HISTORY IN THE NEWS

A selection of stories hitting the history headlines

FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:

A selection of pieces from th he so- called Harald Bluetooth treasure; a skeleton with a kn nife as a prosthetic arm; Hans Asperger, pictured in 1971; a drone hovers above Wat Phra Si Sanphet temple in Ayutthaya, Thailand

Harald I treasure found in Germany

Treasure linked to Harald Bluetooth, the 10th-century king credited with uniting Denmark, has been unearthed in northern Germany. Discovered on the Baltic island of Rügen, the find includes braided necklaces, a Thor’s hammer, brooches, rings and about 600 coins.

Knife used as prosthetic limb

A skeleton, which dates from the 6th to 8th century AD and was found in Italy in 1996, had a knife in place of a right hand, according to a study in the Journal of Anthropological Sciences. Analysis revealed he fixed the knife to his right arm – using a cap, leather straps and a buckle – with his teeth.

Hans Asperger aided Nazi eugenics

A study of Austrian doctor Hans Asperger, after whom the developmental disorder Asperger syndrome is named, has revealed his active participation in the Nazis’ eugenics programme. Asperger referred disabled children to a Vienna clinic where they were then murdered.

Google maps historic sites

Google Arts and Culture has released high resolution, 3D scans of 26 historic sites in 18 countries, including Chichén Itzá in Mexico. Visit artsandculture.google.com/ project/cyark