NB! · Archaeology · Museums · Rome · Humour

Silver cup: "Drink until Emperor Hadrian swims out"

NB! · Archaeology · Archive · Museums · Society

Stele inscribed with a law against tyranny; in the upper part, the figure of Democracy crowning the people, 337 BC

Black-and-white photograph of the sculpture of Laocoön and his two sons entwined by snakes.

NB! · Archaeology · Art · Museums · Rome

The sculpture of Laocoön and his sons, found in Rome in 1506, is kept in the Vatican

The sculpture of Laocoön and his sons being killed by serpents was found in Rome in 1506. The work of the renowned Rhodian masters Athenodoros, Polydorus and Hagesandros is now kept in the Pio-Clementino Museum in the Vatican

NB! · Archaeology · Art · Science

The upper tier of the pectoral with the so-called scenes of Scythian life suggests that it may depict the legend of two brothers who set off in search of the golden fleece

Close-up of a gold pectoral showing two winged griffins attacking a horse, with twisted gold bands above and below.

NB! · Archaeology · Art · Museums

Griffins attacking a horse on a gold pectoral in a Ukrainian museum

The lower tier of the gold pectoral (weight 1.1 kg) shows animal scenes, in one of which griffins kill a horse. The necklace is an exhibit of the Ukrainian Museum of Historical Treasures

NB! · Archaeology · Art · Museums

Apropos the Scythians, here is a sumptuous crescent-shaped necklace: a royal pectoral with sculpted lions' heads at its ends and openwork relief figures of animals, plants and people, 4th century BC

Archaeology · Museums · Heritage · People

Museum director Ivan Bondar evacuated Scythian gold from Kyiv in September 1941

Continuing my series of notes on the feats of scholars, museum staff and cultural workers during the war, today I shall tell the story of a unique collection of historical treasures in the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. In the second week of September 1941 the front line came right up to

Silver bowl with gilded relief figures of two bearded warriors and ram-head handles, shown against a dark background.

NB! · Archaeology · Art · Museums

Scythian silver bowl with gilded figures of two warriors, 4th century BC

Two Scythian warriors in conversation on a bowl with a spherical base and ram's-head handles. Silver, gilt. 4th century BC.

Archaeology · Museums · Heritage · Society

German officers and museum director Mates looted the museums of Krasnodar and Taganrog

Talk of wartime vandalism is often reduced to a few simple psychological regularities, which tie together the humble origins of the common soldier, the hardships of army life, the constant fear of death and the sight of war's horrors, all leading to dehumanisation. It is often said that

NB! · Archaeology · Faith · Humour

15th-century tomb of five priests who look like Voldemort

Aristocracy · Archaeology · Monarchies · Science

Genetic analysis in 2013 did not confirm that the skull belonged to Henry IV

However, a genetic examination in 2013 refuted the attribution of the skull to the founder of the Bourbon dynasty. Neither by mitochondrial DNA nor by the Y chromosome was the genetic information extracted from the skull found to be related to the Bourbons living today, whether through the maternal or

Roman castration tongs for animals in a museum case, with bronze busts and horse heads on the handles.

NB! · Archaeology · Monarchies · Rome · Humour

Castration as punishment for crimes against the emperor in Ancient Rome and China

In Ancient Rome and China, insulting the ruler, rebellion and other crimes against the emperor were punished by castration. Here, by way of illustration, are some Roman castration tongs. These ones, admittedly, were for animals. Something to ponder at your leisure