Latest news with #Vesuvius
News.com.au
2 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Unthinkable new find inside Pompeii could change everything
A scattering of pock marks on Pompeii's city walls may prove a mythological 'super weapon' may have been real after all. At a glance, they look like acts of vandalism found across the ancient world – from the face of the Great Sphynx to the great standing stones of Britain. Few historic sights have escaped the temptation of trigger-happy troops, hunters and tourists. And the marks of these bullet impacts still mar their surfaces centuries later. But researchers examining the scars of battle in Pompeii 's stone walls near the city's main gates for the Vesuvius and Herculaneum roads have found similar depressions. Only the can't have been caused by bullets. Pompei was buried under volcanic debris as Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD. Gunpowder was first used in handheld weapons 900 years later, in China. So what were these tightly grouped clusters of diamond-shaped impressions? They were too small to be ancient artillery. And too deep to be caused by hand-drawn bows. University of Campania researcher Adriana Rossi has found the impact marks in Pompeii's excavated walls are unlike anything ever seen before. And only one mythological device could have caused them. Forensic evidence The University of Campania academics scanned the impact points in 3D and digitally reconstructed the properties of the stone wall. Their models of the trajectories and penetration depths suggest the heavy iron points that caused them must have been travelling at about 109 meters per second. The deep gouges were in groups of four or five. And their even spacing suggests they were fired together, or in very close succession. Only one weapon known from ancient writings could produce such results. This is the polybolos, a 'machinegun' style crossbow-like weapon invented by the Greeks during the 3rd Century BC. But the polybolos was an antipersonnel weapon. Not a wall breaching device. The study argues the marks in the wall were made when the iron bolts fell slightly short of their intended targets. The 'gunners' would have simply upped their aim, and fired again. The evidence fits the known history of Pompeii. A century before being buried, it had been besieged. The free city had rebelled against the growing power of Rome. Its citizens wanted to restore their independence. But the famous Roman general, Sulla, was sent to quell the insurrection in 89BC. Surviving accounts tell how he attacked Pompeii 's port with 'artillery', generally thought to be catapults and large ballistae (heavy bolt throwers). General Sulla entered Pompeii once the walls were breached. The surviving defenders quickly capitulated, and the city was formally annexed as part of the Roman Republic. Most of its citizens were granted citizenship. And many of the Roman legionaries involved in the siege were gifted properties in and around the city. A century later, the coastal city had become a holiday resort for Rome's rich and famous. From myth to reality It's not entirely certain how the ancient 'machine gun' worked. No surviving example has ever been discovered. But a description of its mechanics is contained in the writings of Philo of Byzantium (Philo Mechanicus). This inventor lived in the Greek city of Alexandria, the location of history's greatest library, in about 250BC. Its university was a boiling pot of philosophy, science and engineering. Philo embraced the emerging concept of physics. He is credited with some of the earliest examples of automation and robotics. And his writings included treatises on leverage (The Mochlica) and the design of siege engines (The Belopoeica). The polybolos (which, in Greek, means 'many-shot-thrower') relied on torsion (the springlike power of tightly twisted cords bending timber) as its power source. Up to 15 bolts (large arrows) were stored in a magazine above the device. These were successively fed into the crossbow-like firing mechanism by a gear-driven chain-drive – the first known example of its kind. All the user had to do was pull a trigger, and the stored torsion power could unleash several volleys of bolts. Once expended, torsion energy could be restored by winding a windlass winch and the magazine reloaded. It was the most complex weapon system of its time.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Watch: Napoli Serie A title parade live
Thousands of Napoli fans are celebrating the Scudetto in the streets of Naples on Monday, passionately following the team's open-top bus parade. The Partenopei clinched their second Scudetto in three years on Friday, beating Cagliari 2-0 at the Stadio Maradona. Advertisement The achievement from Conte's men has already been massively celebrated under the Vesuvius, but it's never quite enough these days, as fans enjoyed an open-top bus parade in the city centre on Monday afternoon. Jubilant Napoli players, led by Romelu Lukaku and Scott McTominay, proudly showed the Scudetto title in a lengthy parade from Molo Luise to Piazza Vittoria.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Conte masterminds ‘most unexpected' scudetto with single-minded Napoli
Antonio Conte had asked a city not to get ahead of itself, not to celebrate this Serie A title before its team earned it. 'I don't want to see flags here and there with numbers on,' he said after the draw with Parma in the penultimate round. Everybody knew what he meant: Napoli were in touching distance of their fourth scudetto but, for a superstitious manager, now was not the moment to say it out loud. Related: Napoli secure Serie A title after Scott McTominay's stunner sees off Cagliari Advertisement Supporters held off for as long as they could. Not until the final moments of Napoli's 2-0 win over Cagliari on Friday did the giant white sheet come cascading down the stands of the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona with an enormous black '4' in the middle. Green and red flares were set off either side to create the colours of the Italian flag. The same that appear on a scudetto badge. Conte was watching from a private box, banned from the touchline after a red card against Parma. Even he was starting to surrender to this moment. Thousands more fans were already gathering outside the sold-out stadium, setting off the first pyrotechnics on another night of Neapolitan fireworks that could put Mount Vesuvius to shame. It was not supposed to happen this quickly. Napoli waited 33 years between their second and third Serie A titles, and even that felt impossibly soon to supporters who had imagined it might never happen again without Maradona wearing the shirt. The manager who ended that drought, Luciano Spalletti, collected his winner's medal and immediately rode off into the sunset in his newly repainted Fiat Panda. Few expected Napoli to be contenders this season. Yes, that title win under Spalletti was only two years ago and, yes, Conte was a serial champion who had claimed league titles before with Juventus, Chelsea and Inter. But as he reminded us often, Napoli finished 10th last season. Advertisement Their top scorer of the last two years, Victor Osimhen, was packed off to Galatasaray in an unhappy loan deal compromise to save on his wage bill. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the other standout performer from Spalletti's scudetto-winning team, was sold to Paris Saint-Germain in January without a replacement. David Neres, his alternative on the left of attack, promptly got injured. And yet Napoli, even after beginning their season with a 3-0 defeat to Verona, have occupied first place for more than half of this campaign. Rarely spectacular, and occasionally downright unconvincing, they made virtues of consistency and single-mindedness. Unlike their title rivals, they began without European distractions. They exited the Coppa Italia in the last 16 after fielding a weakened team against Lazio. Where Inter stumbled in key head-to-heads – they dropped five points to each of Juventus, Milan and Bologna – Napoli largely avoided such demoralising setbacks. There were some brief wobbles, in February and again over the last fortnight, when draws against Genoa and Parma gave Inter a chance to steal ahead. But the Nerazzurri twice let a lead slip against Lazio to blow what turned out to be their last chance. There were brief moments of tension on Friday night. Napoli began with a one-point lead over Inter, who kicked off at the same time at Como and took the lead through Stefan de Vrij after 21 minutes. Briefly, they moved ahead in the real-time table. Advertisement Napoli were making things look hard in front of goal, a common theme of this season. All except for Scott McTominay, that is. The man whose man nicknames in Naples include Apribottiglie – Bottle Opener – popped the cork on the night's celebrations with a sensational scissor-kick just before half-time. There could be no more fitting way to get the party started. This was McTominay's 12th goal of the Serie A season, and the eighth time he has broken a deadlock at 0-0. Little wonder that he should receive the league's Most Valuable Player award at full time. What an inspired piece of business his signing looks with hindsight. Napoli paid just over €30m to sign McTominay from Manchester United right at the end of last summer's transfer window. His goals have been essential but so has his versatility, lining up at different times as a box-to-box midfielder, No 10 or wide on the left. Still, Napoli are not a one-man show. It was Romelu Lukaku who made it 2-0 soon after the break, holding off Michel Adopo and dribbling past Yerry Mina as he ran half the pitch to drill a finish past the goalkeeper Alen Sherri. The Belgian's 14th goal of the campaign, to go with a league-leading 10 assists. Advertisement He is a different player now to the one who fired Conte's Inter to the title four years ago. Yet the bond between them is the same. When the manager finally was allowed on to the pitch at full time, he made a bee-line straight for Lukaku, sharing a long and heartfelt embrace. The club's president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, stood awkwardly to the side, awaiting his turn. It is no secret that there has been tension between him and Conte, the manager frustrated – and you've heard this one before – with a perceived lack of investment in the squad, especially after Kvaratskhelia's departure. Neither would commit in post-game interviews to the manager being back again next year. Who cared about that anyway? This was a night to celebrate, not to worry about what comes next. Napoli fans are living through the most successful domestic chapter in their club's history. Not even Maradona won two scudetti here in three years. This story is more remarkable for the upheaval in the middle of it – the fact neither Spalletti nor his two best players stayed around for this second triumph. Napoli went through three managers last season before landing Conte in the summer. De Laurentiis is clearly doing a lot right, but he doesn't half find unconventional ways to do it. Advertisement Conte, the first manager to win Serie A with three different clubs, called this: 'The most unexpected, difficult and stimulating scudetto of my career.' Imagine how it must feel to the players who have stayed through this whole journey, footballers who perhaps do not get enough credit in among the praise rightfully being heaped on the likes of Lukaku and McTominay. Frank Anguissa was magnificent again this season, owning the middle of the pitch and driving his team forward in possession. Amir Rrahmani stepped up brilliantly at centre-back after summer signing Alessandro Buongiorno was injured. Giovanni Di Lorenzo, the club captain, was back to his best after a disappointing last season. They all went under the Curva together at the end. Conte held up a piece of card in the shape of a scudetto badge. On it was a slogan made around a number that no longer felt scary to say: 'Ag4in'.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
🎥 Naples erupts: Neapolitans celebrate fourth Scudetto 🌋
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here. The postcard of Naples with Vesuvius in the background is a beauty, but when the city itself, its people, becomes a walking volcano, the show becomes wonderful. We were able to experience all that and more last night with the tremendous party celebrating Napoli's fourth scudetto. As two years ago, a boat that is already part of Neapolitan folklore set sail again. Torna la nave Scudetto, come nel successo di due anni fa: Napoli sa sempre come stupire 😍💙#SSCNapoli #TifosiNapoli #SpazioNapoli — Spazio Napoli (@Spazio_Napoli) May 23, 2025 Reminder for the scudetto victims, special mention for Inter rivals. Sobrietà #Napoli — SandroSca (@SandroSca) May 23, 2025 From the final whistle of the match that secured the championship, the Neapolitans flooded the squares and avenues. The horns of the motorcycles resonated on every corner, while the fireworks illuminated the night sky, painting it with the blue and white colors of the team. Le scene dei festeggiamenti per la vittoria del campionato del Napoli, stanno facendo il giro del mondo, per la gioia dei milioni di tifosi emigrati. #NapoliCagliari#Napoli #Scudetto #CampioneDItalia #SerieA — Marco Ferraglioni (@MFerraglioni) May 23, 2025 Piazza del Plebiscito, the emblematic heart of Naples, was the epicenter of the celebration. Festa a piazza Plebiscito per il gol di #ScottMcTominay#napoli #sscnapoli — Il Mattino (@mattinodinapoli) May 23, 2025 The celebration was a tribute not only to the team's effort, but also to the city's football legacy. Images of Diego Maradona, Naples' eternal idol, were displayed on banners and shirts, remembering that his spirit is still present in every victory of the club. This fourth Serie A title will be etched in the collective memory of Naples forever. And the party continues! 📸 Jamie Squire - 2025 Getty Images
Business Insider
22-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
RBC Capital Sticks to Its Buy Rating for Vesuvius (VSVS)
In a report released on May 20, Mark Fielding from RBC Capital maintained a Buy rating on Vesuvius (VSVS – Research Report), with a price target of p590.00. The company's shares closed yesterday at p364.80. Confident Investing Starts Here: Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks straight to you inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter According to TipRanks, Fielding is ranked #442 out of 9519 analysts. In addition to RBC Capital, Vesuvius also received a Buy from Jefferies's Andrew Douglas in a report issued on May 16. However, on May 19, Barclays maintained a Sell rating on Vesuvius (LSE: VSVS). The company has a one-year high of p498.60 and a one-year low of p310.80. Currently, Vesuvius has an average volume of 602.3K. Based on the recent corporate insider activity of 7 insiders, corporate insider sentiment is neutral on the stock.
