Killer robots could wipe out humanity, report says in terrifying AI warning

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) and killer robots could wipe out humanity, a new report has terrifyingly warned

By STEVEN BROWN

PUBLISHED:Mon, Aug 10, 2020

The research by Human Rights Watch found 30 countries had expressed a desire for an international treaty to be introduced banning the use of autonomous weapons. The weapons can engage with targets without human control.

The report, ‘Stopping Killer Robots: Country Positions on Banning Fully Autonomous Weapons and Retaining Human Control’, looked at policies from 97 countries opposed to the machines.

Although not naming the UK, it says British policy is there must always be “human oversight” when such weapons are being used.

However Britain is developing some weapons with “autonomous solutions”, the report found.

Mary Wareham, arms division advocacy director at Human Rights Watch and coordinator of the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, said: “Removing human control from the use of force is now widely regarded as a grave threat to humanity that, like climate change, deserves urgent multilateral action.


Fears over killer robots have been raised (Image: Getty)


Human Rights Watch urge for international ban (Image: Getty)


“An international ban treaty is the only effective way to deal with the serious challenges raised by fully autonomous weapons.

“It’s abundantly clear that retaining meaningful human control over the use of force is an ethical imperative, a legal necessity and a moral obligation.

“All countries need to respond with urgency by opening negotiations on a new international ban treaty.”

Although the reports suggests a number of international organisations have backed the ban, a small number of military powers have rejected the proposals.

READ MORE: Rogue artificial intelligence could harm us if we don't act - expert

Fears over killer robots raised by organisation (Image: Getty)

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These countries include the US and Russia.

Ms Wareham continued: “Many governments share the same serious concerns over permitting machines to take human lief on the battlefield, and their desire for human control provides a sound basis for collective action.

“While the pandemic has delayed diplomacy, it shows the importance of being prepared and responding with urgency to existential threats to humanity, such killer robots.”

Global tensions have risen over recent weeks following the outbreak of coronavirus and fears of World War 3 have been raised.

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The largest militaries in the world (Image: Express)


China has been widely criticised on a global scale and accused of deliberately starting the deadly pandemic.

Tensions between Britain and Beijing have grown increasingly strained after China enforced the controversial Hong Kong security law.

The new legislation has been globally slammed and Prime Minister Boris Johnson publicly condemned the move by Chinese authorities.

Washington has also seen its relationship with Beijing deteriorate over recent weeks.


Autonomous weapons called to be banned (Image: Getty)

President Donald Trump and continually blamed the Communist nation for the deadly pandemic and criticised the World Health Organisation for being to “China-centric”.

Beijing and Washington have also increased their military presence in the South China Sea region amid fears of an outbreak of war.

While the likes of Moscow has come under scrutiny following the Russian report which suggested the Kremlin has had some involvement with UK democracy.

Although claiming it would "difficult - if not impossible - to prove" allegations Moscow tried to influence the Brexit vote from 2016, the report lashed out at the government for failing to recognise a threat posed by the Kremlin.

The Investigation and Security Committee (ISC) report said: “It is nonetheless the Committee's view that the UK Intelligence Community should produce an analogous assessment of potential Russian interference in the EU referendum and that an unclassified summary of it be published."

Andy Barratt, UK managing director of cybersecurity consultancy Coalfire, previously told Express.co.uk: “While ‘election tampering’ makes for good headlines, it’s almost certainly not the most critical cyber threat we face from foreign powers.

“There is a clear need for the government to drive the adoption of better security standards, not just in the public sector but across the private businesses that make up so much of the country’s critical infrastructure as well.

“As a country, we have to find a balance between being openly critical of other nations’ use of offensive cyber tactics while simultaneously pushing forward the capabilities we need to defend ourselves.”

Archaeology breakthrough: 1,200-year-old find 'implies Christianity founded before Islam'
ARCHAEOLOGISTS believe they have uncovered a giant cross in Pakistan that "implies Christianity was in the region before Islam", new reports claims.

By CLIVE HAMMOND
PUBLISHED: Sat, Aug 29, 2020

The 1,200-year-old cross - which is made of marble and weighs around four tons - was discovered by a team of experts from the University of Baltistan, Skardu, the Union of Catholic Asian News. Their report, entitled '1,200-Year-Old Cross Found in Pakistan Implies Christianity Was There 'Before Islam Came', claims that the find was made in the mountains of the Himalayan mountains and is around seven feet in size. Experts say that although no Christians live in the area of Skardu, it proved that worshippers of that religion were previously present in the region.

Pakistan is made up of around 96 percent of people who practise Islam, and shares its borders with Afghanistan, Iran, India and China.

The discovery was celebrated by Caritas Pakistan, a Catholic group, and executive director Mansha Noor said: “It is indeed great news for all of us that an ancient cross was found in Skardu.

“It shows that Christianity existed in this area and there must be a church and houses of Christians.

"There are currently no Christian families in that area, but they were once present.

Archaeology breakthrough: 1,200-year-old find 'implies Christianity founded before Islam' (Image: GETTY)


Archaeology breakthrough: 1,200-year-old find 'implies Christianity founded before Islam' (Image: GETTY)

“I request the authorities invite international historians to find out more about the accurate history of the cross.”

Reports by the Christianheadlines.com say that Christians in Pakistan are often faced with dire scenarios where they are persecuted as a result of their faith.

Beatrice Caseau, a byzantine history expert, argued that the find could prove that Middle East merchants brought "the gospel to the region".

She said: "Even if we lack the sources to know with certainty where they passed, we know that Christians from the Persian world, using the Syriac language, came to the Indus region between the fifth and eighth centuries, until the arrival of Islam."

Archaeology breakthrough: 1,200-year-old find 'implies Christianity founded before Islam' (Image: GETTY)


Another Pakistani Christian leader told Barnabus Fund: “Praise the Lord, this makes me very joyful.

"It will be a great encouragement to Christians in Pakistan to show that our faith was here many, many generations ago, before Islam came.

"This is amazing news. I am looking forward to what the research outcome will reveal about Christianity in Pakistan.”

The discovery comes after archaeologists made another breakthrough in Christian history with the find of a 1,300-year-old church in Israel, near to where the traditional site of Jesus' transfiguration was made.


Archaeology breakthrough: 1,200-year-old find 'implies Christianity founded before Islam' (Image: GETTY)


This site, experts claimed, "hints at the significance of Christianity" in the village it was found at Kfar Kama, around two hours away from north Jerusalem.

It includes "ornate mosaic floors" and is near what third-century theologian Origen suggested was where Jesus' transfiguration took place.

A release from the Israel Ministry of Foreign affairs added: "The new discovery hints at the apparent importance of the Christian village settled in the Byzantine period close to Mount Tabor, a site of primary religious significance for Christianity, identified as the site of the transfiguration."

Archaeology breakthrough: Bombshell discovery unearths third century 'human mountains'

ARCHAEOLOGISTS were left staggered by the discovery of a skeleton which a study claimed is from a person with gigantism.

By CHARLIE BRADLEY
PUBLISHED:  Tue, Jul 28, 2020

The discovery was made near Rome, as researchers came across the remains of a man that would have been classed as a giant when he lived in the third-century A.D.

It represents an incredibly rare find – as today gigantism affects about three people in a million worldwide.

The condition begins in childhood, when a malfunctioning pituitary gland causes abnormal growth.

Two partial skeletons, one from Poland and another from Egypt, had previously been identified as "probable" cases of gigantism, but the Roman specimen is thought to be the first clear case from the ancient past, study leader Simona Minozzi, a paleopathologist at Italy's University of Pisa said.

The figure stood at about 6ft 8 inches, classed as a giant in third century A.D when the average height for a man was 5ft 5 inches.

The unusual skeleton was found in 1991 during an excavation at a necropolis in Fidenae (map), a territory indirectly managed by Rome.

At the time, the Archaeological Superintendence of Rome, which led the project, noted that the man's tomb was abnormally long. It was only during a later anthropological examination, though, that the bones too were found to be unusual. Shortly thereafter, they were sent to Minozzi's group for further analysis.


Archaeology news: The researchers found a 'human mountain' (not pictured) (Image: getty)


Archaeology news: The figure has gigantism according to the study (not pictured) (Image: getty)


To find out if the skeleton had gigantism, the team examined the bones and found evidence of skull damage consistent with a pituitary tumor, which disrupts the pituitary gland, causing it to overproduce human growth hormone.

Other findings — such as disproportionately long limbs and evidence that the bones were still growing even in early adulthood — support the gigantism diagnosis, according to the study, published October 2 2012 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

His early demise — likely between the age of 16 and 20 — might also point to gigantism, which is associated with cardiovascular disease and respiratory problems, said Minozzi, who emphasized that the cause of death remains unknown.


Archaeology news: A statue of Maximinus Thrax (Image: getty)

Charlotte Roberts, an archaeologist at Durham University, said she was "certainly convinced with the diagnosis" of gigantism in 2012, but that she'd like to know more.

She said: "You can't just study the disease, you have to look at the wider impact of how people functioned in society, and whether they were treated any differently."

She added that one thing researchers to know is that the second century A.D. emperor Maximinus Thrax was described in literature as a "human mountain."

Archaeology news: Archaeologists have found other remains that could have been giants (Image: getty)


Archaeology news: (Image: getty)

Minozzi noted, though, that imperial Roman high society "developed a pronounced taste for entertainers with evident physical malformations, such as hunchbacks and dwarfs — so we can assume that even a giant generated enough interest and curiosity".e."

Archaeology mystery: Incredible discovery of 'sea monster' shipwreck sparked debate

ARCHAEOLOGISTS were baffled when they came across a "sea monster" figurehead from one of the world's best preserved shipwrecks.

By CHARLIE BRADLEY
PUBLISHED:  Tue, Aug 18, 2020

Baltic Sea: Medieval ship's figurehead found in 2015

The figurehead from a 15th century ship was recovered from the Baltic Sea near Sweden, more than 500 years after it sank. The Gribshunden is thought to be the world's best-preserved late medieval ship. Johan Ronnby, professor of marine archaeology, expressed the confusion researchers had when trying to decipher what exactly the figurehead represented. He said: ''It's a sea monster - and we have to discuss what kind of animal it is.

''I think it's some kind of fantasy animal - a dragon with lion ears and crocodile-like mouth. And there seems to be something in his mouth.

"There seems to be a person in its mouth and he's eating somebody."

Marcus Sandekjer of the Blekinge Museum added: "We don't have ships like this that have been recovered at all.

"It's something we haven't seen before, it's unique in the world and I think there will be more excavations around here with more unique objects.

"But this one we have today is just fantastic."
Archaeology news: (Image: Ingemar Jundgren)

Archaeology news: The figurehead was found in the Baltic Sea (Image: Ingemar Jundgren)

Mr Sandekjer also outlined the history of the ship, adding that it came from a time when historic explorer Christopher Columbus would have been active at sea.

He continued: "This ship comes from a time when Columbus was sailing across the ocean.

"This is the same period, so we can learn very much about how the ships were made and how they were constructed.

"Since there are no ships left from this time we just don't know how they were constructed."

Archaeology news: Marcus Sandekjer was amazed (Image: Ingemar Jundgren)

Mr Sandejker and Mr Ronnby discussed the Gribshunden in an interview with the BBC in 2015.

The Gribshunden, which belonged to Danish King John, is believed to have sunk in 1495 after it caught fire on its way from Copenhagen to Kalmar on Sweden's east coast.

The menacing appearance of figureheads on 15th century ships had the protective function of warding off evil spirits.

When divers first discovered the figurehead languishing at the bottom of the sea, they thought its snarl was similar to that of a dog.


Archaeology news: Johan Ronnby said it was a 'fantasy animal' (Image: Ingemar Jundgren)


Archaeology news: The Baltic Sea (Image: Ingemar Jundgren)

This fits with the name of the ship, the Gribshunden, which means griffon-dog.

Parts of armour and weapons have also been recovered, and are now on display in museums.

Researchers believe the ship was at the forefront of naval technology for its day.

The fire that sank it came at a time of political upheaval in the region, causing a major setback to King John's plan to unify Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

Mr Sandekjer added: "The ship comes from a time just when Columbus was sailing across the ocean and Vasco da Gama also went to India, and this is the same period and we can learn very much about how the ships were made, how they were constructed since there are no ships left from this time."

Archaeology breakthrough: 'Hybrid beasts' discovered 'shedding new light' on bloody burial

ARCHAEOLOGISTS were baffled by the discovery of strange "hybrid beasts" found in the UK.

By CHARLIE BRADLEY

PUBLISHED: Fri, Aug 7, 2020

Such beasts were more synonymous with ancient Mediterranean cultures, who combined remains of animals to form mythical creatures. Examples included the half-lion, half-goat chimera or the half-lion, half-eagle griffin. But similar remains were found in the UK in Winterborne Kingston, Dorset. The startling find raised questions about the possibility that Britain’s ancient Celtic population had hybrid-animal monster myths similar to those of the ancient Greeks, and Egyptians.

The bones hinted at the possibility Iron Age Britons rearranged remains in order to create hybrid beasts.

The Dorset ‘hybrids’ all discovered by archaeologists from Bournemouth University, included a cow which, after probable sacrificial death, had had its own legs removed and deliberately replaced by four horse’s legs.

There was also a sacrificed sheep with two heads – its own somewhat fragmentary one and, protruding from its hind end, that of a bull.

Among the finds was a horse with a cow’s horn protruding from its forehead – with the horn pointing inwards, as well as a cow’s upper leg bone with a horse’s hoof.

They also found two bizarre examples in which a jawless cow skull had been deliberately paired with a horse’s lower jaw.

Archaeology news: Archaeologists found 'hybrid animals' (Image: Bournemouth University )


Archaeology news: They found a half cow half horse (Image: Bournemouth University )

Another find was a complete dog with three cow lower jaws radiating from it.

One of the strangest discoveries saw animal remains paired with a human skeleton.

The young woman appeared to have been sacrificed, as archaeologists found evidence indicating that her throat had probably been slit.

She was then buried on a "bed" of specially arranged cattle, sheep, dog and horse bones.

Archaeology news: The discovery was made in 2015 (Image: Bournemouth University )

Significantly these animal bones had been deliberately sorted to mirror the bones of the dead woman.

The animals’ skull fragments formed the surface her head rested on, while the animals’ leg bones formed the surface her legs rested on.

Dr. Miles Russell, the Bournemouth University archaeologist who has been co-directing the excavation in 2015, said the finds "transformed" his team's understanding of the time period.

Archaeology news: An aerial view of the excavation (Image: Bournemouth University )


Archaeology news: Hybrid beasts had been associated with ancient Greece (Image: Bournemouth University )


He said: “The discoveries are helping to transform our understanding of key aspects of Late Iron Age Britain – the type of society that existed just a couple of generations before the Roman conquest.

“Our investigations at the site suggest that life there was peaceful and prosperous.

"Although the settlement was relatively large, there appears to have been no defensive palisade or ramparts.

“The sacrifice of so many animals and the unusual treatment of their bones is likely to shed totally new light on Iron Age belief systems – and may suggest that the Ancient Britons had beliefs or mythologies which involved hybridized animals, just as the Ancient Greeks had.”

Archaeology triumph: ‘Extremely rare’ mass grave of decapitated Vikings found in UK

ARCHAEOLOGISTS made the gruesome discovery of 51 Viking corpses buried in the UK - with researchers claiming they may have been killed in a sacrifice.

By CHARLIE BRADLEY

PUBLISHED: 10:28, Fri, Aug 14, 2020 | UPDATED: 17:07, Fri, Aug 14, 2020

Archaeologists believed that the violent killing happened 1000 years ago – the 51 skeletons had languished near Weymouth, Dorset.Oxford Archaeology removed the skulls which had been placed together in one part of a pit, and the bodies which had been thrown roughly into a heap a few feet away. Chemical analysis was used to study the teeth from 10 men – and led to a remarkable piece of information. The men are thought to have grown up in an environment much colder than the UK, with one set of remains believed to be from the Arctic Circle.

Carbon dating showed they were buried between 910 and 1030AD, a time when England was being unified under Saxon kings and when Vikings from Denmark had begun a second wave of raids on the South Coast.

Oxford Archaeology project manager David Score said: "To find out that the young men executed were Vikings is a thrilling development.

"Any mass grave is a relatively rare find, but to find one on this scale, from this period of history, is extremely unusual."

Researchers had no doubts that the bodies belonged to Vikings.

Archaeology news: The vikings were decapitated (Image: Oxford Archaeology)

Archaeology news: 51 bodies were found (Image: Oxford Archaeology)

Evidence suggested they were captured by British soldiers after arriving in the country to raid.

The blows to the back of their necks were so fierce that the swords cut into the jaws and collarbones.

One man had wounds to his hands - indicating that he grabbed for the blade in a futile bid to save himself. Others suffered blows to pelvis, stomach and chest.

There were more bodies than skulls, leading to speculation that three dismembered heads were displayed on stakes.

Archaeology news: Damage to the bones from attacks were evident (Image: Oxford Archaeology)

Oxford Archaeology bone specialist Ceri Boston said after the find in March 2010: "It was not a straight one slice and head off. They were all hacked at around the head and jaw.

"It doesn't look like they were very willing or the executioners very skilled.

"We think the decapitation was messy because the person would have been moving around.

"The location is a typical place for a Saxon execution site - on a main road and a parish boundary and close to prehistoric barrows."

History suggests that the Viking raiders could be just as ruthless as their reputation.

Archaeology news: Vikings came to the UK to loot (Image: Oxford Archaeology)

Archaeology news: The bodies shed new light on UK history (Image: Oxford Archaeology)

Black Lives Matter protesters topple and BEHEAD statue of Canada’s first Prime Minister

ACTIVISTS tore down a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first ever Prime Minister, in Montreal on Saturday.

By JAMES BICKERTON

PUBLISHED: Sun, Aug 30, 2020

Video footage shows protestors using ropes to pull the statue, which had been in place for 120 years. Demonstrators, who claimed to be supporting the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, claimed the statue was a celebration of colonialism and racism.

As the statue fell from its plinth the head, which was bashed against the stone base, was knocked off.

Protestors later took photographs of themselves posing with the decapitated head.

As the statue started falling there was loud cheering and celebratory whooping from the crowd.

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante condemned “the acts of vandalism that took place this afternoon in downtown Montreal”.

The statue of Sir John A. Macdonald was toppled in Montreal (Image: @noreornot)

Organized black bloc militants have toppled the statue of Canada’s first prime minister, John Macdonald, in Montreal. They used umbrellas & sheets to shield their criminal comrades. The statue’s head broke off as it crashed to the ground. #BLM pic.twitter.com/ViarNxmJbh— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 29, 2020

She added monuments are currently at “the heart of emotional debates” about Canada’s identity and colonial past.

Police are currently investigating the incident.

When contacted by CBC Montreal a march organiser declined to comment on the attack.

Ms Plante added: “I understand and share the motivation of citizens who want to live in a more just and inclusive society.

Protesters used ropes to pull down the statue (Image: @noreornot)

Sir John Macdonald's statue after being toppled in Montreal (Image: @noreornot)

“But the discussion and the necessary actions must be carried out peacefully, without ever resorting to vandalism.”

The statue had been repeatedly vandalised, including with red paint, over recent years.

Sir John A. Macdonald served as the first Prime Minister of Canada between 1867-1873 and again held the post from 1878-1891.

In total he was Prime Minister for 19 years, the second highest total of any Canadian leader.

He died in office during his second term in 1891.

Sir John became Prime Minister after the 1867 British North America Act devolved substantial powers from London to Canada, then a British colony.

A number of statues around the world have been toppled by groups claiming to support the Black Lives Matter movement after George Floyd was killed whilst being arrested by police in May.

In Bristol, UK, a statue of merchant and slave trader Edward Colston was torn down in June and dumped in the city’s harbour.
It was later recovered and put in safe storage by Bristol City Council.

In the United States a number of monuments to former Confederate generals and soldiers have been pulled down during protests.

More mainstream figures have also been targeted including statues of George Washington in Portland and abolitionist Frederick Douglass in Rochester, New York.

Statue of Churchill in Parliament Square after being vandalised in June (Image: GETTY)

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2020/08/activists-topple-statue-of-sir-john-a.html

Archaeology: Illegal miners destroy ancient African site in devastating historical blow

ARCHAEOLOGISTS were devastated to find Sudan's ancient Jabal Maragha destroyed by illegal gold diggers.
Officials confirmed that the illegal miners have ruined the 2,000-year-old archaeological site in Africa, leading to an outpouring of anger from experts in the field. The devastation took place in the eastern region of the Sahara desert where the relics stood. The Jabal Maragha site dates from the Meroitic period between 350BC and 350AD.

It is thought it was once either a small settlement or a checkpoint.

Officials from Sudan's antiquities and museums department said they visited the site last month and came across the wreck.

It is around 270km (170 miles) north of the capital Khartoum.

In July, they found two mechanical diggers and five men actively working to find gold.

Archaeology news: Illegal gold miners drilled vast holes that destroyed the archaeological site (Image: GETTY)

Sudan: Men operating machines were found last month in the region (Image: GETTY)

They had excavated a vast trench about 17 metres (55 feet) deep, and 20 metres long.

The utter destruction has terminated any hopes of salvaging any history from the region.

Habab Idriss Ahmed, a shocked archaeologist, said: "They had only one goal in digging here - to find gold...they did something crazy; to save time, they used heavy machinery."

She has worked at the historic location since 1999 and shared his distress with AFP news agency.

Ancient history: The site comes from the Meroitic period from 350 BC to 350 AD (Image: GETTY)

Across Sudan's desert landscape are scattered hundreds of pyramids and other ancient sites.

They are not as well known as those found in its northern neighbour, Egypt.

The instance is not isolated but part of a growing trend of archaeological sites being destroyed, according to Sudan's archaeologists.

At Sai, a 12km-long river island in the Nile, hundreds of graves, some dating back to the times of the pharaohs, have been raided and destroyed by looters.

Gold miners: A vast trench dug by gold hunters is pictured (Image: GETTY)

Archaeology Africa: Hatem al-Nour, Sudan's director of antiquities and museums was overly shocked (Image: GETTY)


Hatem al-Nour, Sudan's director of antiquities and museums, said: "Out of a thousand more or less well-known sites in Sudan, at least a hundred have been destroyed or damaged."

He warned that a lack of security at the sites made them easy targets for looters.

Sudan is currently Africa's third largest producer of gold.

South Africa and Ghana are the only countries that trump its output.
Commercial mining brought in around $1.2bn (£900m) to the Sudanese government last year.

Illegal mining is, many claim, said to be encouraged by some local authorities and businessmen who give machines to gold hunters.

It appears that enforcement of the existing laws is also not stringent.

The diggers who destroyed the Jabal Maragha were freed without charge.

Destruction: Habab Idriss Ahmed described the act as 'crazy' (Image: GETTY)

It is not clear why.

Mahmoud al-Tayeb, a former expert from Sudan's antiquities department, said: "They should have been put in jail and their machines confiscated. There are laws."

Sudan has moved to implement long-term strategies in order to protect its historical and cultural landmarks.

One programme sees young people taught about Sudanese history.

This, Prof Habbab Idris Muhammad, the chief inspector at the antiquities and museums department told the Suna news agency, is so that the next generation can cherish their heritage.

Archaeology news: Monkey burial in ancient Egypt exposes eerie practice - 'Like children'

ARCHAEOLOGISTS have found evidence of Romans in ancient Egypt burying their pet monkeys in an incredibly eerie manner.

By SEBASTIAN KETTLEY

PUBLISHED: 11:47, Mon, Aug 24, 2020

The ancient Egyptians kept a wide variety of exotic pets, ranging from dogs and cats to baboons and falcons. In many cases, animals were bred and raised as sacrificial offerings to the gods. But 2,000 years ago, Egypt found itself under the control of the Roman empire and with it, bizarre new practices appear to have emerged.

A team of Polish archaeologists in the ancient port of Berenice have uncovered the first evidence of exotic pets being imported into Egypt from as far away as India in the first and second century AD.

According to Dr Marta Osypińskia, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology Polish Academy of Sciences, the Roman elite kept monkeys, cats and dogs as mascots.

She said: "We knew spices, textiles and other riches were imported from India. It turns out, monkeys were as well."

The remains of various animals were unearthed in a 2,000-year-old pet cemetery in Berenice.

Archaeology news: Excavations revealed unusual monkey remains in an Egyptian port (Image: M. Osypińskia/P. Osypiński)


Archaeology news: Some of the monkeys were buried like 'sleeping children' (Image: M. Osypińskia


The animals appear to have been buried with a great deal of care.

Some of the pet monkeys, in particular, were laid to rest with their hands by their heads, like "sleeping children".

One of the dead monkeys was found covered with a woollen blanket.

Another was buried alongside large shells from the Indian Ocean or the southeast coast of Africa.

Excavations further revealed the fragments of amphoras, packed with textiles and the skeleton of a tiny pig.

The monkeys could not acclimatise and all died very young

Dr Marta Osypińskia, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology PAN

Berenice was a critical Red Sea trade hub, located on Egypt's east coast, just north of the modern-day border with Sudan.

The port was a vital link between central Africa, the Middle East and India.

The archaeologists were initially at a loss over what species of monkey they have uncovered.

Most of the skeletal remains were of young specimens and they did not appear to match any specific species.

Archaeology news: The pet monkeys were imported from India to Berenice (Image: M. Osypińskia)

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Dr Osypińskia said: "But objects uncovered during excavations cannot from Egypt.

"We were helped by modern technology and 3D photos of the skulls and the bones of the monkeys we discovered.

"Now, we could go out into the world and look for similar bones and compare them to the digital models."

The researchers eventually determined the monkey where rhesus macaques, which are native to India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and other parts of Southeast Asia.

Dr Osypińskia said: "This is an absolutely unique find


"So far, no one has found Indian monkeys in archaeological sites in Africa.

"Interestingly, ancient written sources are also silent about this practice."

The discovery suggests the Roman elite living in Egypt at the time had the resources to import and care for the monkeys on the long journey from India.

Dr Osypińskia said: "Unfortunately, after arriving in Berenice the monkeys could not acclimatise and all died very young.

"They were likely lacking fresh fruit and other essential sustenance."

Archaeology bombshell: Discovery of 'blue monster' in 1,400-year-old tomb rewrites history

ARCHAEOLOGISTS discovered a 1,400-year-old tomb in China which includes some of the most fascinating images ever found, helping rewrite the planet's history.

By CHARLIE BRADLEY
PUBLISHED: 13:43, Fri, Aug 21, 2020 

Among others, a blue monster, a winged horse and a nude deity, known as the master of wind, were all found within the mysterious tomb. It is located in Xinzhou city, within a burial chamber containing an array of historical artifacts. The chamber had been severely damaged from looting, with the corpses of the tomb owners missing and only a few coffin fragments remaining
However, the archaeologists discovered that parts of a passageway and corridor had not been looted, while several artifacts and many murals in every good condition, remained intact.

The murals included impressive mythical imagery, as well as images of everyday people trading horses, hunting and working in a gatehouse.

The report for the excavation read: "Themes on ascending to heaven, horse trading, hunting, [a] grand gatehouse and the rich styles of costumes all provide valuable information for the [research] on the social life, history, culture and military practices."



Archaeology news: The discovery was made in China (Image: Chinese Archaeology and Chinesenews.com)



Archaeology news: The blue monster mural (Image: Chinese Archaeology and Chinesenews.com)


The find was unique because of the colourful murals covering 80 square meters of the tomb.

Despite the fact some of the tomb's treasures had been looted and bodies were missing, the murals were well preserved.

They illustrated a man and a woman in a variety of scenes, with one example being the pair enjoying a banquet and in another, a man plays a harp while other musicians hold instruments.

READ MORE: Archaeologists pinpoint shipwreck with ‘fabulous £1billion treasure’



Archaeology news: The chamber had a number of artifacts 
(Image: Chinese Archaeology and Chinesenews.com)



Archaeology news: The illustrations baffled researchers
 (Image: Chinese Archaeology and Chinesenews.com)


In addition to the commander’s wife, a number of other females are depicted in the murals, some of them musicians and some of them attendants.

China has become synonymous with ancient mural discoveries.

In 2013, archaeologists excavating in Shuozhou City made an incredible discovery of an extremely well-preserved tomb where a military commander and his wife were buried approximately 1,500 years ago.

In anuary 2015, another tomb was revealed when rain moved soil on a hillside in the region.

Archaeology news: The mural was found in Xinzhou (Image: Chinese Archaeology and Chinesenews.com)

The burial site dates back to the Yuan dynasty, from around 700 years ago,

Later in 2015, archaeologists working in the ruins of the Neolithic Shimao Ruins identified mural fragments that showed brush strokes, which could imply the basic process of mural-making in China dates back about 4,000 years.

Historians have attributed the invention of the brush much later, to a Chinese general, Meng Tian, during the Qin Dynasty of 221 to 207 BC, so that discovery was incredibly significant from a historical point of view.