The Tomb of Gilgamesh Found?

A German-led expedition has discovered what is thought to be the entire city of Uruk--including, where the Euphrates once flowed, the last resting place of its famous King. In the book--actually a set of inscribed clay tablets--Gilgamesh was described as having been buried under the Euphrates, in a tomb apparently constructed when the waters of the ancient river parted following his death.

"We found just outside the city an area in the middle of the former Euphrates river the remains of such a building which could be interpreted as a burial," said Jorg Fassbinder, of the Bavarian department of Historical Monuments in Munich. We covered more than 100 hectares. We have found garden structures and field structures as described in the epic, and we found Babylonian houses."

He said the most astonishing find was an incredibly sophisticated system of canals.

See also: http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/GILG.HTM

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Were the Vandals more "barbaric" than the Visigoths?

I found this very interesting website about the invasion of Gaul and Italy by Attila the Hun. It contained an interesting detail about the animosity between the Vandals and the Visigoths:

"Another of the great barbaric chieftains of the age, Gaiseric, King of the Vandals, played a role in the prelude to Chalons. He urged Attila to attack the Visigoths in the West because of the hostility between Vandals and Visigoths. A generation earlier Gaiserics son had married the daughter of Theodoric I, King of the Visigoths, but in 442 the Roman Emperor Valentinian III agreed to the betrothal of his daughter to Gaiserics son, and the Visigothic princess was returned to her people with her nose and ears inhumanly mutilated. From that time on the enmity of Vandals and Visigoths was great, and when Attila did cross the Rhine, the Visigoths joined Aetius against the Huns, but the Vandals stayed out of the war."

I wonder why the Vandals did that? If you enjoyed this post, never miss out on future posts by following me by email!