• pumpkinification, n. October 31, 2011 Oxford English Dictionary
• precipitate October 28, 2011 (Merriam-Webster)
• impetuous October 30, 2011 (Merriam-Webster)
• virga October 31, 2011 (Merriam-Webster)
• thanatopsis October 30, 2011 (Dictionary.com)
• nyctophobia October 31, 2011 (Dictionary.com)

Nuntii Latini:

•  Libya tyrannide tandem liberata  October 30, 2011 (YLE)
•  Nuntii Latini mensis Octobris 2011  October 30, 2011 (Bremen)
•  Nuntii Latini Septimanales 28. Oktober 2011 October 30, 2011 (Bremen)
• De proeliis Tunisensibus Lydia Ariminensis (Ephemeris)
  
• Increscit numerus terrae motus victimarum Herimannus Novocomensis (Ephemeris)
  

Akropolis World News:

• Turmoil in China / Steve Jobs’ biography, published / Elections in Tunisia

… still kind of quiet:

• My First History Teacher by Mary Hoffman October 30, 2011 Book Maven
• More on Retirement Planning October 30, 2011 Michael Gilleland
• explorator 14.28 October 30, 2011 david meadows
• >> ” href=”http://arltblog.wordpress.com/2011/10/30/latin-on-the-timetable-for-pupils/”>Latin on the timetable for pupils October 30, 2011 arltblogger
• Scary Stories of the Ancient Greeks and Romans October 30, 2011 Medievalists.net
• Julian the Apostate – Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 23 Part 1 October 30, 2011 Historyscientist

I’ve been sitting on a pile of items on the state of antiquities in Libya of late, but this item from the Daily Mail which just came in easilty eclipses them all, despite the source:

A gang of Libyan looters have raided a priceless collection of gold and silver coins that are believed to date back to the time of Alexander the Great.

The thieves carried off with the pieces, known as The Treasure of Benghazi, having drilled through a concrete ceiling at the National Commercial Bank of Benghazi.

An expert has described the raid as ‘one of the greatest thefts in archeological history.’

Whilst the break-in was initially believed to have been part of the uprising against Muammar Gadaffi, Hafed Walada, a Libyan archeologist working at King’s College London told The Sunday Times; ‘It may have been an inside job.

‘It appears to have been carried out by people who knew what they were looking for.’

Alongside the coins, several artefacts, including monuments and figurines of bronze, glass and ivory, as well as jewellery, bracelets and medallions, are also believed to have been seized by the thieves.

Early leads had initially pointed to neighbouring Egypt, where a farmer had attempted to smuggle 503 gold coins and a golden statue through the port city of Alexandria, however attempts to locate him have thus far failed.

Most of the Benghazi treasures had been on Libyan soil following a mass recovery of the collection between 1917 and 1922 from the temple of Artemis, in Cyrene – an ancient Roman city, now Libyan territory and otherwise known as Shahat.

During the Second World War, much of the treasure was on display at the Museum of Italian Africa in Rome, but eventually returned to Libyan soil in 1961 and was kept at the bank.

Italian archeologist, Serenella Ensoli, from the Second University of Naples insisted the treasure was priceless given its historical value.

‘The collection is not well studied and is a huge loss for Libyan heritage.’

• via: ‘One of the greatest thefts in archeological history’: Huge haul of ancient Libyan gold is stolen from underground vault in Benghazi (Daily Mail)

… doesn’t bode well at all, obviously …