The sarcophagus of Eshmunazar II dates to the 6th century BC and was
unearthed in 1855 near Sidon, in modern-day Lebanon. It contained the
body of a Phoenician king of Sidon and is one of only three Ancient
Egyptian sarcophagi found outside Egypt. It was likely carved in Egypt
from local amphibolite and captured during Cambyses II's conquest of
Egypt in 525 BC. The sarcophagus has two sets of Phoenician
inscriptions, one on its lid and a partial copy of it around the
curvature of the head. This was the first Phoenician language text to be
discovered in Phoenicia proper and the most detailed found to that
point. More than a dozen scholars rushed to translate it, noting the
similarities between the Phoenician language and Hebrew. The translation
allowed them to identify the king buried inside, his lineage, and his
construction feats. The inscriptions also warn against disturbing
Eshmunazar II's place of repose. Today the sarcophagus is a highlight
of the Louvre's Phoenician collection.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcophagus_of_Eshmunazar_II>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1877:
Thomas Edison announced his invention of the phonograph, a
device able to record and play sound.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonograph>
1950:
Two trains collided near Valemount, Canada, killing 21 people;
the subsequent trial brought future prime minister John Diefenbaker to
greater political attention.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canoe_River_train_crash>
1961:
La Ronde, the first revolving restaurant in the United States,
was inaugurated.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Ronde_%28restaurant%29>
2009:
An explosion in a coal mine in Heilongjiang, China, killed 108
miners.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Heilongjiang_mine_explosion>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
packed like sardines:
(simile, informal) Extremely packed; tightly squeezed together; crammed.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/packed_like_sardines>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Nothing is so common as to imitate one's enemies, and to use
their weapons.
--Voltaire
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Voltaire>
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