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Romulus - the reason for New Year's Day in January 

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Romulus - the reason for New Year's Day in January 

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A relatively recent and hotly contested innovation born of frustrated astronomers and bureaucrats, eventually enforced through papal fiat and global peer pressure

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Published: 3rd December 2023

Bringing these stories to life

To accompany our series of podcasts looking at the ancient Near East we have put together a few films that give you a sense of the incredible literature and mythology that emerged from Mesopotamia and Egypt over their long histories.

We have also put together a few films that give voice to the ancient population of Mesopotamia in their own words in order to bring to life the thoughts and ideas of these long gone persons via a spread of ancient cuneiform documents.

RA: The path of the Sun God: A vision of ancient Egypt - Written, animated and directed by Lesley Keen

This beautiful three-part animated feature film covers themes from ancient Egyptian art and mythology. The first part of the film is given over to the Egyptian Genesis. The Egyptians had many gods and goddesses and creation myths. Ra brings these myths together in a single version and concentrates on the story of Osiris and Isis and their battle with their evil brother Set.

Part two shows the intertwining of the world of the gods with that of the Divine Pharaoh, whom the ancient Egyptians believed to be the son of the Sun God Ra. The life of the Divine Pharaoh is depicted as a journey through the rituals which surround his initiation into temple life.

In death, the Pharaoh continues his journey in the Underworld in the boat of the Sun God Ra, travelling through the twelve hours of night and conquering the powers of darkness before being resurrected at the dawn of the new day.

Ancient Egyptian poetry: The Tale of Sinuhe - The British Museum

Oxford University professor Richard Bruce Parkinson worked with actress and writer Barbara Ewing to record a dramatic reading of one of the finest works of Egyptian poetry The Tale of Sinuhe. Here, they discuss working together and the impact the poem can still have on a modern audience.

The recording is part of a project to write a new reader's commentary on The Tale of Sinuhe. This research is part of an ongoing joint British Museum and Oxford University project on the Ramesseum Papyri. You can listen to Barbara's reading of the whole poem here.

The Epic of Gilgamesh - Ted Talk by Soraya Field Fiorio

Dive into the Epic of Gilgamesh, and follow the king of Uruk on a series of dangerous quests as he searches for immortality.

In 1849, in the ancient city of Nineveh in Iraq, archaeologists sifted through dusty remains, hoping to find records to prove that Bible stories were true. What they found instead was a 4,000-year-old story inscribed on crumbling clay tablets- a story that was so riveting, the first person to translate it started stripping from excitement. Soraya Field Fiorio tells the epic tale of Gilgamesh.

- Irving Finkel for Archaeology Now

In this film, Irving Finkel (Assistant Keeper of Ancient Mesopotamian script, languages and cultures at the British Museum), provides an opportunity to hear the voices of the ancient population of Mesopotamia in their own words in order to bring alive the thoughts and ideas of these long banished persons via a spread of ancient cuneiform documents.

"The Poor Man of Nippur" is a c. 3,000 year-old comic folk tale in Babylonian language. The main manuscript is a clay tablet from 701 BC found at the site of Sultantepe, in South-East Turkey. Recounted by a third-party narrator, it tells the story of the three-fold revenge which Gimil-Ninurta wreaks on the local Mayor after the latter wrongs him. The film version of this ancient text is a creation of Cambridge Assyriology, and (as far as we know) the world's first film in Babylonian.

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Films: Ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian Myths, Stories & Letters

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Published: 3rd December 2023 To accompany our series of podcasts looking at the ancient Near East we have put together a few films that give you a sense of the incredible literature and mythology that emerged from Mesopotamia and Egypt over their long histories.

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Mount Etna: Italian volcano erupts spewing ash onto Catania

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Italy's largest volcano Mount Etna erupted on Sunday spewing ash onto Catania, the largest city in eastern Sicily.

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Explore the British Library Search - Alexander the great

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Rapidly melting Antarctic ice is causing a dramatic slowdown in deep ocean currents and could have a disastrous effect on the climate, a new report warns.

The deep-water flows which drive ocean currents could decline by 40% by 2050, a team of Australian scientists says.

The currents carry vital heat, oxygen, carbon and nutrients around the globe.

Previous research suggests a slowdown in the North Atlantic current could cause Europe to become colder.

The study, published in the journal Nature, also warns the slowdown could reduce ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The report outlines how the Earth's network of deep ocean currents are driven by the downwards movement of cold, dense saltwater towards the sea bed near Antarctica.

But as fresh water from the ice cap melts, sea water becomes less salty and dense, and the downwards movement slows.

This deep ocean current, or "overturning", has been relatively stable for thousands of years, scientists say, but it is now being disrupted by the warming climate.

"Our modelling shows that if global carbon emissions continue at the current rate, then the Antarctic overturning will slow by more than 40 per cent in the next 30 years - and on a trajectory that looks headed towards collapse," study lead Professor Matthew England said.

"If the oceans had lungs, this would be one of them," Prof England, an oceanographer at Sydney's University of New South Wales, told a news briefing.

Scientists spent 35 million computing hours over two years to produce their models, which suggest deepwater circulation in the Antarctic could slow at twice the rate of decline in the North Atlantic.

It suggested changes to the conveyor-belt-like Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (Amoc) could cool the ocean and north-west Europe, and affect deep-sea ecosystems.

A sensationalised depiction of the Amoc shutting down was shown in the 2004 climate disaster film The Day After Tomorrow.

The latest study's findings also suggest a slowdown in circulation would also mean the ocean could not be able to absorb as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as its upper layers became "stratified".

Waters below 4,000 metres (13,123 ft) would stagnate, Prof England warned, and prevent vital ocean nutrients reaching marine life. "[It's] stunning to see that happen so quickly," said climatologist Alan Mix from Oregon State University, a co-author of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment.

"It appears to be kicking into gear right now. That's headline news," he told Reuters.

The effect of Antarctic meltwater on ocean currents has not yet been factored in to IPCC models on climate change, but it is going to be "considerable", Prof England said.The study also highlighted how warming oceans could trigger greater melting of the western Antarctica ice shelf, but it did not examine how this could create a feedback effect, and even more melting.

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Antarctic ocean currents heading for collapse- report

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Rapidly melting Antarctic ice is causing a dramatic slowdown in deep ocean currents and could have a disastrous effect on the climate, a new report warns. The deep-water flows which drive ocean currents could decline by 40% by 2050, a team of Australian scientists says.

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By Pumza Fihlani in Sindh province, Pakistan and George Wright in London
BBC News

The Prime Minister of Pakistan has said the "magnitude of the calamity" is bigger than expected, after visiting flood-hit areas.

Shehbaz Sharif was speaking from Sindh province - which has had nearly eight times its average August rainfall.

The floods have killed nearly 1,000 people across Pakistan since June, while thousands have been displaced - and millions more affected.

As the BBC drove through Sindh, there were displaced people in every village.

The full scale of the devastation in the province is yet to be fully understood - but the people described it as the worst disaster they've survived.

Floods are not uncommon in Pakistan, but people here said these rains were different - more than anything that's ever been seen. One local official called them "floods of biblical proportions".

Near the city of Larkana, thousands of mud homes have sunk under water. For miles all that's visible is treetops. Where the water level is slightly lower, thatched roofs creep out from underneath the water.

In one village, the people are desperate for food. In another, many children have developed waterborne diseases.

When a mobile truck pulled over, scores of people immediately ran towards it. Children carrying other children made their way to the long queue.

One 12-year-old girl said she and her baby sister had not eaten for a day.

"No food has come here, but my sister is sick, she has been vomiting," the girl said. "I hope they can help."

The desperation was evident in every community. People ran towards car windows to ask for help - anything.

On one of the main streets out of the city of Sukkur, hundreds of people have settled.

Many of them walked from remote villages, and were told that help is easier to get in the urban areas. But there's not much difference here.

On Friday, PM Sharif said 33 million people had been hit by the floods - about 15% of the country's population.

He said the losses caused by floods this season were comparable to those during the floods of 2010-11, said to be the worst on record. The country has appealed for more international aid.

In Sindh, it's not that local authorities are not trying, but they admit that they are out of their depth.

The provincial government says this is a "climate change catastrophe" and that the people of Pakistan, especially in the poorer communities, have been the worst affected.

The solutions will not be quick - acres of land are waterlogged and the water is not receding fast enough for any rebuilding to take place here.

There's not much to do for the people but to wait - wait for the rains to stop, wait for the water to go down, wait for more resources to be allocated to these kinds of communities.

In the meantime, life continues to be difficult.

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Pakistan floods: Desperation and displacement in Sindh province

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By Pumza Fihlani in Sindh province, Pakistan and George Wright in London BBC News The Prime Minister of Pakistan has said the "magnitude of the calamity" is bigger than expected, after visiting flood-hit areas. Shehbaz Sharif was speaking from Sindh province - which has had nearly eight times its average August rainfall.

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In this set of podcasts Dr Mark Manuel of the University of Durham looks at the Indus Valley Civilisation.

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By Ilona Aronovsky, published 22nd June 2022

Investigating Indus Valley artefacts in the primary classroom

Since the great brick-built cities of Mohenjodaro and Harappa were first excavated in the early twentieth century, other large and thousands of small sites have been discovered. Clay was the raw material (bricks) for Indus architecture and everyday objects. Pottery was produced in industrial quantities on the foot wheel, an Indus Valley innovation, and kiln fired. Only small traces of organic material survived, compared with other ancient civilisations. Indus Valley sites are identified by unique artefacts, including steatite (soapstone) seals, terracotta human and animal figurines, 'toy' wheeled carts. (see PH 68, 2014) and distinctive pottery in large quantities, including some 'mystery' functional artefacts of intriguing use.

These are ideal for engaging children in structured enquiry, making inferences, hypothesising, and asking questions that archaeologists also ask. One of my favourites (after the carts) is a mystery object, the perforated pot/jar which came in a wide range of sizes. Intact pots have been found in houses and graves, and shards are common. The first excavators (1922-34) suggested they were heaters, e.g. braziers, but there have been many other ideas since then...

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By Ilona Aronovsky, published 22nd June 2022 Since the great brick-built cities of Mohenjodaro and Harappa were first excavated in the early twentieth century, other large and thousands of small sites have been discovered. Clay was the raw material (bricks) for Indus architecture and everyday objects.

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https://www.harappa.com/blog/british-museums-new-ancient-indus-exhibit

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The British Museum's remarkable collection spans over two million years of human history and culture. Over 6 million visitors every year experience the collection, including world-famous objects such as the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon sculptures, and Egyptian mummies.
Discover our interactive experience The Museum of the World

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British Museum, London, United Kingdom - Google Arts & Culture

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The British Museum's remarkable collection spans over two million years of human history and culture. Over 6 million visitors every year experience the col...

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The epic of Gilgamesh, the king who tried to conquer death - Soraya Field Fiorio

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Cradles of Civilisation - Lesson 2 -  Ziggurat 

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Cradles of Civilisation - Lesson 2 -  Ziggurat 

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Interesting Facts About Ancient Mesopotamia Ziggurat

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Sahayadri Mountains - where Chitra Soundar sets two stories (author visit). A bio-diverse mountain range in India, protected by UNESCO where many tribes live.

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This is the setting for two of my stories - Pattan's Pumpkin and You're Safe With Me.

In this bio-diverse mountain range, protected by UNESCO live many tribes, one of which is the Irular tribe.

Click here to find out more about the mountain range. Click here to download a booklet about this wonderful place.

These websites are very useful in working with children of all ages to talk about nature, animals, conservation and more.

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This is the setting for two of my stories - Pattan's Pumpkin and You're Safe With Me. In this bio-diverse mountain range, protected by UNESCO live many tribes, one of which is the Irular tribe. Click here to find out more about the mountain range. Click here to download a booklet about this wonderful place.

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Editor's note: This story has been updated.

A team of 10 Nepali climbers reached the 28,251-foot summit of K2, the world's second-highest mountain, on Saturday, January 16th, according to several reports on social media. This long-sought achievement adds a stunning new chapter to mountaineering history.

Located in Pakistan's part of the Karakoram range, K2 is the last of the world's 14 tallest mountains-all higher than 8,000 meters-to be climbed in winter. It is considered by far the most difficult and dangerous because of the technical climbing required to reach the top.

"History made for mankind, History made for Nepal!" Nirmal "Nims" Purja wrote on Instagram at approximately 5:40 p.m. local time in Pakistan.

The achievement is the result of a remarkable collaborative effort between Nepali climbers affiliated with multiple teams: one led by Purja, the other by Mingma G Sherpa. In the days before last night's summit push, the two groups combined forces, deciding on a joint strategy for fixing ropes on the upper mountain and hoping to summit together. One Sherpa from a commercial expedition, Sona Sherpa, also joined the effort.

For both Purja and Mingma G, summiting K2 in winter represents the chance to make a statement of national pride and homegrown Himalayan mountaineering prowess. "All 13x8000 peaks have been climbed in winter by our international climbing community so it would be a great feat for the Nepali climbing community to make history," Purja wrote recently from base camp.

"This Nepalese Winter K2 Expedition is for the nation," Mingma G wrote on social media. According to Purja's social media post, the whole team waited just below the summit to form a group, then stepped on top together, singing the Nepali national anthem. Along with Mingma G, Purja, and Sona, the other summiters are reported to be Mingma David Sherpa, Mingma Tenzi Sherpa, Geljen Sherpa, Pem Chiri Sherpa, Dawa Temba Sherpa, Dawa Tenjin Sherpa, and Kilu Pemba Sherpa.
(An ancient geologic smashup raised the Himalaya mountains-and the collision continues today.)
The ascent highlights a new generation of Indigenous climbers who are succeeding on ambitious high-altitude climbs relying on sponsorships, social media, and GoFundMe pages to finance their efforts rather than just carrying loads for commercial expeditions.

'We have lost everything'

K2 in winter has become an increasingly sought-after objective, as the other 8,000-meter peaks succumbed to mountaineers in the coldest season. Despite the coronavirus pandemic this year, more than 60 people congregated at basecamp on Pakistan's Godwin Austen Glacier, including a large commercial expedition with 22 paying clients 27 support Sherpa organized by Seven Summits Treks, a Nepali guide service.

Yet unlike Mount Everest and other popular high-altitude summits, K2's extreme steep faces demand strong technical skills while simultaneously exposing climbers to frequent rockfall and avalanches. While more than 4,000 people have reached the summit of Everest, only 367 people had climbed K2 as of June 2018. But none had done so in winter conditions.

To reach K2's summit, the team endured temperatures in excess of -58 degrees Fahrenheit and gale-force winds while ascending the Abruzzi Spur on the mountain's southern flank. "You cannot imagine how much more difficult it is [to climb K2] in winter compared to spring or summer," Alex Txikon told National Geographic when he attempted the feat in 2019.
(How do you measure Everest? It's complicated by frostbite-and politics.)
Several tents and a cache of equipment left in preparation for the summit push were blown off the mountain just last week. "Our team reached Camp 2 today and it was a wreckage site... We have lost everything," Purja wrote. "I am devastated to be breaking this news. Now, I have to reassess and replan everything." After frantically sourcing more gear in base camp, Purja's team was forced to resupply their camp before beginning their summit push.

Failed Attempts

While Everest was first climbed in winter in 1980, it wasn't until December 1987-when a Polish expedition arrived in Pakistan-that a winter ascent was attempted on K2. At the time, Poles dominated the sport of high-altitude Himalayan climbing, and an exceptionally hardy group of alpinists known as the Ice Warriors came to specialize in winter first ascents. Led by the indomitable Andrzej Zawada, they enjoyed an astonishing run of success in the 1980s, knocking off seven first winter ascents of 8,000-meter peaks in the span of eight years. But on K2, they failed.

In the intervening three decades, another five expeditions made attempts on the mountain, including a dramatic effort led by Wielicki in 2018. Yet not a single team even managed to reach Camp 4 on the shoulder of K2-the critical high camp from which to launch a summit bid.

Despite the unbelievably harsh conditions and myriad mortal risks, some observers speculate that the biggest challenge K2 presents in winter is one of leadership. "In reviewing many of the previous K2 winter efforts, it seems that team dynamics have plagued more than one expedition," Alan Arnette wrote in Rock and Ice after the 2019 season ended without a summit. "Any climber worthy of attempting K2 in winter will have tremendous skills with an ego to match... It will take strong leadership to manage these thoroughbreds and the climbers themselves will have to work together as a tight, well-functioning team."

Both Nepali teams have a long history of working together on 8,000-meter peaks, most notably in 2019, when Purja succeeded in climbing all 14 8,000-meter peaks in a record 6 months, 6 days-shaving more than seven years off the previous fastest time. Nims was greatly aided in that effort by a small band of Sherpa friends, who took turns partnering with him on different mountains and have joined him now for K2.

A Dangerous Descent

For the Nepali climbers, the most difficult part of the climb may prove to be the descent, executed in a state of oxygen-starved exhaustion, achieved by rappelling several miles of fixed rope to reach true safety on the glacier at the foot of the mountain. For every three climbers who reach the summit of K2, approximately one dies somewhere on the mountain-and many of those fatalities occur while going down. As of 10 p.m. local time, social media updates report that the entire team had safely reached Camp 3, where they were resting for a few hours before continuing down.
(In remote Nepal, new roads bring opportunity-and conflict.)
Underscoring the risk, reports are circulating of the death of a Catalan-Spanish climber low on the mountain. Sergi Mingote, who is reported to have died in a fall while descending from Camp 1, was an experienced high-altitude climber trying the mountain "by fair means"-without supplemental oxygen or Sherpa support, which in climbing circles is considered the purist standard.

While armchair mountaineers around the world await news that all 10 Nepalis are safely down, dozens of mountaineers still in base camp are left to consider their options. With fixed ropes now established up the mountain, and an eager group of recreational climbers assembled by Seven Summit Treks, it's possible K2 will see additional winter attempts in the weeks to come. Yet now that the allure of being first to reach its frozen apex in the harshest season is gone, it's equally possible many will offer the Nepalis their heartfelt congratulations-and decide that now is a good time to head home.

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Nepali Mountaineers Achieve Historic Winter First on K2

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Editor's note: This story has been updated. A team of 10 Nepali climbers reached the 28,251-foot summit of K2, the world's second-highest mountain, on Saturday, January 16th, according to several reports on social media. This long-sought achievement adds a stunning new chapter to mountaineering history.

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Mountains - Lesson 4 - Video of tunnel pass 

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Mountains - Lesson 4 - Video of tunnel pass 

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Vocab: source, river, tributaries, hill, steep, slope, peak, summit

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Mountains of the Lake District, UK (Drone | 4K)

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Mountains - Himalayan Village - 4 minutes onwards

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Mountains - Himalayan Village - 4 minutes onwards

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Tosh - A beautiful village in the abode of Himalayas

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Mountains - UKS2 - National Geographic Article

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Mountains - UKS2 - National Geographic Article

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login: hydeh.rose.fayaz@live.co.uk

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On a pitch-black February night, Bruce Means stood alone, deep in the Pakaraima Mountains in northwestern Guyana. Scanning the cloud forest with his headlamp, he peered through his foggy glasses at a sea of ancient trees cloaked in beards of verdant moss. The humid air, ripe with the smell of decaying plants and wood, trilled with a melodious symphony of frogs, drawing him like a siren song so deep into the jungle that he wondered if he would ever make it back out.

Grasping a sapling in one hand for balance, Bruce took a shaky step forward. His legs quivered as they sank into the boggy leaf litter, and he cursed his 79-year-old body. At the beginning of this expedition, Bruce had told me that he planned to start slowly but would grow stronger each day as he acclimated to life in the bush.

After all, during his career as a conservation biologist, he'd made 32 previous expeditions to this region. I'd seen a photo of him in his younger days-a six-foot-four, broad-shouldered backwoodsman, with his long hair pulled into a ponytail and a huge snake draped over his neck.

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An unexplored world soars high above the Amazon

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On a pitch-black February night, Bruce Means stood alone, deep in the Pakaraima Mountains in northwestern Guyana. Scanning the cloud forest with his headlamp, he peered through his foggy glasses at a sea of ancient trees cloaked in beards of verdant moss.

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Ethiopia to start producing power from Renaissance dam | World News