Ancient clay tablets unearthed from ancient ruins in Turkey by archaeologists have revealed a language lost to the passages of time. The new language was discovered in the ancient capital of the Hittite Empire at Hattusa (known as Boğazköy-Hattusha). The well-preserved tablets are among many incredible artworks found at the site - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Over the past four decades, researchers have dusted off nearly 30,000 unique tablets - with most written in Hittite. New research, however, shows that some of the tablet haul shows that they are written in a language previously unknown to modern man. Of course, the meaning and words of this language have not been deciphered, but it appears from early inspection to branch off from languages used within the Hittite Empire - and is being referred to as Kalašma. archaeologist Interestingly though, researchers from the Istanbul Department of the German Archaeological Institute have noted that the new language is found within a recitation in a 'cultic ritual text'. While that's usually the basis of a middling horror movie, we're certain that there's nothing to worry about - it stems from an ancient Hittite practice. Professor Daniel Schwemer explains that the discovery wasn't unexpected. "The Hittites were uniquely interested in recording rituals in foreign languages," he said. These ritual texts provide insight into little-known languages, and thanks to this discovery, one more has been added to the list. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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The Pope on Tuesday accepted the resignation of a Polish bishop whose diocese has been hit by reports of an orgy involving priests and a male sex worker. The Vatican did not give any reason for the departure of 59-year-old Bishop Grzegorz Kaszak as head of the diocese of Sosnowiec, in southwestern Poland. The bishop resigned after one of his priests was placed under criminal investigation over reports from last month that he had organised a sex party. It was also alleged that the male sex worker who had been invited to the orgy involving priests from the diocese had lost consciousness due to an overdose of erectile dysfunction pills. In September, Gazeta Wyborcza, a liberal daily Polish newspaper, published a report stating that during the gathering, which took place in a facility owned by the parish of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Angels in Dabrowa Gornicza, one of the priests had contacted emergency services to request an ambulance. But the paper — according to the New York Times — reported that the priests at the event hindered paramedics from helping the unconscious man. Paramedics later called the police and only then the priests relented. Waldemar Lubniewski, spokesman for the District Prosecutor’s Office in Sosnowiec, said at the time the investigation was focused on a “failure to provide assistance to a person in a situation that poses an immediate threat of loss of life or serious damage to health”. Father Tomasz Z, the priest who allegedly arranged the sex party within his church apartment, was identified solely by the diocese. He spoke with the Polish media last month, contesting the specific details of the incident. He questioned the accuracy of the count of priests present during the alleged sex party and remarked, “it is worth reading what the definition of an orgy is”. He brushed off the controversy over the events in his apartment as “an obvious attack on the church, including the clergy and believers” and said that the uproar would not have happened if “something similar had happened” to a person outside the clergy. But the diocese largely corroborated the media reports. It said that an outside investigative commission had concluded that Father Tomasz committed “a very serious violation of moral norms” as well as of his obligations as a priest. In a statement last month, the diocese said that the “participation” of Father Tomasz “in what happened on the night of August 30-31 is not in doubt”. It said that he had been stripped of all functions at the diocese and was “sent to live outside the parish”. Kaszak announced his resignation on 24 October but did not provide any more details. He has not been accused of having been involved in the alleged orgy but reports say he is being held responsible for the conduct of the priests under his diocese. “I ask everyone to forgive my human limitations,” he wrote in his statement. “If I have offended anyone or neglected something, I am very sorry.” Kaszak was designated as a bishop in 2009 by the then-Pope Benedict XVI, following a brief stint as the second-in-command in the Vatican’s family office. The Vatican embassy in Poland has announced that Archbishop Adrian Galbas of Katowice will serve as a temporary administrator, overseeing the diocese of Sosnowiec until the appointment of a new bishop. Read More The pope's absolute power, and the problems it can cause, are on display in 2 Vatican trials Vatican defends wartime Pope Pius XII as conference honors Israeli victims of Hamas incursion Pope Francis pushes to ‘open church to all’ as critics accuse him of ‘poisoning’ Catholicism 'Let's Fly,' the latest exhibition from the Balloon Museum, awakens childlike wonder in all of us Experts reconstruct the face of Peru’s most famous mummy, a teenage Inca sacrificed in Andean snow Pope accepts resignation of bishop of Polish diocese where gay orgy scandal under investigation

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