In November 2013, one of the most incredible underwater discoveries was found off the coast of Sicily. The remains of battering rams, helmets, armour and weapons were recovered from the sea floor, believing to date back to a naval battle that took place over 2,000 years earlier. The artefacts are thought to be from the Battle of the Egadi Islands, which took place in 241 BC. It was part of the Punic War, between the Romans and the Carthaginians, which lasted 20 years and was the beginning of the Roman’s european wide domination. It was believed that 50 Carthaginian ships were sunk in the fighting and their remains stayed at the bottom of the ocean for over 2,000 years!

Source: 6. Battle of the Egadi Islands. Sicily | 20 Underwater Wonders of Our Blue Planet | EarthTripper| Page 1

Websites

British Trust for Ornithology Runs scientific surveys of Britain’s bird populations.

Buglife Britain’s main insect and invertebrate conservation organisation.

Butterfly Conservation Dedicated to saving Britain’s butterflies and moths and their habitats.

The Mammal Society Devoted to research and conservation of all Britain’s mammal species.

National Trust Britain’s largest conservation charity, protecting green spaces as well as stately homes.

Plantlife Dedicated to saving Britain’s wild plants and their habitats.

RSPB Europe’s largest bird conservation organisation.

Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust This wetlands charity has nine centres in the UK, including the London Wetland Centre.

The Wildlife Trusts The national federation of 47 local trusts, each of which covers a particular county, region or in the case of Scotland, country.

Source: Resources | Urban wildlife | Environment | The Guardian

Welcome to IAD15, the website to be launched on 9 June 2015 to mark this year’s International Archives Day. The 9th of June is the International Council on Archives’ birthday – it was founded in on that day in 1948.

Source: International Archives Day

It was thought that the ancient Egyptian city of Heracleion had been lost forever when it sank into the sea over 1,500 years ago, but in 2000 the first remains of the city were discovered off the coast of Alexandria in Egypt. French archeologist, Dr Franck Goddio, came across the underwater archaeological site and, following further investigation, divers discovered sphinxes, statues, columns, temples and even the foundations of a palace that may have belonged to Cleopatra herself! Further investigations also unearthed coins and other everyday objects, as well as a number of ships, suggesting that the site was indeed the location of the 8th century BC city. Many of the objects recovered from the sea floor were also still in excellent condition, making the discovery even more incredible!

Source: 18. Cleopatra’s Heracleion. Egypt | 20 Underwater Wonders of Our Blue Planet | EarthTripper| Page 1

The typical mandate of Historic Scotland is to preserve historic places in the state they were found, but the Great Hall of Stirling Castle required some drastic measures. Should it reflect the military period from 1800–1964 or the medieval and renaissance periods? Strategically, the castle has been important for hundreds of years. Castle Hill in Stirling overlooked bogs on one side, and the bridge over the River Forth on the other, so it was the place that controlled trade for the whole region, so the cultural significance of the period from 1600–1800 outweighed the significance of the military period.

But choosing to restore the castle to a state several hundred years in the past is not that simple. First of all, the records aren’t all consistent. The restoration team had a series of etchings of the Great Hall spanning from about 1600 to the late 1800s, and they show the building from various angles. Unfortunately, they all show slightly different things—different numbers and heights of chimneys, for instance. Traditionally the hall had ridge beasts, heraldic statues of unicorns and lions that sit on the apex of the roof. All of the etchings show these, but in varying numbers. So the etchings give an idea of what the castle might have looked like, but as a tool for restoration, they weren’t conclusive.

Source: Scotland’s Stirling Castle: The Great Hall illustrates the complexity of historical restoration, from 99% Invisible.

If you’re going to complete this quest, bring a GPS tracker or have a damn good internal compass. Comb the southern area of Central Park and keep your eyes to the ground. Look for a rocky area and then scan the surfaces for an unnatural addition.Connect the dots correctly, you’ll find a certain unmarked relic of which few are aware.The discovery itself isn’t much to see. It’s merely a bolt — a long, jagged piece of metal that was battered into the ground some 200 years ago.But it’s one of the last vestiges of lost New York that lives in plain sight without an official plaque highlighting its existence. And it’s become a popular treasure hunt for New York history enthusiasts and surveying hobbyists alike, a group of people who prefer not to divulge their knowledge of the relics’ precise locations.

Source: The Hidden Bolts that Drive Manhattan’s Infrastructure Nerds Nuts | Atlas Obscura