picture of the day

https://ift.tt/2ysQrEI

Userkaf

Userkaf.
Userkaf was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the founder of the Fifth Dynasty. Before ascending the throne, he may have been a high priest of Ra. He reigned for seven to eight years in the early 25th century BC, during the Old Kingdom period. He built a sun temple, known as the Nekhenre, that mainly functioned as a mortuary temple associated with the setting sun. Rites performed in the temple were primarily concerned with Ra's creator function and his role as father of the king. Userkaf built a pyramid in Saqqara, close to that of Djoser, with a mortuary temple that was much smaller than those built during the Fourth Dynasty. Its mortuary complex was lavishly decorated with fine painted reliefs. Little is known of Userkaf's activities beyond the construction of his pyramid and sun temple. There may have been a military expedition to Canaan or the Eastern Desert, and there probably were trade contacts with the Aegean civilizations.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/34M2IjN

Giant mouse lemur

Giant mouse lemur.
The giant mouse lemurs (genus Mirza) are primates native to Madagascar, like all other lemurs. The two described species, the northern (pictured) and Coquerel's giant mouse lemurs, are found in the western dry deciduous forests, Sambirano valley and Sahamalaza Peninsula. In 1870, British zoologist John Edward Gray assigned them to Mirza, but the classification was not widely accepted until the 1990s, following the revival of the genus by American paleoanthropologist Ian Tattersall in 1982. Giant mouse lemurs weigh approximately 300 g (11 oz) and have a long, bushy tail. They sleep in nests during the day and forage alone at night for fruit, tree gum, insects, and small vertebrates. The northern species has the largest testicles relative to body size of any living primate. Predators of giant mouse lemurs include the Madagascar buzzard, Madagascar owl, fossa, and narrow-striped mongoose. Both Mirza species are endangered due to habitat destruction and hunting.

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/2RM1L5O

picture of the day

https://ift.tt/3ag3pmA

William Bonville, 1st Baron Bonville

William Bonville, 1st Baron Bonville.
William Bonville, 1st Baron Bonville (1392–1461), was a powerful landowner in southwest England. Undertaking royal service, he fought in France in the later years of the Hundred Years' War. In 1415, he joined the English invasion of France in the retinue of Thomas, Duke of Clarence, Henry V's brother, and fought on the Agincourt campaign. In 1437, King Henry VI granted Bonville the profitable office of steward of the Duchy of Cornwall, passing over and enraging Bonville's powerful neighbour Thomas Courtenay, Earl of Devon. His dispute with Bonville descended into violence, and the feud continued intermittently for the next decade. In 1453, Henry became ill and entered a catatonic state for eighteen months; Bonville generally seems to have remained loyal to the king, although his guiding motivation was to support whoever would aid him in his feud. In 1461, he took part on the losing side in the Second Battle of St Albans during the Wars of the Roses and was beheaded for it.