Built on an abandoned military base 200 miles east of Los Angeles in the middle of California’s Sonoran Desert, Slab City doesn’t have many modern amenities. No power lines nor pipes carry electricity or fresh water to the city. Residents have to sort out their own system for disposing of sewage or trash. But to those who call the community home, Slab City offers something even more important than comfort: freedom. Click here to view slideshow The Founding Of Slab City Atlas ObscuraThe entrance to East Jesus, an art installation in Slab City. Slab City, also called The Slabs, was born when the U.S. Marine Corps abandoned Fort Dunlap, a military installation near the town of Niland. They dismantled the buildings in 1956 but left behind the concrete slabs that served as their foundations. Though California officially regained control over the land, it was too remote and inhospitable for the state to really concern itself with. But when employees from a chemical company working near Niland found the slabs, they decided it was the perfect spot to erect a temporary settlement close to their job site. The small trailers they brought with them became the beginnings of the new community of Slab City. Over the next few decades, people from outside the area were drawn to the improvised city. To this day, the residents remain a motley collection of those with little income, snowbirds, and people looking for a way to live off the grid. In this forgotten place, there are no property taxes nor utility bills, which makes it ideal for people trying to stretch their pensions or Social Security checks. Even today, Slab City's population swells to over 4,000 during the cooler winter months as people come down from as far away as Canada to take advantage of the warmer temperatures and cheap living. When the summer heat sets in and temperatures rise to 120 degrees, most return to their homes, leaving a smaller permanent population of about 150. Life In California's Sonoran Desert Becoming a resident of Slab City is an informal process. You simply show up, find a patch of land that no one else has claimed, and set up a trailer, shack, yurt, or truck. But living in the community requires a certain degree of self-reliance. The nearest public amenities – including drinkable water – are in Niland, a few miles away. Residents share a single communal shower fed by a nearby hot spring. Most people in the community rely on their own technical expertise to handle the rest. If you want electricity, you have to set up a collection of solar panels, generators, and batteries. Or you can hire "Solar Mike," a long-time Slabber who has been selling and installing solar panels out of his trailer since the 1980s. Though police from Niland occasionally patrol the area and will respond to emergency calls, the community largely polices itself. Alessandro Valli/FlickrThe Range, the community center of Slab City. It hosts a prom every year. On that note, living in Slab City requires adhering to a certain code of behavior. While drug use is common, residents say that it's usually confined to certain well-known areas of the camp. The most common type of crime is theft. Typically, there aren't reports of vigilante violence in response to crime, but the community will shun people who are suspected of misbehavior. As one Slabber, George Sisson, who runs an Airbnb in the community, explains, "Here you don't mess with people's business unless they steal your shit." Altogether, Slab City is as close to a self-governing commune as you're likely to find in the United States. The most common problem people in the community report is simple boredom, which makes sense given that they're living in the middle of the desert. Some find solace in the simple life. Others have banded together to provide some escape from the monotony. Indeed, Slab City has its own community and event center named The Range, which hosts a yearly prom. There's also an internet cafe that basically amounts to a tent with a wireless router inside. But residents can use the connection to download entertainment. The community used to come together to watch the latest episode of Game of Thrones on the night it premiered. Art is also an important part of life in Slab City. One of the most popular attractions is Salvation Mountain, a collection of rocks covered in hundreds of thousands of gallons of latex paint and decorated with a large cross and religious messages. It's the life's work of one of The Slab's most famous residents, Leonard Knight. Knight came to Slab City from Vermont, where he had lived off a variety of odd jobs that involved welding and painting. Knight arrived in the 1980s with a hot air balloon in tow, originally planning to use the community as a base for a transcontinental balloon trip. But after the balloon refused to float, he decided to put down roots instead. Over the next few decades, he built Salvation Mountain as a monument to his faith. For Knight, Slab City was the perfect place to practice the philosophy he lived by: "Love Jesus and keep it simple." Knight died in 2014, but he has remained a revered figure in the community. Chuck Coker/ FlickrLeonard Knight in front of Salvation Mountain. Another important site is East Jesus, which functions as an art collective where residents display their own sculptures and art installations. Most of them are made from recycled materials, demonstrating the residents' ideal of self-sustainability. This kind of unique art from people on the fringes of society is part of the community's unique appeal. Legal Challenges To The Slabs But for a society that has long existed on the outer edges of the law, the future looks far from certain. In 2015, the state of California considered dividing the land the community sits on and selling it to private companies. Though nothing came of the proposal, it signaled how fragile the community's position was. That has led many residents to worry that Slab City's days are numbered. And with it, they see the possible end of "the last free place in America." If you'd like to visit Slab City, there are a number of residents who offer lodging for rent at relatively low prices. After learning about Slab City, check out these seven creepy ghost towns from around the world. Then, learn about California City – the biggest abandoned town in the Golden State. The post Inside California’s Slab City, Where People Go To Live Way Off The Grid appeared first on All That's Interesting.

Viking Ship MuseumMaritime archaeologists excavating the wreckage of the Svaelget 2. Maritime archaeologists in Copenhagen have discovered the world’s largest cog, a type of medieval cargo ship that was once the backbone of Northern European trade. This particular vessel had been hidden just under the seabed for 600 years in the waters between Denmark and Sweden. The vessel, named Svaelget 2, measures about 92 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 20 feet high, with an estimated cargo capacity of 300 tons. Built around 1410, it represents the largest example of its type ever found. “The find is a milestone for maritime archaeology. It is the largest cog we know of, and it gives us a unique opportunity to understand both the construction and life on board the biggest trading ships of the Middle Ages,” said excavation leader Otto Uldum in a statement from the Viking Ship Museum. The Discovery Of The Svaelget 2, The Largest Medieval Cog Ever Found Viking Ship MuseumA 3D model illustrating the elevation of the wreck. The wreck was excavated at a depth of 43 feet, where it was protected from keel to gunwale by sand. This shielded Svaelget 2 from many of the forces that would typically destroy a ship so near to the coast – and, more remarkably, this is the first time that this level of natural protection has been seen in a cog before. As such, the ship was incredibly well preserved. “It is extraordinary to have so many parts of the rigging,” Uldum said. “We have never seen this before, and it gives us a real opportunity to say something entirely new about how cogs were equipped for sailing.” Dendrochronological analysis shows the ship was built using timber from both Pomerania, in modern-day Poland, and the Netherlands. The planks were made of Pomeranian oak, while the ship’s ribs came from the Netherlands. Viking Ship MuseumThe ribs of the Svaelget 2. “It tells us that timber exports went from Pomerania to the Netherlands, and that the ship was built in the Netherlands where the expertise to construct these very large cogs was found,” Uldum said. The cog was an efficient type of ship that could be sailed by a small crew, even when heavily loaded. Large cogs were built to make the hazardous voyage around Skagen from the Netherlands through the Sound to reach Baltic trading towns. “A ship with such a large cargo capacity is part of a structured system where merchants knew there was a market for the goods they carried,” Uldum added. “Svaelget 2 is a tangible example of how trade developed during the Middle Ages.” How Medieval Cogs Transformed Trade In Northern Europe Viking Ship MuseumVarious pieces of salvage from the shipwreck. Experts have referred to the cog as a “super ship” of the Middle Ages, allowing sailors to transport massive quantities of goods at substantially lower costs. During the 14th and 15th centuries, this “revolutionized” the exchange of goods, transforming trade patterns and allowing everyday commodities to be sent across great distances. Such long-distance trade had previously been limited to luxury goods. Medieval cogs were distinctly characterized by the presence of high castles at the bow and stern, but these have only ever been observed in illustrations of the vessels. That is, until now. “We have plenty of drawings of castles, but they have never been found because usually only the bottom of the ship survives,” Uldum said. “This time we have the archaeological proof.” Viking Ship MuseumA painted wooden dish found in the galley of the Svaelget 2. Not only were researchers greeted by the remains of a real timber-built castle among the wreckage, but they were also surprised to discover the ship’s brick-built galley, the earliest example of its kind from Danish waters. Around 200 bricks and 15 tiles were used to make the galley, among which archaeologists found bronze cooking pots, ceramic bowls, and the remains of fish and meat. Other objects found among the wreckage provided unique insight into everyday life. These included painted wooden dishes, shoes, combs, and rosary beads. Viking Ship MuseumA sailor’s wooden comb. “These personal objects show us that the crew brought everyday items with them. They transferred their life on land to life at sea,” Uldum said. As for the ship’s cargo, however, no traces have been found. Uldum suggested that since the ship’s hold was not covered, any barrels containing goods like salt or bundles of cloth would likely have drifted away during the ship’s sinking. That said, the absence of ballast suggests the ship had been loaded with heavy trade goods, leaving no doubt that this was indeed a merchant ship. “There is no evidence pointing to war or conflict in this ship,” Uldum noted. “None at all.” The find was made during seabed investigations in preparation for construction of Copenhagen’s new manmade harbor district, Lynetteholm. The ship’s components are now undergoing conservation at the National Museum in Brede. “Perhaps the find does not change the story we already know about medieval trade. But it does allow us to say that it was in ships like Svaelget 2 that this trade was created,” Uldum concluded. “Svaelget 2 gives us a tangible piece of the puzzle and makes it possible to understand how technology and society evolved side by side in an era when shipping was the driving force behind international trade.” After reading about the discovery of this medieval super ship, read the astonishing stories of 10 famous shipwrecks from around the world. Then, read the shocking story of the Wager mutiny and the grisly events that followed. The post This Medieval ‘Super Ship,’ The Largest Of Its Kind Ever Found, Was Just Discovered Off The Coast Of Denmark appeared first on All That's Interesting.

Bahrain Authority for Culture and AntiquitiesThe ceramic mask dates back to the Middle Dilmun period, around 1200 B.C.E. During excavations at the Hilla archaeological site in southern Bahrain, archaeologists uncovered a roughly 3,300-year-old grave containing two adult women and an infant. Nestled in between the remains, they also found a tiny ceramic mask, intricately carved to depict a human face. The find, only the second of its kind in Bahrain, offers a tantalizing look at the Dilmun people, an elusive civilization in the Persian Gulf during the Bronze Age. The Ceramic Carving Found At The Hilla Archaeological Site In Bahrain The find, announced by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, took place during excavations at the Hilla archaeological site. While excavating the 3,300-year-old grave of two women and a baby from the Middle Dilmun period, archaeologists uncovered the tiny ceramic mask. It had been deliberately placed alongside the three bodies, suggesting that it was ritualistic in nature. Bahrain Authority for Culture and AntiquitiesThe faience mask found in the 3,300-year-old grave. The ceramic, which depicts a human face, was made from faience, a type of glazed pottery. Only one other carving like this has ever been found in Bahrain, which makes the artifact extremely rare. However, the mask has not yet been thoroughly studied by researchers, so many questions about its composition, age, and ritualistic purpose still remain. That said, the ceramic carving is not the only thing that archaeologists found at the Hilla archaeological site. While excavating burials in the area, they also unearthed rings made of seashells, tools that were used to apply kohl — an ancient makeup similar to modern eyeliner — a large ceramic vessel, and a pointed object that researchers believe is a needle or an awl. These items, which appear to be personal belongings, seemingly played an important role in burial rituals among the ancient Dilmun people. Indeed, although more research is needed to better understand the purpose of the mask, it does offer new insights into the Dilmun civilization, which existed from roughly 3000 B.C.E. until 600 C.E. A Brief History Of The Dilmun Civilization Though the Dilmun civilization remains somewhat enigmatic, archaeologists believe that it was once an important independent kingdom in the Persian Gulf. Ancient Sumerian texts (from which we know its name) suggest that it was a prominent nexus of commerce, and that the Dilmun people traded copper, beads, precious stones, pearls, dates, and vegetables with the Sumerians and other civilizations in exchange for agricultural products. Rapid Travel Chai/Wikimedia CommonsRuins of a temple in Bahrain believed to have belonged to the Dilmun civilization. Located along an important trade route between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley Civilization (in present-day Bahrain, Kuwait, and parts of Saudi Arabia), Dilmun was even significant enough to the Sumerians to make its way into their religious texts: The Sumerian god Enki had a connection to Dilmun’s underwater springs. Indeed, these underwater springs — which still exist today and made Bahrain into an oasis surrounded by desert — are thought by some to be the basis for the Garden of Eden in the Bible. But most of what we know about the Dilmun people comes from ruins — crumbling remains of settlements or, like at the Hilla archaeological site, expansive burial grounds. These offer a tantalizing look at the lost civilization, which left no written records of its own. As such, the ceramic mask discovered in the 3,300-year-old grave at the Hilla archaeological site is a profoundly important artifact. Though small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, it was seemingly a ritualistic object that was significant enough to be buried with two women and an infant. Though its exact purpose remains a mystery, further research will hopefully offer clues about its origins, carvings, and meaning, which in turn will perhaps give insight into the women and child it was buried alongside — and the lost civilization to which they belonged. After reading about the ceramic mask from the lost Dilmun civilization that was found in a mass grave in Bahrain, discover the forgotten story of Zenobia, the ancient warrior queen of the Middle East. Or, learn about Queen Dido, the royal who established the ancient city of Carthage. The post A Rare 3,300-Year-Old Ceramic Mask Depicting A Human Face Was Just Uncovered From A Grave In Bahrain appeared first on All That's Interesting.

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