Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Archeologists re-examining a trove of objects from a Bronze Age burial mound in the Caucasus first excavated in the 19th century believe that decorated gold and silver tubes were not sceptres or canopy supports as first thought, but are actually the world’s oldest known drinking straws.
The burial mound, also called a kurgan, at Maikop was first excavated by Professor Nikolai Veselovsky of St. Petersburg University in 1897 and swiftly became famous for its rich burial and extensive cultural artifacts. The kurgan contained a large chamber divided into three differently-sized compartments, each with the remains of an adult in a crouched position.
The main compartment contained what the archeologists posit was the most important individual as it was furnished with the most luxurious set of funerary offerings.
The skeleton was covered in the remains of a rich garment, with hundreds of beads of semi-precious stones and gold, and the compartment was full of grave goods – including a set of eight long, thin gold and silver tubes, four of which were decorated with a small gold or silver bull figurine.
Veselovsky at the time referred to them as “sceptres” as they were placed at the right-hand area of the skeleton.
The entirety of the Maikop kurgan was transferred to the Hermitage in St. Petersburg and was presented to the Tsar’s family and special guests at the annual exhibition of the Imperial Archeological Commission.
However, new analysis of the trove at Maikop argues that the “sceptres” were drinking implements, discussed in a recent study in the journal Antiquity.
The study notes the craftsmanship of the tubes, which have sliding and movable parts made out of separate thin gold and silver segments that were soldered together.
The archeologists argue in the new study that the advanced design of the tubes was for sipping a type of beverage that required filtration during consumption.
Researchers arrived at that theory by looking at the historical record of evidence for drinking beer in the “Sumerian” style, which pre-dates the Caucasus find by centuries, and is associated with drinking beer through long tubes, as seen from seal impressions found in northern Iraq and western Iran, and on a rock-cut panel in Kurdistan.
The common ancient Sumerian method for drinking beer was to use a tube made of a long reed, which allowed the user to sit or even stand and drink from large vessels positioned on a low pedestal.
A reed decorated in gold foil found in a grave for Queen Puabi in the Royal Cemetery at Ur, the ancient Sumerian city-state located in modern-day Iraq, is the example used by the study to understand the process of making a tip filter for a drinking tube from either a reed or in the case of the Maikop kurgan, metal.
In order to test their theories, the researchers analysed a small sample of the residue from the inner surface of one of the eight filters found in the Maikop tubes, which revealed remnants of barley starch, cereals and pollen from a lime tree.
The study argues that further analysis will need to be done to rule out cross-contamination of the tubes but that if they are correct, the Maikop kurgan is the site of the earliest known drinking straws. The discovery would also suggest long-distance contact between the northern Caucasus and the Near East.
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
U.S. President Joe Biden will accept endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop in Philadelphia on Thursday as he aims to undermine Donald Trump and marginalize the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Mullett Arena buzzed like few times in the two years since the Arizona Coyotes moved in, the fans amped for one last desert hurrah.
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.
A popular highway in Alberta's Banff National Park now has a 'no stopping zone' to help protect two bears.
B.C. resident Robert Conrad spent thousands of hours on Crown land developing an unusual bond with deer.
A Sudbury woman said her husband was bringing the recycling out to the curb Wednesday night when he had to make a 'mad dash' inside after seeing a bear.