Pic: novopress

The effects of climate change on the permafrost in Greenland mean that many historical sites will be lost Archaeologists from the National Museum in Greenland have warned that the permafrost currently protecting many historical sites, will begin to thaw, leaving the sites open to the elements.

They fear that climate change will speed up the thawing process and many historical sites, such as Viking settlements and Inuit kitchen middens in western Greenland, will be destroyed. Continue Reading »

Pic: freresmorvan

Please accept my apologies for the translation, but the Breton Novopress have reported that the Brothers Morvan were greeted last night (the 6th August) with tumultuous applause, when they appeared at the daily party of the 38th Festival Interceltique de Lorient. It is now absolutely certain, that no other traditional breton group caused as much anticipation as the two brothers at the party! The amount of photographers, both amateur and professional, who were there demonstrated the respect that the current duo demand !

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Pic: gary

Episode 14, The Children of Lir, is now available and on the feed for download. The Children of Danu choose Bodb Dearg as a new High King for themselves much to King Lir’s displeasure. To bring the clans together, Bodb’s foster-daughter marries Lir and bears four beautiful children to him. Sadly she dies and Lir marries her sister, who in jealousy curses the Children and turns them all into swans.. This is the second and final part of two episodes telling the story of the Children of Lir which has to be one of the most famous of all Celtic tales. We discover the tragic end of the beautiful children.

We join the story as the Children of Lir are forced to flee their homeland and venture onto rough and icy seas.The Episode is available for subscribers on the feed, or you can download it or listen to it from our Episodes page. You can find the Shownotes for this episode in the Shownotes section.

If you come to the site and listen or listen from one of our players – have you considered subscribing? It’s easy and you automatically get the episodes on your computer when they come out. If you’re unsure about the whole RSS/Subscribing thing take a look at our Help page.

The Daily Post in Wales reports that the Welsh flag has been banned from official venues at the Beijing Olympics in a crackdown by Chinese authorities. Supporters and competitors travelling to the Games face a strict ban on waving the Ddraig Goch in celebration. Only the flags of the 205 Olympic nations, including Great Britain, can be taken into the showpiece arenas, according to “house rules” published by the organising committee for the Games.

The rule, believed to be aimed at potential Tibetans, independence demonstrators, effectively vetoes the Welsh and Scottish flags., traditionally seen atinternational events.

Cathy Owens, Welsh director of Amnesty International, said:

It would be a terrible shame if the Welsh flag were banned from the Olympics, but with so many domestic activists silenced, I’m not surprised the Chinese authorities want to control what can be seen at venues.

To us, in Wales it’s absurd we can’t fly our flag at the Olympics. For people in China the repression of free speech is much more serious. Saying the wrong thing can land you in prison and many journalists and activists have been arrested.

The Beijing rules for spectators state: To avoid delays at security and to maintain an orderly flow, please DO NOT bring the following articles to any venue: flags of non-members of the Olympics or Paralympics; flags or banners larger than 2 m x 1 m; flagpoles; any banners, slogans, fliers, brochures or samples.

Source

For two years, archaeologists have been studying a Bronze Age place of worship in eastern Germany. The site has a number of parallels with Stonehenge in England. By the end of the summer, researchers hope to know the full story. We’re just opening the excavation area. says Andre Spatzier, Ph.D student from the Martin Luther University in the eastern German city of Halle who is the site’s director.

Here in the fertile soil beneath Spatzier is a Bronze Age place of worship, one which in the last two years of work has shown remarkable similarities with Stonehenge. This summer, work on the site has just been resumed, and Spatzier’s team hopes that by the end of the digging season, they will have completely excavated and deciphered the site. It has, though, not been easy — While Stonehenge is made out of stones that have weathered thousands of years, the German prehistoric site was built of wood, which rotted away many years ago.

Archaeologists have already discovered six rings of wooden pillars — the biggest of which has a diameter of 115 meters. In one of the structure’s outer areas there was also a circular ditch with a diameter of 90 meters. By analysing ceramic vessels found at the site, the researchers have worked out the place of worship dates back to the 23rd century before Christ and was used until the 21st century BC.

We don’t know of any other structure like this on the European mainland from this time.

Spatzier said. It was, in fact, an exciting time in Europe: trade networks for ores, amber and salt were rapidly developing. Mankind’s knowledge was also growing by leaps and bounds, as not only goods but ideas were travelling across the continent. Around 2,500 years earlier at the very end of the Stone Age, Neolithic people had already constructed the nearby Goseck Circle — a wooden ring 70 meters across considered the oldest solar observatory in Europe. In the Bronze Age, some 500 years after the Pömmelte site was built, the famous Nebra sky disc was made. The circular bronze object likewise depicts the heavens.

Source

Pic: Alun Ffred Jones

The Welsh Daily Post announced that the new heritage minister Alun Ffred Jones says he is looking forward to introducing new measures to safeguard the Welsh language later this year. Caernarfon’s Plaid Cymru AM was appointed heritage minister following the dramatic resignation of Rhodri Glyn Thomas. Speaking about the Welsh language he said his key task was to chart a bid to Westminster for legislative powers which could open the door to new rights for Welsh speakers in Wales. He said:

The proposals should be ready in the autumn and will give the right to Welsh speakers for services in the language, equal status to the language and establish the post of Welsh language commissioner.

Mr Jones, who took the oath of office yesterday, takes over from Rhodri Glyn Thomas, 55, who stood down from the Labour-Plaid coalition cabinet after it emerged he broke the smoking ban by walking into a Cardiff Bay pub with a lit cigar.

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Irish myths are the inspiration for the name of a new web search engine that aims to rival Google reports BBC Northern Ireland. Husband-and-wife team of Stanford professor Tom Costello and former Google search architect Anna Patterson have launched rival search engine Cuil. The search engine, www.cuil.com,  began processing requests for the first time on Monday.

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A bit delayed but the new Holiday Special episode is here! Celebrating Harvest, we have some great music, some fascinating information and a moving story from Celtic Romance Author Kelley Heckart. We talk about some of the modern Stone Circles that have been or are being built and introduce you to an unpublished book about the Ancient Celts: Land, Sea & Sky. More about this book, as well as anything else we discuss on the show, can be found in the Shownotes for this episode. There is some great music from the Connemara Stone Company, Damh the Bard and Kellianna. Kelley Heckart, famed for her Celtic Romances, has contributed a section from her book, White Rose of Avalon, to the show and we’d like to send her a big Thank You. We hope you enjoy the story. There are links in our Shownotes telling you how you can get hold of this book.

The Episode is available for subscribers on the feed, or you can download it or listen to it from our Episodes page. You can find the Shownotes for this episode in the Shownotes section.

Pic: EDP24

A tiny decorated horse and an ancient pathway made from seashells are among the discoveries which have given historians an insight into centuries of life in a west Norfolk village. Archaeologists are more than halfway through a four-week dig on the outskirts of Sedgeford which aims to uncover the settlement which accompanied the 1,300-year-old graveyard excavated in previous years.

But Sharp’s (Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project) Chris Mackie said the inch-tall horse, found with a metal detector in the mounds of excavated earth, could point to a much earlier civilisation buried somewhere beneath the ground.

He said: It is almost certainly Iron Age. We had an expert in and she said it was slightly too crude to be Roman, but it is a beautiful find. It almost looks like a charm bracelet, but could have been part of a children’s toy. The burial ground, containing 300 skeletons, has been the dig’s focus for much of its 13-year history and last year a nearby ditch was found containing thousands of oyster shells – apparently discarded by the seafood-loving Saxons.

The excavation is open to the public every day until August 1 from 11am to 4pm except Saturdays, with a free open day on Sunday from 10am-4pm. To find the site, follow yellow signs marked Sharp Archaeology. 

Pic: First Screen Capture, Gamers Cafe

On the 21st July, SEGA of Europe Ltd. and SEGA® of America, Inc. announced Sonic™ and the Black Knight, an all-new Wii-exclusive adventure. Part of the storybook series of games that began with Sonic and the Secret Rings, this new title brings Sonic into the world of Arthurian legend and offers the worlds most infamous blue hedgehog the chance to become a knight. Using the unique Wii control system, this exciting game will take advantage of both the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk to offer an interactive experience that any Sonic fans will love.

Created by Sonic Team in Japan, this innovative game takes Sonic into a medieval world and arms him with a sword to aid in his effort to save the day. Sonic and the Black Knight will provide Sonic fans with an irresistible cast of characters and teach them all what it takes to be a true hero and the ultimate knight. With a series of missions taking place in stunning Arthurian-inspired locations, Sonic and the Black Knight promises to offer a fast-paced adventure that gamers of all ages will enjoy.

After the success of Sonic and the Secret Rings we’re delighted to announce a second title in the Storybook Series,” said Gary Knight, European Marketing Director, SEGA Europe, “Following Sonic on his way to knighthood will excite players of all ages.

Sonic and the Black Knight, exclusively for the Wii, will be out in Spring 2009. Continue Reading »