The History Blog

Three and a quarter inches of limestone sold for $57.2 million at a Sotheby’s auction last week, a record for any sculpture. The Guennol Lioness, from Iran via Long Island, beat out the previous record holder (some guy named Picasso) by double.

I like the description of the bidder:

The successful bidder, who stood at the back of the saleroom wearing a grey check suit and reading glasses, was described by Sotheby’s as English, and told reporters that he was an archaeologist. However, he was not thought to be bidding for himself.

He he… Ya no. I don’t think it’s likely the nice archaeologist standing in the back with the checked suit and the glasses had 60 million dollars on him either.

A huge stash of ancient Roman medical instruments go on display in the seaside town of Rimini today.

Perhaps the most unexpected find was a piece of equipment that would delight a modern podiatrist: a ceramic hot water bottle in the shape of a foot, into which oil or water could be poured when the foot was inserted.

“One of the most exciting finds was a lenticular, a small chisel used for opening the skull safely after gouging a channel into it with another instrument,” said Dr Jackson.