the blog quebecois

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has a big selection of historic city maps and contemporaneous artwork, in high-resolution and low, from the 1500s to the mid-19th century. Most are in Europe and the Middle East; there's a smattering of sites in Africa and the Americas.

They've also created a very attractive, free screensaver for Windows using many of the pictures. Download it here.

The image above is a detail from an engraving of Rome by Pirro Ligorio, first published in 1575.

Daily Mail:

Archaeologists have discovered Stonehenge's little sister - just a mile from the famous monument.

The prehistoric circle, unearthed in secret over the summer, is one of the most important prehistoric finds in decades.

Researchers have called it 'Bluehenge' after the colour of the 27 giant Welsh stones it once incorporated - but are now missing.

The find is already challenging conventional wisdom about how Stonehenge was built - and what it was used for.

Bluehenge was put up 5,000 years ago - around the same time as work began on Stonehenge - and appears to have been a miniature version of it.

Obviously these so-called "researchers" failed to consult my fabled photo archives; for there they would have found the only known picture of Bluehenge.