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  1. Blackleaf

    Fragments of 2,600 year old statue of Nubian king Aspelta discovered

    A stunning statue which once stood in the ancient kingdom of Nubia has been revealed by archaeologists as depicting the ruler Aspelta. An inscription written in Egyptian hieroglyphics was located on fragments of the 2,600-year-old monument at the ruins of a temple near the Nile River...
  2. Blackleaf

    Britons are descended from the Beaker people, not the builders of Stonehenge

    Stonehenge has a proud place in Britain's history as one of the wonders of the world and the best-known prehistoric monument in Europe. But, according to a major new study, modern-day Britons are barely related to the ingenious Neolithic farmers who built the monument 5,000 years ago...
  3. Blackleaf

    Man's wish to travel to US to be fulfilled 180 years after his death

    A recreation of the philosopher Jeremy Bentham is to leave its home at a British university to travel to the United States – fulfilling his wish 180 years after he died. His skeleton, wax head, clothes, hat, chair and walking stick is to leave University College London and to go on display at...
  4. Blackleaf

    The Brancaster Roman rings which inspired The Hobbit

    An elite group of citizens flaunted their status by wearing 'ostentatious' rings in the last days of Roman rule over Britain. Experts looked at flashy Brancaster rings, which they have dated to the fourth and fifth centuries, for clues about their owners. They found that the quality of metals...
  5. Blackleaf

    BBC to launch its first 3D documentary

    The BBC will launch its first virtual reality news documentary today, giving viewers the power to point the ‘camera’ where they want. Audience members watching Damming the Nile VR through a special virtual reality headset will feel as though they are at the heart of the action without ever...
  6. Blackleaf

    Man finds two halves of the same 14th Century ring a year apart

    A metal detectorist has spoken of his shock after discovering two halves of the same valuable gold ring - a year apart. Pensioner Paul Schorn, 69, discovered the first half of the broken 14th century ring in a field near Winchester in Hampshire in 2016. He went back to the ancient site...
  7. Blackleaf

    NOTHING can knock the sanctimonious Left off the moral high ground

    Senior Labour officials are alleged to have aided the Soviet Union. Left-leaning Oxfam is accused of covering up the sexual exploitation of impoverished Haitians and its chief executive, hauled before MPs, admits that the charity faces 26 further allegations of sexual misconduct. Evidence of...
  8. Blackleaf

    Elizabeth I's funeral corset is restored for exhibition

    The corset seen on Queen Elizabeth I's funeral effigy is to be unveiled as part of a new exhibition at Westminster Abbey. The delicate garment was supplied by the Queen's tailor, William Jones, to be used in the procession marking the death of the monarch in 1603. For 415 years the bodice has...
  9. Blackleaf

    Inside the Roman Empire's deadly Hades' Gate

    MYSTERY surrounds an ancient Greek temple which has been dubbed a "portal to hell" after a spate of unexplained deaths. For years any beast or bird that came near reportedly dropped dead amid claims they were killed by the deadly breath of the Greek god of the Underworld, Hades. During...
  10. Blackleaf

    Man began using words 1 million years ago

    The riddle of how ancient humans first began to speak may have been solved. It was invented to help them mess about in boats, a leading academic controversially suggests. Man 'began using words 1 million years ago': Researchers believe humans would not have been able to build boats and sail...
  11. Blackleaf

    Mammoth bones donated to charity shop

    Animal bones dating back five million years - including some from a mammoth - have been handed in to a charity shop. The remains of bison and fossilised sea urchins were also among the donations handed into the Norwich branch of East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH). Mammoth bones...
  12. Blackleaf

    Roman boxing gloves found near Hadrian's Wall

    Roman boxing gloves have been discovered near Hadrian’s Wall, thought to be the only known surviving examples, even though the sport was well-documented on Roman wall paintings, mosaics and sculptures. With a protective guard designed to fit snugly over the knuckles, the gloves were...
  13. Blackleaf

    China fury over terracotta thumb theft

    Chinese authorities have demanded "severe punishment" for a man who allegedly stole the thumb of a terracotta warrior statue on display in the US, Chinese state media report. The 2,000-year-old statue, worth $4.5m (£3.2m), is one of 10 on loan to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia...
  14. Blackleaf

    New 50p Beatrix Potter coins released by the Royal Mint

    Four new 50p coins featuring some of Beatrix Potter's favourite fictional characters are to be released, the Royal Mint has announced. Peter Rabbit, Mrs Tittlemouse and Flopsy Bunny will feature on the coins, which will enter general circulation for a limited time later this year. New 50p...
  15. Blackleaf

    Global survey finds English accents to be the world's sexiest

    Daters around the world say that the English accent is the sexiest with those looking for love finding it more attractive than the sound of French, a new survey has revealed... The sexiest accents in the world revealed: It's not the sound of French or Italian that has the woo-factor - but...
  16. Blackleaf

    Brains for Brexit! Group of academics challenges view that all of them oppose Brexit

    The 17.4 million people who voted for Brexit are, according to many Remainers, thick simpletons who "didn't know what they were voting for" and that academics - scientists, economists, lawyers, historians, philosophers etc - all voted to stay in the EU "because they are cleverer". But now, a...
  17. Blackleaf

    London welcomes Year of the Dog at Chinese New Year

    Thousands of people lined the streets of London to welcome in the Year of the Dog at the capital's annual Chinese New Year celebrations. Dancers and dragons joined a parade around Chinatown before performers took to the stage in front of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. London...
  18. Blackleaf

    Has the Jack the Ripper letter mystery been solved?

    Hundreds of letters claiming to have been written by 'Jack the Ripper' were sent to the media and the Metropolitan Police following the brutal Whitechapel murders of 1888. These letters have long been a mystery, with many suspecting they were faked by journalists to sell more newspapers. Now...
  19. Blackleaf

    From eating the neighbours to cave art: A day in the life of Cheddar Man

    We now have a good idea what the earliest known modern British man looked like: he was around five foot five, with dark skin, striking blue eyes and curly black hair. The face of Cheddar Man, who lived in Britain over 9,000 years ago, was recreated thanks to DNA analysis of his skeleton...
  20. Blackleaf

    The EU is no friend of Irish independence

    As a freedom-loving democrat, I have long supported the view that Ireland should be one united, 32-county sovereign republic. But, as a freedom-loving democrat, I am fiercely opposed to any attempt via the European Union to impose some bureaucratic version of ‘Irish unity’ in order to undermine...