Culture

It almost seems like the confirmation of the legend prowdly handed down by Romans since ancient times: that of the she-wolf who founded Rome. This time, however, it is not a matter of myths and legends, but rather a sensational archaeological discovery. In the Italian capital it has in fact been found the fossil of the first European wolf. The discovery, which took place in Ponte Galeria (near the area of Via Portuense) at the hands of a team of paleontologists and geologists from the Department of Earth Sciences of the University La Sapienza and the Department of Earth Sciences "Ardito Desio" in Milan, uncovered the remains of a large fossil canid skull dating back to 400,000 years ago. It was thanks to the 3D reconstruction that it was possible to identify the fossil as "the oldest a...

What is considered the longest earthquake in history dates back to 1861. It is still the object of study by experts today to prevent a similar phenomenon from happening again in the future. In Indonesia, near the island of Sumatra, about 160 years ago an earthquake of magnitude 8.5 killed thousands of people by raising a wall of water that hit the coastal area of ​​the island. What could have looked like an earthquake like so many others turned out to be the culminating phase of a "silent" earthquake that began some 32 years earlier. Earthquakes of this type are called "slow sliding events", lasting several days, months or even years. But even within this very particular category, the Sumatra earthquake remains an exceptional case, for its thirty-year duration, double the earthquake wh...

The gothic novel by celebrated author Mary Shelley broke the world auction record for a work by a woman, with a sale of $ 1,170,000. The classic Frankenstein, or "The Modern Prometheus", arose in the writer's imagination when she was only 18, almost for fun.  In the spring of 1816, Mary, her half-sister Claire Clairmont and her husband Percy decided to spend their summer holidays on Lake Geneva, at Villa Diodati in the company of Lord Byron, who was having an affair with Claire at the time, and John William Polidori, a doctor of Italian origin. The summer of that year, in reality, was unusual, with incessant rains and low temperatures. The unfavorable climatic conditions, the group of friends was often forced to spend whole days at home. A very welcome pastime was reading German s...

Here comes great news for Finland. The Finnish city of Oulu has been named the European Capital of Culture of 2026, beating competition from two other national rivals: Savonlinna and Tàmpere. The European Capital of Culture initiative saw cities stay on display for a year with a celebration of art and culture. But the jury liked the city of Oulu especially for its project focused on sustainability and local participation, thanks to which the public is directly involved in the creative process, of which they are co-author and observer. This project promises cultural climate change, through the participatory nature of art and culture. "After the pandemic, it is extremely important to collaborate, to make things interesting and to use culture as a unifying element in our daily life," s...

35 years have passed since the night of 26th April 1986, the night of the tragedy that involved the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and, in general, humanity. During these years, man has had to face the consequences of the nuclear disaster caused by a failed test. It was not easy to manage the emergency, including first aid and attempts to contain and prevent contamination, as well as the management of hospitals. In this regard, the WHO writes: "The accident’s radiological and non-radiological consequences affected directly and indirectly the lives of millions of people in Europe. This anniversary offers an opportunity to take stock of lessons learned, reflect on the recovery process, and appreciate once again the heroic efforts of the first responders who rushed to the damaged r...

Anyone who goes to Paris, includes among their very first stops a visit to the Eiffel Tower, an iron construction born 132 years ago in Paris and which today appears in the photos of all tourists of the French capital, the symbolic monument of the Parisian city together with Notre Dame. The Eiffel Tower, also known as the "iron asparagus" or "iron lady", was inaugurated on March 31, 1889 and is now the most famous monument in Paris and all of France in general. After the inauguration, it was officially opened to the public on May 6 for the Universal Exposition of the same year, for the centenary of the French Revolution. The project by the French engineer Gustave Eiffel, specialized in the construction of metal bridges, was chosen among one hundred proposals submitted to the French ...

“It is a great excitement to reveal these finds and expose them to the public – said the Director General of the Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage, Avi Cohen – finds which shed great light on our history. These finds are not just important to our own cultural heritage, but to that of the entire world”.  In an official statement posted online, the Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage has joyfully announced the extraordinary artefacts found in the Judean Desert, between Israel and the West Bank. Fragments of Qumran jars, arrowheads, combs and coins are just some of the findings discovered during the operations carried out by the team of archaeologists. One of the most important ob...

Today we resumes our journey in search of the tastiest dishes of each country. Our first stop is in a country situaded on the border between Europe and Asia. We are talking about Turkey. Its cuisine has very ancient origins as it dates back to the era of the Ottoman Empire. Due to its geographical position, Turkey has absorbed influences from many countries such as Asia, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, the Balkans, giving life to a rich and varied cuisine that is not limited only to the famous kebab. Börek, for example, is a very tasty savory pie made up of pasta sheets and which can be filled in many ways. There are more than three hundred types of köfte (meatballs) that are usually ate with the typical ayran drink, made with water, salt and shee...