Excerpt : 11 Cauldrons Found at Iron Age Settlement in England

11 Cauldrons Found at Iron Age Settlement in England

11 Cauldrons Found at Iron Age Settlement in England



According to the British Museum, cauldrons played an important role in Iron Age culture. They were used to prepare food and drink during ceremonial feasts, and references in early medieval Irish and Welsh literature suggest that magical qualities were ascribed to the vessels. But Iron Age cauldrons are a relatively rare find. The Glenfield Park discoveries mark only the second time that a cluster of complete Iron Age cauldrons has been unearthed on a modern U.K. excavation.

Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/11-cauldrons-found-iron-age-settlement-england-180967365/#9YS2DDxTSro4uu07.99
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or https://www.rt.com/news/411188-iron-age-cauldrons-leicester/
or https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/11/uk-team-unearths-rare-iron-age-party-cauldrons-in-leicestershire/
or https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/press/press-releases/2017/november/unique-collection-of-metal-artefacts-from-iron-age-settlement-sheds-new-light-on-prehistoric-feasting-rituals


http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/research_projects/all_current_projects/chiseldon_cauldrons/studying_the_cauldrons.aspx

A Matter of Narwhals

http://mentalfloss.com/article/55994/7-fascinating-facts-about-narwhals

7 Fascinating Facts About Narwhals BY JESSICA HULLINGER




There are few creatures I find so fascinating as the narwhal. Like many tusked animals, this arctic whale has a majestic quality to it. In medieval times, its long, straight tusk was often given to royalty, passed off as a “unicorn horn.” In the 16th century, a narwhal tusk worth £10,000 was given to Queen Elizabeth. Today, the narwhal still holds our interest, and its tusk remains one of the most mysterious things about these creatures. Here’s what we know about them.

1. Its tusk is actually a tooth
While it might appear to be situated in the center of its head, the narwhal’s tusk is actually an exaggerated front left tooth that protrudes from the upper lip. The right front tooth is small, and usually remains in the mouth. Stranger still, while most teeth (including human teeth) have a hard exterior and a soft, sensitive interior, narwhal teeth are the opposite. “No big surprise. It's been opposite in every other way,” Martin Nweeia, a clinical instructor at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, told NPR after making this discovery. “But to find a tooth that is soft on the outside and has its most dense part around the pulp was completely odd.”( Read more... )