TIL about the maniacal lighthouse keeper of Clipperton Island—the sole male survivor on the remote Pacific atoll following a bout of scurvy and a lack of supplies–who, between 1915 and 1917, terrorized the remaining women and children until he was bludgeoned to death by two of his victims
TIL that cats–despite being highly revered in ancient Egypt–were bred on an industrial scale to be sacrificed and mummified as offerings to the feline goddess Bastet
TIL that residents of Svalbard–a Norwegian archipelago–often keep their car and house doors unlocked, allowing others to escape if a polar bear were to wander down the main street; however, tourism might ruin this custom
Mithras Tauroctonos; this Roman statue of the sun god slaying Taurus is overflowing with ancient astrological symbolism–notice the dog (Canis Major) and snake (Hydra) drinking the life-giving blood, and the scorpion (Scorpius) striking below to drain its primal life force, c. 100 AD [3024x4032] [OC]
Statue of a Molossian Dog; this Roman replica of a Greek original (c. 300 BC) depicts one of the ancient world’s most versatile dog breeds, renowned for its exceptional strength as a fearsome war and hunting hound, as well as a dedicated guardian of property and livestock, c. 100 AD [3024x4032] [OC]
Found in Sala degli Animali in the Vatican Museums 🇻🇦
Urns for the mummies of cats; often found with their necks broken, these cats were likely bred for the sole purpose of being religious offerings to the Egyptian feline goddess Bastet, c. 1000-800 BC [3024x4032] [OC]
Found in the Gregorian Egyptian Museum of the Vatican Museums 🇻🇦