Bronze statue is exact replica of Orkney's last Great Auk
It is an exact copy of the last of the giant seabirds that lived on the island in 1813.
The original remains of the Papa Westray Great Auk have been preserved by the Natural History Museum in London. These were scanned and cast in bronze.
The flightless bird lived in large colonies on both sides of the Atlantic and was hunted to extinction by the 1850s.
The statue was unveiled to the Papa Westray community after six years of fundraising, at a time seabird numbers on the island are in decline.
It is the newest attraction on the island - famous for having the world's shortest scheduled flight from its larger neighbour, Westray.
Island ranger Jonathan Ford first visited in pursuit of the Great Auk in 2005.
He now lives in Papa Westray and shows visitors its sights and its birds.
"I became obsessed with black and white birds," he said
"I saw the last breeding pair in the British Isles were killed here. So that brought me to the island otherwise I would never have visited."
He added: "If Orkney's North Isles Landscape Partnership had not existed we would not have received the funding. It's been a long process but it's been worth it."
For the Natural History Museum's Joanne Cooper, seeing the statue for the first time was an emotional moment.
In her role as senior curator she looks after the original Papa Westray specimen.
"To see it so beautifully done with the texture so detailed in bronze was really staggering. It's just perfect," says Joanne.
Mystery surrounds how the Papa Westray bird was killed. It's believed to have been shot after a collector placed a bounty on its head.
The seabird could not fly, but it was an excellent swimmer.
Islanders recall stories of a six-hour chase by men in a boat, which ended with the exhausted bird being clubbed to death.
Now, it is part of one of the world's largest collections of Great Auk remains, which includes several eggs.
The specimen is too fragile to be put on public display and is rarely moved.
"This is a really honest interpretation of what our bird is like now," said Joanne.
"You can see the wear and tear of time and where patches are missing on the wings. It's authentic."
Papa Westray would usually be noisy with bird life at this time of year, but local ornithologists attending the unveiling remarked how quiet it was.
Within living memory the island would be home to 15,000 breeding pairs of Arctic Terns.
Now just 200 pairs have been reported each season, with few chicks surviving long enough to leave.
The new statue stands on the island as a cautionary tale of man's tendency to exploit natural abundance beyond its limits, which remains relevant to this day.
Great auk: Humans hunted seabird to extinction
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National Geographic
27-06-2025
- National Geographic
These treasures changed everything we thought we knew about the Celts
A warrior people Two horsemen face off and another combatant bears a large shield on this fifth-century B.C. bronze belt clasp found at Vače, Slovenia (Natural History Museum, Vienna). During the Iron Age (circa 1200-500 B.C.), a large swath of non-Mediterranean Europe was occupied by a people who became known for their craftsmanship, religion, and warfare. Different groups, now known collectively as Celts, spoke languages belonging to the Celtic family and shared a common ideological framework reflected in a series of divinities they worshipped in religious festivities. The Romans built up a stereotype of the Celts and other enemies, like the Germanic peoples, as barbarians. They caricatured them as blond, white-skinned giants from the north with a primitive tendency for drunkenness and violence. This cliché helped condition how researchers regarded the Celts. But in recent decades, new readings of the classical sources and some fascinating archaeological discoveries have overturned the stereotype of the Celts as primitive. New findings show that the Celtic culture was in fact a complex and refined civilization with various art styles, architecture, religious customs, technology, and social structures. In terms of urban planning and metallurgy, there were similarities with the Greco-Roman world. And like many other ancient peoples, the Celts had a culture that was both influenced and influential. The vast territories of Celtica, where the Celts lived, stretched from Ireland to the Balkans and into the Iberian Peninsula. The different Celtic groups were highly fragmented politically, and it's virtually certain they didn't consider themselves a single people, although there were common features. In fact, some scholars have debated the continued use of the term Celt, believing it might be insufficient in describing the diversity among these groups, especially over different time periods. Gauls, Celtiberians, Britons, and many others were included in this classification. (Cults, curses, and magic: This surprising European city has ancient links to Halloween) However, all the Celtic societies were hierarchical, with a ruling aristocratic minority. Most of the working majority were dedicated to agriculture, but there were also artists and merchants. Celtic nobles distinguished themselves by their military prowess. At first, in the Hallstatt culture, considered the proto-Celtic era, these nobles were also set apart by their access to luxury goods of Mediterranean origin that they obtained through trade. This is evidenced by treasures discovered in the royal tombs of Hochdorf and Hohmichele, two Hallstatt settlements. During this period, an initial phase of urbanism developed with the appearance of settlements such as Heuneburg and Hohenasperg, which, with their protective walls, distinct neighborhoods, and public spaces, closely resembled cities. Marked by war These urban centers were abandoned during the fifth century B.C., with the transition from the Hallstatt to the La Tène culture. The shift is often attributed to a decline in natural resources, including salt production, a change in trading opportunities, and a wealth disparity among settlements. Celtic society took on a more rural character, with people dispersed among scattered farmsteads, each inhabited by a few families. Many early La Tène sites were near rivers. Magazine for all ages starting at $25/year At the same time, the Celtic aristocracy accentuated its warlike character. It was then that the Celts burst onto the scene in the written sources of the Greco-Roman world through their dazzling military expansion—often in conflicts against Rome. The most dramatic moments were the Sack of Rome by the Gauls (390 B.C.) and the attack on the famous Greek sanctuary of Delphi (279 B.C.). In addition to participating in such sacking expeditions, many Celtic warriors joined the Hellenistic armies of the time as mercenaries. An image of the Celts as ferocious barbarians was seared into the collective consciousness of the Greeks and Romans. During this period, the Celts were also engaged in full-scale migrations in which entire groups of families settled new territory. Celtic populations established themselves in areas of the Danube Valley, the northern Balkans, and even outside Europe, in the Anatolian Peninsula. There's clear evidence from this period to show that Celtic culture, like that in much of the ancient world, was based on honor and status. A key element was the establishment of relationships between a powerful individual, the patron, and an individual subordinate to him, the client. This unequal relationship implied obligations on both sides: While the patron granted his client protection and ceded land, the client pledged to obey the patron and serve in his army. These clientelistic networks allowed aristocrats to accumulate entourages of hundreds, even thousands, of followers. From the second century B.C. onward, the expansionist trend of the previous two centuries was reversed as the territories of Celtic Europe began to fall one after the other, subdued by the aggressive Roman Republic. The collapse started with the Celts of Hispania; only Ireland and Scotland escaped a Roman takeover. But it would be a mistake to interpret this final phase of Celtic civilization as a period of decline. On the contrary, a last burst of urban development occurred, and dozens of fortified urban centers, called oppida, were built. Atop Mount Ipf, around 100 miles northwest of Munich in southern Germany, the local Celtic community built an oppidum, a fortified enclave that flourished at the beginning of the La Tène period, in the fifth century B.C. This photograph shows the modern reconstruction of its walls. BERTHOLD STEINHILBER/LAIF/CORDON PRESS This urban growth was based on a strong development of economic activities, such as agriculture, handicraft production, and trade. The population was likely also growing at this time. Ongoing discoveries of artifacts has painted a more informative picture for scholars about Celtic culture and practices outside of the classical sources. Given this rich history, it's fascinating to wonder what would have happened to the Celtic civilization if Roman expansion hadn't stopped it in its tracks. The Celtic art of warfare From the fifth century B.C. onward, the dominant Celtic culture that archaeologists call Hallstatt evolved into the more aristocratic warrior society known as La Tène, heavily influenced by Greek and Etruscan styles. The weaponry of the Celtic warriors became established in this period: a double-edged iron sword, iron-tipped spears, and an oval wooden shield. Aristocratic warriors of the period also carried defensive equipment, such as helmets and armor. The warrior sculpture known as the Prince of Glauberg wears armor similar to the Greek linothorax, made of hardened linen or leather. The Prince of Glauberg wearing a crown of leaves, a necklace, a cuirass, a ring, two bracelets, a shield, and a sword. The figure, carved in sandstone, stands over six feet tall and weighs more than 500 pounds. It was found next to a burial mound from the fifth century B.C. Museum of the Celtic World, Glauberg, Germany. Iron helmet found in the tomb of a third-century B.C. chief in the Romanian necropolis of Ciumești. It's 16.5 inches tall and topped by a bronze bird of prey with movable wings. National History Museum of Romania, Bucharest. Battersea shield made of bronze. It's decorated with appliqués and red enamel inlays. It measures 30.7 inches high. Third to first century B.C. British Museum, London. Bronze carnyx, a wind instrument. Topped with a stylized boar's head, it stands almost six feet high and was found at Tintignac, France. INRAP, Paris. In the third century B.C., the first chain mail was developed, a Celtic innovation that the Romans would copy. Influenced by Mediterranean cultures, Celtic fighters evolved from warrior bands into armies. Their orders were produced by the war horns, or carnyxes, whose sound was intended to subdue the enemy. For the Celts, warfare was a heavily ritualized activity, involving the performance of ceremonies before battle and often the ritual offering of some of the loot and sacrificing of captives after the combat was over. The horse in the Celtic world Although horses were valued as military and status symbols across Celtic societies, they were rarely part of agricultural work. The harnesses used in the Iron Age lacked a collar to spread weight to the horse's neck and shoulders; without such a collar, the animal's windpipe became compressed when pulling a plow and limited the weight it could drag. Untainted by rural toil and costly to maintain, horses became the animal par excellence of aristocrats. They played a prominent role in warfare, at first to pull light war chariots. Normally a pair of animals was used for each chariot, and in the fourth century B.C. full cavalry units appeared. A parade of horsemen on the side of the Gundestrup Cauldron, a ceremonial vessel composed of 13 silver plates from the first century B.C. to the first century A.D. National Museum of Denmark. Copper-alloy mount evoking a horse's head. It was found with other pieces of chariot tack at Melsonby, England. British Museum, London. BRITISH MUSEUM/SCALA, FLORENCE In time, the Celts would become renowned as horsemen throughout the ancient world, especially among the Romans, who often employed them as mercenaries to bolster their mounted forces. In the Celtic world, the value of the horse was not limited to the pragmatic: It also held religious significance. The Gauls recognized a horse divinity called Epona, whose cult spread throughout the Roman Empire. The Irish Celts had a war goddess called Macha, who was linked with horses. Sculptural reliefs, including those found at the Celtic sanctuaries of Roquepertuse and Nages in southern Gaul, depict the horse as a psychopomp, responsible for leading the souls of the deceased into the afterlife. Bronze model of a cart. Found in Spain, it carries a horseman accompanied by a dog, hunting a wild boar. Second-century B.C. National Museum of Archaeology, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France. For the Celts, hunting was not only a means of acquiring food but also an eminently aristocratic activity. It was often practiced on horseback and could be dangerous. Hunting thus represented excellent training for war as well as a chance for participants to show off. The most common quarry was wild boar, an animal that for the Celts symbolized both war and hospitality. Red deer, roe deer, and fallow deer were also hunted, in addition to foxes and wolves. Classical authors reported that trained hunting dogs were involved: According to the geographer Strabo, hunting dogs bred in Britain were exported to Rome. Jewelry in life and the afterlife As in most societies, the Celtic aristocracy used the ownership and display of jewelry to proclaim and advance their privileged position in the hierarchy. Among the Celts, the custom of burying the deceased with grave goods was widespread, and ornaments occupied a preferential place. Archaeologists have found a large number of luxury items, both personal jewelry and ornaments for horse harnesses, inside burials. These pieces were appreciated for their materials—precious metals including silver and gold—and for the excellence of the craftsmanship. One piece of jewelry most associated with the Celts is the torque. This type of necklace, which can take many different forms, was worn by other peoples as well, such as the Thracians and Scythians. Back of the bronze Desborough Mirror (13.8 inches long), decorated with continuous curvilinear forms drawn using a compass. British Museum, London. BRITISH MUSEUM/SCALA, FLORENCE Gold torque or necklace made of twisted wires, with solid ring-shaped finials decorated with reliefs. It was discovered in Snettisham, England. British Museum, London. The Roman army gave torques to reward their soldiers, although in this case they were not worn around the neck, but on the armor. The torque was a symbol of authority and prestige and was worn by members of the nobility. It also appears in representations of divinities. A clear example of this appears on the famous Gundestrup Cauldron, where the horned god Cernunnos tames a snake in one hand, while holding a torque in the other. Other types of grave goods typically found in aristocratic Celtic burials were phalerae (decorative disks for horses' harnesses), fibulae (pins for fastening clothes), and mirrors. Banqueting played a fundamental part in Celtic life; it enabled aristocratic guests and their followers to socialize, and aristocratic hosts to flaunt their wealth. The position occupied by participants and the amount of meat they received were determined by their social status. The banquet reinforced hierarchies while confirming and strengthening existing relationships. In return for the generosity of the hosts, the bards (poet-singers) would laud their virtues. Drinking horn decorated with embossed gold leaf and finished with a ram's head found in the Kleinaspergle burial mound. Fifth century B.C. Clay dish painted and incised with geometric motifs. From a burial mound in Gomadingen (Germany). Württemberg State Museum, Stuttgart. Irish literary sources explain that the banqueters faced each other in duels of eloquence in which they defended their respective merits. The champion received the best cut of the cooked animal, which was usually a pig. The Story of Mac Da Thó's Pig, a ninth-century Irish tale, is likely influenced by this older Celtic tradition. It describes a banquet between the men of Ulster and Connacht, who are competing for a prize, a colossal pig that has been fattened for seven years. Like the pig, the banquet contest is larger than life, involving a huge cast and spreading across large areas of Ireland. A banquet also had a clear symbolic meaning in Celtic beliefs: The inclusion of banquetware among grave goods reflects the idea that through funeral rites, the deceased was led to a supreme banquet in the company of heroes and gods. Druids, gods, and severed heads Throughout Europe, Celtic culture was expressed in worship of common gods. The name of the god Lugh or Lugus occurs across the Celtic world; he was of special importance in Irish mythology, and is commemorated in the names of the French city of Lyon and the Spanish city of Lugo. In other cases, equivalent divinities had different names, such as the Gallic god Sucellus and the Irish god Dagda, which were both connected with agriculture and forests. The religion of the Celts was polytheistic and centered on rituals. Classical sources refer to a priestly class in some territories of Celtic Europe, including Gaul and Britannia. These were the famous Druids, an intellectual elite that acted as a repository of tradition and as a a mediator between men and gods. Unluckily for historians, they distrusted written texts and relied on transmitting their knowledge orally. (Why do we know so little about the Druids?) Laminated bronze figure representing a warrior deity found in the area of Saint-Maur-en-Chaussée. First century, Museum of the Oise, Beauvais, France. The god Taranis wields a thunderbolt in his right hand and holds a wheel in his left. Bronze figurine. National Museum of Archaeology, Saint- Germain-en-Laye, France. Two-headed male sculpture, discovered in the Celtic sanctuary of Roquepertuse. Museum of Mediterranean Archaeology, Marseille, France. Archaeologists have located a large number of sites that were originally Druid sanctuaries, such as Gournay-sur-Aronde (France), Emain Macha (Northern Ireland), and Libenice (Czech Republic), piecing together the rituals that took place there from the archaeological finds. These rituals involved sacrificing animals (and in some cases, humans) and exhibiting spoils, such as weapons or severed heads. The decapitation of enemies and the exhibition of skulls are rituals attested to in many places in Celtic Europe. Divinity of Bouray-sur-Juine with eyes inlaid with white and blue enamel was found in its namesake village in France. First to second centuries B.C. National Museum of Archaeology, Saint- Germain-en-Laye, France. One of the most controversial questions related to the Celtic priestly class, the Druids, is whether or not they believed in reincarnation and the doctrine of the transmigration of souls, as some classical authors claimed. Irish and Welsh mythology seems to suggest that the Celts of these territories didn't believe in reincarnation, though they did believe in the immortality of souls. First-century Roman historian Valerius Maximus notes that some Celts, so certain they will see each other again after death, arrange to repay debts in the world to come. This story appeared in the May/June 2025 issue of National Geographic History magazine.
Newsweek
11-06-2025
- Newsweek
Woman Leaves Golden Retrievers Alone for 'Few Hours', Then Sees the Pet Cam
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. When one woman stepped out for a few hours, she wasn't prepared for what she would see her dogs doing on the pet cam during the day. Joanne, 33, left golden retrievers Daisy, 4, and Maple 2, for a "few hours", and when she later looked at her home video footage, her heart melted. At first, Ontario-based Daisy and Maple sat and stared at the door, waiting for their mom to return. Shortly after, they settled down together on the couch, curled up and "keeping each other company" in a moment that has gone viral Pictures from the home video footage of Golden Retrievers Daisy and Maple. Pictures from the home video footage of Golden Retrievers Daisy and Maple. @daisythegoldiee/TikTok Later in the video, which already has over 700,000 views on TikTok since being shared last month, Joanne called the dogs' names through the camera, cheering them up instantly as they come to the front of the frame. "I felt emotional watching the footage but also was surprised because usually the girls are quite rambunctious when we are home with them," Joanne, who didn't give her surname, told Newsweek. "I was surprised to see them calm and even laying together on the couch. I couldn't wait to get home to them after seeing them wait for me." Read more Woman complains about barking dogs next door—not prepared for what she sees Woman complains about barking dogs next door—not prepared for what she sees How Long Can Dogs Be Left at Home? Adult dogs can generally be left home alone for six to eight hours at a time, but this varies depending on age, medical condition and even breed. Jennifer Fryer, a veterinarian at Chewy, previously told Newsweek: "An adult dog can typically wait six to eight hours between outside bathroom trips, and for puppies this time frame can be as short as one to two hours, and the interval gets longer as they grow older." Despite this, she warned that it is always a good idea to ensure your dog isn't alone for too long. "Leaving a dog alone at any age risks accidents in the house, or urinary tract infections from holding urine in for too long," she said. Joanne's video struck a chord with pet parents everywhere, sparking a wave of responses from viewers who shared their own experiences of missing their pets while away. "This is why I refuse to get a dog 'till I'm retired," said viewer Swag. While fellow dog owner Zivasfurmama could relate and wrote: "I'm crying!!! I always rush to be with my baby. we always hurry home because I don't like her alone for a long period of time." But some pet owners shared opposite experiences, like Katie who said: "I swear my dog is relieved when I go out. I have a camera too and he lays down and sleeps straight away. He is an old boy though so in his twilight years that are made for napping!" Joanne was delighted by how many people loved seeing Daisy and Maple's home alone time. "Many viewers shared that they have a hard time leaving their dogs at home because of this and felt very emotional and touched to see these clips of Daisy and Maple," she said. Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Yahoo
Nobody Wants This Lands Season 2 Premiere Date at Netflix — Watch the Cast's Video Announcement
And now for the news everybody wants to know: When is Nobody Wants This coming back? Season 2 of the Netflix rom-com will premiere Thursday, Oct. 23, TVLine has learned. The cast announced the news at Netflix's FYSEE event in Los Angeles on Sunday. More from TVLine Casting News: Boston Blue Adds Maggie Lawson, Lincoln Lawyer Enlists Cobie Smulders and More Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale Trailer Offers First Glimpse at Maggie Smith Tribute - Watch Wednesday: Netflix Releases First Six Minutes of Season 2 - Watch Them Here Along with the date, Netflix has released a video of the cast, including stars Kristen Bell and Adam Brody, playing with a Magic 8-Ball and asking it questions about what's next for the show before revealing the Season 2 premiere date. (Watch the video below.) Bell and Brody star as mismatched lovers Joanne and Noah, who overcome some pretty big differences — she's an agnostic podcast host; he's a rabbi — to find a genuine romantic connection. Justine Lupe (Succession) co-stars as Joanne's sister Morgan, with Timothy Simons (Veep) as Noah's brother Sasha and newly minted series regular Jackie Tohn (GLOW) as Esther. Season 2 will also welcome a host of guest stars, including Brody's real-life wife Leighton Meester (as Joanne's middle school nemesis), along with Alex Karpovsky (Girls) and Arian Moayed (Succession). As previously reported, Girls veterans Jenni Konner and Bruce Eric Kaplan will take over as showrunners in Season 2, with series creator Erin Foster returning as an executive producer. What are you hoping to see in Season 2 of ? Hit the comments to give us your thoughts. Nobody Wants This Season 2: Everything We Know So Far View List Best of TVLine 'Missing' Shows, Found! Get the Latest on Ahsoka, Monarch, P-Valley, Sugar, Anansi Boys and 25+ Others Yellowjackets Mysteries: An Up-to-Date List of the Series' Biggest Questions (and Answers?) The Emmys' Most Memorable Moments: Laughter, Tears, Historical Wins, 'The Big One' and More
