Amphorae

Research done on the Isle of Man suggests that the Vikings, whom we tend to picture as a rather violent lot, may not have been quite so bloodthirsty as commonly depicted. For more on this topic check out this link.

Perhaps I should consider re-naming this blog "History In the News" for that seems to be most of what I post these days. History certainly does seem to be all around lately; and I am delighted that the violin played by the band leader on board the ill-fated Titanic, yes, the one he famously played as the ship went down, has been authenticated at last. What an incredible piece of history! An inanimate witness to, and part of, a tragically beautiful moment. More on this story here .

My husband's comment when hearing about this story was something along the lines of "They've got dead people all over the place there." Yes, dear, that's what comes of having a long history, and I recall fondly that history is indeed abundant in Merry Old England. Digging for a new rail line has managed to unearth another fascinating and macabre find. More details can be found here .

Apparently these days the place to look for archeological clues is under British car parks! After the recent confirmation of the finding of Richard III's bones in Leicester, another car park, this time in Edinburgh, has yielded more macabre fascination. Find out more about the grave unearthed during construction here.

Though probably little known to the rest of the world, the sinking of the Monitor during the American Civil War is an item of great interest to those of us stateside. It was, after all, one of the first armored ships and presaged the end of wooden ships in warfare. The sad end of the Monitor, and 16 members of her crew, is being memorialized today with the interment of two bodies found amongst the wreckage during excavations. For facial reconstructions of the two seamen and more on this story you can read on here .

When you think of war you probably don't think of humor, but there was at least one soldier during that time who wrote of his experiences with a more droll perspective. Find out more here .

I think the title just about says it all. 10-deranged-costume-designs-from-the-1600s-that-put-lady-gaga-to-shame . Enjoy!

Now that we have entered the season of Lent, according to the Catholic calendar, it seems like an appropriate time to bring out this morbidly fascinating article on one of the strangest saints of which I have ever heard. Head of Saint Up For Auction in Ireland. Okay, so this happened months ago, and I'm a little late to the party, but it's still interesting to share. For more surprising saints I recommend reading about; Saint Bernardino patron saint of advertising, communications, compulsive gambling,  and respiratory problems, or Saint James the Greater, patron saint of millinery (hatmaking) , or Kateri patron saint of World Youth Day.