Latest news with #DurhamUniversity
The Independent
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Archaeologists find new evidence of ancient slave labor in southern Iraq
A system of thousands of ridges and canals across a floodplain in southern Iraq has long been believed to be the remnant of a massive agricultural system built by slave labor. Now an international team of archaeologists has found new evidence to support the theory. The team undertook testing to determine the construction dates of some of the massive earthen structures and found that they spanned several centuries, beginning around the time of a famous slave rebellion in the 9th century A.D. The research findings were published Monday in the journal Antiquity. The enslaved people from that era are known today as the 'Zanj,' a medieval Arabic term for the East African Swahili coast, although there are different theories about where in Africa most of them actually came from. They carried out a large-scale revolt in Iraq in 869 AD under the Abbasid state, known today as the 'Zanj rebellion.' The rebellion lasted for more than a decade until the Abbasid state regained control of the region in 883 A.D. Many descendants of those enslaved people now live in the southern port city of Basra in modern-day Iraq. While they are part of the fabric of modern-day Iraq, 'their history has not been actually written or documented very well in our history,' said Jaafar Jotheri, a professor of archaeology at the University of Al-Qadisiyah in Iraq, who was part of the research team. Researchers from Durham and Newcastle universities in the U.K., Radboud University in the Netherlands, and the University of Basra in Iraq also took part. 'So that's why this (finding) is very important, and what is next actually is to protect at least some of these huge structures for future work. It is minority heritage,' he said. The researchers first reviewed recent satellite imagery and older images from the 1960s showing the remains of more than 7,000 massive manmade ridges across the Shaṭṭ al-Arab floodplain. The size and scale of the network indicate the 'investment of human labour on a grand scale,' the report in Antiquity said. Sites were selected across the system to be analyzed with radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating. All four of the ridge crests sampled date to the period between the late ninth to mid-13th century A.D., situating their construction during the period when slave labor was in use in the area — and providing evidence that the use of slave labor likely continued for several centuries after the famous rebellion. Their findings demonstrate 'that these features were in use for a substantially longer period than previously assumed and, as such, they represent an important piece of Iraqi landscape heritage,' the researchers wrote. The finding comes at the time of a resurgence of archaeology in Iraq, a country often referred to as the 'cradle of civilization,' but where archaeological exploration has been stunted by decades of conflict that halted excavations and led to the looting of tens of thousands of artifacts. In recent years, the digs have returned and thousands of stolen artifacts have been repatriated.
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Archaeologists find new evidence of ancient slave labor in southern Iraq
BEIRUT (AP) — A system of thousands of ridges and canals across a floodplain in southern Iraq has long been believed to be the remnant of a massive agricultural system built by slave labor. Now an international team of archaeologists has found new evidence to support the theory. The team undertook testing to determine the construction dates of some of the massive earthen structures and found that they spanned several centuries, beginning around the time of a famous slave rebellion in the 9th century A.D. The research findings were published Monday in the journal Antiquity. The enslaved people from that era are known today as the 'Zanj,' a medieval Arabic term for the East African Swahili coast, although there are different theories about where in Africa most of them actually came from. They carried out a large-scale revolt in Iraq in 869 AD under the Abbasid state, known today as the 'Zanj rebellion.' The rebellion lasted for more than a decade until the Abbasid state regained control of the region in 883 A.D. Many descendants of those enslaved people now live in the southern port city of Basra in modern-day Iraq. While they are part of the fabric of modern-day Iraq, 'their history has not been actually written or documented very well in our history,' said Jaafar Jotheri, a professor of archaeology at the University of Al-Qadisiyah in Iraq, who was part of the research team. Researchers from Durham and Newcastle universities in the U.K., Radboud University in the Netherlands, and the University of Basra in Iraq also took part. 'So that's why this (finding) is very important, and what is next actually is to protect at least some of these huge structures for future work. It is minority heritage,' he said. The researchers first reviewed recent satellite imagery and older images from the 1960s showing the remains of more than 7,000 massive manmade ridges across the Shaṭṭ al-Arab floodplain. The size and scale of the network indicate the 'investment of human labour on a grand scale,' the report in Antiquity said. Sites were selected across the system to be analyzed with radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating. All four of the ridge crests sampled date to the period between the late ninth to mid-13th century A.D., situating their construction during the period when slave labor was in use in the area — and providing evidence that the use of slave labor likely continued for several centuries after the famous rebellion. Their findings demonstrate 'that these features were in use for a substantially longer period than previously assumed and, as such, they represent an important piece of Iraqi landscape heritage,' the researchers wrote. The finding comes at the time of a resurgence of archaeology in Iraq, a country often referred to as the 'cradle of civilization,' but where archaeological exploration has been stunted by decades of conflict that halted excavations and led to the looting of tens of thousands of artifacts. In recent years, the digs have returned and thousands of stolen artifacts have been repatriated.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Durham University staff vote for more strike action
Staff at Durham University have voted to take further industrial action in an ongoing row over job cuts. Members of the University and College Union (UCU) have announced plans for three additional walkouts in UCU said it followed what it described as management's rejection of its recent offer to pause strike action if "no compulsory redundancies could be guaranteed until the end of the calendar year".Durham University called the move "unnecessary", insisting there were "no current plans for redundancies". The strikes will take place on 13, 14 and 19 June. 'Needless hostility' Earlier this year, UCU members at Durham overwhelmingly backed industrial action in opposition to the university's plans to slash millions of pounds from its budget, putting 200 jobs at union said the cuts were targeting professional services and support staff who provide the backbone infrastructure that allowed the facility to run general secretary Jo Grady accused the university of "needless hostility" over its refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies. She said staff had already made "huge sacrifices to deliver the vast majority of savings through voluntary means". "All that remains is a small gap that could easily be managed without threatening jobs, but instead of offering reassurance management has chosen provocation."Our members will not stand by while livelihoods hang in the balance and the ball is now in the university's court." A Durham University spokesperson said the action was "unnecessary". "We have tried strenuously to ensure financial savings can be made through voluntary means," they said."Durham UCU know there are no current plans for redundancies and we will continue to work constructively with our four trade unions to ensure the university's financial sustainability."They added any examinations would not be affected by the proposed strike dates and students would be kept updated on any important developments. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram
South Wales Argus
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Cardiff opera singer wins prestigious writing award
Rosie Rowell was announced as the 2025 winner of the Women's Prize Trust's Discoveries Award for her unpublished novel-in-progress, "Down by the Stryth." The atmospheric thriller, inspired by the Bolton Strid, explores dysfunctional family relationships, generational trauma, and the complexities of womanhood. Ms Rowell, who studied English Literature at Durham University, will receive a £5,000 cash prize and an offer of representation from Curtis Brown literary agency. Ms Rowell said: "Winning Discoveries has felt surreal and extraordinary. "Knowing that the judges see promise in the story I've worked so hard on and loved so deeply is incredibly encouraging." The Discoveries programme aims to find and support aspiring female novelists from across the UK and Ireland. Since its launch in 2020, the programme has inspired thousands of women to share their writing for the first time, receiving over 13,000 novels-in-progress.
RTÉ News
26-05-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
Can bad weather really cause headaches?
Analysis: There actually is a scientific basis for why some people are able to sense changes in the weather by the headaches they cause By Amanda Ellison, Durham University We all know somebody who claims they can predict the weather with their body. Whether it's your arthritic relative who knows rain is on the way when their knees ache or your lifelong pal who gets a headache when a storm is approaching. Having written a book on headaches, I hear a lot from people I meet about headaches that are related to the weather. But as it turns out, there actually is a scientific basis for why some people are able to sense changes in the weather by the headaches they cause. While it's difficult to say how many people actually suffer from weather-related headache, research shows over 60% of people who suffer from migraines think they're sensitive to the weather. In 2015, researchers who collected daily sales figures of a headache medication in Japan showed that sales peaked significantly when average barometric pressure decreased. This often happens before bad weather. But why do these headaches happen? There are two mechanisms of action here. From RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Claire Byrne, Dr Maire Finn on understanding the causes, types and treatments for headaches One is related to the sinuses – the four small air-filled cavities in the bones of the face. Just as people's ears "pop" when air pressure changes, atmospheric pressure changes can create an imbalance in sinus pressure causing inflammation and pain. This feels different depending on which sinus is most affected, ranging from forehead pain, pain between and behind your eyes, pain in your face, or a more diffuse headache in the front or back of your head. Which you are more prone to depends on the individual structure of your head. The other way this type of headache happens is related to the way in which pressure changes alter blood flow in the cerebrovascular system – which controls how blood is circulated around your head. Blood is highly toxic to neurons and so it's very important that blood is kept separate from the brain. The blood vessels of the cerebrovascular system have receptors that activate if blood vessels widen too much, acting as an early warning system that something isn't quite right. We perceive this activation as pain. Both of these will at the very least cause a generalised headache in those who are sensitive to pressure changes. But even small drops in pressure have been correlated with increases in migraine episodes in sufferers. Falling pressure associated with bad weather isn't the only thing that can affect us. Rising humidity can also cause headaches through our sinuses. This is because high humidity can increase the amount of mucus produced by the lining of the sinuses in order to trap allergens, dust and pollution particles that are plentiful in the dense, moist air. This can cause congestion, inflammation and discomfort in the sinuses – often leading to a sinus headache. Medicines and other remedies There's little any of us can do about the weather. So outside of locking ourselves in pressure-regulated chambers, painkillers and decongestants are probably the only way to remedy your pain until the weather outside passes through. It's also worth noting, however, that headaches rarely happen due to one trigger alone – and changes in atmospheric pressure may not always cause a headache. Bad posture and inflammation in the body (usually the result of stress) may both cause headaches. Muscles that are contracted over long periods time need more blood flow to deliver oxygen and other nutrients – and this is the hallmark of inflammation over time. Stress increases the levels of adrenaline and cortisol in our body, which can also cause inflammation and widen the blood vessels in your head – leading to headaches and pain. Proper posture and reducing stress may help prevent headaches. Staying hydrated and eating a varied diet containing essential minerals and vitamins, and avoiding trigger foods and drinks (if you know them), will also help. When bad weather is impending, vigorous chewing (such as with chewing gum) can help the pressure equalise in your sinuses through your mouth, nose, and Eustachian tube (which runs from the middle ear to the throat and is really important in equalising pressure) – and may ward off a pressure headache. And choosing sugar-free gum sweetened with xylitol may also have the added benefit of stopping nasty respiratory bugs from sticking to your mucus membranes by changing their cell wall structure, according to one study. Boosting our natural painkillers, such as serotonin and dopamine, is important too. These neurochemicals block the pain signal on its way to our brain and so can lessen how much pain we feel. They are also intimately involved in our mood, so it's no wonder that low serotonin concentrations are triggers for migraine, and we often experience this as a low mood. It's why in the days preceding a migraine episode people often crave chocolate (which contains a chemical that turns into serotonin in our body) and intimacy, which boosts serotonin, dopamine and the bonding hormone, oxytoxin – which is also a powerful painkiller. Keeping these neurotransmitters topped up by doing things we like – be it chatting with friends or listening to music – will ensure good hormonal hygiene, and reduce the impact headaches, even barometric ones, have on our daily lives. So when the weather outside is bad, settling down to watch a movie with a loved one and some chocolate to eat may be as good a remedy as any.
