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Long-Lost Cultures

The ancient Egyptians had their pyramids, the Greeks, their sculptures and temples. And everybody knows about the Maya and their famous calendar.

But other ancient peoples get short shrift in world history. Here are a handful of long-lost cultures that don't get the name recognition they deserve.

The Silla

The Silla Kingdom was one of the longest-standing royal dynasties ever. It ruled most of the Korean Peninsula between 57 B.C. and A.D. 935, but left few burials behind for archaeologists to study.

One recent Silla discovery gave researchers a little insight, however. The intact bones of a woman who lived to be in her late 30s was found in 2013 near the historic capital of the Silla (Gyeongju). An analysis of the woman's bones revealed that she was likely a vegetarian who ate a diet heavy in rice, potatoes or wheat. She also had an elongated skull.

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Silla was founded by the monarch Bak Hyeokgeose. Legend held that he was hatched from a mysterious egg in the forest and married a queen born from the ribs of a dragon. Over time, the Silla culture developed into a centralized, hierarchical society with a wealthy aristocratic class. Though human remains from the Silla people are rare, archaeologists have unearthed a variety of luxurious goods made by this culture, from a gold-and-garnet dagger to a cast-iron Buddha to jade jewelry, among other examples held at the Gyeongju National Museum in South Korea. [See Images of the Long-Headed Woman's Facial Reconstruction]

The Indus

The Indus is the largest-known ancient urban culture, with the people's land stretching from the Indus River in modern-day Pakistan to the Arabian Sea and the Ganges in India. The Indus civilization persisted for thousands of years, emerging around 3300 B.C. and declining by about 1600 B.C.

The Indus, also known as the Harappans, developed sewage and drainage systems for their cities, built impressive walls and granaries, and produced artifacts like pottery and glazed beads. They even had dental care: Scientists found 11 drilled molars (opens in new tab) from adults who lived between 7,500 to 9,000 years ago in the Indus Valley, according to a study published in 2006 in the journal Nature. A 2012 study suggested that climatic change weakened monsoonal rains and dried up much of the Harappan territory, forcing the civilization to gradually disband and migrate to wetter climes.

The Sanxingdui

The Sanxingdui were a Bronze Age culture that thrived in what is now China's Sichuan Province. A farmer first discovered artifacts from the Sanxingdui in 1929; excavations in the area in 1986 revealed complex jade carvings and bronze sculptures 8 feet (2.4 meters) tall.

But who were the Sanxingdui? Despite the evidence of the culture's artistic abilities, no one really knows. They were prolific makers of painted bronze-and-gold-foil masks that some archaeologists believe may have represented gods or ancestors, according to the Sanxingdui Museum in China. The Sanxingdui site shows evidence of abandonment about 2,800 or 3,000 years ago, and another ancient city, Jinsha, discovered nearby, shows evidence that maybe the Sanxingdui moved there. In 2014, researchers at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union argued that at around this time, a major earthquake and landslide redirected the Minjiang River, which would have cut Sanxingdui off from water and forced a relocation.

The Nok

The mysterious and little-known Nok culture lasted from around 1000 B.C. to A.D. 300 in what is today northern Nigeria. Evidence of the Nok was discovered by chance during a tin-mining operation in 1943, according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Miners uncovered a terra-cotta head, hinting at a rich sculptural tradition. Since then, other elaborate terra-cotta sculptures have emerged, including depictions of people wearing elaborate jewelry and carrying batons and flails — symbols of authority also seen in ancient Egyptian art, according to the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Other sculptures show people with diseases such as elephantiasis, the Met said.

Contributing to the mystery surrounding the Nok, the artifacts have often been removed from their context without archaeological analysis. In 2012, the United States returned a cache of Nok figurines to Nigeria after they were stolen from Nigeria's national museum and smuggled into the U.S.

The Etruscans

The Etruscans had a thriving society in northern Italy from about 700 B.C. to about 500 B.C., when they began to be absorbed by the Roman Republic. They developed a unique written language and left behind luxurious family tombs, including one belonging to a prince that was first excavated in 2013.

Etruscan society was a theocracy, and their artifacts suggest that religious ritual was a part of daily life. The oldest depiction of childbirth in Western art — a goddess squatting to give birth — was found at the Etruscan sanctuary of Poggio Colla. At the same site, archaeologists found a 4-foot by 2-foot (1.2 by 0.6 meters) sandstone slab containing rare engravings in the Etruscanlanguage. Few examples of written Etruscan survive. Another Etruscan site, Poggio Civitate, was a square complex surrounding a courtyard. It was the largest building in the Mediterranean at its time, said archaeologists who have excavated more than 25,000 artifacts from the site.

The Land of Punt

Some cultures are known mostly through the records of other cultures. That's the case with the mysterious land of Punt, a kingdom somewhere in Africa that traded with the ancient Egyptians. The two kingdoms were exchanging goods from at least the 26th century B.C., during the reign of the pharaoh Khufu (the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza).

Strangely, no one really knows where Punt was located. The Egyptians left plenty of descriptions of the goods they got from Punt (gold, ebony, myrrh) and the seafaring expeditions they sent to the lost kingdom. However, the Egyptians are frustratingly mum on where all these voyages were headed. Scholars have suggested that Punt may have been in Arabia, or on the Horn of Africa, or maybe down the Nile River at the border of modern-day South Sudan and Ethiopia.

The Bell-Beaker Culture

You know a culture is obscure when archaeologists name it based on its artifacts alone. The Bell-Beaker culture made pottery vessels shaped like upside-down bells. The makers of these distinctive drinking cups lived across Europe between about 2800 B.C. and 1800 B.C. They also left behind copper artifacts and graves, including a cemetery of 154 graves located in the modern-day Czech Republic.

The Bell-Beakers were also responsible for some of the construction at Stonehenge, researchers have found: These people likely arranged the site's small bluestones, which originated in Wales.

Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Get your reservations ready. Restaurant Week South Carolina kicks off Thursday, Jan. 12 and runs through Sunday, Jan. 22.

Whether you’re looking to try something new or visit an old favorite, participating restaurants offer special deals (think: three courses for a set price or dinner for two at a discounted rate) to entice Greenvillians to get out and eat local.

Pro tip: Bookmark the full lineup to peep the menus and make reservations.

We were excited to see this casual lunch spot in Overbrook on the Restaurant Week lineup. You can’t go wrong with any of the $12 lunch specials — which come with a side and a tea. We’ll be trying the “Mama’s Boy” — house-made meatloaf, onion bacon jam, tomato barbecue sauce, and sharp cheddar cheese on sourdough sandwich bread.

Indulge in three courses for $45. We’re starting with the yellowfin tuna crudo (with mango, shallot, fresno chile, and lemon gel), then enjoying the fusilli (with lamb sausage, fennel, piquillo peppers, and pecorino romano), and finishing with the key lime panna cotta (with cherry compote and almond crumb).

Looking for a unique Restaurant Week experience? Start by selecting wine or bouron and you’ll receive a $20 flight of chocolates that pair perfectly with your preference.

Three courses for $60? Yes please. Chef Haydn Shaak had us at brussells + pancetta (with calabrian chilis, wildflower honey, fennel pollen, and pecorino), whey braised short rib (with lardo potatoes, wild mushrooms, shallots, and truffle demi), and apple olive oil cake (with salted whey caramel, pistachio butter, and cinnamon whip).

If you’re looking for a spot with deals for lunch and dinner, look no further than three courses for $40 at Southern Culture. Kick off your meal with the creole caesar salad, enjoy the peppercorn herb crusted prime rib (with redskin mashed potatoes, sauteed mixed vegetables, a horseradish cream sauce and a Dijon au jus sauce), and wash it all down with a slice of rum cake a la mode with caramel drizzle.

Although she’s a food columnist for The New York Times and Bon Appetit magazine as well as a successful cookbook author, Alison Roman at home prefers relaxed and casual cooking to more stressful, complex entertaining.

“This is not about living an aspirational life,” she writes. “It’s about living an attainable one.”

In “Nothing Fancy: Unfussy Food for Having People Over,” she shares creative recipes that are rarely longer than one page. The dessert that follows comes off as sophisticated, yet it’s a simple preparation with a do-ahead component. (Clarkson Potter, $32.50)

Salted Honey Panna Cotta with Crushed Raspberries

Ingredients

1 (¼-ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin powder

¼ cup water

3 cups heavy cream, divided

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons local honey, plus more for garnish

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup sour cream

½ vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped (optional)

Pinch of kosher salt

6 ounces fresh raspberries

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, or fresh lime or lemon juice

Directions

Sprinkle the envelope of gelatin over the water and let sit 2 or 3 minutes to soften and hydrate (so that it doesn’t clump).

Add the squishy gelatin to a small pot along with ½ cup cream and ½ cup honey. Heat over low heat, swirling the pot until the gelatin is totally dissolved, making sure not to simmer.

Gently whisk the buttermilk, sour cream, vanilla, if using, remaining 2½ cups cream, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl.

Slowly whisk the warm gelatin mixture into the buttermilk mixture, taking care not to whisk too hard or else it’ll trap air bubbles (you don’t want that). Divide the mixture among 6 to 10 glasses. Chill until the panna cotta is set, at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile, place the raspberries, vinegar, and remaining 2 tablespoons honey in a medium bowl. Using a fork, crush the fruit to release the juices. Serve the panna cotta topped with the crushed raspberry mixture, additional honey, or nothing at all.

Do ahead: The panna cotta mixture can be made 5 days ahead; it keeps well in a plastic container and can be warmed to a liquid, poured into individual serving glasses and chilled before serving.

Note: Panna cotta translates directly to “cooked cream,” but the funny thing is that the cream in a panna cotta should never be cooked, as that would change the flavor of the cream.

Adapted from Nothing Fancy. Copyright 2019 by Alison Roman. Photographs copyright 2019 by Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.

The second Aptos Wine Wander was a roaring success last month—and businesses in Aptos Village enjoyed hosting the many wineries taking part in the event. Imagine tasting wine surrounded by leather in a saddle-maker’s store—as was the case when I sampled Nicholson Vineyards’ Terra Cotta 2014 Central Coast. Gravity Saddles, located in the heart of Aptos Village, specializes in handmade saddles, some of which are specifically designed to meet the rider’s needs. After doing the rounds of every winery that day, I went back for more of Nicholson’s Terra Cotta Red ($27)—a delicious blend of 50 percent Sangiovese and 50 percent Syrah.

A lighter-bodied wine with aromatic hints of ripe red fruit, licorice and sweet spice, it has a palate of cocoa, ripe plum, strawberry, spice and a hint of earth. “We make it in honor of my Italian heritage,” says Marguerite Nicholson, who runs the winery with husband Brian Nicholson. “It’s made from two wines that are not often blended, and what we have found is that the crispness of the acidic Sangio brightens a soft Syrah, and the jammy Syrah really softens a crisp Sangio—if that makes sense!”

From now until Aug. 4, Nicholson Vineyards will be open for a Series of Live Music from 3-8 p.m. on Fridays; and on Saturdays, various food trucks will be serving good grub from noon to 5 p.m. And if they haven’t already sold out, you might be lucky enough to get some of Nicholson Vineyards’ exceptional olive oil made from their estate-grown olives.

Nicholson Vineyards also participates in every Passport event—the next one being Saturday, July 21. And you’re welcome to take a picnic.

Nicholson Vineyards, 2800 Pleasant Valley Road, Aptos, 724-7071. nicholsonvineyards.com.

Passport Day

The July 21 Passport event is a day when you can visit vineyards, meet winemakers and enjoy a summer tasting of wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Passport Day is on the third Saturday of January, April, July and November and offers an opportunity to visit wineries not usually open to the public. Passports cost $65 and are valid for one year.

Visit scmwa.com for more info.

It was all too much for Coco Chanel. As the sixties started to swing, the French fashion icon pronounced mini-skirts to be "just awful".

She also famously declared that she had never met a man who liked women wearing them.

How wrong can you be?

Half a century later and with Mary Quant, the woman credited with inventing it turning 80 this month, the mini remains a wardrobe staple worldwide.

A hemline half-way up the thigh is no longer synonymous with rebellion and newly-won sexual freedom as it was in the mini's first decade.

But the style remains as popular as ever with the likes of Kate Moss and Sienna Miller having lately given it a contemporary twist as an element of the "boho chic" look copied by millions.

Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel's current artistic director, recently described Coco's dismissal of the mini as one of the biggest mistakes she ever made.

The German designer has underlined that belief by making above-the-knee skirts a staple of the Chanel suit.

"Coco must be turning in her grave," observed Laurent Cotta, a fashion historian.

Cotta echoes Quant's own admission that the mini was a trend on the streets before she gave it its name, taking inspiration from another 60s design classic, the Mini car.

"It was a revolution but it didn't come out of nowhere. The trend was already established," Cotta said.

"It was in the air- a mini-skirt was a way of rebelling. It stood for sensuality and sex. Wearing one was a sure-fire way of upsetting your parents."

Not for the first time, a trend born in the youth culture of Britain soon found its way onto the catwalks of Paris.

Designer Andre Courreges is credited with importing the mini to France and some say he rather than Quant should be considered the inventor of the cut.

Whatever the truth, Courreges's lead was quickly followed by rival fashion house leaders Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Cardin. The latter pushed the trend to its natural limit with even shorter micro-skirts.

By the mid-sixties, the mini could be spotted around the world, its success driven by the parallel export success of British pop, spearheaded by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

A ban in, of all places, The Netherlands lasted only a few months and by 1968 the mini was part of the uniform of young female students and workers taking to the barricades in that year of upheaval.