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Archaeology News Weekly 20.01.08
Wrapped URLs may require cut-and-paste restoration. Longer URLs have=20=20
been shortened using SnipURL. Some articles may "time out" after=20=20
several days. The New York Times, along with a few others, requires=20=20
free registration (for a third-party user name and password, try=20=20
http://bugmenot.com/ ).
#=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D#
First Temple seal found in Jerusalem
The Jerusalem Post, Jan 17, 2008
A stone seal bearing the name of one of the families who acted as=20=20
servants in the First Temple and then returned to Jerusalem after=20=20
being exiled to Babylonia has been uncovered in an archeological=20=20
excavation in Jerusalem's City of David, a prominent Israeli=20=20
archeologist said Wednesday. The 2,500-year-old black stone seal,=20=20
which has the name "Temech" engraved on it, was found earlier this=20=20
week amid stratified debris in the excavation under way just outside=20=20
the Old City walls near the Dung Gate, said archeologist Dr. Eilat=20=20
Mazar, who is leading the dig. According to the Book of Nehemiah, the=20=20
Temech family were servants of the First Temple and were sent into=20=20
exile to Babylon following its destruction by the Babylonians in 586=20=20
BCE.
Short URL: http://snipr.com/1xrbv
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?=20
c=3DJPArticle&cid=3D1200475897717&pagename=3DJPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Ancient queen=92s tomb discovered in Ibb
Yemen Observer, Jan 19, 2008
Three tombs believed to date back to the Hemiriate dynasty have been=20=20
discovered in the al-Usaibyah area of the al-Sadda district of Ibb=20=20
last week. The tombs housed three women, one of them believed to be a=20=20
queen. Local sources from al-Sadda confirmed that golden jewels were=20=20
found in the tomb, believed to be for a queen or a princess. Other=20=20
jewels were found in the other two tombs. In addition, a bronze spear=20=20
was found in a second tomb and a 70 centimeter sword in a third tomb.=20=20
The three tombs were found in a rocky room around five meters deep=20=20
and about 3 meters wide. The room contained large pieces of=20=20
alabaster, each piece around 150 cubic centimeters. The room also=20=20
contained a 20 centimeter bronze belt.
http://www.yobserver.com/front-page/10013577.html
Achaemenid city ruins found in Iran
Press TV [Iran], Wed, 16 Jan 2008
Archeologists have discovered the ruins of an Achaemenid city during=20=20
excavations in the southern city of Nourabad Mamasani in Iran. The=20=20
excavations revealed Achaemenid columns and pedestals along with a=20=20
hall and a marble staircase and vessels belonging to the same period.=20=20
The gray columns, more than one meter thick, are very similar to=20=20
those found in the Persepolis hypostyle hall and the pedestals are=20=20
decorated with lotus designs and palm-leaf grooves.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=3D39054§ionid=3D351020105
Bronze Age site is found in city
BBC, 17 January 2008
Archaeologists in Cambridge have unearthed the first hard evidence=20=20
that an area of the city was occupied during the Bronze Age. The=20=20
remains were found during a dig at Fitzwilliam College and probably=20=20
belonged to a 3,500-year-old farmstead. The remains comprise a series=20=20
of ditches, in which the team found pieces of antler, flint tools,=20=20
pottery and animal remains. The items were discovered by the=20=20
Cambridge Archaeological Unit.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cambridgeshire/7194650.stm
Ancient Dwelling Excavated
This is Aberdeen [UK], 17 January 2008
A CENTURIES-OLD house has been found on the site of a hotel=20=20
development. Archaeologists have been stunned after finding the=20=20
remains of a 16th century townhouse during excavations on the site=20=20
for the =A330 million City Wharf casino and hotel project. The site,=20=20
formerly a car park, lies opposite Provost Ross's House, which was=20=20
built in 1593 and is now joined to the Aberdeen Maritime Museum. City=20=20
council assistant archaeologist Alison Cameron said the remains of=20=20
the house dated to around the same time.
Short URL: http://snipr.com/1xr9r
http://www.thisisaberdeen.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?=20
nodeId=3D148579&command=3DdisplayContent&sourceNode=3D148347&contentPK=3D19=
57333=20
9&folderPk=3D85351&pNodeId=3D148318
China excavates 2,500-year-old sword in Jiangxi tomb
Xinhua News Agency [China], 2008-01-16
Chinese archaeologists have discovered an elaborately-made sword,=20=20
which they believe is 2,500 to 2,600 years old, in an ancient tomb in=20=20
the eastern province of Jiangxi. "It is reckoned as the oldest ever=20=20
excavated in the country," said Xu Changqing, chief of the excavation=20=20
team. The well-preserved sword, some 50 centimeters long, is black,=20=20
gold and bright red. "A dragon pattern was carved on both ends of the=20=20
scabbard, and the middle part of the scabbard was decorated with two=20=20
rows of a W-shaped design," said Xu.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-01/16/content_7432822.htm
Photo:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-01/16/content_6399567.htm
DPRK archeologists unearth thousand-year old bridge relic
Xinhua News Agency [China], 2008-01-15
Archeologists in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)=20=20
have unearthed a stone bridge relic of nearly one thousand years old=20=20
in the south of the country, the official news agency said Tuesday.=20=20
The relic, which was in Kaesong, a city 200 km south of the capital=20=20
Pyongyang, belongs to early time of Koryo era (A.D.918-A.D.1392), the=20=20
Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The bridge is estimated to be=20=20
about 60 meters long, 6.3 meters wide and 2.1 meters high during the=20=20
time, the KCNA said. The archeologists found that the superstructure=20=20
of the ancient bridge have gone away but its substructure that=20=20
consists of footstalls and supporters still remain comparatively in=20=20
its origin, said the KCNA. Some cultural relics including Koryo=20=20
porcelains, a horseshoe and an iron knife. were also unearthed at the=20=20
site.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-01/15/content_7427271.htm
Ancient frescos discovered in Shandong
Xinhua News Agency [China], 2008-01-17
Gallery of photos taken of pieces of ancient fresco discovered in a=20=20
tomb dating back to about 2,000 years ago in the Western Han Dynasty=20=20
(206 B.C.-25 A.D.) at a museum in Jinan, capital of east China's=20=20
Shandong Province.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-01/17/content_7440496_1.htm
ASI finds temple relics in Jharkhand
The Times of India, 15 Jan 2008
In a discovery that could shed more light on the antiquity of=20=20
Benisagar, the Archaeological Survey of India has discovered two=20=20
inscriptions in 'shell script' among the remains of a temple in the=20=20
area in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district. The inscriptions,=20=20
possibly dating back to several hundred years, closely resemble those=20=20
seen on the Ashoka Pillar in Vaishali and Rajgir in Bihar, Ranchi=20=20
circle Superintending Archaeologist T J Baidya said. The shell script=20=20
on two boulders were found in the remains of an ancient temple=20=20
compound having a drainage system on its northern side, he said=20=20
adding they inscriptions were dug out recently during an operation by=20=20
ASI. The remains include the square sanctum (1.8x1.8 metres), the=20=20
square porch (4x4 metres) and another structure (120x90 cm) that=20=20
joins the sanctum. The drainage system, Baidya said, might have been=20=20
used for discharge of water. Some scholars maintain that the=20=20
antiquity dates back to 10th-12th century AD.
Short URL: http://snipr.com/1xram
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/=20
ASI_finds_temple_relics_in_Jharkhand/articleshow/2700878.cms
1500-yr-old brick structure excavated in Bogra
The Daily Star [Bangladesh], January 18, 2008
The Department of Archaeology recently excavated brick structure of a=20=20
temple more than 1,500 years old and a dilapidated wall from the=20=20
Gupta dynasty at the Vasu Bihara site of Shibganj upazila in Bogra.=20=20
Archaeologist Mahabubul Alam, assistant custodian of the department,=20=20
said the brick built temple resembles the temple of Vasu Bihara=20=20
constructed during the Pala dynasty suggesting it belonged to the=20=20
same period. Nahid Sultana, custodian of the department, said during=20=20
the ongoing archaeological excavation, walls, held together with mud,=20=20
about two metres wide and antiques including part of an ornamental=20=20
brick have been found. "But the entrance gate has not yet been=20=20
found," she said.
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=3D19882
Radiocarbon dating puts Pattanam antiquity to first millennium BC
NewIndPress [India], January 9 2008
The radiocarbon analysis at the Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar,=20=20
has put the antiquity of Pattanam to the first millennium BC. What is=20=20
more, the studies suggest that the canoe found in a water-logged=20=20
trench at Pattanam canoe could be the earliest known canoe in India.=20=20
The five samples that were analysed include charcoal samples and=20=20
parts of the wooden canoe and bollards recovered from trenches. The=20=20
mean calendar dates of these five samples place the antiquity of=20=20
ancient maritime activity of Pattanam at about 500 BC.
Short URL: http://snipr.com/1xuo4
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?=20
ID=3DIEO20080108221834&Page=3DO&Title=3DThiruvananthapuram&Topic=3D0
Researchers Find Old Mexico Time Capsule
Associated Press, January 15, 2008
A time capsule was found atop a bell tower at Mexico City's=20=20
Metropolitan Cathedral, where it was placed in 1791 to protect the=20=20
building from harm, researchers said Tuesday. The lead box =97 filled=20=20
with religious artifacts, coins and parchments =97 was hidden in a=20=20
hollow stone ball to mark the moment on May 14, 1791, when the=20=20
building's topmost stone was laid, 218 years after construction had=20=20
begun. Workers restoring the church found the box in October, inside=20=20
the stone ball base of a cross that sits atop the 200-foot southern=20=20
bell tower. Researchers spent the next three months opening the=20=20
airtight box and preserving its contents. Among them was a small case=20=20
of wax blessed by the Pope that served to protect against mishaps,=20=20
said Rev. Ruben Avila, rector of the cathedral. Also inside was an=20=20
engraving of Saint Barbara, a Roman Catholic martyr associated with=20=20
lightning whose image served as "a religious lightening rod, to=20=20
protect against damage," said archaeologist Xavier Cortes, director=20=20
of historic buildings for the National Council of the Arts and Culture.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h-SalgXrLK4v5rMnStHSiZuBFfwAD8U6L4I00
Italy Unveils Returned Euphronius Vase
The Guardian [UK], January 18, 2008
With the return of a long-sought masterpiece of antiquity, Italy on=20=20
Friday trumpeted one of the successes of its campaign to recover what=20=20
it says are looted treasures from museums and collectors around the=20=20
world. The 2,500-year-old vase by Greek artist Euphronius, which=20=20
Italy regained after signing a deal with the Metropolitan Museum in=20=20
New York, was feted in Rome at an official presentation. The=20=20
Euphronius Krater - a large vase painted with scenes related to=20=20
Homer's epic poems "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" - is regarded as one=20=20
of the finest examples of its kind. The vase was used as a bowl for=20=20
mixing wine and water.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7237936,00.html
Photo in The Times [UK]:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3213080.ece
Museum pledges to return remains
BBC, 17 January 2008
A skull and other human remains in Edinburgh are to be returned to=20=20
Australia and New Zealand. National Museums of Scotland will give=20=20
back the Tasmanian skull following an Australian Government request=20=20
on behalf of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre. It also agreed to=20=20
return four tattooed Maori heads, currently on long-term loan to Te=20=20
Papa Tongarewa, the National Museum of New Zealand. It is part of an=20=20
ongoing campaign by Australian and New Zealand governments.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/=20
7193927.stm
Stolen boomerang returns home
Reuters, Jan 17, 2008
Proving boomerangs really do come back, an Australian town was on=20=20
Thursday celebrating the return of a boomerang stolen from an outback=20=20
museum by an American tourist 25 years ago. The boomerang, a flying=20=20
blade used mainly by Aborigines to hunt animals, was posted home to=20=20
the city of Mount Isa in the northern state of Queensland by a=20=20
Vermont man who named himself in a letter only as Peter. "I removed=20=20
this back in 1983 when I was younger and dumber. It was the wrong=20=20
thing to do. I'm sorry, and I'm going to send it back," according to=20=20
a note read out to Australian media by Mt. Isa mayor Ron McCullough,=20=20
who added Peter had also sent a cheque.
Short URL: http://snipr.com/1xr9c
http://uk.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUKSYD13869920080117?=20
rpc=3D401&
Unknown persons destroy ancient bronze coffin discovered recently
Saba [Yemen], 17 January 2008
Unknown persons devastated early morning on Thursday an ancient=20=20
bronze coffin and stole another one completely were in an=20=20
archaeological location in al-Asibia area in Dhefar valley of Ibb=20=20
province. The director general of Antiques and Cultural Properties=20=20
Protection in the General Authority for Antiquities and Museums=20=20
Hesham al-Thawr held the director general of the security office in=20=20
the al-Saddah district responsible for destroying the location and=20=20
disinterring the bronze coffin. Al-Thawr said that the security=20=20
official has ordered the military patrols, which have been guarding=20=20
the area for five days, to leave the location mentioning no reasons=20=20
for such action that gave those devastators a chance to do their crime.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news145241.htm
cf Saba [Yemen]:
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news145011.htm
Italy's art squad says archaeological looting declining
PR-inside [Austria], 2008-01-17
Italy's campaign to recover allegedly looted treasures from museums=20=20
and collectors worldwide is helping reduce the illegal international=20=20
traffic of archaeological artifacts stolen from the country,=20=20
officials said Thursday.
Art thefts in 2007 were down by more than 10 percent compared to=20=20
2006, while illegal excavations decreased by four percent, said Gen. =
=20
Giovanni Nistri, who heads the art squad of the Carabinieri=20=20
paramilitary police. "The figures show how, at the moment,=20=20
international trafficking ... is surely declining," Nistri said at a=20=20
presentation of his unit's yearly report. "In 2007, the trafficking=20=20
of archaeological items was more domestic and involved objects of=20=20
less important quality. Italy is aggressively combatting the pillage=20=20
of its archaeological and artistic treasures. Its efforts include=20=20
seeking the return of hundreds of antiquities it claims were dug up=20=20
clandestinely, smuggled out of the country and sold to top museums=20=20
worldwide."
Short URL: http://snipr.com/1xuom
http://www.pr-inside.com/italy-s-art-squad-says-archaeological-=20
looting-r392236.htm
#=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D#
More on:
Rare Middle-Class Tomb Found From Ancient Egypt
National Geographic News, January 18, 2008
Archaeologists have unsealed the intact burial chamber of an ancient=20=20
Egyptian official, providing a rare glimpse into the burial customs=20=20
of the Old Kingdom's middle class. The relatively modest tomb,=20=20
belonging to a fifth dynasty priest and politician named Neferinpu,=20=20
was discovered in 2006 at Abusir, the ancient necropolis of the fifth=20=20
and 26th dynasties, located near modern-day Cairo. Only recently,=20=20
however, did a Czech team open the tomb's burial chamber, a tiny room=20=20
about 33 feet (10 meters) below ground packed with offerings and=20=20
personal effects that had remained undisturbed for nearly 4,500=20=20
years. "The most important conclusion to be connected with this=20=20
discovery=97which is, in principle, a major discovery=97is that=20=20
everything we saw was found intact, which means nobody has seen or=20=20
touched this burial since the Old Kingdom," said Miroslav Barta, the=20=20
Czech archaeologist who led the excavation.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080118-egypt-tomb.html
Can Egypt Copyright the Pyramids?
National Geographic News, January 15, 2008
If they get their way, Egyptian officials will make it illegal to=20=20
produce exact replicas or sell images of the Pyramids and other=20=20
recognizable antiquities in the country, though such regulations are=20=20
unlikely to be enforced internationally, some legal experts say.=20=20
Under the proposed law, manufacturers and retailers worldwide would=20=20
have to obtain special permission=97and in some cases pay fees=97to Egypt =
=20
to sell products relating to such prized icons as the Giza Pyramids,=20=20
the Sphinx, and the mask of Tutankhamun. Some 120 antiquities would=20=20
be protected under the new law, Zahi Hawass, secretary general of=20=20
Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, told National Geographic=20=20
News. The law holds that no exact-scale replica can be made: For=20=20
instance, if an object is two inches (five centimeters) tall, a=20=20
product of the same dimensions cannot be made without permission. But=20=20
a three-inch (six-centimeter) replica would be acceptable, Hawass=20=20
said. Lawyers who drafted the bill also said they plan to seek=20=20
royalties from those who use images of antiquities commercially in=20=20
photography, television, and movies=97but not those images used for=20=20
educational purposes.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080115-egypt-=20
copyright.html
Ancient "Lost City" Discovered in Peru, Official Claims
National Geographic News, January 16, 2008
Ruins recently discovered in southern Peru could be the ancient "lost=20=20
city" of Paititi, according to claims that are drawing serious but=20=20
cautious response from experts. The presumptive lost city, described=20=20
in written records as a stone settlement adorned with gold statues,=20=20
has long been a grail for explorers=97as well as a lure for local=20=20
tourism businesses. A commonly cited legend claims that Paititi was=20=20
built by the Inca hero Inkarri, who founded the city of Cusco before=20=20
retreating into the jungle after Spanish conquerors arrived. On=20=20
January 10 Peru's state news agency reported that "an archaeological=20=20
fortress" had been discovered in the district of Kimbiri and that the=20=20
district's mayor suggested it was the lost city. Mayor Guillermo=20=20
Torres described the ruins as a 430,000-square-foot (40,000-square-=20
meter) fortification near an area known as Lobo Tahuantinsuyo. Few=20=20
other details about the site were offered, but initial reports=20=20
described elaborately carved stone structures forming the base of a=20=20
set of walls.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080116-lost-city.html
Ancient Tomb Art Found in Path of Irish Highway
National Geographic News, January 14, 2008
Tomb engravings dating back 6,000 years are among the latest=20=20
discoveries unearthed on the route of a controversial highway under=20=20
construction in Ireland. The historic site, at Lismullin in County=20=20
Meath, was handed over to road builders last month, just weeks after=20=20
the Stone Age art was found inside a medieval bunker. The engravings=20=20
have been removed to allow construction of the highway to proceed.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080114-tara-ireland.html
Archaeological collection discovered after relic hunter=92s death
Radio Prague [Czech Republic], 15-01-2008
An unusual collection of over 3,000 archaeological items was=20=20
discovered two years ago in a Prague apartment whose owner died in a=20=20
fire. Archaeologists who have examined the collection say it contains=20=20
some unique artefacts =96 with very little scientific value because=20=20
vital information about their origin is missing. Experts complain=20=20
that people with metal detectors who dig for treasures of the past=20=20
are causing more harm than they might think...
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/99630
Polynesians Descended From Taiwanese, Other East Asians
National Geographic News, January 17, 2008
The ancestors of today's Polynesians and Micronesians were probably=20=20
East Asians who quickly island-hopped through Near Oceania=97what is=20=20
now Australia, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands=97a new genetic=20=20
study suggests. Jonathan Friedlaender and colleagues found that the=20=20
two modern-day groups show little genetic relation to the indigenous=20=20
peoples of Near Oceania. The finding supports theories that=20=20
Polynesians instead descended from East Asians and aboriginal=20=20
Taiwanese who apparently raced through the region.
Short URL: http://snipr.com/1xrbd
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080117-polynesian-=20
taiwan.html
See also The New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/18/world/asia/18islands.html?ref=3Dworld
#=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D#
Continuing Sagas:
New Survey To Reveal 'Britain's Atlantis'
ScienceDaily, Jan. 18, 2008
The lost city of Dunwich, Britain's own underwater 'Atlantis', which=20=20
has captured the imagination of people for centuries, could be=20=20
revealed for the first time with high-tech underwater sonar.=20=20
Professor David Sear, of the University of Southampton, and marine=20=20
archaeologist Stuart Bacon, will explore the ancient sunken city, off=20=20
the Suffolk coast, in the early summer. Dunwich, fourteen miles south=20=20
of Lowestoft, was once a thriving port, and in the 14th century=20=20
similar in size to London. However, storms, erosion and floods over=20=20
the past six centuries have almost wiped out this once prosperous=20=20
city, and the Dunwich of today is a quiet coastal village.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080116165058.htm
#=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D#
Features:
Treasure hunters dig up fun ways
Express & Star [UK], 2008/01/18
Bill Martin sweeps a metal detector from side to side over the grass,=20=20
straining his ears for the sound of even the faintest beep. Suddenly=20=20
he stops walking as the detector alerts him. There is a metal object=20=20
in the ground below his feet. Grabbing a shovel, the 59-year-old, of=20=20
Fordhouses, Wolverhampton, digs out a small mound of earth and puts=20=20
on a pair of surgical gloves to work through the soil. His fingers=20=20
land on a muddy disk and after cleaning it he pockets it. His latest=20=20
find is a penny dropped 100 years ago. =93I have been metal detecting=20=20
for six years and each time I go out I want to find something even=20=20
more older and valuable,=94 says Bill, a member of Bloxwich Research=20=20
and Metal Detecting Club. =93When I found a coin from 79AD I thought it =
=20
doesn=92t get much better than this but then I found a 1500BC Bronze=20=20
Age axe near Wolverhampton and a 48BC coin from Julias Ceasar=92s era,=20=20
which was made in a travelling mint.
http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/01/18/treasure-hunters-dig-up-fun-=20
ways/
Brutal reality of the tournament
BBC, January 2008
Think of a tournament and you're likely to think of gleaming knights,=20=20
splintered lances and well-dressed countesses - the triumph of good=20=20
over evil, the polite ritual displays of arms at a joust. But while=20=20
jousting was popular in medieval Europe, it originated as the curtain-=20
opener to a far more brutal affair. This was the melee tournament - a=20=20
brutal free-for-all with few rules - designed very much as a=20=20
preparation for war.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7192262.stm
Lincoln's legacy in Kentucky
The Courier-Journal [USA], January 17, 2008
In a small valley bordered by forested hills and a low creek, Abraham=20=20
Lincoln's first memories took root: of planting pumpkins, walking to=20=20
school, nearly drowning in a swollen stream and seeing shackled=20=20
slaves shuffle along a dusty turnpike. This week, National Park=20=20
Service archaeologists are using shovels, sifters and magnetometers=20=20
to search for artifacts of Lincoln's Kentucky boyhood, and, if=20=20
they're lucky, the farm's Holy Grail: The missing footprint of the=20=20
tiny cabin where the nation's 16th president lived from ages 2 to 7.=20=20
"He formed his first impressions here, and his connection to Kentucky=20=20
followed him throughout his life," said Sandy Brue, an official with=20=20
the nearby Lincoln Birthplace National Historic site.
Short URL: http://snipr.com/1xrbl
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=3D/20080117/=20
NEWS01/801170386/1008
Promising Projects for Macedonian Archaeology in 2008
Balkanalysis.com, 1/20/2008
Both tourists and academic experts will want to take note of some=20=20
intriguing developments in the upper Mediterranean this year.=20=20
According to Pasko Kuzman, archaeologist and Director of Cultural=20=20
Heritage Protection in the Macedonian Ministry of Culture, 2008 will=20=20
be an exciting year for the continued unearthing of unknown treasures=20=20
from several sites around the country. Among the government=92s main=20=20
priorities are some projects already in progress, and others that=20=20
will be completely new...
Short URL: http://snipr.com/1xunb
http://www.balkanalysis.com/2008/01/20/promising-projects-for-=20
macedonian-archaeology-in-2008/
A cultural lighthouse
Al-Ahram [Egypt], 17 - 23 January 2008
A scheme to redesign the venerable Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square=20=20
as a museum of Pharaonic arts is getting the go-ahead, Nevine El-Aref=20=20
reports...
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/880/special.htm
Screen rites
Al-Ahram [Egypt], 17 - 23 January 2008
It was quite by chance that I turned on the TV last summer and found=20=20
myself watching the most gratifying coverage of an excavation I have=20=20
ever seen. The subject of the documentary was an intact chamber at=20=20
the bottom of a shaft not far from the tomb of Tutankhamun in the=20=20
Valley of the Kings. No fewer than seven coffins were discovered --=20=20
two of them apparently intact -- along with 29 large storage jars.=20=20
Since the step-by-step coverage of the excavation may not be screened=20=20
again -- and even if it is, people may not have a chance to see it --=20=20
I shall describe the events that led up to the official opening of=20=20
the large sealed coffin in an ongoing and enormously challenging=20=20
project...
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/880/heritage.htm
Top-10 lists leave out some important discoveries
The Columbus Dispatch, January 15, 2008
2007 appears to have been a banner year for archaeology. Both the=20=20
National Geographic Society and Archaeology magazine compiled lists=20=20
of the 10 most significant archaeological discoveries of the year.=20=20
Remarkably, no two discoveries overlapped on the two lists. Does this=20=20
really mean there were so many discoveries of such significance last=20=20
year that two independent compilations wouldn=92t share even one? I=20=20
wish that were the case. Instead, I think it means such lists are=20=20
inherently subjective and based on inconsistent criteria...
Short URL: http://snipr.com/1xumv
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/science/stories/2008/01/15/=20
sci_archaeology.html?sid=3D101
cf:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/12/071220-archaeology.html
http://www.archaeology.org/0801/topten/index.html
#=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D#
Miscellany:
New study blames Columbus for syphilis spread
Reuters, Jan 15, 2008
New genetic evidence supports the theory that Christopher Columbus=20=20
brought syphilis to Europe from the New World, U.S. researchers said=20=20
Monday, reviving a centuries-old debate about the origins of the=20=20
disease. They said a genetic analysis of the syphilis family tree=20=20
reveals that its closest relative was a South American cousin that=20=20
causes yaws, an infection caused by a sub-species of the same=20=20
bacteria. "Some people think it is a really ancient disease that our=20=20
earliest human ancestors would have had. Other people think it came=20=20
from the New World," said Kristin Harper, an evolutionary biologist=20=20
at Emory University in Atlanta. "What we found is that syphilis or a=20=20
progenitor came from the New World to the Old World and this happened=20=20
pretty recently in human history," said Harper, whose study appears=20=20
in journal Public Library of Science Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Short URL: http://snipr.com/1xuoq
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?=20
type=3DoddlyEnoughNews&storyid=3D2008-01-15T155519Z_01_N15494658_RTRUKOC_0_=
U=20
S-COLUMBUS.xml
Archaeologist hid 'Jesus tomb' for fear of anti-Semitism, widow says
Haaretz [Israel], 17/01/2008
The widow of the archaeologist who discovered the tomb in Talpiot=20=20
that some believe to be that of Jesus of Nazareth, explained=20=20
Wednesday in Jerusalem to a gathering of senior archaeologists and=20=20
other scholars why her husband kept his discovery a secret. In an=20=20
emotional voice, Ruth Gat said that Yosef Gat, a Holocaust survivor,=20=20
was afraid a wave of anti-Semitism would ensue if he did so. Speaking=20=20
at the three-day Third Princeton Symposium on Judaism and Christian=20=20
Origins at Mishkenot She'ananim in the capital, Gat also said, "I=20=20
thank God his fears did not come true in light of the discovery of=20=20
the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth." Yosef Gat worked as an inspector for=20=20
the Israel Antiquities Authority for 27 years. He uncovered some 400=20=20
sites in the Negev and many other sites in Jerusalem. The cave was=20=20
uncovered in 1980, but was not made public until the mid-1990s. Last=20=20
year, the story became widely known with the release of the=20=20
documentary film "The Lost Tomb of Jesus."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/945672.html
Who are they? World's worst waxworks to be sold off at auction
The Daily Mail [UK], 18th January 2008
Visitors to Louis Tussauds House of Wax are unlikely to forget the=20=20
experience - no matter how hard they try. For the museum in Great=20=20
Yarmouth, Norfolk, has garnered a unique reputation for creating the=20=20
worst waxworks in Britain, if not the world. Its 150-plus life-sized=20=20
figures are, in almost every case, remarkable for how little they=20=20
look like their subjects. Nonetheless, the museum - run by Peter=20=20
Hayes, 80, for half a century, and named after Madame Tussaud's great=20=20
grandson - has attracted a legion of connoisseurs who delight in its=20=20
unparalleled naffness. Hayes claims that thousands of visitors come=20=20
to see the show - and now, for the first time, he is offering fans a=20=20
chance to take home their own wax figures, with 75 being auctioned=20=20
off to make room for more, er, up-to-date models.
Short URL: http://snipr.com/1xr8k
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?=20
in_article_id=3D509100&in_page_id=3D1770&ito=3Dnewsnow
#=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D#=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D#
For additional current archaeological news items, see the Bookmarks=20=20
section:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ArchNews/links
#=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D#=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D#
Website URLs are long and difficult to remember. SnipURL allows you=20=20
to "snip" your long URLs into small, friendly and persistent links=20=20
for sharing and remembering. Free! http://snipurl.com/index.php
#=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D#=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D#=20
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