England: World’s oldest sculptures on exhibit at London’s British Museum

An oldest known portrait of a woman sculptured from mammoth ivory dates at least 27,000 old, discovered at Dolni Vestonice, Moravia, Czech Republic is seen on display in an exhibition 'Ice Age Art : arrival of the modern mind' at the British Museum in London.

Sang Tan / AP

The art world loves hype. Works are touted as the biggest, the rarest, the most expensive. But even in this age of superlatives, the British Museum in London has something special — the oldest figurative art in the world. The artworks on display in the new exhibition Ice Age Art are so old that many are carved from the tusks of woolly mammoths. Made between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago, they are carved from bones, tusks and antlers and depict animals such as bison and lions, as well as human figures. The show, subtitled “arrival of the modern mind” explores the moment human brains began to embrace abstraction, symbolism and imagination.

Details: www.britishmuseum.org.

Associated Press

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American Queen Steamboat Co.

River cruise line adds a second vessel to sail Pacific Northwest

The American Queen Steamboat Co., which launched steamboat cruises on the Mississippi River last spring, has bought a second riverboat that will sail the rivers of the Pacific Northwest starting in April 2014. The company, named for its Mississippi River paddle wheeler, announced Tuesday it had purchased the former Empress of the North and will rename it the American Empress. 1369169867
Gear + Gadgets

Got your backpack

Always improving its lines of luggage for the adventurous, Eagle Creek has fine-tuned its new Afar Backpack to be all business and a pleasure. About the dimensions of a standard wheel-aboard bag (12.5 inches by 20.5 inches by 8.5 inches deep), the Afar weighs in at a mere 1 pound, 11 ounces. It is equipped with a slew of great features: well-padded contoured shoulder straps, a tuck away padded hip belt, adjustable sternum straps, external compression straps and a sturdy top grab handle. A padded breathable mesh back panel makes for comfy cushioning. The back panel cleverly incorporates a zippered padded compartment for a laptop (up to 17 inches) that doesn’t broadcast your precious cargo to would-be thieves. The spacious main zippered compartment is blessedly unstructured, three roomy external mesh pouches are great for jackets, water bottles, snacks and maps, and a very well-designed zippered front organizer pocket has pouches and elastic slots for a cell phone, camera, sunglasses, pens and other essentials. Double-lock zippers, hidden slip pockets for documents, and reflective accents for nighttime visibility are smart security elements. Available in a dreamy slate blue, sunny ochre and basic black.
Travel briefs

Legoland’s new attraction, The World of Chima, will open July 3 at the Winter Haven park and recruit guests into a very wet battle among animal warriors. The centerpiece will be a water ride with water cannons, The Quest for CHI. The new “land” will also include Speedorz Arena, where players will build and race Lego Speedorz; Cragger’s Swamp, a water play area; a new 4D movie; character meet-and-greets; and of course a retail store. Cruises

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