Tag: italy

Orichalcum: Legendary Metal of Atlantis, Or Just A Common Ore?

At the beginning of 2015, several world news organizations reported that archaeologists had recovered 39 ingots of orichalcum from a 2,600-year-old shipwreck, found ten feet underwater off the coast of Sicily, near the town of Gela. (For those not familiar with the name, according to Plato, orichalcum was a type of copper alloy broadly used by the legendary Atlantians.)

Not surprisingly, while the ancient cargo provided the basis to every news report, unfortunately, none of the stories exposed anything new on Atlantis, or on the “mystical” ore, as one reporter called it. Essentially, every editorial capitalized on repeating the same familiar story, raising the usual questions, and sadly arriving at the same past conclusions. Nothing new! As for the particular freight, most reporters connected it to Atlantis, as if Atlantis was around during the Bronze Age (thus, misleading everyone not so familiar with the story) and ignoring the fact that according to Plato, the story of Atlantis took place around 9,600 BC.

In 2017, a further 47 ingots were retrieved, along with a couple of Corinthian helmets, and just this week, the recovery of all the timbers of the ship has been reported as well underway.

Keep reading

Plot Thickens? British Tech Titan’s Co-Defendant Killed In Car Crash, Days Before Yacht ‘Hit By Tornado’

An unexpected violent storm, which some EU media outlets described as a ‘tornado,’ sank the British-flagged superyacht “Bayesian” early Monday morning off the coast of Sicily. Local authorities confirmed one dead, and six people are missing, including British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer. Bayesian was carrying 22 people during what appears to be a ‘weather-related’ incident.

Let’s take a step back because the plot thickens here. Just days before the Bayesian sank to the ocean floor, off the coast of Porticello – a small fishing village nestled between Palermo and Cefalu on Sicily’s western shore – Lynch’s co-defendant in the US Autonomy-Hewlett-Packard fraud trial was struck and killed by a car while out for a run near his home in England on Saturday. 

Here’s more from The Independent:

Stephen Chamberlain, Autonomy’s former vice president of finance, who worked alongside chief executive Mr Lynch, was killed after being hit by a vehicle while out running on Saturday, his lawyer, Gary Lincenberg said.

…

In a statement, Mr Lincenberg said: “Our dear client and friend Steve Chamberlain was fatally struck by a car on Saturday while out running.

“He was a courageous man with unparalleled integrity. We deeply miss him. Steve fought successfully to clear his good name at trial earlier this year, and his good name now lives on through his wonderful family.”

Chamberlain faced similar fraud and conspiracy charges as his former boss, Lynch, for allegedly conspiring to inflate their company Autonomy before it was sold to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion in 2011. 

On June 6, a federal court jury in San Francisco found Lynch and Chamberlain not guilty following an 11-week criminal trial. 

Keep reading

US DRONE SHOT DOWN OVER BLACK SEA! UAV from Sicilian USAF-CIA Station

The news of the shooting down of a US drone was reported by two Russian Telegram channels – “Military Informant” and “Fighterbomber” – reported by the Italian newspaper La Stampa, according to which, in the past, these two channels have rarely written less than informed things.

The American UAV Shoot Down by Russia aviation

«By the newspaper’s own admission it is, in the first case, one of the most informed Russian telegram channels on what is happening in Russian airspace and aviation. The article quotes what the channel reports as follows: “A Russian MiG-31 fighter shot down a US Air Force reconnaissance drone over the Black Sea. Presumably it is a high-altitude RQ-4B Global Hawk reconnaissance drone.” Shortly after, the channel publishes an update: “Yes, the incident has now been confirmed.”

Keep reading

2,700-Year-Old Iron Age Pit Tomb Necropolis Unearthed in Italy

During excavations launched ahead of an upcoming electric power plant construction project, archaeologists unearthed an approximately 2,700-year-old necropolis about 31 miles (50 kilometers) northeast of Naples, Italy. The fascinating discovery was announced in a press release issued by the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscapes for the provinces of Caserta and Benevento, which has been managing the archaeological work at the construction site.

“Although the excavation of the site has brought to light various levels of occupation, from prehistoric times to late antiquity, the best-preserved archaeological evidence concerns the large funerary area, which was used between the final phases of the Iron Age and the advanced Orientalizing period (third quarter of the eighth – second half/end of the seventh century BC),” the Superintendency press release (translated from Italian) stated.

Interestingly, the installation and use of the large cemetery coincides with the founding of the city of Rome, which according to legend occurred in 753 BC. But the Iron Age culture responsible for this burial ground had no direct connection with the Romans or with Rome, which was located 120 miles (200 kilometers) away.

Keep reading

French woman found dead in Italian church was searching for ghosts in possible Tik Tok stunt, police say

A 22-year-old French woman whose blood-drained body was found in an abandoned church in northern Italy’s Aosta Valley over the weekend had been looking for a haunted house believed to contain ghosts, according to police.

She told family members about her plans before leaving the village near Lyon where she lived, a police spokeswoman in the town of La Salle told CNN.

Police believe the victim could have been attempting to carry out a TikTok stunt, adding that her death could be related to a ghost hunting competition being played in France on the social media platform. The other working theories are that it was a “consented murder” or sacrifice, or an attempt to carry out a social media prank in the deconsecrated church. Police are still searching for a young man who was seen with her. There are also two other missing persons cases in the area which police say could be related.

According to the spokeswoman, the victim and a male friend had been seen in the area dressed “like vampires.” A witness interviewed by police say the young woman was pale and “emaciated” and the man had dark hair and olive skin. The witness told police investigators that she looked like a “walking corpse.”

The dead woman, whose name has not been released, had been stabbed with what investigators say was a camping knife and had bled to death, according to medical examiner Roberto Testi. She also had two gunshots to her neck and one to her abdomen that police say may have been inflicted after she died. Some of the blood had been scraped off the floor and removed from the crime scene, police told CNN. There were no signs of struggle, police say.

Keep reading

Woman sets out to solve 100-year-old cold case MURDER of her great-great-grandmother – after her family spent years being plagued by the mysterious death and the wild WITCHY conspiracy theories surrounding it

A woman has set out to investigate the 100-year-old cold case murder that has plagued her family for decades.

Jo Piazza, from Philadelphia, had grown up being told that her great-great-grandmother Lorenza Marsala was killed in Sicily before she could join the rest of the family on their move to America.

The mom-of-three, who is an author and podcast creator, was forced to unravel a whole host of wild theories about the death – including speculation that the village had turned on her because she was a witch or that she owned land the mafia wanted to get their hands on.

Jo said that members of her family had tried to warn her off delving into the case at the risk of ‘opening old wounds’ – but she was undeterred. 

The intriguing tale began after Jo’s father passed away back in 2015.

She was pregnant at the time, newly married, had recently relocated and lost her job, telling Today: ‘I didn’t have time to grieve… All of it is a blur.’

The doting daughter was forced to clear out some of his belongings so her mom could have a fresh start – with one item being his computer.

But Jo came to regret throwing it out after coming across some emails from her dad when she was cleaning out her inbox a few years later.

She said that she had responded to most of them at the time but there were a handful that had gone unopened.

‘One caught my eye. It was his grandfather’s birth certificate. He had remarked on the fact that the mother’s name, Lorenza, was so beautiful. “She was the one who was murdered,” he reminded me in all caps,’ she shared.

Jo revealed that her father had become ‘obsessed’ with discovering the truth about her death – even making several trips back to the island.

However, he eventually had to limit his research to that which she could do online after suffering a rare form of muscular dystrophy.

Keep reading

EXCAVATIONS OF 7,000-YEAR-OLD UNDERWATER VILLAGE REVEAL USE OF ADVANCED NAUTICAL TECHNOLOGY

Archaeological excavations off the coast of Rome in the Mediterranean Sea reveal that Stone Age people living over 7,000 years ago utilized sophisticated manufacturing techniques and advanced nautical technology in the construction and operation of their seafaring vessels.

According to an analysis published in the journal PLOS ONE, the ancient seafaring vessels discovered at the site are the oldest ever found in the Mediterranean, which may offer “invaluable insights” into the technological sophistication employed by Neolithic navigators.

“Direct dating of Neolithic canoes from La Marmotta reveals them to be the oldest in the Mediterranean, offering invaluable insights into Neolithic navigation,” the researchers explain. “This study reveals the amazing technological sophistication of early agricultural and pastoral communities, highlighting their woodworking skills and the construction of complex vessels.”

Keep reading

Life inside rural ‘secret society’ that claims to communicate with aliens and time travel

A small commune located in the foothills of the Alps claims to have found ways to talk to aliens and time travel.

Tucked away in the Piedmont region of northern Italy, the Federation of Damanhur is a spiritual ecovillage that has been around for nearly 50 years. It’s made up of more than a thousand members dotted across the world and around 600 of them live together in a rural commune.

Very little has been documented about the ‘secret society’ in the public eye – up until now. Travel enthusiast Warren Robie spent four days with the Damanhurians, who are named after animals and practise spirituality. Speaking to the Mirror about his experience, Warren said: “Damanhur is a true mystery.”

The Liverpudlian, 23, who is a full-time social media creator, visited the Damanhur earlier this month. He said: “I wanted to visit to explore a different way of life to the norm, and try and get in with the locals to see how they live and what their society is about.” The commune, located just north of Turin city, was founded in 1975 by their leader known as Falco Tarassaco.

Falco was a former insurance broker, born to the name Oberto Airaudi, who wanted to appreciate and share the simple existence of life. In the decades since he first formed the commune, it has become self-sufficient and hundreds of followers have packed up their previous modern-day lives and jobs and joined the society.

“It is a place of spiritual communities based in the Italian foothills of the Alps. The Damanhurians are named after animals and plants, live in houses of up to 25 people, perform rituals and believe to be in contact with aliens,” Warren explained. “I wanted to live like them for four days to grasp a real understanding of their way of life.”

Keep reading

3000-YEAR-OLD CARVINGS ON ENIGMATIC DISK UNEARTHED IN ITALY COULD BE ANCIENT STAR MAP, CONTROVERSIAL STUDY CLAIMS

A stone disk bearing peculiar markings could be an ancient star map representing one of the world’s oldest depictions of the night sky, according to recent findings that have prompted debate among experts.

The stone, which features close to 30 carvings on its front and back, was found several years ago near the ancient Rupinpiccolo protohistoric hill fort in northeastern Italy. According to research published in the journal Astronomical Notes, the markings may indicate the locations of the brightest stars that were visible to the ancient night sky observers who carved it at least as far back as 2,400 years ago.

THE ENIGMA OF RUPINPICCOLO’S CURIOUS STONE DISKS

Located close to the border between northwestern Italy and Slovenia, the sprawling ruins of the castelliere of Rupinpiccolo were first documented toward the end of the 19th century. A massive ancient defense structure protected by huge, seven-meter-wide ramparts, archaeological excavations did not occur there until almost a century after its initial discovery.

Along with the stones used in the fortification’s construction were smaller, round stone artifacts that were later discovered in the collections sent to the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Aquileia.

Keep reading

Mysterious Objects Found Underwater in Potentially ‘Mind-Blowing’ Discovery

A series of mysterious ancient artifacts made from volcanic glass have been found off the coast of Italy—and some believe the objects could represent the cargo of a Neolithic wreck, in what would be a potentially “mind-blowing” discovery, one expert told Newsweek.

In October, divers from the underwater unit of the Naples Police identified the submerged remains, which are made from a material called obsidian, near Capri—an island in the Bay of Naples.

The obsidian artifacts lie on the seabed at a depth of 100 to 130 feet, close to a sea cave on the island’s coast known as the Grotta Bianca, or White Grotto, according to the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape (SABAP) for the Naples Metropolitan Area.

SABAP said in a press release that the obsidian artifacts could have been part of the cargo of a ship from the Neolithic era, or New Stone Age. The date range for this stage of human development differs depending on geographic location. In Europe as a whole, the Neolithic roughly spanned the years 7000-2000 B.C. But in the central-western region of the Mediterranean, where Capri lies, the timespan is closer to 6000-3500 B.C.

Keep reading