Two items of interest for the historically minded...

First, according to Herodotus, around 525 BC, the mad Persian King Cambyses II sent an army of 50,000 men to enslave the Ammonians and burn down their Oracle of Jupiter, after they refused to validate his claim over the region. The soldiers and their guides marched for seven days across the desert from Thebes to a Samian city called Oasis (modern day El Kharga). After resupplying there, they set out for the Oracle… and then disappeared off the pages of history.

No one knows what became of the army. The Ammonians claimed the soldiers had been buried alive in a massive sandstorm, but despite the efforts of gentlemen archaeologists over the past 2500 years, no evidence was ever found. As a result, most scholars believe the story is a legend.

They may need to revise that view.

Italian archaeologists Angelo and Alfredo Castiglioni, twin brothers, have discovered bronze weapons and hundreds of human bones which they reckon are the remains of the lost army of Persian King Cambyses II….

While working close to [the Oasis of] Siwa the team of researchers noticed a half-buried pot and some human remains.

Then the brothers spotted a rock 114ft long and 6ft in height which could have been used as a shelter by the army. Such rock formations occur in the desert, but this was the only one in a large area.

'Its size and shape made it the perfect refuge in a sandstorm,' Mr Castiglioni said.

It was there that a bronze dagger and several arrow tips were found.

'We are talking of small items, but they are extremely important as they are the first Achaemenid objects, thus dating to Cambyses' time, which have emerged from the desert sands in a location quite close to Siwa.'

The location, time frame, and craft style are all correct. If this turns out to be Cambyses' army, it will be a major find… and another confirmation of Herodotus' accuracy. There's a reason he and Thucydides are considered the Fathers of History.

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Archaeologists in Ireland have discovered the remains of a medieval church that dates to around the 7^th century. But the real find was its accompanying cemetery, with the graves of over 1300 men, women, and children. Researchers have already made some fascinating discoveries during their preliminary examination:

One of the most interesting… was the remains of a young female, who lived about AD 800, whose skull showed evidence of brain surgery. "We know that she survived the operation as the skull shows signs of bone growth after the hole was cut into it," Mr MacDonagh said.

The team also discovered two cases of a genetic condition known as hereditary multiple exostosis, also known as bumpy bone disease, while in one case the legs of a young male had fused together.

"This man lived into his 30s which was a typical lifespan then. He would have had to be carried everywhere and he was obviously buried formally and with respect, which tells us something about how medieval society treated people with disabilities," Mr MacDonagh added.

While there was plenty of brutality in the early Middle Ages, that isn't the entire story. It's nice to see archaeology filling in some of the gaps.