I find it somehow comforting to learn that experts have recently given
weight to the familiar old archetype of ancient wizards wearing pointy
hats. That's right folks! Here's the scoop:

The original purpose of several gold cones elaborately decorated with
astrological symbols found at sites in Switzerland, Germany and France
over the past 167 years has baffled archaeologists for decades.

"Historians at Berlin's Museum for Pre- and Early History, however,
claim to have established with near certainty that the mysterious
cones were originally worn as ceremonial hats by Bronze Age oracles."

Of special interest to this group is that "Prof Sabine Gerloff, a
German archaeologist from Erlangen University, has found evidence that
five similar golden cones were exhumed by peat diggers in Ireland
during the 17th and 18th centuries."

Full article at:
http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/03/17/wwiz17.xml&sS\
heet=/news/2002/03/17/ixworld.html

Barbara MacKellar.