================================================================
explorator 10.35-37 January 6, 2008
================================================================
Editor's note: Most urls should be active for at least eight
hours from the time of publication.

For your computer's protection, Explorator is sent in plain text
and NEVER has attachments. Be suspicious of any Explorator which
arrives otherwise!!!
================================================================
================================================================
Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Bill Kennedy, Dave Sowdon, David Critchley,
Donna Hurst, 'Duke Jason', Edward Rockstein, Erica Stewart,
Hernan Astudillo, John McMahon, Joseph Lauer, Mata Kimasitayo,
Mike Ruggeri, Richard C. Griffiths, Rochelle Altman,
Bob Heuman, Rick Pettigrew, Ross W. Sargent, Steve Rankin,
Toke Lindegaard Knudsen, and W. Richard Frahm for headses upses
this week (as always hoping I have left no one out).

We're back from our little hiatus and I spent much of yesterday
just skimming the huge backlog in my mailbox; some of the
following might seem a little dated (or even be repeats ... or
might expire before you get this) ... Happy New Year all!
================================================================
EARLY HUMANS
================================================================
John Noble Wilford picks up the ancient tuberculosis story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/18/science/18skul.html
cf: http://tinyurl.com/32ytez (Journal abstract)

Neanderthals developed sewing, but too late:

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2007/12/21/2123174.htm
================================================================
AFRICA
================================================================
More coverage of remains of blood on Dogon artifacts:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/04/science/04obmali.html
================================================================
ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
================================================================
They're still somewhat hesitant about the identity of Hatshepsut's
mummy:

http://www.physorg.com/news117555696.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22350256/

Some recently-found items are being sent to the Baghdad museum:

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=35416&sectionid=3510212
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/17/africa/ME-GEN-Iraq-National-Museum.php
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gBj2SmkrMEFqwjt9ky1By31Mcf4AD8TJEMSO2
http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.prnt_article?e=C&f=&t=04&m=A16&aa=3

A call to restore an ancient church in Iraq:

http://tinyurl.com/3dxjp7

On the cult of the dead at Ebla:

http://www.archaeology.org/0801/trenches/goddesses.html

I think every year we get a story about Egypt trying to evict
people near archaeological sites:

http://tinyurl.com/3yfd8r (icWales)

A 4500 b.p. tomb of a 'dignitary' has been found by a Czech team:

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/169488.html

Recent finds at Karnak are causing some rethinking:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/12/071217-egypt-temple.html
http://tinyurl.com/3cqn6t (Daily India)

Israel was planning to resume work on that ramp:

http://tinyurl.com/39l9ts (KT)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=935358
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/124601

... or maybe they weren't:

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=129657

... while Egypt is copyrighting/trademarking its
monuments (!?):

http://tinyurl.com/25g6n9 (IOL)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7160057.stm
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/26/2127542.htm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/egypt/story/0,,2232254,00.html

... and groundwater threatens some of those monuments:

http://enews.mcot.net/view.php?id=2073

Interesting item on what it's like to dig in Egypt:

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/12/19/pharaohs.egypt/

Still debating the Gospel of Judas:

http://www.christiancentury.org/article.lasso?id=4152
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-eisenman/gospel-fiction-and-the-re_b_77558.\
html

Review of Jill Kamil, *Labib Habachi: The Life and Legacy of
an Egyptologist.*:

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2007/876/cu2.htm

More coverage of that Egyptian glassmaking site:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071214094026.htm

More on that 14000 b.p. toolkit from Jordan:

http://in.news.yahoo.com/071231/139/6p12g.html
http://tinyurl.com/3cnklk

More coverage of those special playing cards US soldiers in
Iraq are playing with:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22991677-16947,00.html

... and it appears to be paying off, as some airmen found some
pottery:

http://www.standard.net/hilltop/122349/

Egyptology News Blog:

http://egyptology.blogspot.com/

Egyptology Blog:

http://www.egyptologyblog.co.uk/

Dr Leen Ritmeyer's Blog:

http://blog.ritmeyer.com/

Paleojudaica:

http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/

Persepolis Fortification Archives:

http://persepolistablets.blogspot.com/

Archaeologist at Large:

http://spaces.msn.com/members/ArchaeologyinEgypt/
================================================================
ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (AND CLASSICS)
================================================================
Interesting article on the possible implications of a Santorini
tsunami:

http://tinyurl.com/3bwdcs (Discover)

Near the purported Lupercal has been found the remains of a
basilica associated with the December 25 date for Christmas,
apparently:

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hoJ2moM4YRVOcExfi_xzT5fmWF8Q
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=4043239
http://www.dailymail.com/News/200712220197
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/italy_roman_christmas
http://www.townhall.com/news/world/2007/12/22/first_dec_25_xmas_tied_to_pagan_sh\
rine

http://news.ewoss.com/articles/D8TMMAJG0.aspx

Can't remember if we've mentioned this find of remains of a
Roman soldier on an Israel beach:

http://tinyurl.com/2ut33x (JPost)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/936002.html

... or this Roman marching camp from Scotland:

http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Water-plant-work-digs-up.3641122.jp

... or the Mazotos shipwreck:

http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=36640&archive=1

A Roman sandal found near Stonehenge:

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=80583&in_page_id=34

On the importance of Mesopotamia in Roman-India trade:

http://tinyurl.com/2bj3mk (Times)

Technology is revealing more about Venta Icenorum:

http://www.livescience.com/history/071217-roman-town.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22298156/
http://tinyurl.com/3xpkxj
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,317928,00.html

One of those recently-found Roman coffins is going on display:

http://tinyurl.com/2mqrqs (TIW)

... while villas (etc.) excavated at the Palazzo Valentini will be
open to the public:

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hH_6aifHIo6zRXuDR2Ua1SXfvahQD8TLCVK80
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/22/arts/design/22vill.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22346710/

Nice feature on Petra:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/10024576.html

That throne story is still kicking around:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travel/2004054376_webitalythrone05.html

Recent reviews from BMCR:

http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/recent.html

Recent reviews from Scholia:

http://www.classics.und.ac.za/reviews/2007.htm

Visit our blog:

http://www.atrium-media.com/rogueclassicism

Blegen Library News:

http://blegen.blogspot.com/

Mediterranean Archaeology:

http://medarch.blogspot.com/
================================================================
EUROPE AND THE UK (+ Ireland)
================================================================
Early evidence of skating in Finland:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7159057.stm
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-12/w-waw122107.php
http://www.physorg.com/news117694542.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080104-first-skates.html
http://tinyurl.com/33mdbf (Telegraph)

Possible remains of combatants from the Battle of Aughrim:

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/article3304353.ece

Interesting item on the burial of some bishops 600 years b.p.:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/south_of_scotland/7146828.stm
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Bishops39-lives-unmasked-after-6000.3595191.jp

Colin Renfrew comments on the Portable Antiquities Scheme:

http://tinyurl.com/33xfa4 (Guardian)

Archaeology in Europe Blog:

http://www.archaeology.eu.com/weblog/index.html
================================================================
ASIA AND THE SOUTH PACIFIC
================================================================
Some very old noodles:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4335160.stm

I think we've mentioned this spear-impaled skeleton before:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22957344-30417,00.html
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/21/2125690.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080101193653.htm

They raised that 800 b.p. Chinese shipwreck:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7156581.stm
http://en.ce.cn/National/Local/200712/23/t20071223_14007358.shtml
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3087296.ece
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-12/22/content_7296095.htm
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5530591697363744727 (video)

... and took it to its own museum:

http://en.ce.cn/National/culture/200712/29/t20071229_14065819.shtml

An eighth-century brick kiln from VietNam:

http://www.thanhniennews.com/education/?catid=4&newsid=34575
http://in.news.yahoo.com/071231/139/6p15p.html
http://www.southeastasianews.net/story/313744

A child found a 3000 b.p. vase in China's Hunan province:

http://news.rednet.cn/c/2008/01/02/1408950.htm

An 1800 b.p. plaque of the only female Jain Tirthankar:

http://www.bangladeshnews.net/story/313742

New Zealand Archaeology eNews:

http://www.nzarchaeology.org/netsubnews.htm
================================================================
NORTH AMERICA
================================================================
I think this Captain Kidd shipwreck find was announced just
prior to our hiatus:

http://www.canadaeast.com/progress/article/156493

They didn't find the grave of Andrew Jackson's duelling partner:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/17/us/17grave.html
http://social.moldova.org/stiri/eng/81337/

Evidence for deSoto's trail (repeat?):

http://www.wmctv.com/global/story.asp?s=7501546

Haven't heard about the Miami Circle in a while:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/technology/orl-circle0208jan02,0,992225.story

Interesting finds from Alaska:

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6902858.stm

Low lake levels are leading to looting of sites:

http://www.newsobserver.com/print/sunday/city_state/story/819326.html
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/letters/story/825029.html
http://www.newsobserver.com/print/saturday/opinion/story/831283.html
http://www.newsobserver.com/weather/drought/story/838043.html
http://www.newsobserver.com/1565/story/838879.html

Latest video on the Archaeology Channel is about the Nez Perce
people:

http://www.archaeologychannel.org/

More on 'beer' brewing by Pueblo folk:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22421656/
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,318805,00.html
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20071228/sc_livescience/beerbrewedlongagobyn\
ativeamericans
================================================================
CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
================================================================
A major Taino site from Puerto Rico:

http://tinyurl.com/32xuyp (AJC)

A pyramid find suggests revising the date for the founding of Mexico City:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071228/sc_nm/mexico_pyramid_dc_2
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-12/28/content_7328039.htm
http://www.enn.com/sci-tech/article/28253
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22412726/
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=844359762098598560 (video)

Nice feature on Columbus' 'lost fort':

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/fort-of-columbus-200801.html

More on ancient chocolate use:

http://tinyurl.com/396c5w (AJC)
================================================================
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
================================================================
On the DNA front, they're trying to figure out the peopling
of Greenland:

http://tinyurl.com/2qt5en

Medieval diets were apparently healthier than ours:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7148534.stm
http://tinyurl.com/2lgaxz (Daily India)

Out of the myriad Christmas-related stories which flooded the
newswires (with nothing really new for us), this one -- about
a possible alternative site for Bethlehem -- was most
interesting (albeit somewhat vague):

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1298237,00.html
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59367

... followed by a piece on early Christians in Japan:

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/lifestyle-japan-christians.html

Figuring out what Monet saw:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/04/science/04impr.html

Leonardo's Codex Atlanticus is threatened by mold:

http://www.ambrosiana.it/ing/index.asp
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/world/europe/23davinci.html

The Mappa Mundi has been given special recognition by UNESCO:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_midlands/7153508.stm
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article3280453.ece

Laying blame when societies 'fall':

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/25/science/25diam.html

*Nature* is now online ... for a price, of course:

http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/article/?id=2602&at

Preserving Gregorian Chant:

http://tinyurl.com/2sh695

Looking for the Celtic 'Land of the Dead':

http://tinyurl.com/yq8hjm

Nice item on the Portinari Altarpiece:

http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-magazine/arts/399436/flemish-tour-de-force.thtml

A new podcast (new to me): The Dig Radio:

http://www.thedigradio.com/

OpEddish sort of thing on armour:

http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2231081,00.html

Some interesting sketches of penguins:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7154205.stm

What if people stop reading:

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2007/12/24/071224crat_atlarge_crai\
n

Assorted arts items of interest:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/28/arts/28arts.html

Review of the works of de Buffon:

http://tinyurl.com/2km9jr (TLS)

cf: http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/travel/30Cultured.html

Review of some works on and by Conan Doyle:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/books/review/McCarter-t.html

The NY Times reviews assorted books about Islam:

http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/review/index.html

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Lives of the Week:

http://www.oxforddnb.com/public/lotw/

Arts and Letters Daily:

http://aldaily.com/
================================================================
TOURISTY THINGS
================================================================
Yemen:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/travel/30Yemen.html

Tikal:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/17/travel/tikal.php
================================================================
GENERAL MAGAZINES AND JOURNALS
================================================================
Archaeology Magazine has chosen its 'top ten' finds for 2007:

http://www.archaeology.org/0801/topten/

About.com Archaeology:

http://archaeology.about.com/

Archaeoblog:

http://archaeoblog.blogspot.com/

Archaeology Briefs:

http://archaeologybriefs.blogspot.com/
================================================================
CRIME BEAT
================================================================
More coverage of that fake Gaugin:

http://tinyurl.com/2ra7vm (CT)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=a2_cbkbihhvI&refer=home

A purloined cuneiform tablet was rescued from an eBay auction:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/18/technology/ebay.php
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=4018679
http://tinyurl.com/2wyul7
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jTwinlhfBDimsmhIzj-LFzdZDM0w

Searching for some stolen Vishnu statues:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7159169.stm

Suzan Mazur has a nice response to an interview in the New
Yorker with Marion True (which I think I missed) with another
look at some of Robert Hecht's activities:

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0712/S00321.htm
================================================================
NUMISMATICA
================================================================
Major find of pre-Roman, Gaulish coins:

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article3266591.ece
http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3244,36-991019@51-985333,0.html

Interesting donation of a coin book to the ANA:

http://tinyurl.com/32dok5

Latest in Wayne Sayles' (et al) legal suit over restrictions
on Cypriot coins:

http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/394858.html

Coins of India:

http://www.bharatcoins.com/1.html

Hobbyblog:

http://hobbyblog.blogspot.com/

Ancient Coin Collecting:

http://ancientcoincollecting.blogspot.com/

Ancient Coins:

http://classicalcoins.blogspot.com/
================================================================
EXHIBITIONS, AUCTIONS, AND MUSEUM-RELATED
================================================================
Pompeii Red:

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5imfIdc7Tp-SlFqK2_nZBBvZW7aiQ
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article3273187.ece
http://tinyurl.com/3dwy2a (BBC ... slideshow)

Matisse:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/arts/design/21mati.html

St. Fabbiola:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/05/arts/design/05alys.html

Ashcan School:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/28/arts/design/28sloa.html

Plenty of coverage of the display of items returned to Italy:

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gDmDJuzySwFI614dIah46BD5igRA
http://tinyurl.com/3aj9vr (IHT)
http://tinyurl.com/2pq3xb
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-getty18dec18,0,7195492.story
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/news/216608.php
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/CultureAndMedia/?id=1.0.1682985489
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/18/arts/design/18trea.html
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/arts/entertainment-art-italy.html
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,524061,00.html

...and UVa is the latest to return items from its museum to Italy:

http://tinyurl.com/39zfqs (WTimes)

... while the campaign to get the Lewis Chessmen back has
been revived:

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/scotland/story/0,,2236180,00.html
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/politics/Salmond--set-for-moves.3617061.jp
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article3284888.ece
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7159656.stm

... and Greece was once again asking for the return of the
Elgin/Parthenon marbles:

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/160044.html

... with the usual response:

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jd_4xMxZl6wT2ZwRIvzYRLB2zf1A

Can't remember if we had anything suggesting a 25% cut to the
British Museum's budget, but the correction at the bottom of
this one clears things up:

http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/heritage/story/0,,2228673,00.html

A glimpse inside the Baghdad Museum:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/12/world/middleeast/12iraq.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7144701.stm

The Bactrian hoard is coming to the US:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/12/071220-afghan-gold.html

Coverage of that auction of a copy of the Magna Carta:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7151152.stm
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/nyregion/20magna.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/19/nyregion/19magna.html
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F05E2DE1F30F931A25751C1A9619C8B6\
3

On museums making use of podcasts:

http://tinyurl.com/2pj2mt (El Pais)
================================================================
PERFORMANCES AND THEATRE-RELATED
================================================================
Trumpery:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/18/science/18darw.html

Edward II:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/theater/reviews/20edwa.html
================================================================
ON THE WEB
================================================================
Find A Dig:

http://www.findadig.com/
================================================================
OBITUARIES
================================================================
J. Richard Steffy:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/04/us/04steffy.html

Hugh Massingberd (obituarist):

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/nyregion/30massingberd.html
================================================================
PODCASTS
================================================================

The Book and the Spade:

http://www.radioscribe.com/bknspade.htm

Stone Pages Archaeology News:

http://news.stonepages.com/

Archaeologica Audio News:

http://www.archaeologychannel.org/AudioNews.asp
================================================================
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