A Diving Crew Used Clues From Homer’s Iliad to Uncover 10 Long-Lost Shipwrecks

A quest as epic as Homer’s own tales recently unfolded beneath the blue waves of the Aegean Sea. Researchers, guided by clues in The Iliad, unearthed a trove of ancient shipwrecks, weaving a narrative of scientific innovation and maritime mystery.

The Greek National Research Foundation teamed with the Greek Ministry of Culture to conducted four research missions in the waters around the island of Kasos. Their goal was clear: identify sunken vessels cited in historical records, including those mentioned in Homer’s historic poem. In a testament to their meticulous strategy and interdisciplinary approach, they successfully located 10 shipwrecks from various historical periods, according to the ministry’s translated statement.

The 10 different finds included ships from 3,000 B.C., the Classical period of 460 B.C., the Hellenistic period of about 100 B.C. to 100 A.D., the Roman years of 200 B.C., and the Byzantine period of 800 A.D., as well as artifacts from the medieval and Ottoman periods. The researchers also discovered a shipwreck that was likely from World War II.

Among the submerged treasures, the researchers found a stunning array of artifacts that told stories of ancient trade routes: a Spanish Dressel 20 amphora, its handle stamped with a seal from around 150 A.D.; elegant drinking vessels; Roman period flasks; and even a stone anchor harkening back to the Archaic period—all painting a vivid picture of a bygone world connected across the waters from Spain to Asia Minor, from Italy to Africa.
The search teams drew valuable insights from Homer’s The Iliad to narrow their search parameters. The 24-book epic, which historians believed was composed around 750 B.C., recounts the Trojan War’s saga, detailing legends like Helen of Troy, the Trojan Horse, and the fury of Achilles, with vivid imagery from the war’s concluding sieges, thereby providing the researchers with clues to potential shipwreck locations.

 

Stunned archaeologists probe claims of giant skeletons in Nevada caves where they found a 15-inch sandal that had been worn down as well as massive handprints across the walls

Archaeologists have long been baffled about claims that a long-lost group of giant humans who stood up to 10 feet tall once lived in the southwestern US.

Supersized human skulls, 15-inch sandals, and massive handprints have been uncovered in excavations inside a cave in Lovelock, Nevada over the last century, which have continued to spark the curiosity of scientists and the public.

The claims about these ‘Giants of Lovelock’ originated from Native Americans who told stories about a brutal tribe of pale-skinned, red-haired invaders who waged war on the local groups, before finally being trapped in a cave and exterminated.

According to archaeologists, the story is likely an exaggeration of the facts or even an outright fabrication – but some of the pieces of evidence continue to encourage believers.

 

The Lore Lodge on YouTube does a very thorough series of videos on the botched excavation of Lovelock Cave.

I like him because he cites his sources and his voice annoys me less than most cryptid / weird history vloggers.

 

Three feminists and a comedian hosted an event. It went horribly wrong.

A prank featuring a member of comedy duo The Inspired Unemployed and three high-profile Australian feminists went awry on Wednesday night, with audience members furious at what they labelled a “fake event” that was “triggering” and “painfully unfunny”.

Promoted on social media under the title Love Unboxed, the free event held at The Neilson on Sydney’s Walsh Bay, promised an evening of “insightful discourse and thought-provoking discussions as renowned feminists Antoinette Lattouf, Clementine Ford and Yumi Stynes engage in a lively conversation on the intricacies of sex, love, relationships and marriage”.

Also in attendance, the promotion noted, would be “a special guest offering his perspective as a young male”.

That guest turned out to be Jack Steele, co-founder (with Matt Ford) of the comedy group The Inspired Unemployed, who boast more than 2 million followers on Instagram.

As the discussion unfolded – with seemingly serious intent on the part of the women – Steele received his orders via earpiece from the rest of the Inspired Unemployed team. And for many of the people in the audience – many of them longtime fans of the women on stage, with a deep interest in feminism – the responses were infuriating.

According to one witness, who posted about the night on Instagram, when he was asked a question about consent, Steele replied, “Yeah, chicks dig consent.”

Q; How many feminists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

A: THAT’S NOT FUNNY!

 

I love upbeat songs with depressing lyrics–some sort of holdover from my teen obsession with The Smiths, no doubt.