And now for somethng completely different: The Lupa Capitolina's not ancient, just really old.

Any of you who have been to Rome surely remember the statue of the she-wolf nursing Romulus and Remus, the founders of ancient Rome according to legend. The statue is a symbol of Rome.

The statue, known as the Lupa Capitolina, supposedly was 2,500 years old and Etruscan. Only it's not:

A statue symbolising the mythical origins and power of Rome, long thought to have been made around 500BC, has been found to date from the 1300s.

The statue depicts a she-wolf suckling Remus and his twin brother Romulus - who is said to have founded Rome.

The statue of the wolf was carbon-dated last year, but the test results have only now been made public.

The figures of Romulus and Remus have already been shown to be 15th Century additions to the statue.

In a front page article in the Italian newspaper, La Repubblica, Rome's former top heritage official, Professor Adriano La Regina, said about 20 tests were carried out on the she-wolf at the University of Salerno.

He said the results of the tests gave a very precise indication that the statue was manufactured in the 13th century.

Elsewhere in Europe, the Manekin Piss remains a fitting symbol of Brussels, home base of the EU which continues to attempt to shove a constitution on countries which don't want it.



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