Since the 1980s, the important role of the family has increasingly come to the attention of the international community. The General Assembly adopted a number of resolutions and proclaimed the International Year of the Family and the International Day of Families.

Emphasizing the critical role of parents in the rearing of children, the Global Day of Parents recognizes that the family has the primary responsibility for the nurturing and protection of children. For the full and harmonious development of their personality, children should grow up in a family environment and in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding.

Designated by the General Assembly in 2012, Global Day of Parents provides an opportunity to appreciate all parents for their “selfless commitment to children and their lifelong sacrifice towards nurturing this relationship.”

Background

During the 1980’s, the United Nations began focusing attention on the issues related to the family. In 1983, based on the recommendations of the Economic and Social Council, the Commission for Social Development in its resolution on the Role of the family in the development process (1983/23) requested the Secretary-General to enhance awareness among decision makers and the public of the problems and needs of the family, as well as of effective ways of meeting those needs.

In 2012, the General Assembly proclaimed 1 June as the Global Day of Parents, to be observed annually in honor of parents throughout the world.

After uncovering the ruins of an ancient Mayan city on a construction site in Mexico, researchers have presented their discoveries. The site hosts an array of palaces and other buildings.

Archaeologists working in the Yucatan region of Mexico have revealed the remains of a centuries-old Mayan city, local media reported on Friday.

The city of Xiol — which means “the spirit of man” in Mayan — is believed to have been the home of some 4,000 people between 600 and 900 CE, during the late classic period.

The area was first uncovered in 2018 on a construction site for a future industrial park close to the town of Merida on Yucatan’s northern coast. Archaeologists from the National Institute for Anthropology and History (INAH) then took over the site.

“The discovery of this Mayan city is important for its monumental architecture and because it has been restored despite being located on private land,” delegate for the INAH center in Yucatan, Arturo Chab Cardenas, told news agency EFE.

Palaces, priests, pyramids

The site is of particular interest due to its Puuc style architecture — famously used for the Chichen Itza pyramid — which is more typically found in the southern part of the Yucatan region.

The archaeologists also highlighted the array of palaces, pyramids and plazas found at the site as well as evidence of various social classes residing there.

“There were people from different social classes … priests, scribes, who lived in these great palaces, and there were also the common people who lived in small buildings,” Carlos Peraza, one of the archaeologists leading the excavations, said.

“With time, urban sprawl (in the area) has grown and many of the archaeological remains have been destroyed … but even we as archaeologists are surprised, because we did not expect to find a site so well preserved,” Peraza added.

Ancient artifacts on display

One of the owners of the land where Xiol was discovered, Mauricio Montalvo, explained to EFE how “at first we saw a giant stone and as we excavated enormous buildings began to appear.”

“It was incredible, so we informed INAH and then we realized the need to change our original plans because for our company, it’s more important to preserve the Mayan heritage,” he said.

The researchers said they had found the bodies of 15 adults and children in nearby burial grounds who had been buried with obsidian — originating from modern-day Guatemala — and other belongings.

Several tools and ceramics dating back as far as the pre-classic period (700-350 BCE) were also displayed by the researchers.

https://www.dw.com/en/mexico-archaeologists-uncover-1500-year-old-mayan-city/a-61961351

HANOI, VIETNAM—According to a Vietnam Plus report, more than 700 artifacts were discovered in a cave in northeastern Vietnam’s Bac Kan province by a team of researchers from the Institute of Archaeology, the Vietnam Archaeology Association, and the Bac Kan Museum. Team member Trinh Nang Chung estimates that Tham Un Cave was used as a residence for about 4,000 years, beginning some 5,000 to 6,000 years ago by people of the Bac Son Culture, and ending in the late Neolithic period. Many of the artifacts, he explained, are stone tools crafted from river pebbles. The researchers will return to the cave for excavations and additional study.

LECCE, ITALY—The Guardian reports that Gabriele Scorrano of the Lundbeck GeoGenetics Center, Serena Viva of the University of Salento, and their colleagues have mapped the genome of a man whose remains were unearthed in 1933 at the Craftsman’s House in Pompeii, which was destroyed and covered in ash during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. The researchers also attempted to map the genome of a woman whose remains discovered in the same room, but her DNA was not as well preserved. She was over the age of 50 at the time of her death, and may have had osteoarthritis. The positions of the bodies suggest that the two did not attempt to flee to safety. Traces of DNA from the bacteria that causes tuberculosis were detected in the man’s remains, along with bone lesions associated with the disease on one of his vertebrae. Comparison of his genome with more than 1,000 other ancient genomes and hundreds of modern people from western Eurasia found that his DNA shared similarities with people living today in central Italy and his Roman contemporaries living in the region, while analysis of mitochondrial DNA, inherited through the maternal line, and Y-chromosome DNA, inherited through the paternal line, carried genes commonly found in people who lived on the island of Sardinia.

In November 2011, the UNESCO General Conference proclaimed 30 April as “International Jazz Day” This Day is intended to raise awareness of the virtues of jazz as an educational tool, and a force for empathy, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people. Many governments, civil society organizations, educational institutions, and private citizens currently engaged in the promotion of jazz music will embrace the opportunity to foster greater appreciation not only for the music but also for the contribution it can make to building more inclusive societies

• • Jazz breaks down barriers and creates opportunities for mutual understanding and tolerance;

• • Jazz is a vector of freedom of expression;

• • Jazz is a symbol of unity and peace;

• • Jazz reduces tensions between individuals, groups, and communities;

• • Jazz fosters gender equality;

• • Jazz reinforces the role youth play for social change;

• • Jazz encourages artistic innovation, improvisation, new forms of expression, and inclusion of traditional music forms into new ones;

• • Jazz stimulates intercultural dialogue and empowers young people from marginalized societies.

This International Day brings together communities, schools, artists, historians, academics, and jazz enthusiasts all over the world to celebrate and learn about the art of jazz, its roots, its future and its impact. This important international art form is celebrated for promoting peace, dialogue among cultures, diversity, and respect for human rights and human dignity, eradicating discrimination, promoting freedom of expression, fostering gender equality, and reinforcing the role of youth for social change.

Earlier this month (April 2022), it was reported that Ali Asadi, the head of the Fars Archaeological Board, has told reporters of the latest discovery in the Persepolis area. Asadi stated that the excavations were carried out with the aim of extending the waterways in the southern courtyard of Tachara Palace. The excavations have revealed an east-west waterway which diverts towards the south and extends all the way to the Palace of Ardashir Pāpakan. Herein were found hundreds of artifacts and adorned stones, which seem to be from the main stairs of the palace and were most probably intentionally broken.

Asadi also believes, due to the large number of stones discovered, that some of the complexities of the northern facade of Ardashir Pāpakan Palace, which is one of the most difficult archeological sites of Persepolis, will become more comprehensible.

Tachara Palace, or the Mirror Palace, was the winter palace of Darius the Great and was one of the first palaces to be discovered in the Persepolis area. It became known as the Mirror Place (The Hall of Mirrors) as the stones used to build the front of the palace are reflective.

According to local Iranian news agencies, the lithographs of “Kul-e-Farah” and “Eshkaft-e Salman” as well as other lithographs of the Elamite period in the historical landscape of Izeh, most of which are about 4700 years old, have been left unprotected and are in complete decline. These sites were intact until a few years after the revolution, and their colors were bright and completely visible. Now their conditions are dangerously deteriorating and exposed to natural factors like the wind, rain, and sun, with some rocks having visible signs of cracks. These sites have been greatly neglected by Iranian governmental authorities, who have abandoned the upkeep and preservation of the ancient Persian sites.

According to Siavash Aria, a cultural heritage activist  and tourist, who recently visited the area these ancient historical sites are in very bad condition both in terms of protection and preservation.

Izeh

New research led by researchers from the Departments of Biology and Archaeology, Oxford, and published today in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, reveals the scale of parasitic worm infections in Britain from the Prehistoric to the early Victorian periods.
This type of research provides a unique insight into the lives and habits of past populations — their general health, cooking practices, diet, and hygiene.
Understanding how parasitic worm infections changed in the past can help public health measures in regions of the world still experiencing problems today.
Humans are infected with roundworms and whipworms through contamination by faecal matter and catch some tapeworms by eating raw or undercooked meat or fish.
Infections with parasitic worms are a big problem in many parts of the world today, particularly in some tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. But in the past, they were much more widespread and were common throughout Europe.
The research team wanted to find out the size and scale of parasitic worm infections in the UK over the course of history. So they looked for worm eggs in the soil from the pelvises of skeletons.
They tested a lot of individual skeletons. 464 human burials were examined from 17 sites, dating from the Bronze Age to the Industrial Revolution.
People In the Roman and the Late Medieval period fared the worst, with the highest rates of worm infection detected. The infection rates were similar to those seen in the most affected regions today.
Things changed in the Industrial period. Worm infection rates differed a lot between different sites — some sites had little evidence of infection, while in others there was a lot of infection.
The researchers think that local changes in sanitation and hygiene may have reduced infection in some areas before nationwide changes during the Victorian ‘Sanitary Revolution’.
The co-first authors, Hannah Ryan and Patrik Flammer said: ‘Defining the patterns of infection with intestinal worms can help us to understand the health, diet and habits of past populations. More than that, defining the factors that led to changes in infection levels (without modern drugs) can provide support for approaches to control these infections in modern populations.’
The team will next use their array of parasite-based approaches to investigate other infections in the past. This includes more large-scale analyses of human burials, as well as continuing their ancient DNA work.
Their ambition is to employ a multidisciplinary approach, working closely with archaeologists, historians, parasitologists, biologists and other interested groups to use parasites to help understand the past.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220421141542.htm

World Art Day, a celebration to promote the development, diffusion and enjoyment of art, was proclaimed at the 40^th session of UNESCO’s General Conference in 2019.

Art nurtures creativity, innovation and cultural diversity for all peoples across the globe and plays an important role in sharing knowledge and encouraging curiosity and dialogue. These are qualities that art has always had, and will always have if we continue to support environments where artists and artistic freedom are promoted and protected. In this way, furthering the development of art also furthers our means to achieve a free and peaceful world.

Each year, on 15 April, World Art Day celebrations help reinforce the links between artistic creations and society, encourage greater awareness of the diversity of artistic expressions and highlight the contribution of artists to sustainable development. It is also an occasion to shine a light on arts education in schools, as culture can pave the way for inclusive and equitable education.

There is much to learn, share and celebrate on World Art Day, and UNESCO encourages everyone to join in through various activities such as debates, conferences, workshops, cultural events and presentations or exhibitions.

It has been reported that 29 Iranian antiquities and heritage artifacts have been returned from France to the National Museum of Iran in Tehran. These artifacts date back from over five thousand years ago until the Islamic period.

The director of the National Museum of Iran, Jebrael Nokandeh, has reportedly stated, “These artifacts have been donated to Iran by the descendants of one of the French ambassadors who was ambassador to Iran during World War II. These items had been taken at that time with him to France.”

It has been reported that Nokandeh also shared the following about the origin of these heritage artifacts: “At the moment, it is not possible to identify the sites where these works have been obtained, but they are similar to the works of Susa, Silk, and Persepolis sites, which will be authenticated by the experts.”

At the screening of these works, Morteza Adibzadeh, Director General of Museums said that these 29 artifacts include tubular pottery belonging to the First Iron Age, Middle Elamite period pottery, Middle Elamite period bitumen, Islamic period pottery, glazed pottery of the Seljuk period, and an earthenware plate from the Parthian period. The oldest object is a piece of pottery from the Bronze Age, which is about five thousand years old.