The Basiliscoe Mercury 117
The Internet newsletter for the arms and armour community
This week we have a graveyard full of corpse stories, from Ötzi to a loan soldier from WWI, while the Battle of Britain is still bringing in assorted stories, displays and fashion notes. The Higgins Museum wins a prestigious award and we look forward to the Open Days across Europe in September. And a woolly mammoth story.
Arms and armour in the news
Acient arms and forts
Ancient spear points from Pennsylvania found - picture
http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/280924
Viking gate found in Schleswig Holstein - pictures
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,714235,00.html
Too dangerous to cut grass in Carlisle castle
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2010/aug/23/carlisle-castle-lawn-mowing-cancelled
Beasts of assorted varieties
Not our fault for killing off the Woolly Mammoth
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11000635
Spain still discussing bullfighting
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=40002
Grave stories
Ötzi may have been deliberately buried in the Alps
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/62670/title/Prehistoric_%E2%80%98Iceman%E2%80%99_gets_ceremonial_twist
Anglo-Saxon cemetery in Kent
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/aug/15/sittingbourne-treasure-trove
9th century cemetery in Great Moravia
http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/zpravy/archaeologists-uncover-egg-from-9th-century-great-moravia/516310
Civil war burials investigated in York
http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/8340163.Disease_killed____forgotten____army_s_soldiers/
Update on the bodies of the Heroes of the Mexican revolution
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=40013
CSI 1832 - Cholera? Or murder?
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IRISH_IMMIGRANTS_GRAVE?SITE=CAWOO&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-08-16-06-23-46
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=40018
Soldier from WWI found in the Dolomites - rather gruesome pictures
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1306109/Skeleton-World-War-I-soldier-buried-glacier-Italian-ski-resort.html?ITO=1490
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1305167/Marmolada-mountain-Italys-Dolomites-reveals-Great-Wars-history.html
Around the world
Excavating a crusader castle in modern Lebanon
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2010/0823/1224277380224.html
Turkey reclaims its Ottoman heritage
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=40003
Lots of stone statues found in Hunan - pictures
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90782/90873/7108783.html
Cao-Cao turns out to be a no-no
http://life.globaltimes.cn/art/2010-08/566402.html
Story about old cannon, Fiji and the Japanese invasion
http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=153690
Floods, Pakistan and heritage sites
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/floods-threaten-pakistan-heritage-sites-20100816-12732.html
Fire destroys Old Bulawayo in Zimbabwe
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/news-3145-Veld+fire+destroys+Old+Bulawayo/news.aspx
http://www.voanews.com/zimbabwe/news/Zimbabwe-Veld-Fire-Reduces-Reproduction-Palace-To-Ashes-101498864.html
Explosive stories
Oldenrode - two German battles, 1700 years apart - pictures
http://www.thelocal.de/national/20100812-29123.html
Lisa Jardine’s talk on firework displays and liberty
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10963263
Fake torpedo causes trouble in Philly - picture and video
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local-beat/Workers-Dig-Up-Torpedo-in-Kensington-101656243.html
Miscelany
Investigating Confederate POW camp in Georgia - pictures
http://www.courant.com/news/nation-world/sns-ap-us-civil-war-pow-camp,0,7462347.story
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/08/14/georgia.civil.war.camp/index.html?section=cnn_latest#fbid=rzJ9iY008yn&wom=false
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=40046
Into the 20th century
Hitler’s WWI record discussed
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-10999181
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/16/new-evidence-adolf-hitler
New records released from WWII - the ballerina and Hitler’s invasion plans
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/26/russian-ballerina-nazi-spy-marina-lee
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11082316
Patton’s papers to go to US National Archives
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=40225
Surgical instruments given to Auschwitz
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=40242
Battle of Britain and planes
Tour of Duxford
http://www.culture24.org.uk/history+%26+heritage/war+%26+conflict/world+war+two/art81913
Churchill’s battle of Britain speeches given again
http://www.culture24.org.uk/history+%26+heritage/war+%26+conflict/world+war+two/art82338
WWII bomber raised from lake - pictures
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=40097
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=40085
Nautical news
HMS Cassandra, HMS Myrtle and HMS Gentian found
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/23/british-warships-cassandra-myrtle-gentian-estonia
Worries over future of Olympia and New Jersey
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/us/19philly.html
Museum news and exhibitions
News
Security in Egypt’s museums found wanting
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=40284
Round up of international arts news
http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/International+news+in+brief+%e2%80%94%c2%a0August+2010/21329
Some time since we caught up with the museum at Turks and Caicos, where the director is coming to the end of his three year stint
http://hitch-n-tci.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2010-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2011-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=50
Museum developments
Plans announced for the new galleries at the National World War II museum,
http://www.nationalww2museum.org/
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=40243
Higgins wins award to develop virtual jousting
http://www.medievalists.net/2010/08/17/medieval-projects-earn-grants-from-neh/
National Museum of Scotland’s blog
http://feastbowl.wordpress.com/
Objects
Contents of Ashdown House to be sold
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=40260
Smithsonian returns items to Yurok Tribe
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=39973
Report on vintage gun sale
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=40189
Exhibitions
Treasures from Budapest arriving in London for the autumn
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=40149
Jimmy Hendrix at Handel’s house
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=40021
Toy soldiers in Brussels
http://www.klm-mra.be/klm-new/engels/main01.php?id=../tinsoldiers/tinsoldiers-en
Terra-cotta army arrives in Stockholm for the autumn
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=40000
Franz Ferdinand on tour in Vienna
http://www.khm.at/de/khm/ausstellungen/aktuell/imperial-sightseeing/
France after WWI in New York
http://www.themorgan.org/exhibitions/exhibition.asp?id=36
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=40309
Displays in the Smithsonian Museum of American History
http://americanhistory.si.edu/exhibitions/
Old masters in San Francisco
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=40064
Quileute culture at Seattle
http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/exhibit/exhibitDetail.asp?eventID=18532
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=39975
Mayan tombs in Mexico City
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=39979
Indian culture in Sydney
http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/whats_on?eventid=3363
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=39999
Books
Weapon - new series from Osprey
http://www.ospreypublishing.com/weapon/
Stuart Allen: Commando Country - so good it has been reprinted!
http://shop.nms.ac.uk/products/Commando-Country.html
Elaine Edwards: Scotland's Land Girls: Breeches, Bombers and Backaches
http://shop.nms.ac.uk/products/FESTIVAL-OFFER%3A-Scotland%27s-Land-Girls%3A-Breeches%2C-Bombers-and-Backaches-.html
Molly Greene: Catholic Pirates and Greek Merchants: A Maritime History of the Early Modern Mediterranean
http://press.princeton.edu/titles/9187.html
Judith Kestler: Kriegsgefangenschaft und Weltreise Untersuchungen zur Biographie eines unfreiwilligen Teilnehmers am Zweiten Weltkrieg
http://www.dsm.museum/Pubs2/dms11.htm
Latest books from Pen and Sword
http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/?page=latestreleases
Online books
Robert Munman: Sienese Renaissance tomb monuments
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=hPP7ZUVgTIIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=monuments&hl=en
&ei=rCV5TIbeHcyZOK6JxasG&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
Popular Culture
Sir Walter Scott invented Robin Hood…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/aug/16/walter-scott-edinburgh-book-festival
Art inspired by war in Iraq goes on show at IWM
http://www.culture24.org.uk/art/art82284
Get that Battle of Britain look - the aviator jacket and where to buy them
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/aug/17/aviator-jacket-autumn-trend
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/gallery/2010/aug/17/best-aviator-jackets-high-street