A scientific investigation of the spectacular 3,400-year-old highly decorated bronze sword discovered in Nrdlingen, Southern Germany, in 2023 has uncovered how the metal was worked, the sword constructed and decorated. The exceptional state of preservation of the weapon it is intact from pommel to tip, still shines in some place and has a honed edge gave researchers a unique opportunity to reveal new information about Bronze Age metalwork and craft techniques.The Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments (BLfD) sent the sword to Berlin where it was analyzed using non-destructive methods including 3D computed tomography, X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. The results found the metal was worked with an incredibly high level of precision and skill.The resolution of the 3D CT scans is so high that every detail is exposed, down to the tool marks left on the weapon. Examination of the imaging found that the blade was clamped and riveted to the hilt with a tang, just like great German steel kitchen knives are today.The deep grooves on the pommel and pommel plate that form a geometric pattern contain what appears to be a different material from the bronze. Just based on how the what the material looked like, researchers expected the decoration in the grooves to be tin, which is soft and malleable and easy to use on such a tiny detail job. Instead, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, which floods the surface of the object with synchrotron radiation, causing atoms to emit measurable element-specific X-rays, identified the inlaid material as copper wires joined together. Copper is a harder material, and much more difficult to work with than tin would have been to inlay into grooves. It attests to have highly skilled the metalworker could be.Traces of tin and, in some places, a little lead, which probably came from the bronze alloy, were also detectable. We are familiar with this type of inlay work using copper wires in bronze from other finds, says [Dr Johann-Friedrich Tolksdorf, regional representative of the BLfD]. To make the reddish copper stand out better from the gold-coloured bronze, it may have been patinated, i.e. chemically blackened, for example with urine. []The thorough evaluation of the measurement data will take some time, after which the experts plan to publish their results and conclusions. We hope that we will also be able to reconstruct whether this sword was made in a specific workshop, for example so far, we can only assume that it was manufactured in southern Germany, one of the two main areas where octagonal swords were prevalent in the Bronze Age in Germany, says Tolksdorf.

Styx: Blades of Greed is a new entry in the Styx series, developed by the original developers at Cyanide Studio. They're probably best known for games like Call of Cthulhu and Blood Bowl, but the original Styx: Master of Shadows game is one of their very first. Cyanide, along with their publisher Nacon, the same one from years ago, now seeks to revitalize the series and pick up where the last game left off almost ten years ago.

Valentine's Day is an absolute horror of a day. In a relationship? You'll have to pick the most romantic gift. Married? Need to up the romance. Single? Well, love is in the air, and it's filling up your room with disgust - better open that window. Fortunately, Humble Bundle is celebrating it with a bundle full of some of the best horror games from indie developers, including the now-a-Markiplier-movie Iron Lung. So, if you're looking to score some hidden gems, this nine-game bundle is just $12 / 10.53 right now.Read the full story on PCGamesN: Grab Iron Lung and eight other indie horrors in this Humble Bundle, because Valentine's Day is a nightmare

Cohere's Tiny Aya models support over 70 langauges

Le dernier patch d'Assassin's Creed Shadows ajoute une mcanique trs attendue par la communaut. De nombreux ajouts trs rclams dbarquent enfin, et on fait le point.

Le frachement sorti pisode 5 de la nouvelle srie spin-off de Game of Thrones a secou les spectateurs qui n'avaient jamais vu a avec une telle ampleur au sein de la licence.

Vous rvez de voir des jeux comme FF9 ou Chrono Trigger passer par la case remake ? Il suffit de le demander Square Enix, qui propose actuellement un sondage sa communaut.

Le crateur original de God of War semble ne pas avoir trop apprci la sortie du dernier pisode de la srie. Et le moins qu'on puisse dire, c'est qu'il ne mche pas ses mots.

15 Ways The First 10 Presidents Shaped The Role Of The U.S. Executive 3. Establishing the President’s Advisory Cabinet (George Washington) George Washington’s original cabinet set the precedent for presidential advisory councils in U.S. governance. George Washington created the cabinet of executive advisors—an innovation that set the pattern for future...

Federal authorities say unmanned aircraft activity tied to Mexican cartels is expanding rapidly, with tens of thousands of near-border detections recorded in a single fiscal year.By yourNEWS Media Newsroom