Medieval Times

When George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26 in Sanford, Fla., did he act in self-defense or out of some combination of fear, confusion, and racism? The facts remain in dispute. What is not in dispute is that an unarmed 17-year-old African-American wearing a hooded sweatshirt died unnecessarily and far too young. On Friday, as a commentary on the Martin case, LeBron James posted on his Twitter account a photograph of himself and 12 Miami Heat teammates posing with bowed heads and wearing hooded sweatshirts.

When George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26 in Sanford, Fla., did he act in self-defense or out of some combination of fear, confusion, and racism? The facts remain in dispute. What is not in dispute is that an unarmed 17-year-old African-American wearing a hooded sweatshirt died unnecessarily and far too young. On Friday, as a commentary on the Martin case, LeBron James posted on his Twitter account a photograph of himself and 12 Miami Heat teammates posing with bowed heads and wearing hooded sweatshirts.

ARANDA, Albania - Encrusted with tiny shells and smelling strongly of the sea, a 2,400-year-old Greek jar lies in a saltwater bath in Durres Museum, on Albania's Adriatic coast. Part of a sunken shipment of up to 60 ceramic vessels, the 26-inch storage jar, or amphora, was the top find from what organizers say is the first archeological survey of this small Balkan nation's seabed, conducted by US and Albanian scientists. "Touch it, touch it. It's luck," said mission leader George Robb of RPM Nautical Foundation, based in Key West, Fla. "You're touching something...

PARIS — A Muslim stonemason who spent nearly four decades helping to restore a Roman Catholic cathedral in France has been immortalized as a winged gargoyle peering out from its facade — with the inscription “God is great’’ at his clawed feet. This sign of inter-religious friendship is rooted in the Medieval tradition and reflects the city of Lyon’s links to its large Muslim population. But a widely publicized outcry from a tiny extreme-right group has forced the Archdiocese of Lyon into damage control.

PARIS — A Muslim stonemason who spent nearly four decades helping to restore a Roman Catholic cathedral in France has been immortalized as a winged gargoyle peering out from its facade — with the inscription “God is great’’ at his clawed feet. This sign of inter-religious friendship is rooted in the Medieval tradition and reflects the city of Lyon’s links to its large Muslim population. But a widely publicized outcry from a tiny extreme-right group has forced the Archdiocese of Lyon into damage control.

When you think of casting an action-adventure miniseries built around a female Indiana Jones, the first name to pop into your head probably isn't Mira Sorvino. The actress, who absconded with an Oscar in 1996 as the helium-voiced hooker in "Mighty Aphrodite," is not exactly the classic jump-on-a-horse and fall-off-a-truck type gal. But that unexpected choice of a heroine gives NBC's "The Last Templar" at least a touch of distinctiveness, a curiosity factor. The two-part miniseries, which airs tomorrow and Monday nights at 9 on Channel 7, is a four-hour exercise in...

NEW HAVEN -- The latest scientific analysis of a disputed map of the medieval New World supports the theory that it was made 50 years before Christopher Columbus set sail. The study examined the ink used to draw the Vinland Map, which belongs to Yale University. The map is valued at $20 million -- if it is real and not a clever, modern-day forgery. A study last summer said the ink on the parchment map was made in the 20th century. But chemist Jacqueline Olin, a retired researcher with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, said yesterday that...

Most of us consume too much information and exercise too little imagination. Readers looking for a brisk imaginative workout will want to consider these two books: erudite and beautifully written accounts of how our human forebears, as far back as we have any evidence, imagined themselves in relation to one another, to the rest of this world, and to the next world. Cognitively, each evokes a salutary strangeness. As one of the authors notes, "The present becomes almost transparently thin as we reflect back through deep time.

Blood and Roses: One Family’s Struggle and Triumph During the Tumultuous Wars of the Roses , By Helen Castor, HarperCollins, 448 pp., $25.95 The Pistons were a family of strivers, devoted to education, hard work, and advancement.

LONDON -- They're as much a part of the Tower of London as the Crown Jewels, ravens, and suits of armor. Since 1485, the Yeoman Warders -- all men -- have patrolled the parapets and passages of the royal fortress on the banks of the Thames. But the Tower is about to break with tradition, with officials saying yesterday it is hiring its first female Yeoman Warder. The warders, who wear blue-and-red uniforms and are the subject of countless tourist photos, are known colloquially as Beefeaters because of the rations of meat they were given during medieval times.

When you think of casting an action-adventure miniseries built around a female Indiana Jones, the first name to pop into your head probably isn't Mira Sorvino. The actress, who absconded with an Oscar in 1996 as the helium-voiced hooker in "Mighty Aphrodite," is not exactly the classic jump-on-a-horse and fall-off-a-truck type gal. But that unexpected choice of a heroine gives NBC's "The Last Templar" at least a touch of distinctiveness, a curiosity factor. The two-part miniseries, which airs tomorrow and Monday nights at 9 on Channel 7, is a four-hour exercise in generic nonsense that wants to...

ARANDA, Albania - Encrusted with tiny shells and smelling strongly of the sea, a 2,400-year-old Greek jar lies in a saltwater bath in Durres Museum, on Albania's Adriatic coast. Part of a sunken shipment of up to 60 ceramic vessels, the 26-inch storage jar, or amphora, was the top find from what organizers say is the first archeological survey of this small Balkan nation's seabed, conducted by US and Albanian scientists. "Touch it, touch it. It's luck," said mission leader George Robb of RPM Nautical Foundation, based in Key West,...

Blood and Roses: One Family’s Struggle and Triumph During the Tumultuous Wars of the Roses , By Helen Castor, HarperCollins, 448 pp., $25.95 The Pistons were a family of strivers, devoted to education, hard work, and advancement.

Most of us consume too much information and exercise too little imagination. Readers looking for a brisk imaginative workout will want to consider these two books: erudite and beautifully written accounts of how our human forebears, as far back as we have any evidence, imagined themselves in relation to one another, to the rest of this world, and to the next world. Cognitively, each evokes a salutary strangeness. As one of the authors notes, "The present becomes almost transparently thin as we reflect back through deep time.

NEW HAVEN -- The latest scientific analysis of a disputed map of the medieval New World supports the theory that it was made 50 years before Christopher Columbus set sail. The study examined the ink used to draw the Vinland Map, which belongs to Yale University. The map is valued at $20 million -- if it is real and not a clever, modern-day forgery. A study last summer said the ink on the parchment map was made in the 20th century. But chemist Jacqueline Olin, a retired researcher with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, said yesterday that her analysis shows the ink...

EDINBURGH -- Any stroll along the city's famed Royal Mile should continue into Holyrood Park and up Arthur's Seat, an extinct volcano . The highest of Edinburgh's seven hills, the 820-foot Arthur's Seat offers a wondrous panorama of the rugged highland country at its summit. The volcano erupted some 350 million years ago, leaving layers of volcanic ash and towering bluffs. The 640-acre park is adjacent to the palace of the same name and was once the 12th-century hunting grounds of King David I. Terraces and furrows on the land as well as the ruins of St. Anthony's Chapel are evidence of life here in...

John C. Murphy, 'Prince Valiant' illustrator; at 85 GREENWICH, Conn. -- John Cullen Murphy, the illustrator best known for the "Prince Valiant" cartoon strip for more than three decades, died Friday, his son said. He was 85. Mr. Murphy drew "Prince Valiant" until a few months before his death. He retired in March, turning the strip over to his chosen successor, illustrator Gary Gianni of Chicago, the Greenwich Time reported yesterday. "Prince Valiant" continues to appear weekly in more than 300 newspapers nationwide, according to Rose...