Iron Age Gold Treasure Found in Scotland

Posted by Minnesotastan in Everything Else on November 4, 2009 at 3:48 pm

Scottish treasureA young man, using his metal detector for the first time, walked about seven steps from his car and got a signal.

The four gold Iron Age neck ornaments, or torcs, date from between the 1st and 3rd Century BC and are said to be worth an estimated £1m… The find is the most important hoard of Iron Age gold in Scotland to date.

Neatorama has previously posted stories about a Viking hoard and an Anglo-Saxon hoard found in the British Isles.  One factor that favors the discovery and preservation of these archeological treasures is the Treasure Act of 1996, an Act of Parliament that requires treasure hunters to turn in their finds to local authorities, but then guarantees them monetary compensation based on a market value of the treasure.  In many countries without such laws, finds such as these would be sold on the black market or melted down for bullion, destroying the remarkable artistry of the pieces.  The Treasure Act does not apply in Scotland, where this was found, but indications are that this fellow will be richly compensated in order to encourage others to report their discoveries.

At the BBC link the other pieces can be seen in a brief video.

 
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Haggis Is NOT Scottish!

Posted by Queuebot in Food & Drinks on August 16, 2009 at 2:48 am

I’m sure if I asked you what country do you think haggis originated from, you’d say Scotland. Well, that would be wrong. In fact, haggis was invented by the English.

Food historian Catherine Brown has discovered something that would be very hard for the Scots to swallow: that the national dish of Scotland was described in a 1615 recipe book The English Hus-wife by Gervase Markham.

Ms Brown, whose findings feature in a TV documentary broadcast this week, said: “It was originally an English dish. In 1615, Gervase Markham says that it is very popular among all people in England.

“By the middle of the 18th century another English cookery writer, Hannah Glasse, has a recipe that she calls Scotch haggis, the haggis that we know today.”

But reference to haggis in a 1771 novel by Tobias Smollett, The Expedition of Humphry Clinker, showed it was considered a Scottish dish by the late 18th century.

Link – via pigjockey

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by pigjockey.

 
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The Surreal Appeal of the Falkirk Wheel

Posted by Queuebot in Architecture, Pictures, Science & Tech on June 29, 2009 at 2:14 am

The people of Falkirk, Scotland needed to connect two waterways, but there was one big problem.  The difference in height between the two measures about the same as an eight story building.  The solution?  A pretty amazing rotating boat lift, the only one of its type in the world:

The Scottish capital city, Edinburgh and its second city, Glasgow, had no water based connection for seventy years. It wasn’t until almost the dawn of the new century that this situation was reconsidered and the idea of the Falkirk Wheel was taken seriously and put in to action.

Now the wheel, as well as a connector between the two cities, is a remarkable and awe-inspiring tourist destination in its own right. However, if it wasn’t for the prodigious gambling habits of the British people this amazing structure would never have been built.

Link

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by taliesyn30.

 
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Thor, Norse God and Crime Fighter

Posted by Alex in Crime & Law, Fashion on January 2, 2009 at 2:51 pm

There are two remarkable things about this BBC news report from Edinburgh, Scotland. First, a man tried to break into a flat carrying a pitch fork. And second, he was chased away by a man dressed as the Norse god Thor.

"Thor" was actually Torvald Alexander, who was dressed-up for a New Year’s dress party. Link

If you’re curious, Telegraph has a photo of Torvald in his Thor costume.

 
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