In church remains, German archaeologists discover the truth of ‘Atlantis of the North Sea’

Published

2 years ago

June 23, 2023

admin

(RNS) — Once upon a time, in the marshes of the Wadden Sea, which spans the western coasts of Denmark, Germany and parts of the Netherlands, a great center of trade and commerce arose. Known as Rungholt, the city grew rich off the the region’s abundant amber, salt and whales, and became an essential stop for North Sea traders.

However, as often follows money and power, its people grew vain and arrogant. When they first built dikes to keep the great sea at bay, they shouted back, “Defy us if you have the courage, Blanke Hans,” using a local nickname for a rough and wild sea, “White Hans.”

One Christmas morning in the 14th century, its townspeople decided to defy God himself, like the biblical builders of the Tower of Babel before them.

A group of young men tried to make a mockery of the church by tricking a priest into giving last rites to a pig disguised as a man. When the priest refused, they beat him senseless. RELATED: A newly identified document gives insight into the mind of Maimonides

A lightweight measuring cart provides large-scale magnetic mapping of cultural traces hidden beneath the surface of today’s North Frisian Wadden Sea mudflats in northern Germany. Photo © Dirk Bienen-Scholt, Schleswig

Barely escaping with his life, the priest prayed that the men would be punished. God answered him with a vision — leave the island at once. Shortly thereafter, Blanke Hans found its courage. The winds roared, the waves raged, and Rungholt was wiped from the face of the earth. All its thousands of inhabitants died. It was a great drowning of men.

At least, that’s the legend, which proliferated in church sermons, chronicles and art across the region of North Frisia for six centuries. A parable about the vice of arrogance and the dangers of wealth and prosperity. As a mythic lost city, it would sometimes be called the Atlantis of the North Sea.

The reality of Rungholt is something different, a group of German archaeologists announced last month, after discovering what they believe to have been the central church of the medieval settlement.

Archaeologist Ruth Blankenfeldt, a member of the Rungholt Project, a collective of archaeologists who have been researching the area for years, pointed out that the remains indicate a structure large enough to have been the center of a parish and thus likely Rungholt.

Sediment cores are taken to record settlement remains and reconstruct landscape development at selected sites on the tidal flats in northern Germany. Photo © Justus Lemm, Berlin

“The find thus joins the ranks of the large churches of North Frisia,” Bente Sven Majchczack, an archaeologist at Kiel University in Germany who also is a member of the Rungholt Project, said in a statement.

Still, the researchers cautioned against taking much of the legend as truth. For one, even calling Rungholt a city is a stretch.

“It’s not a city as you might think with streets and houses. It’s a dwelling mound between dikes in the outlands,” Ulf Ickerodt, another member of the Rungholt Project, told Religion News Service.

Dwelling mounds, or terps, provided living spaces above the height regularly flooded by changing tides. The earthworks, though common in the area, were no minor feat of engineering in their time.

“Hallig during a storm tide” by Alexander Eckener. This 1906 painting is of a North Frisian Wadden Sea dwelling mound in a rough storm. Rungholt would have likely looked like a series of similar mounds. Image by Alexander Eckener/Wikipedia/Creative Commons

What is historical, however, is the calamity that destroyed the city: “the great drowning of men” — in Dutch, the Grote Mandrenke — a massive storm surge in 1362, which caused flooding around the North Sea and killed as many as 25,000 in what is today the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark.

“The Grote Mandrenke really had a huge impact, changing the areas that were settled into ones that were no longer inhabitable,” Ickerodt said. “The destruction of dike zones was quite common in the Wadden Sea area, but not in this amount.”

That’s something that hangs in the collective memory, and three centuries later, a Lutheran priest, Anton Heimrich, inscribed the story into his North Frisian Chronicle, the oldest extant record of the legend.

Detlev von Liliencron in 1905. Photo by Rudolf Dührkoop/Wikipedia/Creative Commons

“The Protestant priest uses Rungholt as a motif of transience or impermanence — meaning, ‘Be good. Otherwise, punishment will follow,’” Ickerodt explained. “This is a religious motif that was combined with collective knowledge that there was a village or city or some formation that had been destroyed.”

Another two centuries after Heimrich, the German poet Detlev von Liliencron further immortalized Rungholt’s tale in his ballad “Trutz, Blanke Hans.”

“Today I traveled over Rungholt, the city went under six hundred years ago,” begins the poem. “The waves are still beating wildly and indignantly, as when they destroyed the marshes.”

Liliencron’s telling casts the legend as a warning, less about man’s arrogance and defiance of God but that of nature, comparing Rungholt to Rome and painting Blanke Hans, i.e., the unpredictable nature of the seas, as a monster whose body stretches from “the shores of England” to “the sands of Brazil.”

By Liliencron’s time, Rungholt was seen as something primarily of myth, but changing tides in the Wadden Sea in the 1920s began to reveal evidence that there had been a medieval settlement there, and for more than a century archaeologists have tried to pin down the exact location of the legendary town.

“The search for the church of Rungholt was always a focus and often discussed,” Majchczack said, according to Vice. “A main question was always the character of Rungholt as such—was it a town, even a city or just a regular, but possibly important village in the marshes?”

People explore the Wadden Sea mudflats at dusk in northern Germany during a low tide. Photo by Tom/Pixabay/Creative Commons

The descriptions of both Liliencron and Heimrich exaggerate Rungholt far beyond anything the archaeologists have found evidence for, but they illustrate how settlements and natural disasters can remain in the collective consciousness centuries on.

“Rungholt is a prominent example of the effects of massive human intervention in the northern German coastal region that continue to this day,” the archaeologists’ statement said.

In addition to the mound where the church was found, some 54 similar mounds remain yet to be investigated. Share Tweet

Entertainment

Grammys 2025: Beyonce makes history as she wins album of the year

Published

2 hours ago

February 3, 2025

admin

Grammys 2025: Beyonce makes history as she wins album of the year

Beyonce has won the coveted album of the year prize at this year’s Grammy Awards.

Despite being the most nominated artist in Grammy history, this was her first win in the top category, which has evaded her four times previously.

Just three women of colour have won album of the year before her, the last being Lauryn Hill 26 years ago.

Members of the Los Angeles Fire Department presented her with the award and were given a standing ovation as they took to the stage.

Beyonce was joined by her 13-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter to accept the prize for her chart-topping album Cowboy Carter, saying said she felt “honoured” to receive the prize, adding: “It’s been many, many years and I just want to thank the Grammys, every songwriter, every collaborator, every producer, all the hard work.”

It was tough competition this year, with female stars including Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan and Taylor Swift in the mix. Andre 3000 and Jacob Collier were also in the running.

Earlier in the night, a stunned Beyonce told the audience she was “still in shock” after winning best Country album – becoming the first black female artist to take the prize.

After being handed the award by Taylor Swift, the Texas-born star said: “Wow, I really was not expecting this. I want to thank God that I’m able to do what I love after so many years.”

She went on: “Genre is a code word to keep us in place as artists, and I just want to encourage us to do what we’re passionate about.”

Beyonce has previously been vocal about the lack of wins in the big Grammy categories for artists of colour, who she said were largely relegated to the genre categories.

Last year her husband, rap star Jay-Z, addressed the oversight, telling the audience: “I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more Grammys than everyone and never won album of the year. So, even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work.”

Beyonce had already made history earlier in the night, winning best country duo/group performance for II Most Wanted featuring Miley Cyrus, but was pipped at the post by Kacey Musgraves, who took best Country song for The Architect.

Ahead of the ceremony, Beyonce announced on social media that she would be taking Cowboy Carter on tour.

Diss track triumph for Lamar

Meanwhile, Kendrick Lamar also dominated the night, taking both song and record of the year for his much-talked-about diss track, Not Like Us.

He dedicated his record of the year win “to the city,” and later said he was “starstruck” to be handed his best song award by Diana Ross.

The California-born star had already won three awards earlier in the night.

The first award of the main ceremony, best rap album, went to Doechii for Alligator Bites Never Heal, who became tearful on stage as she became only the third woman ever to take the prize. She later gave a jaw-dropping, high-energy performance.

Her award was presented by Cardi B, one of those past winners, who told the audience: “Rap helped me find my voice, rap helped me find my story, but most of all rap changed my life.”

Thanks mum!

Best pop vocal album went to Sabrina Carpenter for Short N’ Sweet, she said she “might cry” for her first Grammy win, thanking her mum for “driving me to every voice lesson,” before going on to apologise for saying “Hell” three times during her acceptance speech.

Carpenter’s gong was presented by Red Hot Chilli Peppers band members Anthony Kiedis and Chad Smith, who sang a burst of their 1991 hit Under The Bridge, in tribute to the City Of Angles – LA.

The evening had a very different tone to previous shows following the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. Black was a common theme on the red carpet and the evening kicked off by highlighting the city’s resilience.

Host Trevor Noah’s opening speech spoke of the “entire communities burned to the ground”, going on, “it’s often said in the darkest time the best of humanity shines through…tonight we’re not only celebrating our favourite music but celebrating the city that brought us our favourite music”.

Raising money for those affected by the disaster, Noah said advertising space had also been given to local LA businesses affected by fire.

The first performance of the night celebrated first responders. I Love LA by Dawes, whose members were directly affected by the Eaton fire, were backed by John Legend, Brad Paisley, Sheryl Crow, Brittany Howard and St Vincent.

Chappell Roan calls out the labels

Best newcomer went to Chappell Roan, who wore a giant cone hat with a veil spouting from the top to accept her award, which threatened to fall as she accepted her gong.

The 26-year-old singer gave an empassioned speech as she accepted her first Grammy saying: “I told myself if I ever won a Grammy and I got to stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels and the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a liveable wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists.”

She went on to describe the strain of being signed young, and then dropped by her label, struggling to afford health insurance.

She said “It was so devastating to feel so committed to my art and feel so betrayed by the system and so dehumanised… And if my label would have prioritised artists’ health, I could have been provided care by a company I was giving everything to.

She finished by saying: “So record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a liveable wage and health insurance and protection. Labels, we got you, but do you got us?”

Earlier, her rocking Pink Pony Club performance had featured a giant pony and host of cowboy clowns.

During the show, Billie Eilish performed on an LA hillside set, and Sabrina Carpenter giving it some old-school Hollywood glamour, with a bit of tap dance thrown in for good measure.

Other performances included Bensoon Boone who used the piano to assist a backflip, British star Raye giving a soulful performance of Oscar Winning Tears, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars who sang California Dreamin’, and a belly-dance inspired performance from Hips Don’t Lie star Shakira.

The Weeknd also returned to the Grammys after several years of boycot in protest at what he saw as a flawed voting system after his 2020 album After Hours failed to receive a single nomination.

Other notable early wins of the night included some nostalgic British acts – The Beatles, who took best rock performance for Now And Then, and The Rolling Stones who won best rock album for Hackney Diamonds.

Charli XCX scored her first Grammys for best dance/electronic album and best dance/pop recording, following her culture-shaping Brat album, which was the talk of the summer. She later worked her way through the arena in a performance, which featured Julie Fox and a large haul of knickers, and which Charlie joked might be so racy “it might not make the edit”.

Politics amid the music

Jennifer Lopez presented best Latin pop album, which went to Shakira for Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran. Shakira hugged her two sons as she went to collect her prize, dedicating it to “all my immigrant brothers and sisters in this country – you’re loved, you’re worth it, and I will always fight with you.”

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars won best pop duo/group performance for Die With A Smile, paying their respects to one anothers career achievements in their acceptance speech.

Gaga also spoke out for trans rights, saying, “Trans people are not invisible. Trans people deserve love. The queer community deserves to be lifted up. Music is love.”

Alicia Keys – who is now an 18-times Grammy-winning artist – was also awarded the Dr Dre Global Impact Award by rapper and singer Queen Latifah. Taking one of her children on stage to accept her award, she paid tribute to a host of female artists who she said had “opened the doors” before her.

In a nod to politics, she went on to say DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) was “not a threat, but a gift” adding, “When destructive forces try to burn us down, we burn like a phoenix”.

In the US, the Trump administration is currently calling for the rollback of DEI programs.

Remembering those who are gone

Stars including Will Smith, Cynthia Erivo, Stevie Wonder and Janelle Monae headlined a tribute to the late, legendary producer Quincy Jones, featuring jazz musician Herbie Hancock on the piano, and rendidtions of We Are The World and Thriller.

Led by Coldplayer frontman Chris Martin, the In Memoriam section began by remembering Liam Payne who died in October aged 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina. It also included actress and singer Marianne Faithful, who passed away over the weekend.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Environment

Trump tariffs-led spike in energy prices is temporary, oil prices could ‘plummet’ as global growth slows

Published

3 hours ago

February 3, 2025

admin

Trump tariffs-led spike in energy prices is temporary, oil prices could ‘plummet’ as global growth slows

Oil field, Alberta, Canada

Norm Betts | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Oil prices are likely to fall in the longer run after the initial jump following President Donald Trump’s implementation of hefty tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, said industry watchers.

Over the weekend, Trump followed through on his long-threatened 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, as well as a 10% duty on goods from China. Energy resources from Canada will be subject to a lower 10% tariff.

The U.S. West Texas Intermediate rose 1.75% to $73.8 per barrel, while U.S. gasoline futures also climbed. RBOB Gasoline futures were last up 2.81% at $2.11 per gallon. International Brent crude climbed 0.71% to $76.21 per barrel.

According to the latest data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, America’s imports of Canadian crude oil reached a record 4.3 million barrels per day in July 2024, following the expansion of Canada’s Trans Mountain pipeline. Canada made up about 62% of all U.S. crude oil imports in the first 10 months of last year, while Mexico accounted for about 7% in the same period.

While crude markets will see higher prices and consumers will be forking out more for gasoline and diesel costs in the near term, the spike is only temporary, oil watchers told CNBC.

“While the initial move on crude oil is upward, a cycle of tariffs and retaliatory actions by Canada, Mexico, China and perhaps others in the future could lead to a worldwide recession, causing oil prices to plummet,” Andy Lipow, President of Lipow Oil Associates told CNBC.

The tariffs have not resulted in any oil supplies being taken off the market, and will result in a redistribution of supplies as Mexico and Canada look to divert their volumes to Europe and Asia, Lipow added. Meanwhile, U.S. refiners will be looking to process more domestic crude oil while seeking Middle East alternatives.

Canada to bear the brunt

Both Canada and Mexico have limited spare refining capacity or alternative export routes, and the tariffs will likely push oil producers in both countries into steep price discounts, said Saul Kavonic, head of energy research at MST Marquee.

Canadian oil producers will eventually bear the brunt of the tariffs’ burden with a $3 to $4 per barrel discount on Canadian crude given the limited alternative export markets, Goldman Sachs wrote in a note dated Sunday.

In the medium term, Goldman’s analysts also expect that broad tariffs will impact global GDP as well as oil demand, weighing down oil prices.

Additionally, global oil prices could drop further after the next quarter as tariffs worsen the demand picture and OPEC+ faces increasing pressure from Trump to reverse production cuts, said Kavonic. Trump recently stated that he is urging Saudi Arabia and OPEC to lower oil prices.

The oil cartel, which is slated to meet on Monday, has yet to respond to Trump’s request. OPEC+ has been withholding 2.2 million barrels per day from the global market to stem falling prices. In December, the group decided to extend its production cuts through at least March 2025 before phasing them out gradually over the course of a year.

Politics

Ether, altcoins dive double digits as Trump tariffs take further toll

Published

3 hours ago

February 3, 2025

admin

Ether, altcoins dive double digits as Trump tariffs take further toll

Ether, Cardano, Avalanche, XRP, Chainlink and Dogecoin all dropped over 20% over the past 23 hours after US President Donald Trump imposed his first round of tariffs.