Unruly History in the News #7
Did you miss yesterday’s new addition to the Unruly Figures lineup? I’m really excited about these new Too Long; Didn’t Listen posts—they’ll be great for students studying and teachers who are creating lesson outlines. Check it out!
This week, in history acting unruly…
King Tut’s tomb was discovered a hundred years ago this year, but how? It is—surprisingly—distantly related to the estate at the heart of Downton Abbey.
Speaking of King Tut, some long-lost jewelry from his tomb has just been rediscovered!
Who inspired Wakanda’s female warriors? This podcast covers the history of the Agojie warriors.
The Antikythera Mechanism is incredible…but what is it? We’re not exactly sure, but we know it’s intricate, beautiful, and confounding our history of technology.
Did Tudor beds have footboards? And other historical questions that are surprisingly difficult to answer.
In disquieting news, ancient Egyptians might have branded their slaves with irons. You hate to learn it, but history is rarely cute and fun.
Do you remember Otzi, the hunter preserved in ice for thousands of years? Archaeologists long thought the preservation of his corpse was a fluke, a historical miracle. New studies are suggesting that ice preservation is more common than we thought, and that as more glaciers melt (thanks, climate change!) we might find more Otzis out there.
Climate change might also be healing conflicts around the world? It turns out that coming together to solve ecological disasters is helping heal other historical conflicts in communities around the world.
A rare Roman odeon—like an amphitheater—was just uncovered on the island of Crete.
Nearby, in Egypt, a Greek bathhouse was found near the Red Sea.
Meanwhile, in Italy, 24 bronze statues were found in a Tuscan spa. At over 2000 years old, these artworks have a lot to tell us about the transition from local Etruscan rule to Roman rule. The find also suggests that Etruscan and Roman families might have gone to the spas to pray alongside one another.
Archaeologists have also uncovered a trove of Viking jewelry in Sweden. Some of these pieces are gorgeous, and very in style again, frankly.
An archaeologist excavating the jewelry. Photo from the archaeologists, National Historical Museums Source. Historians are tracing the true history of “The Lone Woman” who lived on San Nicolas Island, off the coast of Southern California. Long thought a shipwrecked woman who survived on her own wits and resourcefulness, the true story seems to be part of a longer history of European and American massacres of the indigenous peoples of the Americas.
A woman used her father’s love letters in 1945 to find where his plane had been shot down over Germany. With a fantastic amount of tenacity, this woman was able to find a body long thought lost and bring her father home.
A rare emerald discovered in a 300-year-old shipwreck is going to sell for at least $70,000. The proceed will go to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine in their ongoing war against Russia.
Have you ever heard of the Indian Labour Corps? The story of their work in World War I is sad, frustrating, and important.
Scientists have reconstructed the face of a 19th-century man in Connecticut who was accused of being a vampire.
The CIA Museum has allowed the public a peek at its vast collection of espionage memorabilia. Usually, the museum is limited to current employees and their families. If you’re into spies, this is for you.
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, 24 unmarked graves were discovered. They might belong to members of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre.
In interesting tattoo history, we’re finding that some pregnant women and mothers got lower-back tattoos of Bes, the goddess who watched over mothers and children. It might have been meant to protect them.
A tattoo on the left hip of a mummified Egyptian woman depicts Bes, the goddess of women and children; the tattoo might may have been applied to protect her in childbirth. (Image credit: Anne Austin/University of Missouri-St. Louis) Speaking of pregnant ancient Egyptian women, the first pregnant mummy was found a few years ago—seems that she might have died of cancer. Now, scientists have finally released a reconstruction of what she might have looked like.
The Founders Museum in Massachusetts has repatriated 150 items to the Lakota Sioux peoples. Many of the artifacts were collected during Wounded Knee. We love to see repatriation!
Whew, what a week! Have a lovely week, y’all.