Latest news with #KingMidas
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists think this orange goo is 2,500-year-old honey
The buzz surrounding the contents of a 2,500-year-old bronze and copper jar has perplexed archaeologists for half a century. What was this residue with ties to Ancient Greece? Is it the remains of fats or oils from some kind of meat, or perhaps beeswax used for face creams, sealing boats, and more? A new reanalysis of this millennia-old residue found that it is likely the remains of ancient honey. The findings are detailed in a study published July 30 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. In the ancient world, honey was an important substance. It was found in alcoholic beverages uncovered in the tomb of King Midas and people in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt used the sticky substance as a common medicinal ingredient. It was used to treat burns and fight infections. It was also used as a universal sweetener in foods and drinks. Honey also had a role in death rituals. According to historical accounts, Alexander the Great was preserved in honey upon his death. The substance was sometimes left in shrines as offerings to the gods and buried alongside the dead–whether they were conquerors or commoners. In 1954, an underground Greek shrine dating to about 520 BCE was discovered in Paestum, Italy, about 90 minutes from Pompeii. Archeologists at the time initially assumed that it was honey, but three different analyses over the next 30 years failed to confirm the presence of honey in the residue. Instead, it was believed to be some animal or vegetable fat that had been contaminated with pollen and insect parts over time. The copper pot eventually made its way to University of Oxford's Ashmolean Museum for an exhibition, so a team there had a chance to re-examine the mystery substance. The researchers led by Oxford archeologist Luciana da Costa Carvalho and biological chemist James McCullagh, analyzed samples of the residue to determine its molecular makeup. This closer look revealed that the residue has a chemical fingerprint nearly identical to that of modern beeswax and honey. It has a higher acidity level consistent with the changes that occur during long-term storage. It also has a chemical composition more complex than heat-degraded beeswax. This suggested that honey or some other substance was once present in the vessel. [ Related: Ancient funerals may have included a ritual feast on a giant bird. ] Additionally, where the residue had touched the jar, degraded sugar mixed with copper was not found. Instead, hexose sugars–a common group of sugars that is found in honey–were detected in greater concentrations in the ancient residue than modern beeswax. Royal jelly proteins that are known to be secreted by the western honeybee, were also found in the residue. Together, the team says that these results suggest that the mystery substance is what remains of ancient honey. However, it is entirely possible that other bee products such as propolis may also be present in this sample. 'Ancient residues aren't just traces of what people ate or offered to the gods—they are complex chemical ecosystems,' da Costa Carvalho said in a statement. 'Studying them reveals how those substances changed over time, opening the door to future work on ancient microbial activity and its possible applications.' Solve the daily Crossword
Indian Express
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Leher Kala writes: Beauty junkies, beware
It is, one supposes, an acceptable pitfall of being the modern equivalent of King Midas that when hosting a glittering wedding in romantic Venice, every aspect will be thoroughly investigated and gleefully analysed. The Bezos wedding provided much grist for the rumour mills, from the foam parties to the love lives of attendant A-listers. Indeed, the vicarious thrill of living the dream is intense. To everyone watching footage of bejeweled guests disembarking the gondolas, what seemed magnified exponentially (and somewhat unusually), was a startling display of décolletage, prompting both — a slew of opinion on plastic surgery, and discussion on when, exactly, does risqué-ness tip over to crass exhibitionism? Acerbic and sharp-tongued anchor Megyn Kelly held forth on the 'bizarre spectacle' asserting that actor Sydney Sweeney was invited because of her 'physical attributes'. A guest on Kelly's show described the 55-year-old bride's features as a 'repository of injectables'. If scantily clad was the abiding theme set by the hostess's penchant for bosom-revealing bustiers, it explains this wedding's attire etiquette, of negligee-style naked dresses and exposed inner-wear. Most prominent though, more than flesh oozing out of tightly laced corsets, were the enhanced lips, fake eyelashes, augmented breasts and face fillers. As another online commentator noted, Bezos' guests were de facto advertisements for their surgeons, who will rely on this footage to show future clients their noteworthy sculpting skills. The righteous, of which there are large numbers everywhere, dismiss the craze for cosmetic improvement as rich-people-problems. Which isn't true anymore. A rhinoplasty or nose job can cost as little as Rs 45,000 in Delhi and is a 90-minute procedure, not requiring hospitalisation. If somebody doesn't want to go through life with a bad nose, and it's not breaking the bank, nor is it dangerous, changing it is a worthwhile investment. We don't think of wearing makeup or gymming as being self-absorbed; if science permits other options, it's no different. But the so-called shallow pursuit of vanity always comes with an unsaid warning of doom, rather than a promise of bliss. Of course, plastic surgery won't solve any existential problems, which haunt us till the end. It does, however, solve the problem of looking in the mirror and being chained by gloomy thoughts of too much nose. Anyone halfway normal knows there are limits to striving for ideals of perfection. Much like we resist a second helping of dessert, most of us would steer clear of repeated surgical dabbling. The Venice extravaganza left the world gawking not just for its 50-million-dollar price tag but also the voyeuristic pleasure of observing those so committed to self-mutilation. What does it say — that the desire to look like an Only Fans model is the current cultural conditioning among those who have everything? It's one thing to indulge in some minor tweaking but entirely another to reconstruct a new self to keep up with the trend everyone's sporting, of a luscious mouth and high cheekbones. In the subversive television drama Nip/Tuck, every episode would begin with two plastic surgeons asking their women clients, 'So, tell us what you don't like about yourself.' Ageing was the inevitable answer. Alas, all attempts to subvert time's winged chariot are futile. Beauty is fleeting. It doesn't last, because nothing lasts. The demise of 42-year-old Shefali Jariwala, allegedly due to unregulated aesthetics treatments, makes her a statistical anomaly but it has some sobering lessons. While doggedly pursuing youth is unlikely to kill us, when it occupies too much mindspace, it prevents us from enjoying this moment, which has so many other wonders. The writer is director, Hutkay Films
New York Post
23-06-2025
- General
- New York Post
Secret tomb linked to King Midas discovered — and it's oozing ‘a high level of wealth': scientists
It was a real goldmine. Archaeologists have discovered a 2,500-year-old tomb in Turkey that is potentially connected to King Midas — and contains rare artifacts and cremated remains of a high-ranking individual. 'Based on these artifacts, we estimate that the person in the tomb chamber may be a member of the royal family associated with Gordion and Midas,' Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the Turkish minister of culture and tourism, announced at a news conference earlier this month, Live Science reported. Advertisement The excavations were carried out over four months by archaeologists with the Penn Museum in Philadelphia, PA and researchers with the Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University, The blinged-out burial ground, which dates back to the 8th century B.C., was discovered 60 miles west of the Turkish capital of Ankara in Gordion, the ancient capital of the Phrygian kingdom. 4 The Gordion dig site. 'The person buried here was not an ordinary person,' according to Yücel Şenyurt, co-director of the Gordion excavation. Penn Museum Advertisement This empire ruled over most of western and central Anatolia in the first millennium B.C, Fox News reported. Among the ancient civilization's most notable rulers was King Midas, who was depicted in Greek mythology as being able to turn anything he touched into gold — a parable against the dangers of unchecked greed. And while the real historical figure didn't literally gild items upon contact, he was likely no stranger to riches: There are reportedly 47 decadent burial mounds that have been excavated at Gordion. 4 An illustration showing the fictional King Midas accidentally turning his daughter to gold. Bettmann Archive Advertisement The latest one, Tumulus T-26, contained a wooden burial chamber brimming with a treasure trove of artifacts, including well-preserved iron tools and bronze implements. These 'attest to a high level of wealth,' according to C. Brian Rose, Gordion excavation co-director and an archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania. 4 Researchers at the excavation site. Penn Museum Ersoy said they were the 'most concentrated group' of such artifacts after the hoard found in the previously-excavated Midas Mound, which contained a long coffin atop purple textiles that potentially housed a high-status official, possibly Midas' father Gordias. Advertisement In Tumulus T-26, archaeologists found cremated remains that were the oldest at the repository. 4 Aerial view of the ongoing excavations. Penn Museum 'What's really interesting is that it's a cremation burial,' said Rose, adding that 'this is the only example from the 8th century' at the site. This special treatment post-mortem 'clearly shows us that the person buried here was not an ordinary person,' according to Yücel Şenyurt, co-director of the Gordion excavation. Another factor that suggests a relation to King Midas was the tomb's proximity to the one where the golden ruler's father was likely interred. 'Royal tombs are often organized in clusters, so it seems likely that the newly excavated tombs belonged to his family,' C. Brian Rose told Fox News. Also notable were a pair of bronze cauldrons that were used to serve food at a funeral feast. While there was no food residue on said containers, archaeologists did find some 'from the funeral ceremony of Midas' father in 740 BCE,' according to Rose. Advertisement 'We therefore know that they served a spicy lentil and barbecued sheep or goat stew that was washed down with an alcoholic beverage – a mixture of grape wine, barley beer and honey mead,' he said. Some even sported wax strips with the name of the owner, so these dishes could be easily found if they were put down. Despite excavating the Gordion repository for over 75 years, archaeologists have a long way to go before they finish excavating the myriad structures and settlements housed there.
Fox News
23-06-2025
- General
- Fox News
Archaeologists discover untouched tomb linked to King Midas' dynasty: 'High level of wealth'
A tomb likely linked to the family of King Midas was recently uncovered in Turkey — offering more details about life during the reign of the legendary leader. The discovery was made at the Gordion archaeological site some 60 miles southwest of the Turkish capital of Ankara. The royal tomb dates to the 8th century B.C. and was found after a grueling four months of excavating. Gordion was the capital of the Phrygian kingdom, which controlled most of western and central Anatolia in the first millennium B.C. Its most famous king is King Midas, the ruler known for his "golden touch." He controlled the kingdom between 740 and 700 B.C. With the burial chamber dating back to 750 B.C., evidence suggests the new discovery belonged to his family. University of Pennsylvania professor C. Brian Rose, who directs excavations at the site, spoke with Fox News Digital about the recent discovery. The tomb, dubbed Tumulus T-26, contained a great display of wealth, including various well-preserved bronze objects and iron tools, said the historian. Interestingly, the remains of the decedent were also cremated. "Royal tombs are often organized in clusters, so it seems likely that the newly excavated tombs belonged to his family." Rose said the bronze vessels "attest to a high level of wealth," on top of the tomb's proximity to the burial mound of Midas' father. "Royal tombs are often organized in clusters, so it seems likely that the newly excavated tombs belonged to his family," he said. Miraculously, the royal chamber was untouched by burglars, so several artifacts were still intact. A notable find was a pair of large bronze cauldrons that were used to serve food and drink during a funeral feast. Rose said that although no food residue was found on the vessels, previous discoveries at the site have shed light on what ancient Phrygians ate. "There was surviving food residue from the funeral ceremony of Midas' father in 740 BCE," he noted. "We therefore know that they served a spicy lentil and barbecued sheep or goat stew that was washed down with an alcoholic beverage – a mixture of grape wine, barley beer and honey mead." He added, "Some of the vessels had wax strips applied to their sides and the name of the owner was written. If you put your bowl down, you could easily find it again." The recent find follows others made at the same archaeological site. Archaeologists previously found a burial named Tumulus T-52, which housed over 3,000 amber beads. While the bronze objects in Tumulus T-26 indicate wealth, Rose said the discovery of the beads in Tumulus T-52 was unprecedented. "This constitutes one of the largest assemblages of amber found anywhere in the ancient world, and scientific testing shows that it was imported from the Baltic," he noted. "This is the kind of feature that one would expect in a royal assemblage, and the discovery supplies welcome information regarding the long-distance trade networks to which Gordion was connected." Archaeologists across the world uncover an untold number of ancient tombs every year – and some are lucky enough to find well-preserved artifacts, too. Last month, Egyptian officials announced the discovery of several high-ranking Ancient Egyptian officials' tombs. In Syria, a contractor recently stumbled across an expensive Christian tomb complex dating back to the Byzantine Empire.
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Royal Tomb, Relics Belonging to Relative of King Midas Found in Turkey
Archaeologists have found a 2,800-year-old royal tomb located near King Midas's former home in Turkey, the country's news agency, Anadolu Ajansı, reported. Scientists excavating a site in Gordion discovered a royal tomb dating back to the eighth century B.C., which they believe belonged to one of King Midas's relatives. Within the tomb were dozens of rare relics as well as cremated human bones which belonged to an elite member of the ancient kingdom of Phrygia. "Based on these artifacts, we estimate that the person in the tomb chamber may be a member of the royal family associated with Gordion and Midas," Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the Turkish minister of culture and tourism, said at a news conference on June 3. Gordion was the capital of the Phrygian kingdom, which reigned from 1200 to 675 B.C. The kingdom's first ruler, Gordias, was succeeded by his son, Midas, who, in mythology, can make anything he touches turn to archaeologists are somewhat baffled by Gordion's timeline, as it was occupied by so many different rules throughout its history. The largest tomb discovered at the site is known as the 'Midas Mound' and was erected around 740 B.C. to bury a high-status member of the society, potentially Gordias himself. The most recently discovered tomb is the 47th mound excavated at the site (out of 120 total mounds) and features the oldest cremation yet found at the site. "This shows the burial customs of the Phrygians," said archaeologist Yücel Şenyurt, co-director of the Gordion excavation. He added that the find "clearly shows us that the person buried here was not an ordinary person." Further analysis of the remains and the relic discovered within the tomb will hopefully identify the deceased's remains , as well as details of their life before Tomb, Relics Belonging to Relative of King Midas Found in Turkey first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 15, 2025
