Spoons are among the oldest tools, and Roman-era spoons may have carried drugs into battle

historyanalysisWikipediac. 3000 BC–present

Spoons are among the oldest tools, and Roman-era spoons may have carried drugs into battle

the gist

Spoons go back thousands of years, with ancient Egyptians using ivory, flint, slate and wood, and Shang dynasty China making them of bone. Greeks and Romans used bronze and silver, and the Greeks also scooped bread into spoon shapes. A 2024 study identified 241 small spoon-shaped objects at 116 sites across Scandinavia, Germany and Poland from the Roman era. The researchers propose they were used to administer drugs, especially stimulants, before battles.

how it works

Archaeologists identify the purpose of objects by their shape, location and associated finds. The small spoons' tiny disks and placement near warfare-related items suggest they were used to measure or deliver a substance.

so what

The 2024 finding suggests these small spoons were tools of ritual or medicine as well as cutlery. It changes how archaeologists interpret objects found in marshes and graves, which often accompany warfare.

the bigger pattern

Ritual and medicinal use of drugs before battle is documented in several ancient cultures, so the spoon finds fit a wider pattern of substance use in warrior societies.

fun fact

The Coronation Spoon used to anoint British sovereigns dates from the 12th century and is the oldest surviving item of the British royal regalia.

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗