M.J. Rose

As we feel the very first touch of autumn, we are reminded that the edge of winter’s darkness is moving towards us too – the spirits of Halloween are the greeters – as well as the fog, the rain, and the falling leaves…

Here is a beautifully made Icelandic art house film to set the mood – starring a young Bjork.

“The Juniper Tree tells the story of two sisters who have escaped after their mother has been stoned and burned as a witch. Baby-faced Björk plays teenaged Margit, who comes along when her sister bewitches and marries a widower with a young son.” (Dangerous Minds)

The Juniper Tree 1990 (Full Movie)

This is actually a lovely sort of burial place…

Medieval Skeleton Found Dangling From the Roots of a Fallen Tree

by George Dvorsky (io9)

“After a violent storm ripped through the Irish town of Collooney, locals were shocked to discover the remains of a 1,000-year-old skeleton hanging from the roots of a fallen tree.

The body, which belonged to a young man who appears to have died a violent death, was found beneath a 200-year-old beech tree. In a scene that must have been quite macabre, the upper part of the skeleton was found raised in the air within the tree’s root system, while the legs remained in the ground….”

Irish Archaeology reports:

“Preliminary analysis has indicated that the remains consist of young man who was between 17 and 25 years old when he died. His bones contained several injuries which had been inflicted by a sharp blade, possibly a sword or knife. He had obviously suffered a violent death, but whether these wounds were related to an ancient battle or a personal dispute remains unknown. The body was subsequently buried in a shallow east-west oriented grave and radiocarbon analysis indicates that this occurred sometime between 1030 and 1200 AD.”

For the rest, click here.

This is a beautiful piece of research. Enjoy!

For Inca Road Builders, Extreme Terrain Was No Obstacle
Npr.org

“One of history’s greatest engineering feats is one you rarely hear of. It’s the Inca Road, parts of which still exist today across much of South America.

Back in the day — more than 500 years ago — commoners like me wouldn’t have been able to walk on the Inca Road, known as Qhapaq Ñan in the Quechua language spoken by the Inca, without official permission.

Fortunately, I have Peruvian archaeologist Ramiro Matos by my side. He is the lead curator of an exhibition at the National Museum of the American Indian called “The Great Inka Road: Engineering an Empire.”…”

For the rest, and to listen to the story, click here.