts, and evidence of fire building have been discovered at a 125,000-year-old Neanderthal site in the Neumark-Nord lake basin in central Germany’s Geisel Valley by a team of researchers led by Wil Roebroeks of Leiden University. Samples of ancient pollen at the site indicate that the area had been cleared of trees, while pollen counts in the nearby Harz Mountains show that they were forested. Neanderthals and other early humans, Roebroeks concluded, were a factor in shaping the vegetation in this environment. “We might expect to find other examples of this, especially since Neanderthals and their contemporaries were skilled in fire technology,” he said. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Science Advances. For more on Neanderthals, go to "Neanderthal Hearing."
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Mesolithic Grave in Italy Held Remains of Female Infant

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DENVER, COLORADO—According to a Gizmodo report, paleoanthropologist Jamie Hodgkins of the University of Colorado, Denver, and his colleagues have analyzed the remains of an infant discovered in a cave in northwestern Italy in 2017. The study included radiocarbon dating of the bones, DNA and protein analysis, and microscopic examination of the teeth. The tests revealed that the baby, who has been nicknamed Neve, was a girl who died some 10,000 years ago at about two months of age. Her grave itself was covered with dozens of pierced shell beads and pendants, in addition to an eagle owl talon. “Protein and DNA analyses are allowing us to better understand the diversity of human personhood and status in the past,” Hodgkins said. “Without DNA analysis, this highly decorated infant burial could possibly have been assumed male.” To read about the remains of the earliest known identical twins, go to "A Twin Burial."
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1,500-Year-Old Evidence of Livestock Found on Faroe Islands

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK—BBC News reports that a team led by Lorelei Curtin of the University of Wyoming and William D’Andrea of Columbia University detected fragments of sheep DNA and chemical residues of sheep feces in sediments from a lake on Eysturoy, one of the Faroe Islands that are located about halfway between Iceland and Norway in the North Atlantic.  Dating of the evidence indicates that livestock were carried to the remote spot around A.D. 500. It had been previously thought that Scandinavians were the first to reach the islands in the ninth century, when the Vikings began to sail long distances. “We still really don’t know who the people were and why they chose to go to the Faroe Islands,” D’Andrea said.  Read the original scholarly article about this research in Communications Earth & Environment. To read about DNA extracted from a 1,600-year-old mummified sheep leg uncovered in an Iranian salt mine, go to "Salty Snack."
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A 106-year old Armenian woman protecting her home with an AKM, 1990

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A 106-year-old Armenian woman sits in front of her home guarding it with a rifle, in Degh village, near the city of Goris in southern Armenia. Armed conflicts took place in and around nearby Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory in Azerbaijan also claimed by Armenia. The Nagorno-Karabakh War displaced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. This is a tough elderly Armenian woman here. At around age 10 she likely lived through the Hamidian massacres of 1894-1896.  Then, around age 30, her people went through the second round of Armenian massacres at the hands of the Ottoman government (1915-1923). Only a few short years later, Armenia was invaded by the Turks and the war ended with Armenia being incorporated into the ever so pleasant Soviet Union. Once that period ended and she was an old lady ready to pass away after a long life full of hardships and violence, Armenia became involved in a very bloody war with her next-door neighbors the Azerbaijanis. It puts all of our “problems”
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Vintage photographs of Jerusalem at the end of Ottoman rule, 1900-1918

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These rare pictures depict the final days of 400 years of Turkish rule over Jerusalem. In its long history, the inhabitants and rulers of the city of Jerusalem have changed countless times, from ancient pagans to Biblical Israelites to Byzantine Christians to Ottoman Muslims.  In 1517 the Ottoman sultan Selim I took the city and inaugurated a Turkish regime that lasted 400 years. The 16th century was a period of great urban development. In addition to the new walls, which still encompass the Old City, and the repaired water supply, new madrasahs and waqfs (religious endowments) and other charitable institutions multiplied.  But by the end of the century, the city began an economic decline that lasted until the 19th century. During that period a series of disputes between the Christian sects over rights at the holy places in Jerusalem and Bethlehem gradually developed into conflicts among the European powers.  The Russians became the protectors of the rights of the Orthodox churches,
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Spyros Louis, the first marathon race winner of the Modern Olympic Games, 1896

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When the modern Olympics began in 1896, the initiators and organizers were looking for a great popularizing event, recalling the ancient glory of Greece. The idea of a marathon race was conceived by Michel Bréal based on the legend of Pheidippides.  This Athenian soldier first completed a two-day run to seek Spartan help against the invading Persians in the Battle of Marathon, and then ran from the town of Marathon to Athens days later to announce the victory, dying as a result of his heroic efforts.  The race started in Marathon, and ran for 40 kilometers over dusty roads to Athens. The early leader of the race, which led over dusty dirt roads along which throngs of Greeks had gathered to watch, was the Frenchman Albin Lermusiaux, who had earlier placed third in the 1500 meters.  In the town of Pikermi, Louis made a stop at a local inn to drink a glass of wine. (Louis’ grandson, also Spiridon Louis, said that this is incorrect; that his grandfather’s girlfriend gave him half an oran
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Albanian refugees arriving in Italy, 1991

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The fall of communism in Albania taking place in the early 1990s gave way to a major economic collapse (with severe food shortages) amid widespread political and social unrest in the country.  This incited many Albanians to try to leave the previously secluded nation. People felt overwhelmed by hopelessness and although their knowledge of other countries was based solely on what they had heard, or seen on Italian television, they long for the opportunity to start a new life abroad.  A good part of emigrants aimed for Italy, less than a hundred miles away from Albanian ports across the Strait of Otranto, partly attracted to the (erroneous) portrayals of wealth on Italian television adverts they were able to watch in Albania.  The cargo ship Vlora (pictured above) had returned from Cuba with a load of sugar, its main motor was out of use and it docked in Durrës to unload its cargo and go through repairs.
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Tooth worms as hell's demon' 18th century depiction

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Tooth worms have a long history, first appearing in a Sumerian text around 5,000 BC. References to tooth worms can be found in China, Egypt and India long before the belief finally takes root (pun intended) into Western Europe in the 8th century. Treatment of tooth worms varied depending on the severity of the patient’s pain. Often, practitioners would try to ‘smoke’ the worm out by heating a mixture of beeswax and henbane seed on a piece of iron and directing the fumes into the cavity with a funnel. Afterwards, the hole was filled with powered henbane seed and gum mastic. This may have provided temporary relief given the fact that henbane is a mild narcotic. Many times, though, the achy tooth had to be removed altogether. Some tooth-pullers mistook nerves for tooth worms, and extracted both the tooth and the nerve in what was certainly an extremely painful procedure in a period before anaesthetics.  The tooth worm came under attack in the 18th century when Pierre Fauchard—known tod
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