The figure depicted on the Paracas pottery bowl is typically interpreted as a supernatural or anthropomorphic "flying figure". These figures are common motifs in Paracas art and are believed to represent beings from an otherworldly or supernatural realm. The figure combines human-like traits with other features, such as claws and a three-point mouth. The way the figures are oriented on the bowl suggests they are flying or moving through a different realm, possibly related to the mountains which were considered a supernatural area. Similar figures in Paracas and the related Nasca culture often appear alongside other mythical beings and sometimes incorporate elements like "trophy heads," suggesting a connection to ritual and agricultural abundance beliefs. Paracas art, in general, reflects the culture's deep investment in the afterlife and their dependence on the natural world and agricultural cycles, with these figures likely playing a role in their cosmology and rituals.

Jar with Anthropomorphic Figure
ceramic with resinous postfire paint
650–150 BCE
Paracas
Ocucaje area, Ica Valley, south coast, Peru

#handmade #art #culture #religion #paracas #peru #flyingfigure #afterlife #spiritual #fertility #agriculture #ancientart #ancientpottery #precolumubian #prehispanic

Happy Good Friday! This is a prime day for food folklore!

Plant your crops today!
Collect rainwater to use in baking bread throughout the year!
Hang a hot cross bun in the The Widow's Son pub!

Or pre-order my boo of food folklore here: A Feast of Folklore share.google/NW3nsfHf0IeL...

The Devil’s Mariner is on Kindle Unlimited if you have it. Definately bonus episode material! It’s a long story though as he does so much. Anton and I only managed to cover half of his life in one episode.

He spent a couple of years logwooding and recorded everything around him: tides, weather patterns, plants, animals. I think he kept his writings safe in a bamboo tube sealed by wax. He was not your regular pirate!

There is lots more in one or maybe both of these books. Can’t remember which!

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Your lumberjacks will be wearing purple and black checks as logwooding was a source of textile dyes. It was brutal work, camping in a swamp, surrounded by mosquitos, felling trees whilst stood in water all day meaning your legs got ulcers and swollen. There is a good account by William Dampier

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In 2000 years it'll be an archaeological oddity spoken about in the same way as a coin from the reign of a crazy roman emperor.

It's an odd choice of pose, slightly hunched to fit on the coin, not dynamic. I did wonder if he was climbing over a wall.

I was reading the Nails chapter in the excellent Nuts and Bolts by
@romatheengineer.bsky.social on the train to Prague yesterday where I saw the Titanic exhibition. It made this display a lot more exciting for me. It's a really great book!

They could have easily solved this with an index to the complete index!

If you believe in and want armageddon then it makes sense to keep escalating, keep pushing.

That's scary.

I'm so angry at this. Headlines just to spread hate. Yes, there are problems with everything and every system but let's at least work towards a collective future.

Surely favourite 'plaice' 😁

... which is funny because my professional profile @riclep.dev is floating off in the wrong direction. I followed too many SEO people to understand their dark arts. But as a Web dev and designer I really appreciate the work and beauty in Bluesky map.

I'm definitely an imposter, simply listening quietly to those more intelligent. My professional community is right to the north though, hi web development...

Happy Birthday Dmitry Mendeleev, creator of the period table.

I love that to create Mendelevium, the element named after him, we need to bombard Einsteinium with alpha particles!

You can listen to our episode all about elements here:

open.spotify.com/episode/4GXW...

I love how it sounds like it had been hidden for 1000 years and suddenly been discovered, rather than just a decade. It's really odd though, such a waste. Makes me think of China's ghost cities.

Black Bart had pirate style! Excellent episode.

Make sure you get your tickets to Intelligent Speech at intelligentspeechonline.com to see Rob and Jamie giving keynote.

Three platypus glowing under UV light, blue, green and orange.

...journey from Australia, dodging German U-boats and more. It was actually illegal to export them at the time but they complied with Churchill's wish. Sadly, on the final stretch of the voyage the platypus died. Churchill had him stuffed!

Oh, and they glow under UV light!

Thanks for the kind words. I was shouting Octonauts at my phone, creature report!

As you mentioned platypus here's an odd story. Winston Churchill had one delivered to him on a specially designed ship during WW2. They built an enclosure filled with 50,000 worms house and feed him on the long...

A reminder that we will be joining lots of fellow podcasters at the Intelligent Speech Conference on 28th February! It’s where history podcasters and others join to present and discuss all things history.

The theme of the 2026 conference is Companions and Rivals.

Wow, these are expensive!

Guess what! We are speaking at Intelligent Speech Online! This year’s theme is Companions and Rivals.

Taking place on Feb 28th - ticket includes live attendance & also access to recordings of all the sessions after the event intelligentspeechonline.com

Use the Code RANKIUM for discount!

Just wind here in Guernsey! 🍃

I did, the weather was beautiful, but unseasonally nice so part of me couldn't fully enjoy it. Didn't spot any cormorants here though.

Wow, I'd heard it's painful but didn't realise they left scars that last so long. I'm definitely going to be extra cautious!

Ow!

Now I'm wondering if any actually are a specialised asshole! 😅

Yeah, they're incredible! Hoping they'll make another appearance in a future episode.

Portuguese Man O'War | The Wildlife Trusts Despite appearances, this weird and wonderful creature is not a jellyfish! They're sometimes found washed up on our shores after westerly winds. Look but don't touch - they give a very nasty sting.

I'm going to have to be that person @totalusrankium.bsky.social

The Portuguese Man O'War isn't a jellyfish, it's actually a diverse colony of loads of tiny, specialised creatures which is incredibly cool. They also have a sail!

www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-exp...

It's crazy, he comes out as good or better than any human in history in any field. I'm hoping grok is a actually being sarcastic and when they give it a voice it'll become clear. /Yeah Elon, you're the beeest ever!/

Looking forward to a @totalusrankium.bsky.social special!