Tag: Ngách kho báu

 

There are more than 50,000 pieces that comprise the fantastic collection at the Department of Egyptian Antiquities of the Louvre of Paris. Collectibles include various artifacts from the Nile civilizations that span more than four millennia, from 4,000 BC to the 4th century AD.

Counted as one of the world’s largest such collections, it gives a detailed overview of Egyptian life and customs from the earliest days of the Ancient Egypt, through the Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom, as well as the Ptolemaic, Roman, and Byzantine eras.

The collections accessible at the Louvre originate from the royal collections, and have been continually enriched. Of exceptional importance are the literary and artistic contributions of Dominique Vivant Denon as part of the Institut d’Égypte, commissioned by Napoleon during his Egyptian campaign of 1789 to 1801. Following the expedition, Denon was appointed as the first director of the Louvre Museum and also issued a two-volume book entitled Journey in Lower and Upper Egypt that marked the foundation of modern Egyptology

Ever since it was inaugurated, the collection at the Department of Egyptian Antiquities has followed important discoveries and more purchases of valuable items. Guarded by the Crypt of the Large Sphynx, the entire department consists of 30 rooms, and visitors can see genuine Ancient Egyptian art and pieces of jewelry, musical instruments, clothing, tools, and weapons, or papyrus scrolls, among other items

Among the many authentic artifacts, there also lies, in its own infinite sleep, a very intricate mummy, perhaps unlike any other mummy seen anywhere.

Crypt of the Sphinx, Room 1 of the Department of Egyptian Antiquities of the Louvre, author: Ning J / Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0

The mummy at the Louvre is particularly striking because of its mesmerizing intricacies of head wrapping. In contrast to the winding wrap that everyone is accustomed seeing, this exhibit has its skull thoroughly encased in strips of linen, with a geometric twisted square pattern that covers the whole face. In addition to the fascinating binding, the cartonnage laid over the rest of the mummy’s body features a neckband draped over the chest, an ornamental apron across the legs, as well as casing found at the feet.

The Mummy of a man at Louvre, Author: Zubro, CC BY-SA 3.0

As the museum reports, X-Rays have shown that the mummy was an adult who probably lived during the Ptolemaic Period of Ancient Egypt, that is between 305 BC to 30 BC. The period began with the reign of Alexander the Great’s General Ptolemy and ended with the rule of Cleopatra.

Researchers believe that the mummified person was named either Nenu or Pachery, although this remains uncertain. The very fact that he was preserved implies that, whatever his name, he was considered fortunate throughout his mortal life. Through the ancient funerary process, his survival into eternity was ensured according to the Ancient Egyptian belief system.

, Close up of the head showing the elaborate wrappings, author: Jalvear, CC BY 2.0

Reportedly, Nenu or Pachery most likely belonged to the upper middle-class. His main organs were preserved in jars, except for the heart and the brain. Through the mummification process, the body was settled in salt in order to dry it out, and after that was covered with resin and aromatic oils before being wrapped in strips of linen cloth.

The Egyptian mummy as seen from another angle, author: Dada, CC BY-SA 3.0

The remarkable neckband portrays sister goddesses Nephthys and Isis, who stand as protectors of the mummy. The organs in the jars are similarly protected by another major Egyptian god, Horus.

One more deity, Anubis or Anpu, god of the cemeteries and embalming, can be observed at the feet. Depicted as a man with a canine head, he is the one who would measure the weight of the heart of the mummified person in order to determine if their soul was allowed passage into the realm of the dead.

At the time this person was mummified, Egypt was perhaps thriving in the golden days of the rise of Alexandria as the new center of knowledge and scholarship in the ancient world. Or it might be that, slowly and steadily, Rome was already preparing to exert a grip over the prosperous fields by the Nile.

The mummy lived even before the Incas and was buried according to funerary customs at the time.

Universidad Nacional Mayor De San MarcosThe mummy is estimated to be between 800 and 1,200 years old.

Archaeologists in Cajamarquilla, Peru, weren’t looking for mummies. But that’s what they found during their excavation — an 800-year-old mummy, bound with rope, with its hands pressed against its face.

“The whole team was really happy because we didn’t think this was going to happen,” said Yomira Huamán Santillán, one of the leaders of the team of archeologists from the National University of San Marcos. “We didn’t expect to make such an important discovery.”

Santillán and others stumbled across the mummy while working at an archeological site in Cajamarquilla, about 15 miles inland from Lima. There, at the base of a staircase, they found the mummy buried beneath a town square.

Unlike Egyptian mummies, which are laid flat and often in sarcophagi, this mummy was found sitting with his knees drawn to its chest, its entire body ringed with rope.

“The main characteristic of the mummy is that the whole body was tied up by ropes and with the hands covering the face,” explained Pieter Van Dalen Luna, the dig’s co-leader.

He added that such a burial “would be part of the local funeral pattern.” Mummies of the time were often buried in a fetal position and tied with ropes. Sometimes, they’d be buried with a head cloth or wrapped with jewelry.

Archaeologists guessed that the mummy they found wrapped in rope was between 800 and 1,200 years old. “Radiocarbon dating will give a more precise chronology,” noted Van Dalen Luna.

Universidad Nacional Mayor De San MarcosA close up of the mummy, who was buried according to funeral customs of the age.

The mummy, explained Van Dalen Luna, was probably a young person who died between the ages of 25 and 30. They likely originated in the high Andean region of Peru and made their way to Cajamarquilla, then a hub of trade and commerce.

There, archeologists believe that the young person from the mountains made their mark. They found a number of marine mollusks outside the tomb, as well as llama bones.

Both suggest that the mummy was honored after death. Mollusks would have been brought from the far-off sea; llama bones may have been some kind of offering.

“After the body is placed in the tomb, there are constant events and activities,” Van Dalen Luna explained. “That is to say, their descendants keep coming back over many years and placing food and offerings there, including mollusks.”

He added, “The fact of finding a mummy with these characteristics in the middle of the plaza makes it clear that this is someone of high status.” Perhaps, Van Dalen Luna suggested, the mummy was kind of powerful trader during his short life.

Universidad Nacional Mayor De San MarcosPieter Van Dalen Luna, right, with the newly discovered mummy.

Cajamarquilla itself has a long and fascinating history. First settled by the Huari between 400–600 AD, the city thrived as a multi-cultural commercial center that acted as a hub between the Andes and the Pacific coast.

In later years, it was taken over by the Ychma and Inca people. Sadly, in modern times, the site has fallen into disrepair.

But archaeologists are hopeful that the discovery of the rope-bound mummy can provide a peek into life in Cajamarquilla hundreds — perhaps thousands — of years ago.

“The discovery of this resident sheds a new light on interactions and relationships in pre-Hispanic times,” said Van Dalen Luna.

Next, he and his colleagues plan to examine the mummy they found more closely. Using radiocarbon dating and other analytical tools, they’ll seek to learn more about the mummy’s age and possibly identity.

Hopefully, the Cajamarquilla mummy will offer insights into how ancient people lived — and died — in Peru centuries ago.

After reading about the Peru mummy, learn about the shocking discovery of a pregnant Egyptian mummy. Or, learn about the Egyptian Turin mummy, which revealed the oldest embalming recipe ever found.

The paper is presently accessible as a preprint on bioRxiv.

Using preserved teeth belonging to a prehistoric human species that lived in South Africa more than two million years ago, scientists have been able to extract genetic information. Scientists can now better comprehend how this long-extinct creature fits into the human family tree thanks to the data, which is by far the earliest genetic information ever obtained from any hominid.

The researchers explain their findings in a publication that has not yet been published and state that no African hominid sample older than 18,000 years old has ever yielded ancient DNA. After overcoming that obstacle, the authors continue by presenting protein sequencing data from the tooth enamel of four members of the species Paranthropus robustus, each of whom lived approximately 2.42 million years ago.

The teeth were found in the Swartkrans cave, 40 km (25 miles) northwest of Johannesburg. It is thought that rapid floods caused them to gather there before “extensive cementation” helped to preserve the enamel proteins over millions of years. This made it possible for the scientists to sequence hundreds of amino acids in each tooth using a technique called mass spectrometry, providing crucial details on the evolutionary connections between P. robustus and other hominids.

The sequences that we were able to recover, according to the study’s authors, “put Paranthropus both within the clade of hominins and as an outgroup to the clade encompassing Homo sapiens, Neanderthals, and Denisovans.” The ancient South African species, then, is a distant relative of the more closely related species that arose in Eurasia in the previous few hundred thousand years, including contemporary humans, but it is still very much a member of the human family.

Paranthropus boisei – steps of forensic facial reconstruction

Author: Cicero Moraes

A fascinating finding from the analysis was that one of the African foursomes “may be more distantly connected to the other three individuals than they are to each other.” Although they are unable to confirm it, the researchers surmise that this outlier may have even belonged to a unique Paranthropus group.

Fascinatingly, the authors of the study were able to identify two of the specimens as males despite the fact that one of them had previously been classified as a female based on the size of its bones, thanks to the discovery of a protein encoded by a gene that is only found on the Y-chromosome. The other two individuals, who were female, had larger levels of the X-chromosome variant of this protein than did the other two.

To accurately place P. robustus within the human family tree or sort out all of the ancient hominin’s evolutionary relationships, however, the genetic data gathered by the researchers is ultimately insufficient, despite the fact that it has allowed them to learn important details about the owners of the ancient chompers. The recovery of [two-million-year-old] phylogenetically informative genetic material in African hominins can be regarded as a potentially game-changing advancement for palaeoanthropology, the study’s authors write, “despite these constraints.”

A princess with a tattoo of a griffin like creature buried with a cosmetic bag and six horses

In the vast expanse of the Altai Mountains, where Russia, Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan converge, there exists a world frozen in time. The permafrost, a relentless guardian of secrets, had long concealed tales of ancient peoples, their cultures, beliefs, and memories. In 1993, Russian archaeologists discovered an intriguing find on the Ukok plateau near the Russia-China border. They had received information about a grave robbery. Digging at the grave site, they stumbled upon a giant block of ice.

The team, led by Dr. Natalya Polosmak of Novosibirsk’s Institute of Archeology and Ethnography, began melting the block.

They found the mummified body of a 25-year-old princess known as the Siberian Ice Maiden. Polosmak and her staff found the princess had tattoos! Nestled within a burial mound on the Ukok Plateau, the Ice Maiden – often referred to as the ‘Princess of Ukok’ – offered a remarkable glimpse into the world of the Pazyryk people, a nomadic tribe that roamed the steppes more than 2,500 years ago. Impeccably preserved by the cold, the Ice Maiden’s still form lay accompanied by six horses, meticulously arranged in a radial pattern, symbolizing her status and significance in life. But it wasn’t just her burial rites or the artifacts she was interred with that drew gasps of wonder and intrigue; it was the intricate designs that adorned her skin.

Reconstruction of the Siberian Ice Maiden. Image Source and Credits: Marcel Nyffenegger/ The Siberian Times.

Her perfectly preserved body showed the customs of a long-ago society. I was intrigued by the symbolism of her tattoos when I first learnt about her.

What happened to her possessions and her companion horses? How could someone so young pass away? Was it a suicide or a sacrifice of a human?

My curiosity about this mysterious woman who passed away more than 2500 years ago was sparked by these queries.

Harnesses, saddle parts, and a table where a feast of fatty mutton had been preserved for 2500 years were found as the archaeologists started to melt the ice with buckets of hot water.

Mummy of the Siberian Ice Maiden. Image Source and licensing: Wikimedia Commons

The mutton was rotting and gave a foul stench.

There were six horses in total. The marks of a pickaxe on their heads indicated that they had been executed.

Then there was only more ice.

‘A lot of them go on holiday to Greece, and when I’ve been there I heard how Greeks were smiling and saying that a British man’s age can be easily understood by the number of tattoos on his body.

The Body of Princess Ukok, who died aged 25, had several tattoos on her body, including a deer with a griffon’s beak and a Capricorn’s antlers. The tattoos have been perfectly preserved for 2,500 years.

‘I’m talking the working class now. ‘And I noticed it, too. ‘The older a person, the more tattoos are on his body.’

Dr Polosmak added: ‘We can say that most likely there was  – and is – one place on the body for everyone to start putting the tattoos on, and it was a left shoulder.

‘I can assume so because all the mummies we found with just one tattoo had it on their left shoulders.

The archaeologists worked painstakingly to melt the remaining ice and at last found some sable fur. When they removed the fur, a shoulder appeared with a “brilliant blue tattoo of a magnificent griffin like creature” in the words of Polosmak.

Researchers also found two warriors close to the princess and were able to reconstruct their tattoos. Here, one is shown with an animal covering the right side of his body, across his right shoulder, and stretching from his chest to his back.

It was a young woman’s body, between the ages of 25 and 28. She became renowned as the Siberian Ice Maiden or the Ukok Princess.

The mummified body, which was in outstanding condition, was removed by Polosmak’s crew. She had all of her internal organs removed, including her brain, so the archaeologists were unable to identify how she died.

Nevertheless, twenty years after her discovery, scientists at the Russian Academy of Sciences have a theory.

Very likely, breast cancer caused her death. Dr. Andrey Letyagin believes she was diagnosed with breast cancer in her early 20s based on the MRI images. According to Dr. Letyagin, the asymmetry in the MR signals from the scan demonstrates that she had a tumor in her right breast.

She grew weaker as the agonizing anguish of the sickness deepened. It’s conceivable that she fractured her bones just before she passed away after falling off a horse.

She needed cannabis to aid her because she was in a lot of pain. The fact that there was marijuana in her tomb is evidence of this. Elite members of Eurasian nomadic civilizations frequently used marijuana.

Princess Ukok’s hand with marked tattoos on her fingers. She was dug out of the ice 19 years ago, and is set to go on public display in the Altai Republic.

According to Dr. Polosmak’s team, the Ice Maiden’s skin was preserved and embalmed with herbs, grasses, and wool. Together with the princess, the horses were sacrificed and interred. She was clothed in a silk blouse and wool skirt with stripes. She was probably a princess because nomadic tribes’ highest officials used silk clothing.

The Ice Maiden displayed her concern for appearance by carrying a cosmetics bag on her left hip. There were pieces of a blue-green eyeliner pencil made of vivianite, a kind of iron phosphate.

They also found a tiny plate with coriander seeds on it, which were probably used medicinally.

Yet the princess’ baldness was the biggest shock to the archaeologists! They shaved her head, and her hair was a wig made of two layers of female hair. There was a felt spike with fifteen gold foil birds on it at the top of the wig.

According to Polosmak, tattoos are a sign of beauty. Back then, the aim was to look as beautiful as possible. She chose to have the tattoo on her shoulder because it was noticeable and she wanted to look as lovely as possible. The Ice Maiden had tattoos on her fingers and both arms, but fortunately, the one on her left shoulder had survived. The tattoo on his exposed shoulder, in the opinion of Polosmak, looks like the beak of a griffin.

The tattoos of one of two warriors found on the ancient permafrost burial site at Ukok Plateau some 2,500 meters above sea level close to Russia’s frontiers with modern-day Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan.

Sheep and a snow leopard were among the other tats.

Archaeologists believe the princess was of Scythian descent based on the animal-style painting because they have found similar works of art in many locations around Russia, Central Asia, and Europe.

Between the seventh and third centuries BCE, a nomadic group known as the Scythians inhabited the Eurasian Steppes. While some historians once referred to all early nomads as Scythians, this is erroneous. Not all of the early nomadic people who inhabited the steppes of Euraasia, which extended from Siberia to the Black Sea, were Scythians.

As locals in the Altai region, where the Ice Maiden was interred, think the grave belonged to one of their ancestors, the excavation of the Ice Maiden caused considerable controversy. The locals consider the removal of mummies from ancient cemeteries to be a terrible omen and believe in shamans.

In Russia, there is a lot of disagreement over the Ice Maiden’s origins. The Genetic composition of the Ice Maiden and contemporary Altai peoples differs significantly, according to research by the Russian Academy of Sciences. She was a member of the Pazyryk culture, a Scythian nomadic civilization that lived between the sixth and second centuries BCE, according to scientists and archaeologists.

She had more Caucasoid than Mongoloid face features. Although though it is currently a contentious issue, it is crucial to keep in mind that ancient nomadic cultures were always multiethnic. The Xiongnu Empire was a federation of tribes from various races and was the first significant nomadic Empire to emerge from the Eurasian Steppes.

Tattoos are clearly visible on one of the warrior’s shoulders. The designs are similar to those found on the Princess.

People in the Altai region, where the mummy was discovered, were outraged that she was being showcased to tourists from all over the world. They took the Ice Maiden to Korea and Japan, where she was treated like a rock star, with crowds gathering to see her.

The authorities in the area where she was discovered reacted by prohibiting additional excavations. They designated the area as a “zone of peace.”

Russian authorities eventually returned her body to the Altai museum, but they are still studying it.

The discovery of the Siberian Ice Maiden represents a watershed moment in archaeology.

Do you think her excavation has aided in the study and understanding of ancient peoples and their customs? Or was it a case of defying local customs and stealing graves?

There is little doubt that the Ice Maiden has helped us comprehend that though ancient peoples from 2500 years ago were different from us in many respects, they also had many commonalities with us. The biggest one is a fascination with cosmetics and external appearance.

Another interesting fact revealed by the ice maiden is her use of cannabis to relieve pain caused by breast cancer. Cannabis’s significance in medicine has received attention off late, yet it is an old practice that has been lost in time. We had not yet developed science at the time, therefore many individuals relied on trial and error to gain understanding of pain treatment.

Who was the Princess of Ukok? The Princess of Ukok, also known as the “Siberian Ice Maiden”, was a woman of high status who lived in Siberia around the fifth century BC. Her remarkable mummified remains, adorned with ornate tattoos, were found next to a bag of herbs.

What do the tattoos on the Princess of Ukok represent?

The intricate tattoos on the Princess of Ukok depict mythical creatures and animals that reflect the values and status of Pazyryk culture. These tattoos served as forms of identity and were believed to help in the afterlife.

What caused the death of the Ukok Princess?

In 2010, MRI scans showed that the Ukok Princess probably died of breast cancer in her mid-twenties. Despite her advanced cancer, her skeletal remains showed no signs of physical trauma.

Why was the Princess of Ukok buried with cannabis?

Scholars speculate that the Princess of Ukok may have used cannabis for medicinal or shamanistic purposes, possibly to ease her pain. Her funeral and the presence of horses suggest that she played an important role in her community.

Why was the Ukok Princess’ relocation controversial?

The relocation of the Ukok Princess led to natural disasters and disagreements between the Altai Republic and larger authorities. The Altai people believed that disturbing sacred lands led to disasters.

The skeleton of a giant 100-million-year-old marine reptile has been found in Australia, raising hopes for researchers to uncover important evidence of prehistoric life.

The remains of the 6m-tall young long-necked pleiosaur, also known as an elamsaurus, were found by amateur fossil hunters on a cattle station in Queensland last August.

The elasmosaurs, which were 8 to 10 meters long, lived in the Eromaga Sea, which covered large parts of the Australian inland with 50-meter-deep water about 150 million years ago.

Queensland Museum

Espen Knutsen, senior curator of palaeontology at the Queensland Museum, likened the discovery to that of the Rosetta Stone – it helped experts decipher the hieroglyphs.

“We have never found a body and a head, and this may be key to the future of research in the field,” he said, adding that paleontologists may gain more substantial knowledge about the origin, evolution and ecology of the Cretaceous period in the region.

“Because the neck of pleiosaurs made up 2/3 of them, the head often separated from the body after they died, which made the discovery of an intact fossil very difficult.”

Knutsen explained that when an elasmosaurus died, its decomposing body was inflated with gases that caused it to rise to the surface of the water. Often the head was broken off when the carcass fell prey to predators.

Queensland Museum

The specimen found is in good condition, however, and researchers will perform chemical tests on the teeth, which may provide information about the ecology of the environment it lived in, whether it had migrated during its lifetime, or whether it lived permanently in one place , but also for his diet.

Ancient marine reptiles such as pleiosaurs and ichthyosaurs are not classified as dinosaurs, even though they lived around the same time. Plesiosaurs were descendants of land-dwelling species and therefore lacked gills and had to occasionally surface for air. It remains unknown how long they could remain underwater.

Assassin’s Creed Origins Review: Steps back to leap forward

After taking a year off from its annual release cycle, Assassin’s Creed is back. A newbie to the games swan dives into Assassin’s Creed Origins to see if the changes to the formula is enough to revitalize the franchise.
Assassin’s Creed is one of modern video games’ landmark series. It’s actually been a decade since the first game was released, which started off a hugely successful multimedia franchise spanning games, comics, novels, and even a Hollywood film.

Recent years haven’t been as kind to the brand, though. The annual releases on every platform eventually wore on critics and consumers, as review scores and sales dwindled after the peaks of the second and third main games. Ubisoft, the series creator, eventually gave Assassin’s Creed a one-year break before putting out this latest installment.

I mention all this because even as a games enthusiast, I went into Assassin’s Creed Origins having zero experience with the whole franchise.

Back to the beginning

For a series newbie, the setup is perfect. Origins basically tells how the Assassin Brotherhood, the secret organization that each protagonist from every game is part of, came to be. It takes place at the tail end of Ancient Egypt. The two pharaohs Ptolemy and Cleopatra are at odds over who should be the rightful ruler. Meanwhile, the threat of Roman imperial influence on the nation, spearheaded by Julius Caesar, hangs heavy over the embattled Egyptian monarchy.

Amid this political turmoil, you play as Bayek, the medjay of the province of Siwa, and the very last of Egypt’s ordained protectors. You are on a quest for revenge against a shadowy cabal planning on taking complete control of the country.

No other big budget game comes to mind that tackles this particular setting, so my interest was piqued, despite the rather messy intro. Fortunately, that interest blossomed into a mostly enjoyable 42-hour experience!

Gorgeous and gigantic

That enjoyment had a lot to do with how much I wanted to be in Origins‘ staggering simulation of Ancient Egypt. From the way sand blows in the desert winds to how sunlight gleams on the surface of the Nile; from the architectural apex of Greek and Egyptian antiquity in Alexandria to the fading beauty of Egypt’s capital Memphis; and from the artistic Hellenistic heights of Greco-Roman Cyrene to the ever-enduring mystery and majesty of the Pyramids of Giza, Origins renders it all in stunning fashion.

  

Even the depiction of life and culture in that age is impressive. Markets and ports bustle with merchants peddling wares and laborers working on galleys. Guards on horseback and chariots patrol cobblestone streets and escort traders across land and sea. A whole mountain village is dedicated to extracting salt for mummification, with the statue of Anubis, the jackal god of death, perched on a shrine overlooking the settlement.

  

So, even though I found the quests at the beginning to be worryingly banal, I sought them out just to learn more about the world. A good deal of them flesh out the overarching narrative, too, as they illustrate the villains’ tyranny manifesting in numerous, logical ways.

Likable leads

Bayek’s character shines through his interactions with the populace. I found that he could laugh at himself while still being fiercely passionate in his sense of justice and respect for tradition. Him being a father and a husband reflects on how good he is with kids and understanding of parents with family problems.

His relationship with his wife Aya is also refreshing. They are both extremely competent as warrior assassins and trust each other’s ability. While they share the goal of revenge, they each have distinct motivations that set their character arcs apart. Affection is something they don’t hesitate to show one another. They display moments of emotional vulnerability, but they deal with it maturely like you’d expect from a long-married, caring couple.

The rest of the cast doesn’t come close to this level of characterization, but this core pairing is solid enough that it made me want to see their story through to the end.

Gameplay is a grower

I’m grateful for being so drawn into the world and these two leads, as I wasn’t having a great time with Origins until I played way more of it. After unlocking more abilities, gaining more tools and weapons, and generally getting a hang of the mechanics, I eventually found the gameplay rewarding in itself.

 

While still having an action/stealth adventure foundation, Origins builds a light RPG structure a la Horizon Zero Dawn on top of it; you level up, get stronger, and gain access to more abilities. You can improve your gear with crafting materials you collect from hunting animals, dismantling equipment, or shopping at vendors. There’s a variety of weapons and shields with stats and unique perks, and they also have levels that determine their effectiveness.

Because Bayek’s capabilities are tied into hard numbers, I was frustrated on numerous occasions during fights and sneaking up on enemies that were just two or three levels higher than me in the early goings. I was still grasping the fundamentals of combat and stealth, so it wasn’t uncommon for me to get spotted while trying to sneak into a base, surrounded by multiple guards, and killed in the ensuing melee.

 

More demanding mechanics

The fighting system has been revamped, too. It’s reminiscent of Dark Souls in that you’re throwing measured strikes with your weapon while dodging or blocking incoming blows, and every button press has Bayek committing to whatever action you take. If you throw out a strong attack and miss, you will likely get punished with a counter-attack. There is no stamina to worry about though, with only slight pauses in between attack and defend animations to keep you from chaining infinite combos. You do have an “Overpower meter” that gradually fills up in combat. Once it’s full, it allows you to either do a powerful one-hit super move or speed up your every attack for a set amount of time, depending on what weapon you have equipped.

 

It’s not as tight and responsive as the Souls games, though. I struggled at the sluggishness of striking and the skittery enemy movements.

Going into a heavily guarded fort or bandit hideout, you have one major advantage. You can take control of Senu, Bayek’s trusty eagle companion, to fly over the map and mark locations of your quest objectives, enemies, treasure, and other items you can interact with. It’s critical prep work before entering hostile territory, but even then it didn’t feel like enough for me to confidently clear out encampments without alerting everyone in them.

 

But once I got comfortable with the controls and earned more abilities, the gameplay started to click with me.

Slow but satisfying surprise

Around eight hours and 15 levels in, I was better at sneaking past enemies and smarter at fighting them with fire bombs and warrior bows. 20 hours and 25 levels in, I was silently headshotting guards and slaying lions and crocodiles. 40 hours and 35 levels in, I was clearing out fortresses and palaces using sleep darts and poison traps and brutally executing entire garrisons with my assortment of legendary dual blades, spears, sickle swords, and staves.

  

Assassin’s Creed Origins is the perfect example of a lovingly crafted virtual world with a strong sense of place that is truly captivating, so much so that it carried me to discovering joy in seemingly simple systems. It’s a slow starter, for sure, but it turned out to be the biggest surprise for me so far in this year of stellar video games, and I’m glad I took the leap on Assassin’s Creed at the right time.

 

A scholarly examination of an enigmatic ancient Scroll has yielded a surprising conclusion regarding the Bible, as determined by an expert.

Almost 140 years ago, a man arrived at the British Museum clutching a set of ancient documents in his hands. Initially hailed as priceless relics, they caused a sensation – before being dismissed as clever forgeries and vanishing into thin air. Now, one expert has returned to the Shapira Scrolls and uncovered a startling revelation about these mysterious texts.

Archaeologists are to launch an investigation to find the site where a circus elephant is said to have been buried in a south Gloucestershire town more than 130 years ago.

Local legend suggests the elephant, possibly named Nancy, was buried in Kingswood in 1891. The animal belonged to Bostock and Wombwell’s menagerie as a highlight in its travelling “beast show”.

Members of Wessex Archaeology are to conduct a geophysical survey in a bid to identify the burial site which is said to be in the area of Whitefield’s Tabernacle or Holy Trinity Church.

Tom Richardson, terrestrial geophysicist at Wessex Archaeology, said: “Searching for Victorian elephant burials isn’t our usual fare but a grave of that size would leave a large hole and would certainly be identifiable with the Ground Penetrating Radar equipment we will be using to survey the site.”

BEST QUALITY AVAILABLEUndated handout photo issued by Wessex Archaelogy of a Bostock and Wombell´s Menagerie elephant pulling a cart down a street. Archaeologists are to launch an investigation to find the site where a circus elephant is said to have been buried in a south Gloucestershire town more than 130 years ago. Local legend suggests the elephant, possibly named Nancy, was buried in Kingswood in 1891. The animal belonged to Bostock and Wombwell´s menagerie as a highlight in its travelling “beast show”. Issue date: Sunday July 2, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story HERITAGE Elephant. Photo credit should read: National Fairground & Circus Archive/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.

Although no historical sources reference the death, the elephant is said to have died from yew leaf poisoning.

Alan Bryant, curator at Kingswood Museum, said: “I first heard about the Kingswood elephant burial in the 1970s when I was doing my rounds as a local milkman.

“Since then, I have had countless conversations and debates with local people about it. I remember a new mains sewer pipe was installed in the 1980s and I made a point of having a look to see if there were any anomalies in the ground.

“Alas, nothing to report but I for one am delighted at the potential of discovering the legendary Kingswood elephant burial.”

Local newspaper the Bristol Mercury reported in February 1891 that Bostock’s Star Menagerie had exhibited nearby in that year, with the show including Nancy who was described as a “fine nine year old elephant”.

Lorrain Higbee, zooarchaeologist at Wessex Archaeology, said: “This initial archaeological investigation aims to locate the elephant burial but should we do so, you may be surprised at what we could learn about the life of this animal from studying its skeletal remains.

BEST QUALITY AVAILABLEUndated handout photo issued by Wessex Archaelogy of a Bostock and Wombell´s Menagerie elephant pulling a wagon on Great North Road. Archaeologists are to launch an investigation to find the site where a circus elephant is said to have been buried in a south Gloucestershire town more than 130 years ago. Local legend suggests the elephant, possibly named Nancy, was buried in Kingswood in 1891. The animal belonged to Bostock and Wombwell´s menagerie as a highlight in its travelling “beast show”. Issue date: Sunday July 2, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story HERITAGE Elephant. Photo credit should read: National Fairground & Circus Archive/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.

“In the case of a menagerie elephant, as well as understanding where the animal came from and its age, we may be able to see the impact of its life as an entertainer, this may include evidence of confinement including trauma from shackling the animal or arthritis.

“It may also be possible to detect injuries or strains resulting from its performance duties, such as repetitive movements.”

Councillor Chris Willmore, cabinet member with responsibility for planning, regeneration and infrastructure at South Gloucestershire Council, said: “Our work as part of the Kingswood regeneration project has presented us with a unique opportunity ahead of the high street pedestrianisation work.

“We’re excited to see what archaeologists may uncover and if we can finally solve this local mystery or find some new mysteries to solve.”