The Likho

Likho is an embodiment of evil fate and misfortune in Slavic mythology. A creature with one eye, it is often depicted as an old, skinny woman in black or as an evil male goblin. In ancient times, the likho was believed to be a servant of Death. During pre-Christian times villages would conduct a ritual during times of epidemic and burn an effigy of Likho. Likho was supposed to come and eat a person. This was used to scare small children. Likho is a noun meaning bad luck in modern Russian.

Tree of life is dying: Africa's ancient baobab

Africa's ancient trees of life are being killed by climate change. Researches found that nine of the oldest 13 baobab trees and five of the six biggest ones have partially or completely died in the past 12 years. The baobab tree is revered in Africa. Medicinal compounds are extracted from its leaves, while the fruit -rich in vitamin C -- is used for nourishment and the seeds yield oil. Three trees that were older than 2,000 years have all died in the past decade.

Cool Ancients at Heritage

Heritage offers a remarkable array of coins from every available epoch in history, hailing from every corner of the globe.

Ancients: ZEUGITANA. Carthage. Ca. 320-270 BC. EL stater NGC Choice XF ★ 5/5 - 4/5 Ancients: THRACIAN KINGDOM. Lysimachus (305-281 BC). AR tetradrachm. NGC AU 5/5 - 3/5 Ancients: JUDAEA. Bar Kokhba Revolt (132-135 AD). AR zuz. NGC MS 5/5 - 4/5

German East Africa: German Colony. Wilhelm II Proof Rupie 1905-J PR65 PCGS

Egypt unveils spectacular tomb of ancient high priest

Archaeologists have discovered the tomb of a priest dating back more than 4,400 years in the pyramid complex of Saqqara south of Cairo. The tomb belongs to 'Wahtye' a high priest who served during the fifth dynasty reign of King Neferirkare. His tomb is decorated with scenes showing the royal priest alongside other members of his family.

Pharaoh Neferefre

'Mudlark' almost threw Roman treasure back into the Thames

'Mudlark' Alan Suttie almost threw a rare Roman lamp he found while walking on the Thames foreshore on his lunch break back into the river because he thought it was a fake. Now the artifact is going on display at the Museum of London along with other objects found by amateur treasure hunters. The oil lamp, which was made in north Africa in the 4th to 5th century AD, dates from the end of Roman rule in Britain and has been designated an item of national importance. The British Museum revealed the number of treasure discoveries made by the public has hit a record level for the second year running.

Vault 'B' of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple

All eyes are on the sealed 'vault B' of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, one of the richest shrines in the world, with a Supreme Court-appointed amicus curie to hasten the process of opening it. The 16th century temple shot to fame six years ago when one of its six vaults ('A') was found to contain ancient valuables estimated at Rs 1 lakh crore. ($20 billion)

The royal family and a section of devotees have opposed the opening of the sealed chamber on the grounds that such an action would “violate the sanctity of the temple”. They had earlier conducted an astrological ritual – devaprasnam – to perceive the mood of the deity, and informed the court that opening the vault amounted to violating the temple tradition in a manner that would invite divine wrath. Vault 'A' contained antique gold coins that alone weighed over 600 kg. Of the two lakh items documented by government officials, 600 were found embedded with gems.

See ----->The Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple

The Manticore

The manticore is a Persian legendary creature similar to the Egyptian sphinx. It has the head of a human, body of a lion and a tail of venomous spines similar to porcupine quills, while other depictions have it with the tail of a scorpion. The manticore or mantyger first appeared in English heraldry in c.1470, as a badge of William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings.

Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia?

The Bible describes how Israelites built a gold-plated chest to house the stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were written and Aaron's rod. It is described as large, made of gold-plated wood and topped with two large, golden angels. The Ark makes a sudden disappearance from history after the Babylonian conquest in around 586 BC.

Researchers believe "St. Mary’s of Zion church in Axum, Ethiopia, is the resting place either of an incredible replica of the biblical Ark of the Covenant, or, of the actual Ark of the Covenant itself."

Ring bearing name of Pontius Pilate found

A 2,000-year-old bronze ring found near Bethlehem bears the name of Pontius Pilate, the Roman official who ordered Jesus Christ to be crucified. Pilate was prefect or governor of the Roman province of Judaea under the Emperor Tiberius when he presided at Christ’s trial and gave the order for his crucifixion. The ring was found 50 years ago during an archeological excavation at the site of a fortress built by King Herod, but was overlooked for decades

One of the New Testament’s most infamous characters, Pontius Pilate ruled Judaea from around AD 26-36. According to accounts in the New Testament, he was reluctant to condemn Christ to death and washed his hands to symbolise that he abdicated responsibility for the crucifixion.