Archaeology News Weekly 20.01.08

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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
servants in the First Temple and then returned to Jerusalem after
being exiled to Babylonia has been uncovered in an archeological
excavation in Jerusalem's City of David, a prominent Israeli
archeologist said Wednesday. The 2,500-year-old black stone seal,
which has the name "Temech" engraved on it, was found earlier this
week amid stratified debris in the excavation under way just outside
the Old City walls near the Dung Gate, said archeologist Dr. Eilat
Mazar, who is leading the dig. According to the Book of Nehemiah, the
Temech family were servants of the First Temple and were sent into
exile to Babylon following its destruction by the Babylonians in 586
BCE.
Short URL: http://snipr.com/1xrbv
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?
c=JPArticle&cid=1200475897717&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Ancient queen’s tomb discovered in Ibb
Yemen Observer, Jan 19, 2008

Three tombs believed to date back to the Hemiriate dynasty have been
discovered in the al-Usaibyah area of the al-Sadda district of Ibb
last week. The tombs housed three women, one of them believed to be a
queen. Local sources from al-Sadda confirmed that golden jewels were
found in the tomb, believed to be for a queen or a princess. Other
jewels were found in the other two tombs. In addition, a bronze spear
was found in a second tomb and a 70 centimeter sword in a third tomb.
The three tombs were found in a rocky room around five meters deep
and about 3 meters wide. The room contained large pieces of
alabaster, each piece around 150 cubic centimeters. The room also
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
excavations in the southern city of Nourabad Mamasani in Iran. The
excavations revealed Achaemenid columns and pedestals along with a
hall and a marble staircase and vessels belonging to the same period.
The gray columns, more than one meter thick, are very similar to
those found in the Persepolis hypostyle hall and the pedestals are
decorated with lotus designs and palm-leaf grooves.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=39054&sectionid=351020105

Bronze Age site is found in city
BBC, 17 January 2008

Archaeologists in Cambridge have unearthed the first hard evidence
that an area of the city was occupied during the Bronze Age. The
remains were found during a dig at Fitzwilliam College and probably
belonged to a 3,500-year-old farmstead. The remains comprise a series
of ditches, in which the team found pieces of antler, flint tools,
pottery and animal remains. The items were discovered by the
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
development. Archaeologists have been stunned after finding the
remains of a 16th century townhouse during excavations on the site
for the £30 million City Wharf casino and hotel project. The site,
formerly a car park, lies opposite Provost Ross's House, which was
built in 1593 and is now joined to the Aberdeen Maritime Museum. City
council assistant archaeologist Alison Cameron said the remains of
the house dated to around the same time.
Short URL: http://snipr.com/1xr9r
http://www.thisisaberdeen.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?
nodeId=148579&command=displayContent&sourceNode=148347&contentPK=1957333
9&folderPk=85351&pNodeId=148318

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,
which they believe is 2,500 to 2,600 years old, in an ancient tomb in
the eastern province of Jiangxi. "It is reckoned as the oldest ever
excavated in the country," said Xu Changqing, chief of the excavation
team. The well-preserved sword, some 50 centimeters long, is black,
gold and bright red. "A dragon pattern was carved on both ends of the
scabbard, and the middle part of the scabbard was decorated with two
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)
have unearthed a stone bridge relic of nearly one thousand years old
in the south of the country, the official news agency said Tuesday.
The relic, which was in Kaesong, a city 200 km south of the capital
Pyongyang, belongs to early time of Koryo era (A.D.918-A.D.1392), the
Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The bridge is estimated to be
about 60 meters long, 6.3 meters wide and 2.1 meters high during the
time, the KCNA said. The archeologists found that the superstructure
of the ancient bridge have gone away but its substructure that
consists of footstalls and supporters still remain comparatively in
its origin, said the KCNA. Some cultural relics including Koryo
porcelains, a horseshoe and an iron knife. were also unearthed at the
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
tomb dating back to about 2,000 years ago in the Western Han Dynasty
(206 B.C.-25 A.D.) at a museum in Jinan, capital of east China's
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
Benisagar, the Archaeological Survey of India has discovered two
inscriptions in 'shell script' among the remains of a temple in the
area in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district. The inscriptions,
possibly dating back to several hundred years, closely resemble those
seen on the Ashoka Pillar in Vaishali and Rajgir in Bihar, Ranchi
circle Superintending Archaeologist T J Baidya said. The shell script
on two boulders were found in the remains of an ancient temple
compound having a drainage system on its northern side, he said
adding they inscriptions were dug out recently during an operation by
ASI. The remains include the square sanctum (1.8x1.8 metres), the
square porch (4x4 metres) and another structure (120x90 cm) that
joins the sanctum. The drainage system, Baidya said, might have been
used for discharge of water. Some scholars maintain that the
antiquity dates back to 10th-12th century AD.
Short URL: http://snipr.com/1xram
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
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
temple more than 1,500 years old and a dilapidated wall from the
Gupta dynasty at the Vasu Bihara site of Shibganj upazila in Bogra.
Archaeologist Mahabubul Alam, assistant custodian of the department,
said the brick built temple resembles the temple of Vasu Bihara
constructed during the Pala dynasty suggesting it belonged to the
same period. Nahid Sultana, custodian of the department, said during
the ongoing archaeological excavation, walls, held together with mud,
about two metres wide and antiques including part of an ornamental
brick have been found. "But the entrance gate has not yet been
found," she said.
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=19882

Radiocarbon dating puts Pattanam antiquity to first millennium BC
NewIndPress [India], January 9 2008

The radiocarbon analysis at the Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar,
has put the antiquity of Pattanam to the first millennium BC. What is
more, the studies suggest that the canoe found in a water-logged
trench at Pattanam canoe could be the earliest known canoe in India.
The five samples that were analysed include charcoal samples and
parts of the wooden canoe and bollards recovered from trenches. The
mean calendar dates of these five samples place the antiquity of
ancient maritime activity of Pattanam at about 500 BC.
Short URL: http://snipr.com/1xuo4
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?
ID=IEO20080108221834&Page=O&Title=Thiruvananthapuram&Topic=0

Researchers Find Old Mexico Time Capsule
Associated Press, January 15, 2008

A time capsule was found atop a bell tower at Mexico City's
Metropolitan Cathedral, where it was placed in 1791 to protect the
building from harm, researchers said Tuesday. The lead box — filled
with religious artifacts, coins and parchments — was hidden in a
hollow stone ball to mark the moment on May 14, 1791, when the
building's topmost stone was laid, 218 years after construction had
begun. Workers restoring the church found the box in October, inside
the stone ball base of a cross that sits atop the 200-foot southern
bell tower. Researchers spent the next three months opening the
airtight box and preserving its contents. Among them was a small case
of wax blessed by the Pope that served to protect against mishaps,
said Rev. Ruben Avila, rector of the cathedral. Also inside was an
engraving of Saint Barbara, a Roman Catholic martyr associated with
lightning whose image served as "a religious lightening rod, to
protect against damage," said archaeologist Xavier Cortes, director
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
Friday trumpeted one of the successes of its campaign to recover what
it says are looted treasures from museums and collectors around the
world. The 2,500-year-old vase by Greek artist Euphronius, which
Italy regained after signing a deal with the Metropolitan Museum in
New York, was feted in Rome at an official presentation. The
Euphronius Krater - a large vase painted with scenes related to
Homer's epic poems "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" - is regarded as one
of the finest examples of its kind. The vase was used as a bowl for
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
Australia and New Zealand. National Museums of Scotland will give
back the Tasmanian skull following an Australian Government request
on behalf of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre. It also agreed to
return four tattooed Maori heads, currently on long-term loan to Te
Papa Tongarewa, the National Museum of New Zealand. It is part of an
ongoing campaign by Australian and New Zealand governments.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/
7193927.stm

Stolen boomerang returns home
Reuters, Jan 17, 2008

Proving boomerangs really do come back, an Australian town was on
Thursday celebrating the return of a boomerang stolen from an outback
museum by an American tourist 25 years ago. The boomerang, a flying
blade used mainly by Aborigines to hunt animals, was posted home to
the city of Mount Isa in the northern state of Queensland by a
Vermont man who named himself in a letter only as Peter. "I removed
this back in 1983 when I was younger and dumber. It was the wrong
thing to do. I'm sorry, and I'm going to send it back," according to
a note read out to Australian media by Mt. Isa mayor Ron McCullough,
who added Peter had also sent a cheque.
Short URL: http://snipr.com/1xr9c
http://uk.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUKSYD13869920080117?
rpc=401&

Unknown persons destroy ancient bronze coffin discovered recently
Saba [Yemen], 17 January 2008

Unknown persons devastated early morning on Thursday an ancient
bronze coffin and stole another one completely were in an
archaeological location in al-Asibia area in Dhefar valley of Ibb
province. The director general of Antiques and Cultural Properties
Protection in the General Authority for Antiquities and Museums
Hesham al-Thawr held the director general of the security office in
the al-Saddah district responsible for destroying the location and
disinterring the bronze coffin. Al-Thawr said that the security
official has ordered the military patrols, which have been guarding
the area for five days, to leave the location mentioning no reasons
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
and collectors worldwide is helping reduce the illegal international
traffic of archaeological artifacts stolen from the country,
officials said Thursday.
Art thefts in 2007 were down by more than 10 percent compared to
2006, while illegal excavations decreased by four percent, said Gen.
Giovanni Nistri, who heads the art squad of the Carabinieri
paramilitary police. "The figures show how, at the moment,
international trafficking ... is surely declining," Nistri said at a
presentation of his unit's yearly report. "In 2007, the trafficking
of archaeological items was more domestic and involved objects of
less important quality. Italy is aggressively combatting the pillage
of its archaeological and artistic treasures. Its efforts include
seeking the return of hundreds of antiquities it claims were dug up
clandestinely, smuggled out of the country and sold to top museums
worldwide."
Short URL: http://snipr.com/1xuom
http://www.pr-inside.com/italy-s-art-squad-says-archaeological-
looting-r392236.htm

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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
Egyptian official, providing a rare glimpse into the burial customs
of the Old Kingdom's middle class. The relatively modest tomb,
belonging to a fifth dynasty priest and politician named Neferinpu,
was discovered in 2006 at Abusir, the ancient necropolis of the fifth
and 26th dynasties, located near modern-day Cairo. Only recently,
however, did a Czech team open the tomb's burial chamber, a tiny room
about 33 feet (10 meters) below ground packed with offerings and
personal effects that had remained undisturbed for nearly 4,500
years. "The most important conclusion to be connected with this
discovery—which is, in principle, a major discovery—is that
everything we saw was found intact, which means nobody has seen or
touched this burial since the Old Kingdom," said Miroslav Barta, the
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
produce exact replicas or sell images of the Pyramids and other
recognizable antiquities in the country, though such regulations are
unlikely to be enforced internationally, some legal experts say.
Under the proposed law, manufacturers and retailers worldwide would
have to obtain special permission—and in some cases pay fees—to Egypt
to sell products relating to such prized icons as the Giza Pyramids,
the Sphinx, and the mask of Tutankhamun. Some 120 antiquities would
be protected under the new law, Zahi Hawass, secretary general of
Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, told National Geographic
News. The law holds that no exact-scale replica can be made: For
instance, if an object is two inches (five centimeters) tall, a
product of the same dimensions cannot be made without permission. But
a three-inch (six-centimeter) replica would be acceptable, Hawass
said. Lawyers who drafted the bill also said they plan to seek
royalties from those who use images of antiquities commercially in
photography, television, and movies—but not those images used for
educational purposes.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080115-egypt-
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
city" of Paititi, according to claims that are drawing serious but
cautious response from experts. The presumptive lost city, described
in written records as a stone settlement adorned with gold statues,
has long been a grail for explorers—as well as a lure for local
tourism businesses. A commonly cited legend claims that Paititi was
built by the Inca hero Inkarri, who founded the city of Cusco before
retreating into the jungle after Spanish conquerors arrived. On
January 10 Peru's state news agency reported that "an archaeological
fortress" had been discovered in the district of Kimbiri and that the
district's mayor suggested it was the lost city. Mayor Guillermo
Torres described the ruins as a 430,000-square-foot (40,000-square-
meter) fortification near an area known as Lobo Tahuantinsuyo. Few
other details about the site were offered, but initial reports
described elaborately carved stone structures forming the base of a
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
discoveries unearthed on the route of a controversial highway under
construction in Ireland. The historic site, at Lismullin in County
Meath, was handed over to road builders last month, just weeks after
the Stone Age art was found inside a medieval bunker. The engravings
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’s death
Radio Prague [Czech Republic], 15-01-2008

An unusual collection of over 3,000 archaeological items was
discovered two years ago in a Prague apartment whose owner died in a
fire. Archaeologists who have examined the collection say it contains
some unique artefacts – with very little scientific value because
vital information about their origin is missing. Experts complain
that people with metal detectors who dig for treasures of the past
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
East Asians who quickly island-hopped through Near Oceania—what is
now Australia, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands—a new genetic
study suggests. Jonathan Friedlaender and colleagues found that the
two modern-day groups show little genetic relation to the indigenous
peoples of Near Oceania. The finding supports theories that
Polynesians instead descended from East Asians and aboriginal
Taiwanese who apparently raced through the region.
Short URL: http://snipr.com/1xrbd
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080117-polynesian-
taiwan.html
See also The New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/18/world/asia/18islands.html?ref=world

#====================#

Continuing Sagas:

New Survey To Reveal 'Britain's Atlantis'
ScienceDaily, Jan. 18, 2008

The lost city of Dunwich, Britain's own underwater 'Atlantis', which
has captured the imagination of people for centuries, could be
revealed for the first time with high-tech underwater sonar.
Professor David Sear, of the University of Southampton, and marine
archaeologist Stuart Bacon, will explore the ancient sunken city, off
the Suffolk coast, in the early summer. Dunwich, fourteen miles south
of Lowestoft, was once a thriving port, and in the 14th century
similar in size to London. However, storms, erosion and floods over
the past six centuries have almost wiped out this once prosperous
city, and the Dunwich of today is a quiet coastal village.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080116165058.htm

#====================#

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,
straining his ears for the sound of even the faintest beep. Suddenly
he stops walking as the detector alerts him. There is a metal object
in the ground below his feet. Grabbing a shovel, the 59-year-old, of
Fordhouses, Wolverhampton, digs out a small mound of earth and puts
on a pair of surgical gloves to work through the soil. His fingers
land on a muddy disk and after cleaning it he pockets it. His latest
find is a penny dropped 100 years ago. “I have been metal detecting
for six years and each time I go out I want to find something even
more older and valuable,” says Bill, a member of Bloxwich Research
and Metal Detecting Club. “When I found a coin from 79AD I thought it
doesn’t get much better than this but then I found a 1500BC Bronze
Age axe near Wolverhampton and a 48BC coin from Julias Ceasar’s era,
which was made in a travelling mint.
http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/01/18/treasure-hunters-dig-up-fun-
ways/

Brutal reality of the tournament
BBC, January 2008

Think of a tournament and you're likely to think of gleaming knights,
splintered lances and well-dressed countesses - the triumph of good
over evil, the polite ritual displays of arms at a joust. But while
jousting was popular in medieval Europe, it originated as the curtain-
opener to a far more brutal affair. This was the melee tournament - a
brutal free-for-all with few rules - designed very much as a
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
Lincoln's first memories took root: of planting pumpkins, walking to
school, nearly drowning in a swollen stream and seeing shackled
slaves shuffle along a dusty turnpike. This week, National Park
Service archaeologists are using shovels, sifters and magnetometers
to search for artifacts of Lincoln's Kentucky boyhood, and, if
they're lucky, the farm's Holy Grail: The missing footprint of the
tiny cabin where the nation's 16th president lived from ages 2 to 7.
"He formed his first impressions here, and his connection to Kentucky
followed him throughout his life," said Sandy Brue, an official with
the nearby Lincoln Birthplace National Historic site.
Short URL: http://snipr.com/1xrbl
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080117/
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
intriguing developments in the upper Mediterranean this year.
According to Pasko Kuzman, archaeologist and Director of Cultural
Heritage Protection in the Macedonian Ministry of Culture, 2008 will
be an exciting year for the continued unearthing of unknown treasures
from several sites around the country. Among the government’s main
priorities are some projects already in progress, and others that
will be completely new...
Short URL: http://snipr.com/1xunb
http://www.balkanalysis.com/2008/01/20/promising-projects-for-
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
as a museum of Pharaonic arts is getting the go-ahead, Nevine El-Aref
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
myself watching the most gratifying coverage of an excavation I have
ever seen. The subject of the documentary was an intact chamber at
the bottom of a shaft not far from the tomb of Tutankhamun in the
Valley of the Kings. No fewer than seven coffins were discovered --
two of them apparently intact -- along with 29 large storage jars.
Since the step-by-step coverage of the excavation may not be screened
again -- and even if it is, people may not have a chance to see it --
I shall describe the events that led up to the official opening of
the large sealed coffin in an ongoing and enormously challenging
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
National Geographic Society and Archaeology magazine compiled lists
of the 10 most significant archaeological discoveries of the year.
Remarkably, no two discoveries overlapped on the two lists. Does this
really mean there were so many discoveries of such significance last
year that two independent compilations wouldn’t share even one? I
wish that were the case. Instead, I think it means such lists are
inherently subjective and based on inconsistent criteria...
Short URL: http://snipr.com/1xumv
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/science/stories/2008/01/15/
sci_archaeology.html?sid=101
cf:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/12/071220-archaeology.html
http://www.archaeology.org/0801/topten/index.html

#====================#

Miscellany:

New study blames Columbus for syphilis spread
Reuters, Jan 15, 2008

New genetic evidence supports the theory that Christopher Columbus
brought syphilis to Europe from the New World, U.S. researchers said
Monday, reviving a centuries-old debate about the origins of the
disease. They said a genetic analysis of the syphilis family tree
reveals that its closest relative was a South American cousin that
causes yaws, an infection caused by a sub-species of the same
bacteria. "Some people think it is a really ancient disease that our
earliest human ancestors would have had. Other people think it came
from the New World," said Kristin Harper, an evolutionary biologist
at Emory University in Atlanta. "What we found is that syphilis or a
progenitor came from the New World to the Old World and this happened
pretty recently in human history," said Harper, whose study appears
in journal Public Library of Science Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Short URL: http://snipr.com/1xuoq
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?
type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyid=2008-01-15T155519Z_01_N15494658_RTRUKOC_0_U
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
that some believe to be that of Jesus of Nazareth, explained
Wednesday in Jerusalem to a gathering of senior archaeologists and
other scholars why her husband kept his discovery a secret. In an
emotional voice, Ruth Gat said that Yosef Gat, a Holocaust survivor,
was afraid a wave of anti-Semitism would ensue if he did so. Speaking
at the three-day Third Princeton Symposium on Judaism and Christian
Origins at Mishkenot She'ananim in the capital, Gat also said, "I
thank God his fears did not come true in light of the discovery of
the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth." Yosef Gat worked as an inspector for
the Israel Antiquities Authority for 27 years. He uncovered some 400
sites in the Negev and many other sites in Jerusalem. The cave was
uncovered in 1980, but was not made public until the mid-1990s. Last
year, the story became widely known with the release of the
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
experience - no matter how hard they try. For the museum in Great
Yarmouth, Norfolk, has garnered a unique reputation for creating the
worst waxworks in Britain, if not the world. Its 150-plus life-sized
figures are, in almost every case, remarkable for how little they
look like their subjects.  Nonetheless, the museum - run by Peter
Hayes, 80, for half a century, and named after Madame Tussaud's great
grandson - has attracted a legion of connoisseurs who delight in its
unparalleled naffness. Hayes claims that thousands of visitors come
to see the show - and now, for the first time, he is offering fans a
chance to take home their own wax figures, with 75 being auctioned
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?
in_article_id=509100&in_page_id=1770&ito=newsnow

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