Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich‘s girlfriend, model Dasha Zhukova, recently gave birth to a girl in New York. Little Leah Lou will be an American citizen.
Tag Archives: roman
Archaeologists find 10,000 objects from Roman London
By BronxKnight
Scores of archaeologists working in a waterlogged trench through the wettest summer and coldest winter in living memory have recovered more than 10,000 objects from Roman London, including writing tablets, amber, a well with ritual deposits of pewter, coins and cow skulls, thousands of pieces of pottery, a unique piece of padded and stitched leather – and the largest collection of lucky charms in the shape of phalluses ever found on a single site.
Sophie Jackson, of Museum of London Archaeology, said: “The waterlogged conditions left by the Walbrook stream have given us layer upon layer of Roman timber buildings, fences and yards, all beautifully preserved and containing amazing personal items, clothes and even documents – all of which will transform our understanding of the people of Roman London.”…
Source:
Guardian
Date:
04-09-13
From: http://hnn.us/articles/archaeologists-find-10000-objects-roman-london
Cambridge dig unearths 'thriving' Roman settlement
By hnn
An archaeological dig in Cambridge has revealed the site’s history from the Bronze Age to its role in World War II.
Excavation of the site in the north-west of the city began in October, ahead of a large-scale University of Cambridge development.
Roman roads and World War II practice trenches were amongst the discoveries.
Christopher Evans of Cambridge Archaeological Unit said: “Something that is going to be vibrant in the future was also vibrant in the past.”…
Source:
BBC News
Source URL:
http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2013/03/cambridge-dig-unearths-thriving-roman.html#.UVCO6hns8k0
Date:
3-22-13
…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at History News Network – George Mason University
Cirencester Roman cockerel 'best find' in 40 years
By hnn
A restored Roman cockerel figurine is the best result from a Cirencester dig in decades, archaeologists have said.
The enamelled object, which dates back as far as AD100, was unearthed during a dig in 2011 at a Roman burial site in the town.
It has now returned from conservation work and finders Cotswold Archaeology said it “looks absolutely fantastic”.
The 12.5cm bronze figure was discovered inside a child’s grave and is thought to have been a message to the gods….
Source:
Archaeology News Network
Source URL:
http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2013/03/cirencester-roman-cockerel-best-find-in.html#.UUoQ2hns8k0
Date:
3-12-13
…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at History News Network – George Mason University
Railroad track size matters!
Railroads
Explains a whole lot of stuff, doesn’t it?
Railroad tracks.
The U.S. Standard railroad gaug(distance between rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That’s an exceedingly odd number.
The U.S. Standard railroad gaug(distance between rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That’s an exceedingly odd number.
Why was that gauge used?
Because that’s the way they built them in England, and English expatriates designed the
U.S. Railroads.
Why did the English build
them like that?
Because the first
rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that’s the gauge they used.
rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that’s the gauge they used.
Why did ‘they’ use that gauge then? Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they had used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing.
Why did the wagons have that particular Odd wheel spacing?
Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break on some of the old, long distance roads in England , because that’s the spacing of the wheel ruts ..
So, who built those old rutted roads?
Imperial Rome built the first long distance roads in Europe (including England) for their legions. Those roads have been used ever since.
Imperial Rome built the first long distance roads in Europe (including England) for their legions. Those roads have been used ever since.
And the ruts in the roads?
Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels.
Since the chariots were made for Imperial Rome ,
they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing. Therefore, the United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot. In other words, bureaucracies live forever.
they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing. Therefore, the United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot. In other words, bureaucracies live forever.
So the next time you are handed a specification, procedure, or process, and wonder, ‘What horse’s ass came up with this?’, you may be exactly right.
Imperial Roman army chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the rear ends of two war horses …
Now, the twist to the story:
When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, you will notice that there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. The SRBs are made by Thiokol at their factory in Utah.
The engineers who designed the SRBs would have preferred to make them a bit larger, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site. The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains, and the SRBs had to it through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track, as you now know, is about as wide as two horses’ behinds.
So, a major Space Shuttle design feature
Of what is arguably the world’s most advanced transportation system was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horse ‘s ass.
Of what is arguably the world’s most advanced transportation system was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horse ‘s ass.
And you thought being a horse’s ass wasn’t important!
Now you know, Horses’ Asses control almost everything…
Explains a whole lot of stuff, doesn’t it?