Beginning in the 8th century, the Danes began a long era of well-organized raids across the coasts and rivers of Europe. Large areas outside Scandinavia were settled by the Danes including what became know as the Danelaw in England, the Netherlands, northern France and Ireland. Two Viking warriors from the same clan separated for more than 1000 years and have finally been reunited at the Danish National Museum in Copenhagen.

Danelaw was established as an area ruled by Vikings and extended across much of England. A group of fairly young Viking warriors was found here buried in a mass grave near the church where they had been killed by orders from King Aethelred II, King of the English. The warrior hilighted here was in his 20s and died from injuries to his head. He had sustained 8 to 10 hits to the head and several stab wounds to the spine.

In 1907, two mummies were discovered in Deir Rifeh Egypt in a tomb belonging to a governor and his sons from the 12th Dynasty (almost 4000 years ago). The tomb group is one of the best preserved and best known burials of the Egyptian Middle Kingdom. Although the mummies were heavily decayed, the skeletons were still preserved. Khnum-Nakht was about 40 years old and Nakht-Ankh about 60.

The two mummies were found to be brothers with the same mother but different fathers. This is confirmed by identical mtDNA and the detected differences in the Y chromosomes. Both suffered from osteoarthtritis and dental attrition. Khnum-Nakht had kyphoscoliosis and Nakht-Ankh had lung lesions from sand pneumoconiosis.

For the people of Pompeii the world reached a horrific end in the Autumn of 79 AD. The only surviving eyewitness account of the event consists of two letters written by Pliny the Younger (who was 17 at the time of the eruption) to the Roman historian Tacitus some 25 years later. Observing the first volcanic activity from across the Bay of Naples 29 kilometers away, Pliny the Elder (his uncle) launched a rescue fleet immediately - while Pliny the Younger stayed behind. He wrote of a extraordinary dense cloud rising above mount Vesuvius. His words describe a pine-tree with spreading branches which was sometimes bright and sometimes dark and spotted - impregnated with earth and cinders. After three tremors the sea rolled back upon itself. Flashes appeared through dark clouds and ash fell like a blanket of snow.

Meanwhile for Pliny the Elder things were taking a turn for the worse. As commander fo the Roman fleet at Misenum he went to investigate the phenomenon at close range. He ordered the fleet galleys to evacuate the people on the coast. As he neared the other side of the bay he encountered thick showers of hot cinders, lumps of pumice and pieces of rock. Ignoring the helmsman to turn back Pliny insisted that Fortune favors the brave and continued to Stabiae - a town about 4.5km from Pompeii. Very soon they realized the strong onshore wind prevented any ships from leaving. Pliny and his party saw flames shooting from parts of the mountain - presumed to be burning villages. Forced to stay overnight the crew attempted to approach the beach with pillows tied to their heads to protect from rockfall - however the wind had not changed and exhausted Pliny sat down on a sail for a rest to never stand again.