HISTORY NEWS ROUND-UP
A selection of the stories that have been hitting the history headlines
Egyptian tombs reveal cat and scarab mummies
Excavation work at a site near the King Userkaf pyramid complex in Saqqara, south of Cairo, has unearthed a collection of mummified cats and scarab beetles. The finds, which date back more than 4,000 years, were made across seven sarcophagi, three of which contained mummified cats as well as a bronze statue dedicated to a cat goddess. The discovery of mummified scarabs – often linked to the sun god Ra – is thought to be very rare.
Remains of abandoned village reappear
The remains of the Derbyshire village of Derwent, which was flooded in the 1940s to make room for the Ladybower Reservoir, have re-emerged, albeit temporarily. Low waters caused by the hot and dry summer of 2018 have meant that many of the village ruins are now visible. The buildings, including the ruins of Derwent Hall, have only been seen on rare occasions since they were submerged.
Domesday Book full of fed- up people
A historian from the University of Illinois has claimed that Domesday Book – the huge survey of land probably commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1085 – is based on the accounts of Anglo-Saxon peasants who allegedly saw it as a chance to air their grievances against the Normans. Professor Carol Symes also claims that creating the public record took far longer than originally thought, with Domesday Book not produced until several years later.
Charles Dickens portrait found in South Africa
A palm-sized portrait of 19th-century author Charles Dickens has been discovered in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. First reported missing in the late 19th century by its artist, Margaret Gillies, the portrait has remained unaccounted for ever since. The image, which was painted in 1843 when Dickens was 31, captures the author on the cusp of success – he was writing his future bestseller A Christmas Carol at the time the portrait was created.