Found: temple sacred for 3,000 years The astonishing past: Stone Age site 30 times the size of Stonehenge is discovered Archaeologists have discovered a mysterious 4,700-year-old temple that is the largest Stone Age structure ever found in Western Europe. More than a half a mile across and covering 85 acres, the site in mid-Wales is 30 times the size of Stonehenge. A six-year research programme has revealed that the vast, egg-shaped religious complex consisted of 1,400 obelisks, each towering up to 23ft into the air. Made of oak, they were arranged as an oval with a perimeter of one-and-a-half miles. At its western end, archaeologists have discovered the site of the temple's main entrance � flanked by 6ft diameter timbers that may have stood 30ft tall. Despite its vast size, the site is baffling archaeologists. They are certain that it had a religious function � but what was being worshipped or venerated remains a mystery. The focal point appears to have been a natural spring � and possibly some sort of shrine. The complex may have been built on such a grand scale to include a second possible shrine 500 yards north-west of the spring and an area of further ritual activity about 200 yards to the north-east. The main entrance is oriented towards sunset on the summer solstice � the point at which the sun disappears after the longest day of the year. Detailed examination has revealed that the enclosed area was kept clear for almost 3,000 years. Outside the oval, archaeologists have found a normal level of flint and other prehistoric finds. Inside there have been almost no finds at all. "They must have kept it extraordinarily clean," said Dr Alex Gibson, an archaeologist who has spent much of the past six years investigating the site for Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust. It remained untouched by normal � secular � human activity from its construction in 2700BC, through the late Neolithic and the whole of both the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, which ended after the Roman invasion of AD43. The absence of debris of human activity from the earlier parts of the Neolithic era suggest the area may have been taboo for even longer � possibly from 4000BC. After the arrangement of 1,400 oak obelisks was constructed � just before the time that most of Stonehenge was built � it is likely that ordinary people were not just barred from the site, as they probably had been for generations, but were also prevented from seeing inside it. Archaeologists believe planks were used to close the gaps between the obelisks for at least the bottom third of their height. The temple was almost certainly kept exclusively for the use of the priesthood � probably shamans whose function was to maintain spiritual contact with ancestors and deities. However, when the Roman invaders arrived, its very sanctity seems to have made it a target. For, in common with many other native British sacred sites � including Stonehenge � the place appears to have been deliberately violated. The Romans seem to have chosen to insult local sensibilities by building first a marching camp on one part of the site and then a permanent fort on another. The site � at Hindwell, three miles east of New Radnor in Powys � is being seen as one of the most important in Europe. "We were bowled over by the sheer scale of the structure � and the fact that it appears to have remained sacred for thousands of years," Dr Gibson said.

DISCOVERING ARCHAEOLOGY - Newsletter for December 07, 2000 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml --- Feature Stories --- - CANNIBALS AT COWBOY WASH Biomolecular Archaeology Solves a Controversial Puzzle http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/120600-cowboy-1.shtml Plus these Feature Reports: - Oldest Human Ancestor Discovered In Kenya http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001204/ts/fossils_find_dc.html - New Theory for the Nasca Lines http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/12/12052000/nascalines_3379.asp - Search4Science http://www.search4science.com - The Canadian Iceman Project http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/NWview.cgi?/news/2000/11/30/iceman001130 - Chemical Analysis to Trace Population Migrations http://news.excite.com/news/uw/001128/tech-43 - Anasazi Exodus http://www0.mercurycenter.com/premium/scitech/docs/migrate28.htm - The Philosophical Emperor http://ancient.thevines.com/leaf/AA0000363772/2/ ----- The Discovering Archaeology Newsletter finds the week's most interesting archaeological stories and presents them to you in a simple, easy to read format on the web. Read these and other interesting features, including Readers Polls, Book Reviews, Archaeological Event Calendars and much more at: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml

I'll have to check out that Canadian Iceman project, sounds like a hockey player.

Tell Nan!! She's got a thing for hockey players....

EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 32 -- December 10, 2000 THE BIG NEWS The big news this week (judged solely by press coverage) appears to be the discovery of George Washington's still: http://www.nandotimes.com/healthscience/story/body/0,1079,500287227-500453881-502977445-0,00.html http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/12/06/washington.whiskey.ap/index.html OLD WORLD NEWS Potentially big news, but losing the coin toss, is the discovery of what is apparently the oldest human ancestor: http://www.iol.co.za/general/newsview.php?click_id=87&art_id=ct20001205121018851O435130&set_id=1 http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/12/12052000/wirefossil_3382.asp Arabic News has a nice feature on Ugarit: http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/001206/2000120601.html The same source also has a somewhat vague report on 'new Egyptian discoveries': http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/001205/2000120506.html Potentially big news, but I think the journalist types are reading a bit too much into it, is the discovery of a pair of entwined lovers, supposedly master and slave, along with a pile of gold in Pompeii: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000579381554028&rtmo=wew0Kstb&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/00/12/9/wpomp09.html http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,48958,00.html Also on the Pompeii front, Canada's own National Post has an excellent feature on the erotic art of Pompeii: http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?f=/stories/20001205/393447.html Bloomberg has a report on the auction of a 'year 5 of Israel' shekel: http://www.bloomberg.com/pgcgi.cgi?T=finer99_art.ht&s=AOi_0ABPuUmFyZSBJ The Observer brings a report on Boudicca's nastier side: http://observer.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,406152,00.html The Egyptian News service brings word of the discovery of a sunken Roman port: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o041220c.htm The Houston Chronicle reports that a chunk of a Roman wall in Spain has collapsed due to heavy rains: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/world/767265 Xinhua reports on the discovery of some ancient iron plates in Central China: http://202.84.17.11/english/htm/20001206/254654.htm The same source reports on the discovery of a rather large stone turtle: http://202.84.17.11/english/htm/20001206/254154.htm National Geographic News has a report on the discovery of a tomb in Vietnam, which should shed light on that region's bronze age: http://209.19.141.102/news/2000/12/12042000/wirvietnam_3374.asp NEW WORLD NEWS Also potentially big news, but I think this has been mentioned before (?), researchers have connected Peru's Nazca lines to water sources: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/12/001201073347.htm http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/12/12052000/nascalines_3379.asp As with other sites of major forest fires this summer, the Sequoia National Forest conflagration has turned out to have revealed quite a few significant archaeological sites: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/12/08/MN156509.DTL A fish trap near Olympia Washington has been dated to the fifteenth century: http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?o1827_BC_WA--IndianArtifacts&&news&newsflash-oregon CLASSICISTS CORNER The Guardian has a somewhat interesting editorial about 'classism' which takes its start from Macauley's "Lays ...": http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/saturday_review/story/0,3605,408691,00.html An editorial in the Atlanta Constitution has plenty of Classical content as it compares the current US election difficulties to ancient Rome: http://www.accessatlanta.com/partners/ajc/epaper/editions/tuesday/opinion_a3c289d5a178719310a0.html Time Magazine has a nice little article on the benefits of Latin for English instruction: http://www.time.com/time/education/article/0,8599,90457,00.html SAGAS Humans out of Africa/DNA http://helix.nature.com/nsu/001207/001207-8.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1058000/1058484.stm http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DailyNews/human_evolution001206.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/499641.asp?cp1=1 FOLLOWUPS Mummy CAT scans: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o051220h.htm http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,46461,00.html Roman luxury ships: http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2000/12/03/stinwenws01011.html King Tut DNA tests: http://itn.co.uk/news/20001205/world/11mummy.shtml http://www.cnn.com/2000/NATURE/12/05/king.tut.ap/index.html Wisconsin Cave Paintings (I'm not sure if this one will still come up): http://radio.cbc.ca/insite/AS_IT_HAPPENS_TORONTO/2000/11/30.html World's Oldest Love Song: http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/20001206/hi_hu_song.html Cambyses' army (boy, they better find something ... they're certainly building the hype): http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2000/12/08/p7s2.htm http://209.19.141.102/news/2000/12/12082000/wirpersia_3408.asp AT ABOUT.COM Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest is about Vincent Panella's first novel, which feature Julius Caesar's kidnapping by pirates: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa120500a.htm?terms=a1 Archaeology Guide Kris Hurst has an interview with Judith Winters, editor of Internet Archaeology: http://archaeology.about.com/library/weekly/aa120400a.htm Latin Guide Janet Burns has a nice little collection of Christmas-related songs in Latin: http://latin.about.com/library/weekly/aa120400a.htm

the following is from dave salisbury's "an occult guide to legendary london", at this URL: http://members.tripod.co.uk/Brit_Nephilim/page29.html "Christchurch, Spitalfields During the restoration work following the Great Fire of London, one of Sir Christopher Wren's contemporaries built a string of strange churches across the city. Nicholas Hawksmoor claimed to be following the ancient building traditions of the early Christian basilicas, but his obelisk-like spires and trompe d'oeuil effects have drawn admiration and conspiracy theorists in equal measures. Christchurch, Spitalfields is Hawksmoor's best example. Haunted does not describe the feeling of a church built atop a plague pit, over the road from what used to be the biggest abattoir in the world. A recent excavation of the crypt (now a drop-in centre for homeless alcoholics) unearthed a series of lead lined coffins full of liquefied corpses which archaeologists had to shovel out into bags for analysis. Does lead stop a Nephilim from returning to its stasis? Hmm. If anywhere in London is the site of a Black Moon Ka nexus, it's here." then there's this, from "spoilheap: burial archaeology", at this URL: http://www.spoilheap.co.uk/burintr.htm "The period from the beginning of the 16th century has been identified as the start of the modern era and is termed post-medieval by archaeologists. Historians date this change from the reign of Henry VII and his innovations in government. Most of the evidence for this period is historical rather than archaeological, but a few excavations have been carried out in post-medieval churches, notably in London (St. Bride's and Christchurch, Spitalfields) and Holland (Zwolle). Other archaeological methods have been used to record standing monuments in churchyards and other funerary objects. Spitalfields burial in coffins within crypts, often stacked in precarious positions, sometimes even on their heads excavated to recover a group of identifiable burials archaeologically for anthropological study. also provided an insight into 18th and 19th c. crypt burial customs, and a closely dated series of funerary artefacts. allowed for comparison of historical and archaeological data e.g. accounts of contemporary funerals compared with the total disarray of coffins and bodies within the crypts."

Prehistoric Treasure Found in Trash RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - A retired Brazilian carpenter had hoped to get rich off a piece of trash his sons dug out of a garbage dump 40 years ago: a 2.6 million-year-old mammoth molar the size of a small television. The family of Francisco Porfirio dos Santos, 88, uncovered the prehistoric molar at a dump in the Boogie-woogie shantytown of northern Rio de Janeiro some four decades ago. But dos Santos only recently took the fossil to the National Museum to find out what it was, said Deise Dias, a biologist at Rio de Janeiro's National Museum, Tuesday. "After 40 years of sitting on the fossil he brought it to us to identify and now he's saying he wants to sell it," she said. Dias said the tooth belongs to a mammoth, a sort of extinct elephant which had hairy skin and long curved tusks which roamed the earth millions of years ago. Mammoth remains have been found in North America, Asia and Europe but not in South America. "It's a beautiful piece with rich scientific value, but absolutely no commercial value, especially since it's illegal to sell fossils in Brazil," added Dias. "It's a pity all the media blitz went to his head, but we can't buy it."

DISCOVERING ARCHAEOLOGY Newsletter for December 13, 2000 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml --- Feature Stories --- - A WARRIOR CAMP Pre-Viking Chieftains Likely Drove Scandinavian Conflicts http://discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/121200-warrior.shtml Plus these Feature Reports: - Pompeii Love http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/20001212/hi_hu_pompeii.html - DNA Investigations of King Tut Postponed http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20001212/sc/egypt_tutankhamun_1.html - Archaeological Field School in Tuscany http://www.smu.edu/~poggio/2000fieldseason.html - Refreshing the Frescoes http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns226827 - World's Oldest Love Song http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/20001206/hi_hu_song.html - Japan's Stone Age Man Hoax Update http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/07/world/07JAPA.html?pagewanted=2 - Maine's Sunken Wreck http://www.herald.com/thispage.htm?content/archive/news/yahoo/digdocs/100360.htm - DNA and an Ancient Persian Riddle http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/12/12082000/wirpersia_3408.asp - Tomb Discovery in Vietnam http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/12/12042000/wirvietnam_3374.asp - Learn Hieroglyphics http://egypttourism.org/English/TravelTips/Hieroglyphic.htm ----- The Discovering Archaeology Newsletter finds the week's most interesting archaeological stories and presents them to you in a simple, easy to read format on the web. Read these and other interesting features, including Readers Polls, Book Reviews, Archaeological Event Calendars and much more at: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml

Scientific American Discovering Archaeology Weekly DISCOVERING ARCHAEOLOGY Newsletter for December 20, 2000 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml --- Feature Stories --- - CHOMPING AT THE BIT Researhers find the first ridden horse http://discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/121900-horses.shtml Plus these Feature Reports: - Athens Subway http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/19/arts/19ARTS.html - Two new sites in India http://www.timesofindia.com/151200/15indi44.htm - The Vikings and The Vatican http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/19/science/19HEYE.html - Battlefield Archaeology and the Collapsing Tunnels http://www.theage.com.au/news/2000/12/15/FFXUE48YPGC.html - Remote Desert City Holds Priceless Manuscripts http://www.ngnews.com/news/2000/12/12112000/wirdesert_3414.asp - Dateline... Bulgaria http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20001218/wl/bulgaria_tomb_1.html - The Aerial Archaeology Research Group http://rs6000.univie.ac.at/AARG/ - Student Stories in Archaeological Fiction http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~kah2/fiction.htm ----- The Discovering Archaeology Newsletter finds the week's most interesting archaeological stories and presents them to you in a simple, easy to read format on the web. Read these and other interesting features, including Readers Polls, Book Reviews, Archaeological Event Calendars and much more at: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml

EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 35 -- December 31, 2000 ]|[=================================================================]|[ Editor's note: Depending on your mail software, some urls may wrap (especially those from the Telegraph) which will require you to rebuild the url at your end; if you get a 'file not found', check to see if the url wrapped on you. Most urls should be active for at least eight hours from the time of 'publicatio'. ]|[=================================================================]|[ As we enter a new year (and Millennium), your editor would just like to wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year. It's been a quiet week, as one might expect, but I'm still happy to report that over the past year, subscriptions to Explorator increased by 50% and hopefully the next year will bring an even greater increase! Thanks for your support! OLD WORLD NEWS Xinhua via Northern Light reports on the discovery of some 3500-year-old structures in Iran: Http://library.northernlight.com/FB20001223260000013.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc Egypt Revealed via USA Today reports on the discovery of a pile of inscriptions in Egypt (from all periods) which are threatened by road construction: http://www.usatoday.com/weather/science/archaeology/inscript121800.htm Another story suggests some recent discoveries by a British team might challenge ideas of the origins of the Egyptians: http://www.hindustantimes.com/nonfram/281200/detFOR12.asp http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4110040,00.html The Bergen Record has an interesting "Antiques Roadshowish" story wherein the donation of some pots to Richard Stockton College might prove that they are actually wares from Magna Graecia: http://www.bergen.com/ed/urn26200012265.htm Ananova reports on plans to possibly rebury 'Seahenge': http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_156765.html?menu= Business Week has an interview with Robert Vergnieux on the use of new technology in archaeology: http://www.businessweek.com/ebiz/0012/eo1229a.htm For what it's worth, Northern Light picked up a Reuters story on a book which describes how the Knights Templar took the Holy Grail *and* the Ark of the Covenant to some island in the Baltic Sea: http://library.northernlight.com/HB20001224010000016.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc In the same department from TASS via Northern Light is a somewhat confusing report on the discovery of the tomb of St. Nicholas (a bit suspicious this one): http://library.northernlight.com/FB20001220270000219.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc NEW WORLD NEWS I couldn't find any ... told you it was a bit slow this week. ON THE NEWSSTANDS Archaeology Magazine has a new online issue, with a full text article on the Karachi mummy and abstracts on forging Minoan artifacts and making mummies (by Bob Brier) among other things: http://www.archaeology.org/curiss/toc/toc.html CLASSICIST'S CORNER The Lakeland Ledger has a piece on a local archaeologist's search for the historical Jesus: http://www.theledger.com/local/local/25arch.htm Rediff Online has a report on a booklet which suggests Indians discovered the Pythagorean theorem long before Pythagoras (among other things): http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jan/01rss.htm FOLLOWUPS Sunken cities in Aboukir Bay: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/12/001214082602.htm http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000140326706927&rtmo=as3sHb3L&atmo=HHHHHHHL&pg=/et/00/12/27/wcleo27.html Egyptian prosthetic toes: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/hsn/20001222/hl/walk_like_an_egyptian_1.html http://www.arabia.com/article/0,1690,Life|36125,00.html Thracian tomb in Bulgaria: http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/breakingnews/International/0,3561,622736,00.html REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html English translation (probably delayed ... hasn't been updated since August): http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.html EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://www.onelist.com/archive/Explorator ]|[================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR is a weekly newsletter representing the fruits of the labours of 'media research division' of The Atrium. Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured on a daily basis for news of the ancient world (broadly construed: practically anything relating to archaeology or history prior to about 1700 or so is fair game) and when a sufficient number of urls are gathered (usually a minimum of three stories), they are delivered to your mailbox free of charge! Those articles that don't expire, plus supplementary links eventually find a home at: Commentarium (news articles) http://web.idirect.com/~atrium/commentarium.html The Rostra (audio files) http://web.idirect.com/~atrium/rostra.html A media archive of links of files that have previously appeared in Commentarium or at the Rostra is currently under construction. ]|[================================================================]|[ Explorator is Copyright (c) 2000 David Meadows; Feel free to distribute these listings via email to your pals, students, teachers, etc., but please include this copyright notice. These listings are not to be posted to a website; instead, please provide a link to either Commentarium or Rostra (or both)! You can subscribe to or unsubscribe from this list by going to the following web page: http://www.egroups.com/subscribe.cgi/Explorator

EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 36 -- January 7, 2001 OLD WORLD NEWS Kathimerini has a tantalizingly brief article on a dispute over rights to dig where what is possibly the oldest human skull in Europe was found: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=65090 NG News has an item on how the receding waters of the Sea of Galilee have revealed a neolithic site: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/01/0102galilee.html The San Francisco Chronicle has an interesting piece on a biopsy done on a 3,500 year-old mummy: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/01/03/MNW107794.DTL An animal cemetery has been discovered in Egypt: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/World/Africa/2001-01/egyptian030101.shtml http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/20010105/di_hi_ratmummy.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_1098000/1098102.stm http://www.arabia.com/article/0,1690,Life|36597,00.html Also on the Egyptian front, the Independent has an interesting item on how a scholar has traced the origins of the concept of "the mummy's curse": http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2000-12/mummy311200.shtml The Jerusalem Post has a somewhat shocking item on how the IAA treated a certain artifact: http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/01/05/News/News.18885.html The Sunday Times has a report on Thor Heyerdahl's theory that viking "tax exiles" settled in America: http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/01/07/stifgnusa02002.html The BBC reports on Iraq's ongoing efforts to restore its heritage: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_1102000/1102547.stm The Sunday Times has a report on Greece's plans to destroy a huge chunk of the site of the Battle of Marathon for Olympic event purposes: http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/01/07/stifgneur01004.html The Indian Express has a piece on the discovery of an inscription which sheds light on Hindu rule in 9th century Afghanistan: http://www.expressindia.com/ie/daily/20010105/iin05014.html The People's Daily reports on the discovery of a number of Shang Dynasty tombs (this one and the following items should have been in last week's issue): http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200012/19/eng20001219_58230.html The same source also has a couple of items on what excavations in Sanxingui are revealing: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200012/13/eng20001213_57743.html http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200012/11/eng20001211_57502.html Xinhua via Northern Light reports on the discovery of a pair of horse graves in China: http://library.northernlight.com/FB20010104840000319.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc Science Daily has an item on how volcanic eruptions may have really made the Dark Ages 'dark' (this isn't really a new story): http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/01/010102061812.htm Back to the BBC, which has an interesting report on excavating shipwrecks from the Zuider Zee: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/from_our_own_correspondent/newsid_1102000/1102498.stm NEW WORLD NEWS The Canadian version of Discovery Channel has an interview online with David Johnson in regards to the evidence that the Nazca Lines in Peru have associations with water sources (a brief bit of text, but otherwise requires Windows Media Player): http://www.exn.ca/Stories/2001/01/04/60.cfm ON THE NEWSSTANDS There's a new issue of Biblical Archaeology Review on the stands, the highlight of which is its annual guide to digs: http://www.bib-arch.org/bar2.html Bible Review also has a new online issue, with articles on "King David, Serial Murderer" and "The Gospel of Thomas" , among other things: http://www.bib-arch.org/br2.html And we might as well round out the BAS triad: Archaeology Odyssey has a new issue out (new to me) with an article on kingship in Sumer, another guide to digs, etc.: http://www.bib-arch.org/aod2.html CLASSICIST'S CORNER Kathimerini has a report on an exhibit of photos of the Acropolis over time (pardon the awkward description): http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=65101 I missed this one ... the Boston Globe a month ago had a report on the revival of Classical Greek in a certain county jail (!): http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/344/metro/At_county_jail_study_of_classical_Greek_enjoying_a_revival+.shtml The Cincinnati Enquirer has a piece on the return of Latin to a high school in that city: http://enquirer.com/editions/2000/12/26/loc_latin_classes_return.html REVIEWS The LA Times has a review of Finkelstein and Silberman *The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts*: http://www.latimes.com/news/state/20010106/t000001538.html SAGAS Kennewick Man: http://www.msnbc.com/news/323998.asp?cp1=1 http://www.kgw.com/kgwnews/oregonwash_story.html?StoryID=11677 Elgin Marbles (same story, different papers): http://www.southam.com/ottawacitizen/newsnow/cpfs/world/010105/w010540.html http://www.vancouversun.com/cgi-bin/newsite.pl?adcode=w-mm&modulename=world%20news&template=international&nkey=vs&filetype=fullstory&file=/cpfs/world/010105/w010540.html AT ABOUT.COM Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest is on Solon: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa010201a.htm?terms=a1 Archaeology Guide Kris Hirst's latest is on archaeology-related careers: http://archaeology.about.com/library/weekly/aa010101.htm Latin Guide Janet Burns' lastest is on why datives and pluperfects are called that: http://latin.about.com/homework/latin/library/weekly/aa011701a.htm FOLLOWUPS Egyptian petroglyphs: http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/20001229/hi_hu_rockart.html Egyptian prosthetic toes: http://www.sciam.com/news/010301/2.html Seahenge (with an excellent photo at the BBC): http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1100000/1100790.stm http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2001-01/seahenge050101.shtml Cities in Aboukir Bay (watch the wrap ... this is the same AP story from last week) http://www.thestar.com/apps/AppLogic+FTContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=978496256338&call_page=TS_News&call_pageid=968332188492&call_pagepath=News/News (Not) Arthur's Round Table: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,61-61297,00.html REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html url:http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html url:http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html English translation (probably delayed ... hasn't been updated since August): http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.html url:http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.htm EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://www.onelist.com/archive/Explorator ]|[================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR is a weekly newsletter representing the fruits of the labours of 'media research division' of The Atrium. Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured on a daily basis for news of the ancient world (broadly construed: practically anything relating to archaeology or history prior to about 1700 or so is fair game) and when a sufficient number of urls are gathered (usually a minimum of three stories), they are delivered to your mailbox free of charge! Those articles that don't expire, plus supplementary links eventually find a home at: The Media Archive (just going up as of January 7, 2001): http://atrium-media.com/mediaarchive.html ]|[================================================================]|[ Explorator is Copyright (c) 2001 David Meadows; Feel free to distribute these listings via email to your pals, students, teachers, etc., but please include this copyright notice.

That must be be, a Viking tax exile!

Boy, did they ever pick the wrong place for a white male worker to hide his taxes!!! Perhaps that is why so few Vikings are still here?!

Scientific American Discovering ArchaeologyWeekly DISCOVERING ARCHAEOLOGY Newsletter for Januarary 13, 2001 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml --- Feature Stories --- - UNLOCKING PANDORA'S MYSTERIES Forensic Anthropologists Search for Clues about Mysterious Sailors http://discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/010801-pandora.shtml Plus these Feature Reports: - Australian Challenge to the Out of Africa Theory http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1108000/1108413.stm - Modern Threat to Ancient Cave Petroglyphs http://www.msnbc.com/news/512223.asp - Chinese Bones and DNA http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200101/03/eng20010103_59506.html - Roman Coin Cache Uncovered http://globalarchive.ft.com/globalarchive/article.html?id=010110001253&query - Why Texas Isn't Part of Canada http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?f=/stories/20010103/424314.html - China Ruins May Become a World Heritage Site http://english.china.com/cdc/en/culture/articles/0,1677,3734-106000,00.html - The Mummy Has a Wooden Toe http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001228/hl/mummy_toe_1.html - The Brazil Mound http://farwestern.com/brazilmound/pagei.html -----

3.4 Million-Year-Old Skeleton Found in Ethiopia ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (Reuters) - An Ethiopian scientist has discovered the well-preserved 3.4 million-year-old partial skeleton of a child hominid, which experts say should provide valuable information in the study of human evolution. Dr. Zeresenay Alemseged, a palaeoanthropologist, told reporters in Addis Ababa Saturday they had found a fragment of a lower jaw and an exceptionally well-preserved partial skeleton, including the skull, of a child early hominid. They were discovered in the Busidina-Dikika sector of the Afar region, in an area bordering the Republic of Djibouti. Busidina-Dukika lies south of Hadar, where numerous fossils of Austrolopithecus Afarensis, including the famous Lucy, have been discovered. "This is probably the earliest well-preserved young hominid so far known," he said, adding that the discovery would help in filling a gap between the earliest known hominids and those from later periods. "The new hominid is an important addition which may fill in the gap between Lucy, which is dated to 3.2 million years, and a similar hominid species from Laetoli, Tanzania, and dated at 3.7 million years," he said. Alemseged, a post-doctoral research associate at the Institute of Human Origins at Arizona State University, led a mission to prehistoric sites in Busidina and Dikika in 1999 and 2000.

EXPLORATOR - Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 37 -- January 14, 2001 OLD WORLD NEWS Plenty of versions of this AP story: archaeologists have found what they believe is an insole dating to some 3000 years B.C./B.C.E.: http://www.enn.com/news/wire-stories/2001/01/01122001/ap_footprint_41315.asp http://www.nj.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?a0550_BC_AncientInsole&&news&newsflash-international http://austin360.com/shared/news/technology/ap_story.html/Science/AP.V0881.AP-Ancient-Insole.html Just as folks were figuring out what to do with Seahenge, another was discovered (maybe): http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/Environment/2001-01/seahenge110101.shtml http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1111000/1111952.stm http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003864436460684&rtmo=lvwbQQQt&atmo=rrrrrrrq&pg=/et/01/1/11/nheng11.html And while we're on the subject of henges, it's big news in Britain, apparently, that much restoration work went into Stonehenge: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/010901/times_stonehenge.sml http://www.newscientist.com/dailynews/news.jsp?id=ns9999310 The Telegraph has a brief item on how the Nile is threatening inscriptions at Karnak: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003864436460684&rtmo=psSl3M1e&atmo=rrrrrrrq&pg=/et/01/1/12/wnile12.html Arabia.com has a feature on pyramids in the Sudan: http://www.arabia.com/article/0,1690,Life|37185,00.html The Charlotte Observer has an item on a new permanent display of artifacts from Israel at UNCC: http://www.charlotte.com/observer/local/pub/oldstuff0112.htm There are a couple of reports on the discovery of a bust of Caesarion (in the waters off Alexandria, of course): http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/20010112/hi_ceasar.html http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/010801/times_caesarion.sml Other news from Abukir bay ... this seems like old news, no?: http://www.iol.co.za/html/frame_news.php?click_id=31&art_id=qw97931550066B221 The Telegraph reports on the impending exhibition of a Roman gold coin hoard: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003864436460684&rtmo=lvwbQQQt&atmo=rrrrrrrq&pg=/et/01/1/11/ncoin11.html ... while the Independent reports on the discovery of a new one: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2001-01/coin100101.shtml The Times of India reports that archaeologists have found an ancient 'idol making unit': http://www.timesofindia.com/today/06ente13.htm The Age reports on the trial of seven men accused of robbing a tomb near Beijing: http://www.theage.com.au/breaking/0101/12/A13265-2001Jan12.html NEW WORLD NEWS CNN has a report on the threat posed by mining operations to petroglyphs in the Dominican Republic: http://www.cnn.com/2001/STYLE/arts/01/10/cave.art.ap/index.html The Billings Gazette has a report on how a piece of 'repatriation' legislation is working: http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?section=local&display=content/local/debate.inc ON THE NEWSSTANDS There's a new issue of British Archaeology on the webstands, with plenty of news items and features on the Bignor Roman Villa, Avebury, and Neanderthals, among other things: http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba51/ba51toc.html CLASSICIST'S CORNER ... sorry, the search engines came up dry this week ... AT ABOUT.COM Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill gives us a rundown of what folks have been chatting about: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa010901a.htm ?terms=a1 Archaeology Guide Kris Hirst has an article on the Koster site: http://archaeology.about.com/library/weekly/aa010801a.htm Latin Guide Janet Burns has a selection of Roman-related January trivia: http://latin.about.com/library/quizzes/blJanuaryTrivia.htm FOLLOWUPS Animal mummies (actually, this is one I missed): http://www.independent.co.uk/news/World/Africa/2001-01/egyptian030101.shtml Black Sea/Noah's Flood: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/09/science/09FLOO.html SAGAS The "out of Africa"/maybe not debate has a new installment to complicate matters: http://www.msnbc.com/news/514732.asp?cp1=1 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/01/0111origins.html http://www.newscientist.com/dailynews/news.jsp?id=ns9999307 http://www.sciam.com/news/010901/2.html http://www.theaustralian.com.au/common/story_page/0,4511,1594904%255E8882,00.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1108000/1108413.stm http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/Science/2001-01/dna090101.shtml ... and another twist on the same idea: http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWSScience0101/11_skulls-ap.html http://www.oweb.com/newslink/National/AncientHumansP0229.html http://www.bergen.com/morenews/oldones200101127.htm REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html url:http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://www.onelist.com/archive/Explorator

EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 38 -- January 21, 2001 ]|[=================================================================]|[ OLD WORLD NEWS What might be construed as the big news of the week, based on press coverage alone, is the theory that early bone tools reveal that early hominids chowed down on termites: http://www.msnbc.com/news/517206.asp http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/hominid_termites.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1119000/1119359.stm http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/Science/2001-01/dinner160101.shtml http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/17/science/science-humans-dc.html The Telegraph and MSNBC have a brief item on using DNA analysis to learn about when horses were domesticated: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003864436460684&rtmo=fs3aMa0s&atmo=rrrrrrrq&pg=/et/01/1/19/whors19.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/518171.asp Just when you thought the 'Noah's flood' thing had died down, a team of researchers from Canada is suggesting the site may have been near the Persian Gulf: http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWSScience0101/14_manitoba-cp.html http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_173982.html?menu= http://www.nypostonline.com/news/worldnews/21462.htm The Frontier Post has a (somewhat strange) article on the Near East and Aegean art: http://frontierpost.com.pk/weekend.asp?id=4&date1=1/21/2001 Nando Times and the Macedonian Press Agency report that the FBI has (finally) returned a large number of antiquities purloined from the museum at Corinth a decade ago: http://www.nandotimes.com/global/story/0,1024,500301332-500481694-503309637-0,00.html http://www.hri.org/news/greek/mpab/2001/01-01-19.mpab.html#12 The Athenian News Agency has an all too brief report on the discovery of some Geometric period tombs in Cyprus: http://www.hri.org/news/greek/ana/2001/01-01-15.ana.html#19 The International Herald Tribune has a piece on the Etruscans: http://www.iht.com/articles/8109.htm I'm sure we'll hear more about this one next week ... EurekaAlert has an interesting press release on how a Classics grad student (yay!) has found proof that Homer was right about burnt sacrifices in the Bronze Age: http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/uc-cds011901.html Techie types will be interested to learn that archaeologists have unearthed a prehistoric C compiler (sorry ... I couldn't resist including this one): http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/16227.html Xinhua via Northern Light reports on the discovery of a 3200-year-old noble's tomb in central China: http://library.northernlight.com/FB20010117780000030.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc A number of tombs have also been discovered near Shanghai: http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010119340000017.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc The same source has a wrap up of recent discoveries all over China as well: http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010115390000602.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc NEW WORLD NEWS I couldn't find any New World stuff this week!! ON THE NEWSSTANDS The January issue of Scientific American has an interesting commentary piece on the development of writing: http://www.sciam.com/2001/0101issue/0101wonders.html Discovering Archaeology has put up an article on the city of Aperlae (in Lycia): http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/011401-turkey.shtml http://www.usatoday.com/weather/science/archaeology/2001-01-16-aperlae.htm CLASSICIST'S CORNER Ekathimerini has posted an article from December 1969 (I doubt that's right ... there's a ref to 1998 in it) about the 'Cabernet Sauvignon of Antiquity' -- Phliasios wine -- with plenty of ancient refs ... interesting stuff: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=67087 The New York Times has an extended piece on Cleopatra, with refs to the exhibition in Italy, movies, etc.: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/20/arts/20CLEO.html FOLLOWUPS Baharaiya Oasis mummies: http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/010118/2001011829.html Karachi mummy: http://news.excite.com/news/r/010119/08/odd-mummy-dc http://www.timesofindia.com/160101/16nbrs26.htm Ancient insoles: http://chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/article/0,2669,SAV-0101140394,FF.html Zeugma: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/doc/1047/1:FAITH1/1:FAITH10119101.html SAGAS The Out-of-Africa vs. Not-necessarily-so debate: http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/dsnews/219nd1.htm AT ABOUT.COM Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest is on Hanno of Carthage's little trip: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa011801a.htm?terms=a1 Latin Guide Janet Burns' has a guest-written feature on Augustus: http://latin.about.com/homework/latin/library/weekly/aa011401a.htm REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html English translation (probably delayed ... hasn't been updated since August): http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.html

I have persmission from the senior writer of this article to post it. If there is enough interest in the citations, I will post them as well. Thanks JSK! A SUBSTITUTE HAY WAGON IN SOUTHERN OHIO: NOTES ON RURAL MATERIAL CULTURE John S. Kessler and Donald B. Ball ___________________________________________________________________________________________ A simple implement resembling a mono-runner sled used for the transportation of hay from the field in the days before baling became a locally common practice is described as observed in a restricted section of rural Ohio in 1945. This device appears to be previously unreported in the European and regional material culture literature; no antecedent implement is presently known. The simplicity and temporary nature of such items of material culture demonstrate the problems in inherent in interpreting disarticulated yet previously recycled historic artifacts. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Editor�s Note: The description of the subject farm implement for the first time in print affords the opportunity to simultaneously document this humble and little known item of material culture and contemplate its interface with regional historic archaeological investigations. As may be noted from the following discussion, the few items of likely recycled stable hardware needed to construct this implement serve to clearly demonstrate the problems - if not impossibility - of confidently interpreting certain categories of disarticulated historic artifacts. A major portion of the senior author's childhood was spent in Brushcreek Township in rural Highland County, (south-central) Ohio. This location at the edge of the Appalachian escarpment was in many respects atavistic, retaining the southern-weighted flavor, customs, and methods of the 19th and perhaps 18th centuries. One possible holdover from earlier times was a method for transporting hay from the field in which it was cut to the haystack. In general, the prevailing method for hay harvest (prior to the local rise in popularity of baling in the 1950s) was cutting with a horse drawn or tractor mounted sickle bar mower, raking into windrows, and loading into a wagon to which hay racks had been attached for transport to the stack site This process was labor and equipment intensive. A typical crew consisted of two wagons with drivers (each wagon pulled by either a team of horses or a tractor), at least three loaders, and one stack builder. This broke down into six people, two wagons, and four horses or two tractors. If the hay was being stored in a hay mow (barn loft), about the same size crew would have been required for reasonable efficiency. During the season of 1945 while World War II was still in progress, there was a shortage of either manpower, equipment, or both in the hay crew with which the senior author (then 12 years of age) was associated. Consequently, a different method of transporting the hay to the stack site was adopted. After being cut and allowed to partially cure, the hay was raked and piled into "doodles". A hay doodle was in fact a small stack about four ft (1.2 m) in height and about the same in diameter. Thus, a hayfield would be filled with these small stacks or, colloquially, doodles which needed to be transported to the hay stack. TRANSPORTING HAY The actual transportation was assigned to the senior author and another boy somewhat older in age. This was accomplished by providing each of us with a horse to which a rather unusual contrivance was attached via a single tree. As recalled over half a century later, this device (Figure 1) consisted of a pole made from a freshly cut hickory sapling about three to four in. (7.6-10 cm) in diameter at the base and about eight ft (2.4 m) in length. A ring was attached by #9 wire to the basal end while the other end had been sharpened to a point with an ax. One end of a rope about twice the length of the sapling was tied to the single tree while the other was passed through the ring attached to the basal end of the pole. Another ring equal to or greater in size than the basal ring was then attached to the free ("bitter") end of the rope. Thus, FIGURE 1. A SUBSTITUTE HAY WAGON FROM RURAL OHIO. when the pole was pulled behind the horse, the ring attached to the rope would prevent that rope from being pulled completely through the basal ring. After these contrivances were attached, the horses were ridden into the hayfield and halted at a hay doodle. Here a hay hand would shove the sharpened end of the pole under the doodle, put the rope over the doodle, and place the ring tied to the bitter end over the sharpened end of the sapling. The doodle was then in a loop formed by the rope over its top and the sapling beneath it. When the horse walked forward, the loop tightened as the bitter end ring was pulled up the length of the pole and the rope was pulled through the basal ring. In this fashion, the doodle was secured and pulled to the stack site where it was released by removing the bitter end ring from the sharpened end of the sapling. It is perhaps notable that most of the authors� professional lives have been associated with fieldwork in rural settings in the eastern, southeastern, and midwestern portions of the United States. However, we recall only one instance of encountering a situation bearing similarity to that described herein. During the late 1960s while driving in the Pocanos of Pennsylvania, a small hillside hayfield (estimated less than 5 acres/2 hectares) containing "doodles" was casually noted by the senior author. Whether these doodles" were later moved by use of the mono-runner sled is not known. The steep topography of the field, however, would have been hazardous to the stability of a wheeled hay wagon but not to a farm sled or sledge as it was sometimes called. Although to the best of the senior author's recollection at least 10 doodles would have been required to equal one wagon load of hay, this method reduced the previously enumerated personnel and equipment requirements to but one stacker, two hay hands, two boys, two horses, and no wagons or tractor. However, it increased the effort required at the hay stack as there was a loss of the elevated platform which would have been provided by a hay wagon. Regardless, it worked well allowing three farm neighbors and two boys to successfully "make hay" during a year when resources were minimal. DISCUSSION The authors have no knowledge as to either the origin or name(s) of this device. Though it may have been invented due to the necessity of that particular time, this is highly doubtful. At the time this implement was observed and used, there was no experimentation or trial and error. These devices were built and they worked the first time. In consequence, it appears logical to believe that due to necessity a piece of the past was reclaimed and put to good use. A brief review of the literary sources referable to material culture studies in both the Old and New World produced no additional information concerning historical antecedents of these humble implements. Although the relative simplicity of the device would suggest some possible antiquity, its origins remain unknown. Historical studies of English farming practices from the 11th-16th centuries note that hay production was a regular, though secondary, farm activity (Ault 1972:25-27; Homans 1970:41-42). Among the early non-wheeled forms of transport reported in the Scottish Highlands are a travois-like horse-drawn sledge fashioned from two parallel poles; a sled with two parallel runners; and the slipe (also slype), fabricated from a sturdy forked tree trunk (Grant 1961:281-283). Though the practice of �making hay� is briefly discussed, no mention is made of any specialized means of transporting it (ibid.:97-98). Generally similar drawn vehicles (typically designed for human rather than horse motive power) wer also used in Ireland (Evans 1957:170-174). In that area, the two recorded means of carrying dried hay to the selected storage site were slipes and a wheeled platform called a rick-shifter (ibid.:155). Studies of traditional Welsh transportation devices have recorded only human-drawn slide-cars (a form of travois) and horse-drawn sleds (Fox 1931). Synoptic studies of traditional French agricultural tools and implements (Delamarre and Hairy 1971) and forms of rural transportation (Delamarre and Henninger 1972) make no mention of the use of a device such as observed in Ohio. Of the forms of non-wheeled transportation recorded in Europe, sleds are abundantly documented in the folk cultural literature of the southeastern United States (cf. Glassie 1969:187-188; Riedl et al. 1976:149-150, plate 70) and "lizards" (vernacular name for slipe) have also been recorded in the region (Cavender 1975; Riedl et al. 1976:150-151, fig. 55). Implements such as the Ohio hay sled are not reported in either studies of southeastern traditional woodcraft (Clarke and Kohn 1976) or early American farm life (Sloane 1974). Though the material culture of hay stacking and storage is well documented in the western states (Jordan et al. 1997:105-121), the conveyances actually used to transport the hay are not discussed. CONCLUSION The combined attributes of size, load limitations, minimal cost, and ease of construction of these implements as observed in this part of rural Ohio suggest that such mono-runner sleds were probably used by small scale farmers for short distance hauling in situations too steep for the safe use of a wagon or, in the reported instance, when confronted with atypical periods of labor shortage which necessitated the revival and use of an archaic, less efficient but simultaneously less personnel intensive means of transporting their crop. Much as it may be anticipated that the near universal availability of tractors has effectively rendered this implement obsolete in terms of practical farm usage, it may reasonably be speculated that even in an era dominated by draft animals, its relative inefficiency likely always relegated it to being a secondary - rather than primary - means of harvesting hay. With the assistance and observations of colleagues in the region, the origin, history, distribution, and, indeed, t e name(s) of this work-a-day item of material culture may be better understood. As an aside, it is somewhat interesting to speculate that the senior author may be the last living person to have used this device.

EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 35 -- December 31, 2000 ]|[=================================================================]|[ OLD WORLD NEWS News24 has a feature on new technology being used on the Dead Sea Scrolls: http://news.24.com/News24/Technology/Science_Nature/0,1113,2-13-46_968917,00.html Also in Israel, the prime minister has ordered a halt to excavations on Temple Mount: http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=01/22/01&id=107528 http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/01/22/News/News.19995.html I think this is a repeat (the photo is for sure), but MSNBC has a feature on archaeological matters in Yemen: http://www.msnbc.com/news/518350.asp USA Today/Egypt Revealed have a piece on the playing of a couple of 'trumpets' from King Tut's tomb: http://www.usatoday.com/news/science/archaeology/2001-01-27-ancientmusic.htm http://www.egyptrevealed.com/012401_tutstrumpet.htm The Observer has an excerpt from Anthony Sattin *The Pharaoh's Shadow* which is somewhat interesting: http://www.observer.co.uk/travel/story/0,6903,429704,00.html National Geographic reports on plans to move homes away from the Valley of the Kings etc.: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/archaeology.html Business Week has a chapter excerpt from W. Michael Blumenthal *The Invisible Wall* which has some interesting, albeit fleeting, bits of ancient history: http://www.businessweek.com/chapter/blumenthal.htm A couple of sources report on an underwater archaeological expedition searching for various pirate ships: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/ship01192001.htm http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20010124/3011912s.htm Also on the pirate front are a couple of reports on dives off the coast of Kenya (which includes pirate remains and prehistoric ones): http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/breakingnews/International/0,3561,690378,00.html http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Kenya-Sunken-Treasure.html The Guardian has an item on how Hippocrates still has stuff to teach us: http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4121846,00.html RussiaToday has a feature on ancient art in Uzbekistan (no decent pictures, alas): http://www.russiatoday.com/news.php3?id=269678 A couple of sources on the discovery of an 'Anglo Saxon gold disk' or 'erotic ring': http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_182949.html?menu= http://www.the-journal.co.uk/cfm/newsstory.cfm?StoryId=227871 The Herald reports on the discovery of a 12th-century cemetery in Kinghorn (Scotland): http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/archive/26-1-19101-23-55-34.html Xinhua's weekly wrap-up of archaeological work in China: http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010122630000321.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010122630000339.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc The BBC reports on the increasing rate of discovery of coin hoards: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1133000/1133910.stm And as long as we're talking about coin hoards, here's one I missed a few weeks ago (despite having been given a heads up) from the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1109000/1109308.stm One we'll likely hear more about: a Eurekalert press release (and several spawned articles) tells of one prof's theory on the connection between collapse of societies and climate change: http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/umass-ccp012501.html http://www.smh.com.au/news/0101/28/world/world4.html http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-26-09.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000140326706927&rtmo=lvSbnzAt&atmo=HHHHHHHL&pg=/et/01/1/26/wclim26.html The BBC has an interesting item on what a Raphael painting has recently revealed: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/from_our_own_correspondent/newsid_1130000/1130895.stm NEW WORLD NEWS The Free-Lance Star reports on the discovery of a paleo-Indian site near Fredericksburg: http://www.fredericksburg.com/news/Local/Culpeper/0127arti.htm The BBC reports on the archaeological potential of Ek Balam http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid_1136000/1136198.stm An AP report tells of a dig near Independence Hall in Philadelphia, which reveals a culturally-diverse early colony: http://www.msnbc.com/news/519972.asp http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/dig_philly010123.html http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/012301/phili_dig.sml CLASSICIST'S CORNER National Defense magazine has a sidebar piece which cites classical precedents for psyops: http://nationaldefense.ndia.org/article.cfm?Id=427 (full article at http://nationaldefense.ndia.org/article.cfm?Id=425) ABCNewsguy John Stossel makes passing mention that there were classical (and even more ancient) precedents for making New Year's resolutions (is this true??): http://abcnews.go.com/sections/2020/ABCNEWSSpecials/001229_stossel_feature.html One I missed last week: the Washington Post had a feature on presidential inaugurations with a sidebar on the origin of the word: http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7659-2001Jan17.html Folks might be interested in some tragic productions in Ireland: http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2001/0126/reg3.htm FOLLOWUPS Ages ago, it seems, we heard of a project to move a bluestone to Stonehenge ... here's the latest: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/wales/newsid_1129000/1129102.stm Homer accuracy: http://enquirer.com/editions/2001/01/27/loc_discovery_settles.html Horse domestication: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/23/science/23OBSER-2.html Fujimori fraud: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20010128b2.htm SAGAS Elgin Marbles: http://www.hri.org/news/greek/ana/2001/01-01-25.ana.html#22 OBITUARY Oliver Gurney: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/27/world/27GURN.html AT ABOUT.COM Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest is on Nefertiti: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa012201a.htm Archaeology Guide Kris Hirst's latest is on the medieval town of Kootwijk: http://archaeology.about.com/library/weekly/aa012201a.htm Latin Guide Janet Burns has a piece on Latin haiku: http://latin.about.com/library/weekly/aa011601a.htm AND ANOTHER THING ... Indiana Jones has been voted the top movie hero of all time: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/newsid_1138000/1138584.stm http://library.northernlight.com/HC20010126010000024.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html English translation (probably delayed ... hasn't been updated since August): http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.html EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://www.onelist.com/archive/Explorator

NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2, 2001 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml This Week's Feature Reports Hail Caesar�s A casino is paying for an archaeological dig TV Archaeologist Helps Identify War Casualties British archaeologist helps with the healing process The Archaeology Of Shipwrecks UNESCO fights to save our underwater heritage Archaeology in Mali Political unrest hampers archaeological research Tale of Two Trails Bones and DNA reveal the history of human origins The EMuseum Come stroll through Minnesota State University�s virtual gallery � if you dare! http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml

EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 40 -- February 4, 2000 ]|[=================================================================]|[ OLD WORLD NEWS Egypt Revealed has an interesting item on Egypt as "cradle of the neurosciences": http://www.egyptrevealed.com/020201-neuroscience.shtml A brief item at Egypt Online tells of the discovery of a bust of Isis, dating to Ptolemaic times: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o270121c.htm The same source relates the discovery of some Ptolemaic-era baths (the date at the top of the page is wrong; this is a new item): http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o010221.htm One I missed last week: the Lebanon Star has an interesting item on the remains of Tabinet, king of Sidon: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/features/27_01_01_b.htm The Times on plans for the Roman Forum: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,20-76039,00.html The online news section of Archaeology magazine has an interesting item on mob activity in regards to (modern) Pompeii (so to speak): http://www.archaeology.org/online/news/mob.html They also have a short feature on Magnesia on the Maeander: http://www.archaeology.org/online/news/magnesia/index.html The Journal reports on plans to excavate a Roman fort in County Durham: http://www.the-journal.co.uk/cfm/newsstory.cfm?StoryId=229097 Discovering Archaeology has a brief item on wrestling in history (mostly in ancient Greece): http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/013101-hulkhogan.shtml What might be the oldest Christian church has been discovered in Jordan (this is a bit of a deja vu, no?); there's a video tour of the church at the CNN site: http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/meast/01/29/jordan.church/index.html National Geographic news has a nice feature on the TAY project, which is webbifying plenty of archaeological and historical data relating to ancient Turkey: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/02/0202_turkeyweb.html As might be suspected, the recent earthquake in Gujarat has caused damage to many ancient monuments: http://www.indiaexpress.com/news/regional/gujarat/20010201-7.html http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_193039.html?menu=news.latestheadlines http://www.cnn.com/2001/TRAVEL/NEWS/02/01/quake.monuments.ap/index.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=003864436460684&rtmo=rrrrrrrq&atmo=rrrrrrrq&pg=/ixworld.html The Xinhua summaries of recent archaeological finds in China: http://library.northernlight.com/FB20010131630000016.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc http://library.northernlight.com/FB20010131620000315.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc The New York Post has a reviewish sort of thing of Oscar Muscarella's work claiming up to 45 items at the Met might be forgeries/fakes: http://www.nypost.com/02012001/entertainment/21538.htm In a similar vein is a EXN.ca story on a suspect Minoan artifact at the Royal Ontario Museum: http://exn.ca/Stories/2001/01/31/52.cfm NEW WORLD NEWS A Science Daily press release (and others) on one scholar's theory on the Hohokam "multiethnic network: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/02/010202073801.htm http://www.eurekalert.org/news.pub.brief.html I suspect we'll be hearing more about this one, a Eurekalert press release about the Texas A&M excavations at the Gault site: http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/tam-taf013101.html Discovering Archaeology has a feature on a certain person's redating of Tiwanako and why it's wrong: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/013101-15,000mistake.shtml On a more positive note, the same source has a feature on a recently-discovered urban area at Palenque: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/013001-palenque.shtml REVIEWS The New York Times has a review of Finkelstein and Silberman *The Bible Unearthed*: http://www.nytimes.com/books/01/02/04/reviews/010204.04triblet.html CLASSICIST'S CORNER The Salt Lake Tribune has a feature on the religious origins of the Olympic games: http://www.sltrib.com/02032001/saturday/68198.htm The followup to the "Images of Alexander"-test-at-Harvard-cancelled-because-of-a-bomb-threat story: http://news.excite.com/news/uw/010131/university-107 A nice article on a high school ancient civ teacher: http://www.pioneerplanet.com/seven-days/sun/news/docs/029173.htm A review of a performance of Oedipus Rex, set in contemporary Africa: http://www.bostonphoenix.com:80/boston/arts/theater/documents/00408547.htm A review of Medea, starring Fiona Shaw: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/newsid_1148000/1148799.stm Another old one which turned up this a.m. for some reason ... a nice little history of the calendar: http://www.sptimes.com/News/010101/Columns/Julius_Caesar_s_old_d.shtml AT ABOUT.COM: Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill has a couple of interesting items this week, including a feature on St. Patrick: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa020101a.htm and a guest feature on Carthage and Human Sacrifice: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa020101a.htm Archaeology Guide Kris Hirst has a feature on the 'Aryans': http://archaeology.about.com/library/weekly/aa012901a.htm Latin Guide Janet Burns has a nice feature on Hadrian: http://latin.about.com/library/weekly/aa012401b.htm FOLLOWUPS Animal cemetery at Abydos: http://www.archaeology.org/online/news/pet.html Climate and the collapse of ancient societies: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/01/010129065659.htm http://www.spacer.com/news/greenhouse-01b.html Wisconsin cave: http://www.archaeology.org/online/news/wisconsin/index.html SAGAS Temple Mount: http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/02/02/News/News.20703.html http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/02/01/Features/Features.20649.html EH? Not really archaeological, but the scan this week picked this thing up from the Age, which relates the tale of an Italian countess who may or may not be tied to Tut's curse (tough to say ... I don't have coffee in me yet so I don't know if it's just bad writing or me): http://www.theage.com.au/news/2001/02/03/FFXYF3B7PIC.html REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html English translation (probably delayed ... hasn't been updated since August): http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.html EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://www.onelist.com/archive/Explorator

Pyramid in Peru Yields Unprecedented Buried Treasure Archeology: UCLA scientists find unique cultural artifacts in three 1,500-year-old tombs of the Moche people. By THOMAS H. MAUGH II, Times Staff Writer UCLA archeologists have found three unlooted tombs in a 1,500-year-old Moche pyramid in Peru, a finding that has left them scratching their heads over the burial chambers' unusual contents. Each of the three treasure-filled tombs was accompanied by a miniature tomb containing a copper figurine of the deceased and miniature versions of the tomb's artifacts--something never seen in any culture before, even in the most elaborate Egyptian chambers. Perhaps even more puzzling, all three of the deceased, and two other young males apparently included as sacrifices, were giants among the short-statured Moche people, whose empire flourished in the desert plain between the Andes and the Pacific from about AD 100 to 800. "More than 350 Moche burials have been excavated [by archeologists]," said UCLA archeologist Christopher B. Donnan, who led the team, "but neither I nor my colleagues have seen anything elsewhere remotely like the ones at this site." Fewer than 15 of those previously discovered tombs contained silver and gold, but all three of the new ones do, and one contains unusual amounts, suggesting that its occupant was very powerful. The tombs and artifacts are expected to give archeologists new insights into the religious beliefs of the Moche, said archeologist Steve Bourget of the University of Texas at Austin. The discovery, announced Wednesday by the National Geographic Society, which sponsored the excavation, is also important because the tombs are from the early stages of the Moche empire. Most previous discoveries have dated from the end of the Moche empire. "We certainly know what happened at the end [of the Moche empire], but what happened at the beginning has been a mystery," said Moche expert Carol Mackey, a professor emerita at Cal State Northridge. "It's really important to find a beginning and an end of something." The Moche were primarily farmers, who probably migrated to the Peruvian plain from Central America. They diverted rivers into a network of irrigation canals, growing corn, beans, chili peppers, potatoes and squash. They also dined on ducks, llama, guinea pigs and fish. A sophisticated culture, the Moche raised huge pyramids of sun-dried mud bricks, laying their noblest dead inside. They also created splendid objects of gold, silver and copper. Although the Moche apparently had no written language, their artifacts are decorated with scenes of hunting, fishing, combat, punishment, sexual encounters and elaborate ceremonies. Their departure from the area is a source of some mystery, but many experts believe that it was hastened by a prolonged drought followed by a series of floods. They were eventually succeeded in the region by the Incas. The new tombs were discovered at Dos Cabezas, the first big settlement identified from the early Moche culture. Dos Cabezas is at the mouth of the Jaquetepequa River, about 40 miles south of Sipan, where even more elaborate tombs were found in the 1980s. Donnan's team began working at Dos Cabezas in 1994, initially confining its efforts to exploring and preserving opened tombs that already had been looted. Members also discovered a fishermen's neighborhood and an enclave occupied by farmers during the early Moche period. The team has been searching intensively for workshops and tools to explain how the Moche constructed the sophisticated artifacts found there, said team member Alana Cordy-Collins of the University of San Diego, but so far without success. Donnan found the first tomb in the summer of 1997. It contained an adult male with a 15-year-old female lying crosswise at his feet--most likely a sacrifice. The man had been buried wearing a cylindrical metal headdress and a gold nose ornament. Four "absolutely awesome" ceramics were arrayed in the corners of the tomb, Bourget said. "Each piece is museum quality," he said. One was a white ceramic vampire bat, one was a black sea lion, one was a red condor and the last was a brown owl. The bat is associated with human sacrifice, Bourget said. The sea lion is associated with being the victim of a sacrifice. The owl is associated with the preparation of funeral offerings and the condor is associated with eating the dead--liberating the soul of the dead by taking the flesh off the bones. At one end of the tomb, Donnan said, was a little compartment containing a copper figurine wrapped in textiles and accompanied by miniature artifacts. "When we finished, the big question for me--and one that haunted me throughout the next school year--was what was the relationship between the little compartment and the tomb?" Donnan said. "We were at a loss to explain it." The following summer, the team opened a second tomb that contained 10 to 15 times as many riches as the first, Donnan said. "The only tombs that are richer are those that were excavated at Sipan." The individual was buried in multiple layers of textiles, with 14 headdresses, clubs, spears, spear throwers, three gold-plated shields, a burial mask and five gold objects in his mouth. "Around the corners were the most spectacular set of ceramic vessels ever found in a Moche tomb, even better than those at Sipan," he added. And at the end of the tomb was a small compartment, about 14 inches square, containing another copper figurine wrapped in textiles. With it were a miniature burial mask, a miniature circular shield, two war clubs, spears and other small artifacts. "It was now clear that the figurine was meant to be a miniaturization of the figure in the tomb," Donnan said. A third tomb, opened in the summer of 1999, was very similar to the first. The final surprise was the size of the deceased. Moche ranged in height from 4 feet 10 inches to 5 feet 6 inches, at most. All the deceased were between 5 feet 9 inches and 6 feet tall--the equivalent of 7-footers in today's society. "We had never imagined males of this stature," Donnan said. The skeletons were all very thin and fragile and at least partially misshapen. Cordy-Collins is convinced that the three people suffered from a genetic disease, possibly Marfan syndrome, a congenital disease marked by unusually long limbs, fingers and toes, and heart abnormalities. "These were people who had a genetic disorder that disabled them," she said. "They could not have led an active life. Yet they were maintained as elite individuals, not looked down on. Did the disorder make them revered? We don't know. But it provides a window into their social behavior." Copyright 2000 Los Angeles Times

Good grief!!! Great story, Marcia, glad I looked ... Yup - just got online for first time in months - only $3 an hour from Mali!!!! Anyway, greetings to all.

OH MAGGIE!!! Aloha! We have missed you!!! Lovely things found in that tomb too. I will post image locations as soon as good ones are available.

Maggie, you're back! Greetings to you and your family.

EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 42 -- February 18, 2001 ]|[=================================================================]|[ Editor's note: Depending on your mail software, some urls may wrap (especially those from the Telegraph) which will require you to rebuild the url at your end; if you get a 'file not found', check to see if the url wrapped on you. Most urls should be active for at least eight hours from the time of 'publicatio'. ]|[=================================================================]|[ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thanks for heads ups (headses ups ... er, heads upses ... er, when does that coffee finally come up (actually it's green tea these days) to: rmhowe, Bill Kennedy, Sally Winchester, Michael Ruggieri, Chris Laning, Glenn Meyer, and DC Briscoe! OLD WORLD NEWS I'm positive this is really a story from last year, but Czech archaeologists have confirmed that the song they found in an Old Kingdom tomb was a love song: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/02/0213_1stlovesong.html A somewhat strange/chatty piece on King Tut in the Christian Science Monitor: http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2001/02/16/fp23s2-csm.shtml I'm pretty sure this isn't 'new', but Discovering Archaeology has an item on a Stonehenge-like structure in Yemen: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/020801-yemen.shtml The Egyptian State Information Service (and others) reports on the discovery of a statue of Septimius Severus in Alexandria: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o120221b.htm http://www.timesofindia.com/130201/13mide15.htm http://www.arabia.com/article/0,1690,Life|39843,00.html An AP story via NorthernLight reveals that the scaffolding will be removed from the Parthenon in time for the Olympics: http://library.northernlight.com/EC20010214530000082.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc Ekatherimini reports on four recently-acquired 6th/5th century B.C./B.C.E. Greek vases now on display at the Goulandris: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=71655 Ekatherimini also has a nice feature on the Via Egnatia: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=71477 The Tahoe Tribune reports on a recently-acquired Hellenistic-era mummy mask: http://www.tahoe.com/tribune/stories.2.16.01/YourTown/cultureflerun16Feb9437.html The Chicago Sun-Times has a feature on the restoration of Stonehenge a century or so ago: http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/stone18.html The Irish Times reports that 'reconstruction' of a megalithic tomb has been halted at Carrowmore: http://www.ireland.com:80/newspaper/ireland/2001/0215/hom15.htm The same source has a report on the number of sites found by the Cork Archaeological Survey: http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2001/0213/reg3.htm Storms in Wales have revealed a medieval settlement: http://www.worldnews.com/?action=display&article=5677105&template=worldnews/search.txt&index=recent AlphaGalileo and Ananova report on the discovery of a (17th or 18th century) phallic drinking cup (photo at Ananova): http://www.alphagalileo.org/ReadNotice.cfm?releaseid=5571 http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_206635.html?menu= Xinhua's wrapup of recent discoveries in China (via NorthernLight): http://library.northernlight.com/FB20010131620000315.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010206360000053.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc Xinhua also reports on the discovery of an ancient musket: http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010207770000016.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc Frankfurter Allgemeine has a feature (in English ... don't worry) on the renewed interest in plaster cast collections (mind the wrap): http://www.faz.com/IN/INtemplates/eFAZ/docmain.asp?rub=%7BB1311FFE-FBFB-11D2-B228-00105A9CAF88%7D&doc=%7BCB6E0FA0-FFBE-11D4-A3B3-009027BA22E4%7D&width=1024&height=740&agt=explorer&ver=4&svr=4 NEW WORLD NEWS The big new world news is the discovery of a Moche tomb in Peru (lots of coverage ... photos at NG): http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/02/0215_moche.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/530988.asp http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010215/sc/moche_dc_1.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5712-2001Feb14.html http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12880&m=A09&aa=1&eidos=S http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/02/15/MN193959.DTL http://www.theage.com.au/news/2001/02/18/FFXAR3A6AJC.html The Pilot reports that a pile of bones remains a mystery, three years after their discovery: http://www.pilotonline.com/news/nw0217bon.html NOT SURE HOW TO CLASSIFY THIS ONE A Scottish power company has attempted to bill the Suenos Stone: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/scotland/newsid_1170000/1170273.stm ON THE NEWSSTANDS Bible Review has a new issue out, with an online feature on the earliest Christian inscription, among other things: http://www.bib-arch.org/br2.html Mercator's World has a nice online feature on Olaus Magnus' (b. 1490) map of Scandinavia: http://www.mercatormag.com/601olaus.html CLASSICIST'S CORNER The Times has an interesting piece on naming of flowers with mentions of Theocritus, L&S, etc.: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,217-83260,00.html Folks might be interested to read a feature in Katherimini on director Philippos Koutsaftis: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=71150 ... and the same source tells that Euripides' Hecuba will be playing at Epidaurus this summer: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=70803 The LATimes has a feature on UCIrvine's *Dionysus 2001'* theatrical series: http://www.latimes.com/editions/orange/20010216/t000014219.html Charles Williams II has donated $16 million to UPenn's museum of archaeology and anthropology!: http://inq.philly.com/content/inquirer/2001/02/15/city/PENN15.htm http://www.mcall.com/html/news/regional/b_pg002b2_newgift.htm The Museum of Ancient Cypriot Art has opened in Athens: http://www.hri.org/news/cyprus/cypio/2001/01-02-14.cypio.html#01 http://library.northernlight.com/FB20010215600000145.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc The Tampa Tribune is reprising (?) an article on the Florida JCL's Regional Classics Forum: http://www.tampatrib.com/News/MGA4NHJL4JC.html FOLLOWUPS Akhenaten: For the scores of folks who joined me in quizzically pondering the claims on the Egypt State Information Service page about an Old Kingdom Akhenaten, here's some better accounts: http://www.arabia.com/article/0,1690,Life%7C39747,00.html http://library.northernlight.com/HA20010211430000018.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc There's also a better account at the 'source': http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o150221n.htm Seahenge II http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,74-82092,00.html http://www.latimes.com/news/science/science/20010215/t000013716.html Claudius and the 'shrooms http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010210/us/emperor_poisoned_2.html Herculaneum papyri: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20010212/scrolls.html AT ABOUT.COM Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest is on Hellenistic epigrams: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa021301a.htm Latin Guide Janet Burns has a nice guest feature on Lupercalia: http://latin.about.com/library/weekly/aa021401a.htm OBITUARIES Geoffry Bibby http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,60-82827,00.html Brian Hope-Taylor http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/text_only.cfm?id=46927 REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html English translation (probably delayed ... hasn't been updated since August): http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.html EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://www.onelist.com/archive/Explorator

A Scientific American discussion of who where the first Americans is worth looking through. Great links, too. http://www.sciam.com/2000/0900issue/0900nemecek.html

EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 43 -- February 25, 2001 ]|[=================================================================]|[ Editor's note: Depending on your mail software, some urls may wrap (especially those from the Telegraph) which will require you to rebuild the url at your end; if you get a 'file not found', check to see if the url wrapped on you. Most urls should be active for at least eight hours from the time of 'publicatio'. ]|[=================================================================]|[ Aknowledgements: thanks are accruing to Mark Elliot, Judy Underwood, Ruth McGurk, Bill Phelps, Bill Kennedy and Patrick Rourke (hoping as always that I haven't left anyone out!). OLD WORLD NEWS There is evidence for the claim that the first domesticated animal was the goat: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/Science/2001-02/goat190201.shtml http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/02/0220_goat.html The Egyptian State Information Service has a vague article on the search for Zarzora: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o240221u.htm The Detroit News has a preview of the Royal Tombs of Ur exhibit: http://detnews.com/2001/entertainment/0102/24/e01-191990.htm The same source reveals the discovery of an Akhenaten-era statue of a priest and his wife: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o220221b.htm ... and a Mameluke-era water reservoir: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o190221H.htm In case you missed it, the sun illuminated the image of Ramses II at Abu Simbel this week: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o220221a.htm http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/02/0221_abusimbel.html Cairo is coming under fire for bulldozing homes in the Valley of the Kings (and Queens): http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=kCNL1Zkp&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/2/18/wegy18.html A professional talk is getting some coverage -- it deals with the role water supply and water management had on the development of early civilizations: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/02/010221071726.htm Plenty of coverage of this one: the discovery of a 2nd-3rd century B.C./B.C.E. Greek (?) shipwreck in the deep water of the Mediterranean is challenging the theory that ships tended to hug the shore: http://www.hri.org/news/greek/mpab/2001/01-02-24.mpab.html#01 http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/23/science/23ap-wreck.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/534511.asp http://dsc.discovery.com/news/ap/20010220/wreck.html http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=72697 eKathimerini has a brief item on some smuggled items in Cyprus: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=72694 I missed this one last week: Frankfurter Allgemeine has a very nice feature on the Cleopatra exhibit at the Palazzo Ruspoli: http://www.faz.com/IN/INtemplates/eFAZ/docmain.asp?rub=%7BB1311FD3-FBFB-11D2-B228-00105A9CAF88%7D&doc=%7BCB6E1057-FFBE-11D4-A3B3-009027BA22E4%7D ... and I might as well toss in this one from the same source on an Egyptian exhibition in Hanover (original date Jan. 30): http://www.faz.com/IN/INtemplates/eFAZ/docmain.asp?rub=%7BB1311FD3-FBFB-11D2-B228-00105A9CAF88%7D&doc=%7B2893B856-F584-11D4-A3B3-009027BA22E4%7D USAToday has a touristy piece on Carthage: http://www.usatoday.com/life/travel/leisure/2001/2001-02-22-carthage.htm Also plenty of coverage of this one: analysis of bones have revealed that Rome had to deal with quite a malaria problem: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/20/science/20ROME.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1180000/1180469.stm http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/02/0221_malariarome.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4139301,00.html The Warrington Guardian has an item on the discovery of a Roman site in the area: http://www.thisischeshire.co.uk/cheshire/warrington/news/WARR_NEWS1.html The Telegraph reports on the return of a Roman statue of Diana: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000140326706927&rtmo=weAsftKb&atmo=HHHHHHHL&pg=/et/01/2/24/wscul24.html There's also a big debate going on in Rome over suggestions that the Via dei Fori Imperiali should be moved: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1186000/1186394.stm The Independent reports on excavations of one of the Vikings' earliest settlements: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/Science/2001-02/viking220201.shtml http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/02/0222_viking.html Recent excavations have demonstrated that the Great Wall of China is considerably longer than previously thought: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/23/science/23ap-archaeo.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/534506.asp http://dsc.discovery.com/news/ap/20010220/wall.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_1184000/1184306.stm The Telegraph has a piece on the archaeological evidence for dissection of humans: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=kCNL1Zkp&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/2/18/nbod18.html USNews has an interesting article on some new evidence for early Christianity in ancient China: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/010305/china.htm Xinhua's weekly newsbriefs on discoveries in China (via Northern Light): http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010219400000014.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010219400000022.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc NEW WORLD NEWS The BBC has a piece on the looting of Mayan sites: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/02/010221071726.htm The Salt Lake Tribune has an interesting piece on how pioneer overlander types tended to their bodily functions en route: http://www.sltrib.com/02252001/utah/74614.htm The Chicago Tribune has a useful piece on endangered sites around the world: http://chicagotribune.com/article/0,1051,SAV-0102180082,00.html The Albuquerque Journal has an item on the Anasazi: http://www.abqjournal.com/scitech/254830scitech02-18-01.htm ON THE NEWSSTANDS Egypt Revealed has a new online feature on crime and punishment in ancient Egypt: http://www.egyptrevealed.com/022301-crimeandpunishment.htm Biblical Archaeology Review has new online content on controversy around the Qumran cemetery, excavating the tribe of Reuben, Dead Sea Scrolls copyright issues, Helios in synagogue mosaics, and other items: http://www.bib-arch.org/bar2.html Speaking of newsstands, does anyone know what's happened to Discovering Archaeology? ON THE WEB The Bible and Interpretation site has some items of interest, including an article by Finkelstein and Silberman (of The Bible Unearthed fame), a piece on Translating Exodus, and info on the Tel Hisban expedition: http://www.bibleinterp.com/ CLASSICIST'S CORNER One I missed: the Cinci Enquirer has a piece on Kathryn Gutzwiller's work on Greek epigrams: http://enquirer.com/editions/2001/02/15/loc_new_light_shed_on.html Sicilian environmentalists vs the mafia in re Lake Pergusa: http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/atc/20010220.atc.14.rmm Athens News has a nice feature on "the queen only Homer understood": http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12883&m=A10&aa=1&eidos=S The Chicago Tribune has a piece on the Vatican's intention to make Isidore the patron saint of the Internet: http://chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/perspective/article/0,2669,SAV-0102180305,FF.html The Trib also has a feature on a Roman re-enactment groups visit to a local school: http://chicagotribune.com/news/metro/mchenry/article/0,2669,SAV-0102230391,FF.html FOLLOWUPS Olympic rowing site row: http://library.northernlight.com/EC20010222520000035.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12885&m=A03&aa=1&eidos=S http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12883&m=A03&aa=1&eidos=S http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=72179 Tombs in Peru: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=Qwx0LeaR&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/2/17/wperu17.html AT ABOUT.COM N.S. Gill's latest is a review of Christopher Faraone's *Greek Love Magic*: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa022001a.htm Kris Hirst's latest is on the growing gap between the public and archaeological types (and other cultural resource personnel): http://archaeology.about.com/library/weekly/aa021901a.htm Janet Burns' latest is on second declension feminine nouns: http://latin.about.com/library/weekly/aa021801a.htm REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html English translation (probably delayed ... hasn't been updated since August): http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.html EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://www.onelist.com/archive/Explorator ]|[================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR is a weekly newsletter representing the fruits of the labours of 'media research division' of The Atrium. Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured on a daily basis for news of the ancient world (broadly construed: practically anything relating to archaeology or history prior to about 1700 or so is fair game) and when a sufficient number of urls are gathered (usually a minimum of three stories), they are delivered to your mailbox free of charge! Those articles that don't expire, plus supplementary links eventually find a home at: The Media Archive (just going up): http://atrium-media.com/mediaarchive.html ]|[================================================================]|[ Explorator is Copyright (c) 2001 David Meadows; Feel free to distribute these listings via email to your pals, students, teachers, etc., but please include this copyright notice. These listings are not to be posted to a website; instead, please provide a link to either Commentarium or Rostra (or both)! You can subscribe to or unsubscribe from this list by going to the following web page: http://www.yahoogroups.com/subscribe.cgi/Explorator

***Taliban May Destroy Buddha Statues *** KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- The ruling Taliban are endangering Afghanistan's history by ordering the destruction of all statues in the country, including two towering 5th century images of Buddha, opponents said Tuesday. ``It is a great loss, a tragedy for the Afghan people and for the world,'' said Angelo Gabriele de Ceglie, Italy's ambassador to Pakistan and a representative of the Society for the Preservation of Afghan Culture and Heritage. He made the comments in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital. Afghanistan's supreme leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, on Monday ordered the destruction of all statues, including the two giant ancient Buddhas, saying they were offensive to Islam. ``Because God is one God and these statues are there to be worshipped, and that is wrong, they should be destroyed so that they are not worshipped now or in the future,'' Omar said in his edict.

Hi, Just looking in - posted in Travel and cultures. Keep up the good work

let me know which photos to post!!!!!! Thursday March 1 9:37 AM ET Afghans Smash Ancient Statues, Defy World Appeals ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The radical Taliban movement began smashing all statues from Afghanistan's rich cultural past Thursday, turning its back on urgent international appeals to save the ancient artifacts. In Kabul, Mullah Qudratullah Jamal, the ruling Taliban's information and culture minister, said centers where the campaign had been unleashed included Bamiyan Province -- site of two soaring statues of the Buddha hewn from a solid cliff that are the most famous relics of Afghanistan's history. ``All statues will be destroyed,'' he told reporters. ''Whatever means of destruction are needed to demolish the statues will be used.'' ``The work began early during the day. All of the statues are to be smashed. This also covers the idols in Bamiyan,'' he said. Russia, Germany, India and Pakistan condemned the destruction and appealed to the Taliban to reconsider. International alarm was first sparked Monday, when Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar ordered the smashing of all statues, including the two famous Buddhas that soar 125 feet and 174 feet above Bamiyan. The United Nations cultural agency UNESCO Wednesday appealed directly to the Taliban -- a fundamentalist movement that regards all human likenesses of divinity to be un-Islamic -- to reverse its decision. ``UNESCO considers this to be a crisis,'' Christian Manhart, head of UNESCO's Asian division in the cultural heritage department, told Reuters. Muslim Pakistan, one of Taliban's very few foreign supporters, joined the international chorus Thursday. ``Pakistan attaches great importance to and supports the preservation of the world's historical, cultural and religious heritage,'' the foreign ministry said. ``We appeal to the Afghan government to take measures to fully protect Afghanistan's rich historical monuments, sites and artifacts which are part of the world's cultural heritage.'' India Vows Action India said it would try to stop the destruction. ``The government of India will raise this issue at every international forum including the United Nations. We will make all attempts to stop the demolition of Lord Buddha's statue,'' parliamentary affairs minister Pramod Mahajan told parliament. ``This is not only a statue, but a legacy of humanity. Nobody should demolish it,'' he said. Thailand and Sri Lanka -- both largely Buddhist nations -- have made similar appeals. Earlier this week, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged the Taliban ``to do all in their power to preserve the unique and irreplaceable relics of Afghanistan's rich heritage, both Islamic and pre-Islamic,'' a spokesman said. Russia denounced the Taliban step as vandalism. ``This intention (to destroy the statues) can only be classed as an assault on cultural and historical treasures, not only of the Afghan people but of world civilization,'' the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement Thursday. ``The Taliban's vandalism against material objects of the rich spiritual heritage of the ancient Afghan world shows their clear enmity to common human values,'' it added. Germany condemned the Taliban action. ``Germany is appalled by the willful destruction of cultural artifacts in Afghanistan. The damage to culturally unique Buddha statues by the Taliban cannot be justified,'' the foreign ministry said in a statement issued in Berlin. Taliban officials insist there will no reversal. Statues Declared Un-Islamic The Taliban has steadily conquered most of Afghanistan in recent years, and now controls its cities and highways. The destruction of artifacts -- also under way in the national museum in Kabul, which housed a prized collection of early Buddhist statues -- has inflicted new damage to the Taliban's already poor ties with most countries.

EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 44 -- March 4, 2001 ]|[=================================================================]|[ Editor's note: Depending on your mail software, some urls may wrap (especially those from the Telegraph) which will require you to rebuild the url at your end; if you get a 'file not found', check to see if the url wrapped on you. Most urls should be active for at least eight hours from the time of 'publication'. ]|[=================================================================]|[ Happy Zoroastrian New Year everyone: http://www0.mercurycenter.com/premium/local/docs/onpen02.htm OLD WORLD NEWS Egypt Online has a brief feature on the Sun Boats of Cheops: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/calendar/html/cl030398.htm#2 The Lebanon Daily Star has a piece on the origins of the Arabic language: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/features/02_03_01_b.htm The Times has a touristy piece on various ancient sites in Libya: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,71-92671,00.html http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,71-92682,00.html The latest entry in the our-ancestors-were-cannibals sweepstakes is the Britons (no doubt soon to be the subject of an installment of Eat the Ancestors ... sorry ... couldn't resist): http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/Science/2001-02/cannibal260201.shtml http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/uk.cfm?id=50706&keyword=the http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=Vkk5VlZx&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/2/28/nbone28.html http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/cannibals_uk010227.html As you've no doubt seen on countless news reports, the Taliban in Afghanistan is deliberately damaging several ancient Buddhist monuments: http://www.archaeology.org/online/news/afghanistan/index.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1197000/1197900.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1196000/1196363.stm http://www.msnbc.com/news/536573.asp http://www.independent.co.uk/news/World/Asia_China/2001-03/tal030301.shtml http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Afghanistan-Buddha.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10297-2001Mar1.html http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=73512 If you'd like some background on the Bamiyan site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1198000/1198379.stm A brief item in various sources suggests rail construction of links to the Channel Tunnel are turning up plenty o sites: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_219476.html?menu= http://www.nceplus.co.uk/news/news_article/?pid=1&aid=12417&sid=60&channelID=4 Tests on some pipes (the smoking kind) suggest Bill Shakespeare might have had access to drugs: http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20010301_780.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/538051.asp ITAR-TASS via Northern Light has an item on the discovery of a coin of the Bosporan Kingdom: http://library.northernlight.com/FB20010223630000149.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc Xinhua via Northern Light reports on the discovery of a number of tombs: http://library.northernlight.com/FD20010302440000065.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc ... and well preserved mummies in Lop Nur: http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010226460000045.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc ... along with the usual weekly news briefs: http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010227100000025.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010226690000104.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc NEW WORLD NEWS Another week when I couldn't find anything!!!! ON THE NEWSSTANDS There's a new online issue of Archaeology out, with online features on Timbuktu, the deepwater Greek shipwreck mentioned last week, an interview with Rosalie David, among other things: http://www.archaeology.org/main.html Mercator's World has some new stuff online, including a feature on how to identify fake maps and one on Willem Blaeu: http://www.mercatormag.com/ CLASSICIST'S CORNER A review of a production of Prometheus in Athens: http://www.independent.co.uk/enjoyment/Theatre/Theatre/Reviews/2001-02/prometheus230201.shtml ... and of Mister Hercules: http://www.independent.co.uk/enjoyment/Theatre/Theatre/Reviews/2001-02/slaughter280201.shtml Athens News has a touristy piece on Rome and the "Coliseum": http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12890&m=A20&aa=1&eidos=S Portland Press has an item on homeschooling Latin: http://www.portland.com/news/state/010304homeschool.shtml A pile of classicists have weighed in on the Marathon rowing venue thing: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,59-93391,00.html EXHIBITIONS The Toledo Museum of Art is hosting "Eternal Egypt: Masterworks of Ancient Art from the British Museum": http://www.toledomuseum.org/exhibitions.html http://www.absolutearts.com/artsnews/2001/03/01/28162.html Rain of the Moon: Silver in Ancient Peru is on at the Met: http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId=%7B30C85F8F-D237-11D3-936E-00902786BF44%7D http://www.iht.com/articles/12305.html ERRATA In the last issue I was not so diligent in my cutting and pasting and so many of you wrote to tell me (thanks!) the BBC story on the looting of various Mayan sites is at (would you believe I almost miscut and mispasted again!): http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid_1184000/1184233.stm FOLLOWUPS Viking Village: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/Science/2001-02/viking220201.shtml Herculaneum library: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/Science/2001-02/latin110201.shtml Malaria and Rome: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,74-90312,00.html Peruvian tombs: ... at least some of the links at the Discovering Archaeology site have started to work: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/030101-moche.shtml http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=Vkk55Plx&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/2/17/wperu17.html http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/02/15/MN193959.DTL

]|[=================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 46 -- March 18, 2001 ]|[=================================================================]|[ Editor's note: Depending on your mail software, some urls may wrap (especially those from the Telegraph) which will require you to rebuild the url at your end; if you get a 'file not found', check to see if the url wrapped on you. Most urls should be active for at least eight hours from the time of 'publicatio'. ]|[=================================================================]|[ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Thanks to Sally Winchester, Eric Cline, Hillary Cool, and Mark Elliott for the headseseses up this week (hoping once again that I haven't left anyone out but I've got a nagging feeling that I have!) Thanks to all who signed the UNESCO petition last week! Alas, it was in vain (see the followups section), apparently, as many folks suspected it would be ... OLD WORLD NEWS Last week it was Macchu Picchu; this week it's the colossi of Memnon which are in danger of collapse: http://www.ahram.org.eg/weekly/2001/525/tr2.htm The Telegraph has a very nice feature on the importance of discoveries in the "Canyon of the Boats": http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000579381554028&rtmo=0xKs2Kiq&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/3/17/tlcivil17.html The Egyptian State Information Service has a brief item on upcoming archaeological projects: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o170321m.htm There are a couple of reports on what mummy portraits tell about the health of the folks they were put on: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o170321a.htm http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o150321.htm http://www.iol.co.za/html/frame_news.php?click_id=117&art_id=qw984654782186B252 This probably should be a followup, but since it was first mentioned here so long ago, it's probably news to many of our new subscribers ... the archaeologists working on the 'Queen of Sheba's Temple' are suggesting that it might be much larger than previously expected: http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWSScience0103/16_sheba-sun.html http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/stories/010316/5015177.html An errant tourist has apparently returned a chunk of something he purloined from the Acropolis: http://www.hri.org/news/greek/mpa/2001/01-03-13.mpa.html#12 The LA Times has a touristy piece on a mosaic in the National Museum of Naples: http://www.latimes.com/travel/stories/20010311/t000021342.html InScight has an item on the genetic legacy of the Vikings: http://www.academicpress.com/inscight/03162001/graphb.htm IndiaExpress reports on the discovery of a "well planned" copper age city: http://www.indiaexpress.com/news/regional/rajasthan/20010313-0.html The BBC and People's Daily are reporting the discovery of what is believed to be a piece of the Buddha's hair: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_1224000/1224892.stm http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200103/15/eng20010315_65142.html The Times has a piece on the medieval remains found in the Bullring district of Birmingham: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-99984,00.html The Telegraph has an interesting piece on the "hidden costs" of finding archaeological remains (from a homeowner's/developer's p.o.v.): http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000579381554028&rtmo=gjGblZYu&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/3/17/tparch17.html The illicit antiquities trade seems much in the news this week; an article in the Art Newspaper, e.g., deals with "my life as a tombarolo" (this might be an older article): http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=4890 Considering what's going on in Afghanistan, the fact that ancient art from there is being smuggled out and sold to collectors might not be a bad thing: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4150072,00.html ... but an article on smuggling of artifacts from Mali reminds us of the 'bad side': http://www.independent.co.uk/news/World/Africa/2001-03/mali170301.shtml Also apropos is mention that Britain has signed an agreement aimed at dealing with the illicit antiquities trade: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-99226,00.html On an entirely different note, the great cities of the past are being held up as ominous warnings of what might happen to the megacities of today: http://www.freep.com/news/nw/city15_20010315.htm NEW WORLD NEWS Macleans magazine has a nice feature on the 'who got here first' discussion, written from a Canadian perspective: http://www.macleans.ca/xta-asp/storyview.asp?viewtype=browse&vpath=/2001/03/19/Cover/47976.shtml ... with a largeish sidebar on the 'treating remains with respect' issue: http://www.macleans.ca/xta-asp/storyview.asp?viewtype=browse&vpath=/2001/03/19/Cover/47825.shtml Folks working on the Hunley are apparently going to attempt to recreate the faces of the crew: http://www.charlotte.com/observer/local/pub/hunley0315.htm REVIEWS One I missed: another review of the Barrington Atlas: http://www.latimes.com/travel/stories/20010311/t000021342.html The Cinci Enquirer has a review of E. Cline, *The Battles of Armageddon: Megiddo and the Jezreel Valley from the Bronze Age to the Nuclear Age: http://enquirer.com/editions/2001/02/27/tem_israel_war_history.html ... you can also listen to an interview with the author about the book at: http://www.wamu.org/ram/2001/p2010315.ram ON THE NEWSSTANDS I don't know how to classify this one, so I'll put it here: the American Journal of Archaeology is apparently going to be available (for a price, of course) on line with a new document delivery model: http://library.northernlight.com/FB20010314240000182.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc CLASSICIST'S CORNER In case you missed it, Loyola University in Chicago is preparing to dump its classical studies program: http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/loy15.html eKathimerini reports that Cyprus is supposedly planning to erect a statue of Aphrodite which will rival the Eiffel Tower(!): http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=75128 Gladiator is, of course, mentioned in a nice piece in the Independent which focuses on the fallout from the recent spate of Hollywood historical (hysterical?) epics: http://www.independent.co.uk/argument/Commentators/2001-03/evans120301.shtml A restaurant in London is supposedly offering authentic ancient Greek fare: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,3837311,00.html There's a nice piece in the New Republic on marginalia (honest!): http://www.thenewrepublic.com/032601/kermode032601.html A review of a performance of the Agamemnon in San Francisco: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/03/15/DD221460.DTL Northern Light has a piece from the WSJ which deals with the Latin version the 'The Grinch', but I couldn't get it to connect this a.m.; maybe it will work for others: http://library.northernlight.com/UU20010316090000027.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc The Kentucky Post has a guest column which defends the humanities: http://www.kypost.com/2001/mar/15/kguest031501.html WEBSITES The Bible and Interpretation site has posted the field report of the 2000 excavations at Sepphoris by the Institute of Archaeology of Hebrew University: http://www.hum.huji.ac.il/archaeology/zippori/2000/zippori-2000-reoprt.html The same site also had a link I followed to Brown University's website on the excavations at Petra ... both are nice sites worth a look: http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Anthropology/Petra/ EXHIBITS The National Gallery of Victoria (Australia) is hosting an exhibition devoted to the Dead Sea Scrolls: http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/deadseascrolls/ AT ABOUT.COM: Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest is a review of Steven Saylor's *Venus Throw*: http://ancienthistory.about.com/homework/ancienthistory/library/weekly/aa031301a.htm Latin Guide Janet Burns has a feature on augury in ancient Rome: http://latin.about.com/library/weekly/aa031501a.htm Archaeology Guide Kris Hirst has a feature on Leicester University's distance learning Ph.D. program in archaeology: http://archaeology.about.com/science/archaeology/library/weekly/aa031401a.htm ... last week's chat was with Anita Cohen-Williams; the transcript is available at: http://archaeology.about.com/science/archaeology/library/chat/n_cohenwilliams.htm ... tonight's chat is with Barto Arnold of the INA (you can now ask a question even if you can't make the 9-11 EST time slot): http://archaeology.about.com/science/archaeology/library/chat/blchatarnold.htm ... next week: Judy Bense from the University of Western Florida will chat about public participation in archaeology FOLLOWUPS Despite the protests, the Bamiyan Buddhas were destroyed (the Times of India page has a pile of links to stories with various viewpoints from around the region; the page from Archaeology Magazine is also rather in depth): http://www.timesofindia.com/today/pagetali.htm http://www.archaeology.org/online/news/afghanistan/index.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1216000/1216110.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1218000/1218577.stm http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?eo20010317a3.htm http://www.independent.co.uk/news/World/Asia_China/2001-03/taliban130301.shtml http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-100189,00.html http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010317/wl/afghanistan_buddhas_9.html Temple Mount: http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/03/15/News/News.22997.html http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/03/15/Columns/Columns.23012.html Pyramid inspiration: http://www.archaeology.org/0103/abstracts/desert.html http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_241040.html?menu= Marathon rowing site: http://sports.yahoo.com/oly/news/ap/20010314/ap-athens2004.html Hand taken from frieze in BM: http://www.eKathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=74528 http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000579381554028&rtmo=VDDDk8fK&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/3/11/nmus11.html Iron Age Chariot (Scotland): http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/scotland/newsid_1215000/1215962.stm http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-98036,00.html Coin hoards from Britain: http://www.theartnewspaper.com/archaeology/archeology.asp OBITUARY Hubert Savoury (scroll down quite a bit): http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,60-97631,00.html REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html English translation (probably delayed ... hasn't been updated since August): http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.html EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Explorator/messages ]|[================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR is a weekly newsletter representing the fruits of the labours of 'media research division' of The Atrium. Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured on a daily basis for news of the ancient world (broadly construed: practically anything relating to archaeology or history prior to about 1700 or so is fair game) and when a sufficient number of urls are gathered (usually a minimum of three stories), they are delivered to your mailbox free of charge! Those articles that don't expire, plus supplementary links eventually find a home at: The Media Archive (just going up): http://atrium-media.com/mediaarchive.html ]|[================================================================]|[ Explorator is Copyright (c) 2001 David Meadows; Feel free to distribute these listings via email to your pals, students, teachers, etc., but please include this copyright notice. ]|[=================================================================]|[

]|[=================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 47 -- March 25, 2001 ]|[=================================================================]|[ Editor's note: Depending on your mail software, some urls may wrap (especially those from the Telegraph) which will require you to rebuild the url at your end; if you get a 'file not found', check to see if the url wrapped on you. Most urls should be active for at least eight hours from the time of 'publicatio'. ]|[=================================================================]|[ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Thanks for the heads up to Sally Winchester and Bill Kennedy! Lotsa stuff today ... a pile of followups too! OLD WORLD NEWS A boat discovered some forty years ago near Hull now lays claim to being Europe's oldest boat: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4156753,00.html http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-102840,00.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1234000/1234529.stm The Sphinx is (once again, it seems) in danger of falling apart: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/World/Africa/2001-03/sphinx180301.shtml http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o210321k.htm This is sort of a followup: more mummies have been discovered at the Barhariya Oasis site: http://www.theage.com.au/breaking/0103/22/A31127-2001Mar22.shtml http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o220321h.htm http://www.oweb.com/newslink/international/EgyptArchaeologyP0617.html Greek police have recovered a bunch of smuggled Minoan artifacts: http://stacks.msnbc.com/news/547808.asp A trio of Greek shepherds have found bits and pieces of eight or so Greek statues: http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/breakingnews/International/0,3561,800431,00.html http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12902&m=A35&aa=6&eidos=S http://www.iol.co.za/html/frame_news.php?click_id=588&art_id=qw985010101340B262 Greek archaeologists have been busy excavating the palace of Alexander the Great: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-101058,00.html ... and the Times has a little article on the cultural context of Al: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,649-102173,00.html ... and a piece on how the Macedonians weren't really barbaroi: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-101056,00.html New Scientist reports on evidence that the Vikings who came to Scotland in the ninth century planned on staying: http://www.newscientist.com/dailynews/news.jsp?id=ns9999541 Some guy with a metal detector has found an Iron Age horde in Britain: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-102839,00.html ... and as long as we're on the subject, the Guardian has a report on what metal detectors have been turning up: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4158370,00.html The Boston Globe has a nice report on some puzzling bronzes from China's Sichuan province: http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/079/science/In_China_strange_bronze_heads_rewrite_history+.shtml An eighth-century nativity scene from China has got the media just a-buzzing: http://www.freep.com/news/nw/china19_20010319.htm The Daily Yomiuri reveals the discovery of a pile of Buddhas in Angkor: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20010325wo61.htm Iraq is celebrating the 5000th anniversary of the development of writing: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=aC5JdBKJ&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/3/21/wirq21.html http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/iraq010320_writing.html http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,56-102938,00.html Discovering Archaeology has finally put up some different content, including a feature on Ignatius Donnelly, who pretty much created the Atlantis story as we usually see it: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/011701-atlantis.shtml Fans of Time Team (I wish they'd show it across the pond here), will be dismayed to learn that the hoof-and-mouth breakout has pretty much nixed excavation of most of the sites they'd planned on: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4150290,00.html Folks thinking of a career in archaeology/museology etc. might be interested in some pieces in the Guardian this week: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4155535,00.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4155116,00.html NEW WORLD NEWS The New York Times has a nice feature on Maya sweathouses: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/20/science/20SWEA.html The Washington Post has a nice feature on Donald Shomette's work in Maryland: http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/metro/md/A20596-2001Mar17.html There seems to be quite a bit of coverage of the human remains being found in the Hunley: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/03/0321_hunleyfind.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/545501.asp CNN has a mostly-video report on the search for pre-Clovis sites in Texas: http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/science/03/22/texas.dig.t_t/index.html REVIEWS The Times has a double review of N. Reeves, *Akhenaten: Egypt's False Prophet* and J.H. Taylor, *Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt*: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,217-102151,00.html ON THE NEWSSTANDS There's a new online issue of Bible Review out, with features on the authorship of the Gospel of Luke and the evidence for the historical King Saul: http://www.bib-arch.org/br2.html There's also a new issue of British Archaeology, with features on Traprain Law, power drinking in Iron Age Europe (honest!), and Claudius' harbour: http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba57/index.html CLASSICIST'S CORNER More on Loyola: http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/atc/20010323.atc.04.rmm http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/class19.html http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,270007420,00.html EXHIBITIONS Antioch: The Lost Ancient City: http://www.absolutearts.com/artsnews/2001/03/25/28294.html http://www.clevelandart.org/AntiochExhib/html/index.html AT ABOUT.COM: Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest is on the Jewish calendar: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa032001a.htm Latin Guide Janet Burns has a feature on Roman names: http://latin.about.com/library/blnames.htm Archaeology Guide Kris Hirst has a feature on the repercussions of foot and mouth disease: http://latin.about.com/library/blnames.htm ... last week's chat was with J. Barto Arnold; the transcript is available at: http://archaeology.about.com/science/archaeology/library/chat/n_arnold.htm ... tonight's chat is with Judy Bense (UWestFla) on public participation in archaeology (you can ask a question even if you can't make the 9-11 EST time slot): http://archaeology.about.com/science/archaeology/library/chat/blchatarnold.htm ... next week, Bill Kelso will be talking about Jamestown. FOLLOWUPS Taliban activities and results: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/World/Asia_China/2001-03/statues220301.shtml http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/03/0323_statuefree.html http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/03/0320_smuggled.html http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/032101-terrorism.htm Marathon rowing site: http://stacks.msnbc.com/news/546223.asp http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12901&m=A35&aa=1&eidos=S http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12902&m=A06&aa=1&eidos=S http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010320/sp/oly_athens_2004_3.html http://www.eKathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=76140 Mummy portraits: http://www.iol.co.za/html/frame_news.php?click_id=117&art_id=qw984654782186B252 Lady X reconstruction: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o180321m.htm Seahenge: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=aC5JdBKJ&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/3/23/nheng23.html Cleopatra's signature: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-102814,00.html Elgin Marbles: http://www.abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20010324_492.html OBITUARY William Reed: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/doc/1047/1:METRO38/1:METRO380320101.html REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html English translation (probably delayed ... hasn't been updated since August): http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.html EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Explorator/messages ]|[================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR is a weekly newsletter representing the fruits of the labours of 'media research division' of The Atrium. Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured on a daily basis for news of the ancient world (broadly construed: practically anything relating to archaeology or history prior to about 1700 or so is fair game) and when a sufficient number of urls are gathered (usually a minimum of three stories), they are delivered to your mailbox free of charge! Those articles that don't expire, plus supplementary links eventually find a home at: The Media Archive (just going up): http://atrium-media.com/mediaarchive.html ]|[================================================================]|[ Explorator is Copyright (c) 2001 David Meadows; Feel free to distribute these listings via email to your pals, students, teachers, etc., but please include this copyright notice. ]|[=================================================================]|[

]|[=================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 48 (!) -- April 1, 2000 ]|[=================================================================]|[ Editor's note: Depending on your mail software, some urls may wrap (especially those from the Telegraph) which will require you to rebuild the url at your end; if you get a 'file not found', check to see if the url wrapped on you. Most urls should be active for at least eight hours from the time of 'publicatio'. ]|[=================================================================]|[ Happy daylight savings time to everyone in those parts of the world who observe such things! Thanks for the heads ups to Sally Winchester, John Carr, Ernest Loewinsohn, and Bill Kennedy (a.a.h.i.h.n.l.a.o.) OLD WORLD NEWS ABC (Australia) reports that a 3100-year-old mummy has had a "sex change" of sorts: http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/scitech/SciTechRepublish_267644.htm eKatherimini has an item on the excavations at (Minoan) Palaikastro: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=76822 The Chicago Tribune had a nice article last weekend on the state of archaeology/sites in Iraq: http://www.chicago.tribune.com/news/nationworld/article/0,2669,SAV-0103250412,FF.html Zahi Hawass is challenging the long-held notion and soon-to-be BM exhibition that Cleopatra wasn't exactly a Helen-of-Troy league beauty: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html3/o290321h.htm http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_1250000/1250323.stm http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20010326/cleo.html http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/03/25/magazine.html http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/03/25/stinwenws01027.html A number of frescoes stolen from Pompeii have been returned: http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/03/25/stinwenws02012.html? A watering trough outside a British pub has turned out to be a Roman sarcophagus: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_256054.html?menu=news.quirkies The Lebanon Daily Star has a piece on Roman glass: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/features/30_03_01_b.htm A new documentary on the 'real' Jesus is getting a lot of hype primarily (it seems) for the facial reconstruction: http://www.msnbc.com/news/550752.asp http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/virtualjesus010327.html http://dsc.discovery.com/news/ap/20010326/jesus.html http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=63407 A scholar has suggested that Robert the Bruce's organs were not interred with his body: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000579381554028&rtmo=lvAS7vbt&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/3/29/nbob29.html Xinhua reports on the top 100 Chinese archaeological discoveries of the 20th century: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/20010329/391415.htm They also report on a project to determine the origin of Chinese civilization: http://library.northernlight.com/FB20010329590000097.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc http://library.northernlight.com/FB20010329590000105.html?cb=229&dx=1006&sc=0#doc Discovering Archaeology has put up a new feature on Cambodia "After the Nightmare": http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/033001-cambodia.htm First it was recreating the beer drunk by various ancient cultures, now it's recreating perfumes from Pompeii: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000579381554028&rtmo=psN3BBMe&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/3/30/wpomp30.html Folks might enjoy reading the historical basis for Britain's tax year: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=psNQMh3e&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/3/24/cmtax124.html NEW WORLD NEWS The Inland Empire Online has a column all about Mesa Verde sites on the web: http://www.inlandempireonline.com/columns/garrett/ There's a new (?) suggestion on what happened to Walter Raleigh's 'lost colonists': http://www.pilotonline.com/news/nw0331cro.html ON THE NEWSSTANDS There's a new issue of Archaeology Odyssey out, with some nice online content on ancient copies (Greek and Roman), the Hurrian city of Urkesh, the origins of the jury system, and several other items: http://www.bib-arch.org/aod2.html Atlantic Monthly has an article on "The Genetic Archaeology of Race": http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2001/04/olson-p1.htm EXHIBITIONS Athens News has a review of Waldemar Deonna - Paul Collart: Two Swiss Archaeologists Photograph Greece 1904-1939: http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12902&m=A38&aa=1&eidos=S http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=76807 CLASSICIST'S CORNER A preview/reviewish thing tells all sorts of gossipy stuff about the movie Cleopatra (the one with Liz): http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?BCCode=E&storyKey=55058 cf.: http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/032901/enc_5766382.html Knowledge Management magazine has a feature "Taxonomy of the Ancients", on how Callimachus organized the Library at Alexandria: http://www.destinationcrm.com/km/dcrm_km_article.asp?id=812 REVIEWS The Independent has a review of A. Everitt, *Cicero: A Turbulent Life*: http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=62436 WEBSITES A very nice website (in Spanish) on Roman engineering: http://www.traianus.f2s.com/index1.htm OBITUARIES Nicholas Hammond http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=63213 http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12903&m=A35&aa=3&eidos=S Helge Instad (some in Norwegian): http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/SeattleTimes.woa/wa/gotoArticle?zsection_id=268448413&text_only=0&slug=ingstad01&document_id=134279924 http://www.dallasnews.com/obituaries/326077_ingstadobit_31.html http://www.aftenposten.no/kul_und/kultur/d201143.htm http://www.vg.no/pub/vgart.hbs?artid=5377351 http://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2001/03/29/250020.html Margaret Jones http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=63980 FOLLOWUPS Bahariya Oasis: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/03/0329_goldenmummynew.html Maya bath houses: http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/Sunday-Times/stifgname03001.html? Buddhas in Afghanistan: http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=5390 http://www.lanka.net/lakehouse/2001/04/01/new16.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1242000/1242856.stm http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/032101-terrorism.htm Baghdad ancient writing conference: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/03/0326_writing.html Europe's oldest boat: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=aCXu69aJ&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/3/29/ecnboat29.html Nauticos deepwater ancient shipwreck (this one is close to a month old; folks might want to revisit the item in Archaeology magazine on it ... it's the last item in this list; the first item is a bit of video which I could not get to work, but maybe it will for you): http://www.nytimes.com/images/2001/03/27/science/27SHIP.ram http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/27/science/27SHIP.html http://www.sacbee.com/voices/news/voices03_20010331.html http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12903&m=A11&aa=3&eidos=S http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=63486 http://www.iht.com/articles/15022.html http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010328/wl/mediterranean_shipwreck_dc_1.html http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2001/03/29/fp7s1-csm.shtml http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/03/0329_shipwreck.html http://www.archaeology.org/0103/etc/wreck.html The Hunley: http://www.msnbc.com/news/545501.asp http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010324/sc/life_hunley_dc_3.html http://web.thestate.com/content/columbia/2001/03/24/a1/hunley24.htm http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/03/0321_hunleyfind.html http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/03/0328_hunleyupdate.html AT ABOUT.COM Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest in on the labours of Hercules: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa032701a.htm Latin Guide Janet Burns has a feature on demonstratives: http://latin.about.com/library/bldemonstratives.htm Archaeology Guide Kris Hirst has a feature on the Archaeology Channel: http://archaeology.about.com/science/archaeology/library/weekly/aa032801a.htm ... last week's chat transcript (Judy Bense): http://archaeology.about.com/science/archaeology/library/chat/n_bense.htm ... tonight's chat is with Bill Kelso (talking about Jamestown): http://archaeology.about.com/science/archaeology/library/chat/blchatarchive.htm ... next week: Justin Kerr and Sandra Noble (FAMSI, on the Maya Vase Rollout Project and the Precolumbian Portfolio) DIVERSIONS Athens News has a review of Sierra's *Master of Olympus -- Zeus* computer simulation/game thingie: http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12903&m=A44&aa=4&eidos=S REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html English translation (probably delayed ... hasn't been updated since August): http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.html EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://www.onelist.com/archive/Explorator ]|[================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR is a weekly newsletter representing the fruits of the labours of 'media research division' of The Atrium. Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured on a daily basis for news of the ancient world (broadly construed: practically anything relating to archaeology or history prior to about 1700 or so is fair game) and when a sufficient number of urls are gathered (usually a minimum of three stories), they are delivered to your mailbox free of charge! Those articles that don't expire, plus supplementary links eventually find a home at: The Media Archive (just going up): http://atrium-media.com/mediaarchive.html ]|[================================================================]|[ Explorator is Copyright (c) 2001 David Meadows; Feel free to distribute these listings via email to your pals, students, teachers, etc., but please include this copyright notice. These listings are not to be posted to a website; instead, please provide a link to either Commentarium or Rostra (or both)! You can subscribe to or unsubscribe from this list by going to the following web page: http://www.egroups.com/subscribe.cgi/Explorator

I'll check out that Maya bathhouse link.

I'm curious about that too. All I can imagine that it deals with the Cenote at Chichen Itza... or something similar. Fascinating!

Archaeologists uncover 'fabulous' chariot Martin Wainwright Guardian Saturday April 7, 2001 The reputation of prehistoric Britons was notched up another peg yesterday, with the discovery of the oldest iron age chariot to be unearthed by archaeologists. Apart from the slight hitch that its owner was probably French, the mass of intricate bronze-work, inlaid coral and skilled joinery was described as "fabulous" proof of ancient native expertise by English Heritage and the British Museum. more... http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4166971,00.html

Prehistoric man may have had dentists LONDON (Reuters) - Pre-historic people living in Asia 8,000 years ago may have used stone-tipped drills to repair teeth. In what could be one of the earliest examples of dentistry, scientists at the University of Missouri-Columbia in the United States have found tiny, perfectly rounded holes in teeth found in Mehrgarh in pre-historic Pakistan, which they suspect were drilled to repair tooth decay.

The above come complete with image at this url http://uk.news.yahoo.com/010411/80/bk0kx.html

Well, I'm glad to hear that the owner of the oldest existing Bronze Age Chariot was probably French. The Gauls were Celts like the Britons. Still, the British Museum claims it as "fabulous" proof of ancient native expertise. What was it Napoleon said? "Perfidious Albion". To all of those at Geo who are English/British, I'm just kidding.

Thanks - considering that Gallic soldiers were used to conquer Albion are we not all relatives separated by our own self-perceived prejuidices? anglo/german/gaulish relatives all blame one another for their problems. Ah, the joys of being Celtic! I really want to see that chariot. Sounds incredible!

That's very true. Especially in regard to the French and Germans. It irritates the French to no end that the native language of Charlemagne was a form of German. The Germans also claim Charlemagne as great hero. They call him Karl Grosse.

]|[=================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 51 -- April 22, 2001 ]|[=================================================================]|[ Editor's note: Depending on your mail software, some urls may wrap (especially those from the Telegraph) which will require you to rebuild the url at your end; if you get a 'file not found', check to see if the url wrapped on you. Most urls should be active for at least eight hours from the time of 'publicatio'. ]|[=================================================================]|[ Greetings archaeophiles! Curiosity question: if this newsletter went to an html mail format (which would help with the perpetual url wrap problem), would it bother anyone? Thanks to Bill Kennedy and Gene Barkley for the headses upses this week (a.a.h.i.h.l.n.o.o.) ... OLD WORLD NEWS The Egyptian State Information Service has a brief item on the discovery of some Amenhotep-era artifacts: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o210421W.htm ... as well as some predynastic stuff: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/note/html/n120421a.htm The Business Recorder (and others) has a piece on the claims of a couple of French researchers to have found "passages to hidden portions of the Great Pyramid" ... no doubt soon to be a documentary: http://www.brecorder.com/story/000000/200104/20010420/200104200196.shtml?Top~Stories http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/scitech/SciTechRepublish_279993.htm eKatherimini reports on the discovery of a 5th-century B.C./B.C.E. copper cauldron at Argos: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?aid=79099 eKatherimini also has a report on a 4th-century B.C./B.C.E mass grave found at Pydna: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?aid=79054 The Times reports on the restoration of Trajan's arch at Benevento: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-113354,00.html The Independent reports on plans to locate and excavate a Roman ship which sank in the Tyne estuary: http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=67471 This was actually announced already within the last year or so, but a group at Stanford is going to use computer technology to reassemble the Forum Urbis: http://sanjose.bcentral.com/sanjose/stories/2001/04/16/daily37.html A large section of the Aurelian wall in Rome collapsed this week: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1280000/1280611.stm http://news.24.com/News24/Technology/Science_Nature/0,1113,2-13-46_1011661,00.html http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/world.cfm?id=64721 http://my.cnn.com/jbcl/cnews/Go?template=otmDetStory&art_id=6690997&uid=987437873088&page_exclude=1 The Architects' Journal supposedly has a report on the discovery of an "ancient carving of a Roman warrior" but I can't get it to load properly at my end; maybe it will work for you: http://www.ajplus.co.uk/news/news_article/?pid=2&aid=14379&sid=60&channelID=4&NewsComingFrom=Construction The Irish Times reports on the discovery of an iron age skeleton: http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2001/0421/reg3.htm The Getty Museum has returned a second-century bust of an athlete to Italy: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4171745,00.html ... while the Met has returned an image of Seti I to Egypt: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o190421n.htm ABCNews reports on the discovery of a "cave full of teeth" in China (this one's actually a little more ancient than I usually cover, but it's interesting): http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/chinacave010417.html Xinhua via Northern Light reports on the discovery of a tomb in Shanxi province: http://library.northernlight.com/FE20010418060000015.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc ... and more: http://library.northernlight.com/FA20010417510000045.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc Thor Heyerdahl is looking for the origins of the Vikings ... in Russia: http://news.24.com/News24/World/Europe/0,1113,2-10-19_1013838,00.html Archaeologists have found the site of London's Hope theatre: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=QwaSwLxR&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/4/22/nhope22.html NEW WORLD NEWS The Denver Post has a report on "America's first archaeological subdivision": http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1002,53%257E22737,00.html The Idaho Statesman has one of those introductory sort of things to 'Archaeology Week' in Idaho: http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/daily/20010418/LocalNews/105060.shtml The St. Petersburg Times has a nice article on looting of sites: http://www.sptimes.com/News/041801/Citrus/Looters_of_artifact_s.shtml ON THE NEWSSTANDS Egypt Revealed has an article by Mark Lehner on the city of folks who worked on the pyramids: http://www.egyptrevealed.com/041501-cityopyramid_builders.htm Discovering Archaeology has an article on the excavation of an 1800's steamboat: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/041201-oklahoma.htm CLASSICIST'S CORNER The Times has a piece on the benefits of a classical education (in anticipation of the meeting of the Classical Association): http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,7-116056,00.html ... and Hollywood's depiction of gladiators: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-117357,00.html eKathimerini has an article on learning ancient Greek via the internet: http://www.eKathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=79064 ... and what's on at Herodes Atticus' theatre in the next month or so: http://www.eKathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=79032 The Independent has a piece on the fifty best places to see in Rome (with links!): http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=67582 ... and a passing mention on the influence of Thucydides on Colin Powell: http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=67848 I'm not sure what to make of this one ... claims of Egyptians in the FYROM: http://www.eKathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=79017 Folks might be interested (for comparative purposes) in the Christian version of the torch race: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=qxbLKd99&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/4/16/wholy16.html ... and a new 'Slavocentric' view of history: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=asbXxHwL&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/4/19/warth19.html The University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archaeology has discovered some Ming art in its storage rooms: http://worldnews.about.com/newsissues/worldnews/gi/news/~5a0e214.htm?PM=n3042001e The hype is beginning in anticipation of the official opening of the new Library at Alexandria: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o150421y.htm http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html4/o170421p.htm AT ABOUT.COM Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest is a piece on Artemis: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa041701a.htm Archaeology Guide Kris Hirst's latest is a guest piece on the electronic antiquities market: http://archaeology.about.com/library/weekly/aa041801a.htm ... last week's chat with Rosemary Joyce: http://archaeology.about.com/science/archaeology/library/chat/n_joyce.htm ... tonight's chat (9-11 EDT) with Larry McKee on African-American archaeology: http://archaeology.about.com/science/archaeology/mpchat.htm FOLLOWUPS Ahenaten-era artifacts: http://news.24.com/News24/Africa/Features/0,1113,2-11-37_1010967,00.html Cleopatra at the BM: http://library.northernlight.com/EC20010418040000036.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc Herculaneum papyri (nothing new ... I wish they'd just get on with it): http://www.oweb.com/newslink/national/ScorchedPapyrusP0225.html http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,270013890,00.html? http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/science/04/20/scorched.papyrus.ap/index.html http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/0,1643,500475007-500729186-504140350-0,00.html http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/breakingnews/US/0,3560,862492,00.html http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_266946.html?menu=news.technology http://www.msnbc.com/news/562226.asp Hunley: http://www.msnbc.com/news/545501.asp http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/news/2001/apr/17/041705300.html http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/03/0328_hunleyupdate.html Karachi mummy (with photo): http://www.time.com/time/asia/news/magazine/0,9754,106425,00.html Latest Bahariyah Oasis finds: http://www.egyptrevealed.com/042001-valleyofmummies.htm Temple Mount: http://www.msnbc.com/news/561175.asp Seahenge: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4170978,00.html Vesuvius: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-113355,00.html http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/17/science/17OBSER-1.html REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html English translation (probably delayed ... hasn't been updated since August): http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.html EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://www.onelist.com/archive/Explorator ]|[================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR is a weekly newsletter representing the fruits of the labours of 'media research division' of The Atrium. Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured on a daily basis for news of the ancient world (broadly construed: practically anything relating to archaeology or history prior to about 1700 or so is fair game) and when a sufficient number of urls are gathered (usually a minimum of three stories), they are delivered to your mailbox free of charge! Those articles that don't expire, plus supplementary links eventually find a home at: The Media Archive (just going up): http://atrium-media.com/mediaarchive.html ]|[================================================================]|[ Explorator is Copyright (c) 2001 David Meadows; Feel free to distribute these listings via email to your pals, students, teachers, etc., but please include this copyright notice. These listings are not to be posted to a website; instead, please provide a link to either Commentarium or Rostra (or both)! You can subscribe to or unsubscribe from this list by going to the following web page: http://www.yahoogroups.com/subscribe.cgi/Explorator Or, send by sending a blank email message to: mailto:Explorator-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

DISCOVER ARCHAEOLOGY ONLINE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER; APRIL 11, 2001 Saludos, and thank you for subscribing! Click here to get there: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml Your Feature Report for this week: * French Explorer Maps Sunken City * The Battle of Korcula * Dateline ... Egypt * Artifact Thief Apprehended * New Tombs Discovered in Bahariya * Protection of the Terracotta Warriors * Sudan Archaeology * Anthony's Egyptology and Archaeology * Minoan Research Click here to get there: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml

Seahenge may be saved from watery grave The tale of Seahenge took a dramatic new turn last night when it was revealed that the ancient timbers might not be heading for a watery grave after all. Government body English Heritage met yesterday to decide the fate of the Bronze Age timber circle, which was controversially removed from the beach at Holme-next-the-Sea, near Hunstanton, almost two years ago. Its ruling commissioners were expected to agree that the circle should be reburied later this year, close to the spot where it was originally found. But yesterday, officials heard that fresh evidence had come to light about the timbers, along with new scientific techniques which would enable it to be studied. "We brought the commissioners new information, and we want to carry out more research because there is far more potential," English Heritage's chief archaeologist David Miles said after the meeting. "There are marks in the surface which are very slight marks, like bruises in the wood. "It's all about how we capture these marks, because if the timbers were conserved or reburied now, they would be lost." New digital modelling techniques will enable the marks to be copied onto a 3D digital likeness of each timber, stored on computer. Mr Miles suggested the new marks, which were just visible to the naked eye, could shed new light on how the timber circle was first built in 2049BC. "There may be complications as to how it was built," he added. "It might well have been modified and we want to do some more dating on it as well." Scientists at the Flag Fen Bronze Age research centre, near Peterborough, have been studying the timbers since they were removed from the beach at Holme almost two years ago, amid angry protests. Two weeks ago, it was claimed that the timbers would disintegrate if reburied on the beach. Last night Mr Miles said the claim, which surfaced in New Scientist magazine and The Guardian, differed from what English Heritage had been told about the circle's chances of survival. Now any firm decision will await the outcome of the latest round of research, which will be carried out at Flag Fen. The circle's future could even be referred back to the Timber Circle Forum, which was formed from local councils and other interested bodies, to decide its fate. "We've got to consider the future," said Mr Miles. "We would certainly come up and talk to the Timber Circle Forum about the fact that the site could be more important." South Norfolk plant hire tycoon Mervyn Lambert was an outspoken critic of the timbers' removal from the beach. He led a high court bid which failed to halt the excavation. But English Heritage said it would conserve the timbers. Then it emerged that neither Norfolk County Council or West Norfolk council was prepared to pay for the work. And the Timber Circle Forum believed that the option of burial in Holme's clay deposits was believed to offer the best chance of preserving Seahenge, in case anyone decided to fund a proper display to house it in the future. "So they've just found some new marks they hadn't noticed yet after 21 months," Mr Lambert said last night. "Nothing surprises me now. "In the high court, almost two years ago, English Heritage said they could not guarantee long-term conservation of the timbers without removing them from the beach. "Twenty-one months on they've done nothing towards conservation." Geoff Needham, chairman of Holme Parish Council, said: "They classed it as the most important archaeological discoveries of the century, but the way they have treated it is an absolute disgrace. "It was one of the biggest acts of vandalism ever created in the name of archaeology." The timber circle first came to the notice of archaeologists in early 1998 after a Bronze Age axe head was found nearby. Since its removal the following summer, more timbers have been exposed by the shifting tides at Holme beach, including what appears to be the remains of a larger circle. Mr Miles said the fresh artefacts were probably a fish trap and a burial mound, of which there were many similar examples dotted across the country. http://www.edp24.co.uk/Content/Search/nfdetail.asp?Brand=EDPONLINE&Category=NEWS&ItemId=NOED26+Apr+2001+11%3A33%3A23%3A403

Peru Complex May Be Oldest City By PAUL RECER, AP Science Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - About the time that pyramids were being built in Egypt, a civilization in Peru was building the Americas' first urban center, a complex of stone pyramids, plazas and intricate irrigation canals, researchers say. A site called Caral, 125 miles north of Lima, ``may actually be the birthplace of civilization in the Americas,'' said Winifred Creamer, a Northern Illinois University professor and co-author of a study appearing Friday in Science. Jonathan Haas of Chicago's Field Museum, Creamer's husband and a co-author of the study, said that Caral has been aged-dated to as early as 2,627 B.C. and excavations show it once covered some 160 acres on the floor of Peru's Supe Valley. The people living there created a civilization of farmers, craftsmen and fishermen. Haas said there was a central government or organization strong enough to induce hundreds of workers to labor long to build a sprawling complex of six pyramids, apartment-like buildings, open stone-cobbled plazas and irrigation canals that tapped a nearby river. Researchers say that the site, some 125 miles north of Lima, shows evidence of being a thriving inland metropolis that lasted for hundreds of years and then declined into oblivion. It was rediscovered in 1905, but is only now being studied in detail. ``What we're learning from Caral is going to rewrite the way we think about development of early Andean civilization,'' said Haas. Caral's civilization was age-dated from woven reeds and other material extracted from a 60-foot high pyramid. Haas said the people used reed bags to carry stones to put inside the pyramid as it was being built. ``They filled the reed bags with stones, carried them on their shoulders to the building site and then dumped them in, bag and all,'' said Haas. In Peru's dry climate, the reed material survived the ages and scientists used it to age-date the site, he said. Haas said that the people of Caral lived on vegetables - squash, beans and root crops - and seafood. They did not grow grains or make pottery, both of which are common for other ancient civilizations. Instead, Haas said, the Caral people grew cotton and wove it into nets used for fishing. The researchers found evidence that the people ate lots of seafood -- anchovies, sardines and shellfish. He said there were no large animals in the area to provide food so they depended on the sea. The Pacific Ocean coast is about 14 miles from Caral. Caral thrived for more than 600 years and was home over the centuries to thousands of people, although Haas said the peak population of the city is still not known. Eventually, the Caral society faded, replaced by new complexes in other civilizations built to the north and to the south. It's believed that descendants of the Caral people became the Incas, who were ruling the Andes when the Europeans arrived in the 16th century. Haas said that six pyramids, some rising by 60 feet above wide bases, dominate the site. There are also fitted-stone plazas and smaller pyramids with stairs and top-floor rooms that were probably upper class housing. Nearby, more modest homes, built of adobe, have been excavated. People at Caral depended heavily on irrigated farming and the site may have been the first in the Americas where water was moved in large volumes for agricultural use, said Haas. The water came from the nearby Supe River. There were no nearby forests or other sources of wood, said Haas, but there is evidence that the people chipped stones to make tools and carved large rocks to fit into building walls. - On the Net: Northern Illinois University: http://www.niu.edu/pubaffairs/presskits/wcjo/ Science: http://www.eurekalert.org Thanks K3

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-120993,00.html FRIDAY APRIL 27 2001 Peru's first city thrived as Egypt built pyramids BY MARK HENDERSON, SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT AN ADVANCED civilisation was thriving on the coast of modern-day Peru at the same time as the pyramids were built in Egypt - more than 1,000 years earlier than was previously thought, American researchers have discovered. New radio-carbon dating of plant fibres found at Caral, 120 miles north of Lima, has revealed that the ancient city was built as early as 2600BC, making it by far the oldest urban settlement yet identified in the Americas. The findings, published today in the journal Science, suggest that the significance of the Caral civilisation has been badly underestimated by archaeologists and anthropologists. The inhabitants of the city had developed technology on a par with much of that found in Ancient Egypt at about the same time: they had the know-how to irrigate fields and to build monumental pyramids, though they never learnt to make ceramic pottery, a fact that continues to puzzle anthropologists. Jonathan Haas, curator of anthropology at the Field Museum in Chicago, who led the study, said Caral had previously been dated to about 1600BC. "Our findings show that a very large, complex society had arisen on the coast of Peru centuries earlier than anyone thought," Dr Haas said. "This is a project that comes along once in a generation and offers opportunities rarely glimpsed in the field of archaeology." Caral is dominated by a central zone containing six large platform mounds arranged around a huge public plaza. The largest of these mounds, known as Piramide Mayor, stands 60ft high and measures 450ft by 500ft at its base. All six central mounds were built in only one or two phases, providing strong evidence of complex planning, centralised decision-making and mobilisation of a large labour force - all of which suggest an advanced civilisation. Stairs, rooms, courtyards and other structures were constructed on top of the pyramids as well as on the side terraces. Excavations are now planned to determine whether there were rooms or tombs inside the mounds. Other architecture at the site also indicates a high level of cultural complexity. In particular, three sunken circular plazas testify to the emergence of a well-organised religion with open, public ceremonies. Other villages in Peru are known to have been occupied before 2600BC and some even had small-scale public platforms or stone rings. All, however, are much smaller in scale.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/560131.asp?cp1=1 Black magic in Greece's Golden Age This ancient Greek katara, or curse, was found in the ancient Kerameikos cemetery in Athens, dating back to the 4th and 5th centuries B.C. During the Golden Age of ancient Greece, magicians worked in secret and buried the hexes with the dead. ASSOCIATED PRESS ATHENS, Greece, April 22 - During the Golden Age of ancient Greece, no one was safe from spells, not even exalted politicians and orators. MAGICIANS WORKED in secret and buried hexes with the dead, who they believed would carry them to the underworld. Some curses were for opponents in lawsuits. Others sought to hex a political figure. Still others meant to bring harm to enemies. "I bind to the earth," begin some of the inscriptions on the 55 "katares," or curses, found during nearly nine decades of excavations at the ancient Kerameikos cemetery near the ancient marketplace where politicians made public addresses. Specialists are now restoring and studying the katares for a planned book that explores how rites of black magic - although outlawed in ancient Greece - played a fundamental role in a society that also prized logic and the intellect. The book will mark the first comprehensive volume on the katares of ancient Athens. "These practices were indeed carried out ... They shed light on the political and cultural history," said Jutta Stroszeck, head of the German Archaeological Institute of Greece, which leads the cemetery digs. The katares found were inscriptions etched into lead, sometimes found with figurines. They were often buried in the graves of youths because it was believed a premature death would get the spell to the underworld gods faster, archaeologists said. THE ZENITH OF A SOCIETY Although katares have been discovered throughout the Mediterranean, the Athens collection tells of the life of a society at its zenith: the Age of Pericles about 2,500 years ago when the Parthenon was built. The objects also give fascinating examples of the direct connection between ancient superstitions and daily life. "Katares were the appropriate medium to destroy political opponents," said Felice Costabile, an expert in ancient inscriptions at the University Magna Graecia in Catanzaro, Italy. The ancient magicians - outlaws to the Athenian authorities - apparently performed a secret ritual to prepare the katares. But it is uncertain what exactly transpired, experts say. It could be that the magicians were responsible for finding the lead, writing out the curses and finding tombs of young people who had recently died. Katares were also dropped in wells, another avenue to the underworld. "You made the spell in the very moment that you wanted to weaken the another person ... to impede, to make immobile to bind somebody," Stroszeck said. "It is clearly an statement of hate." Some katares meant to curse a warrior were accompanied by small bent swords. Others were male figurines with hands tied behind their backs, pronounced genital organs, birdlike heads and numerous inscriptions. A BRACELET FOR THE DEAD A different type of katara was shaped in the form of a bracelet and placed in the hands of the dead, perhaps to be carried to the underworld or improve the potency of the hex, Stroszeck said. Etched into one katara are the names of Lykourgos, an Athenian politician who participated in managing the city's finances and building program and lived from 390 B.C. to 324 B.C. The name of Hyperides, an orator who lived about the same time and who led the city to battle with the Macedonians in the Lamian War in 323 B.C., was found on another. One of the most important finds is a lead plate with three curses inscribed on it. They are written together as if in a book of three columns and show how ancient texts were composed 2,400 years ago on papyrus, Costabile said. "It did not have any relation to the official religion as it was then," said Stroszeck, referring to the ancient belief in the 12 Olympian gods led by Zeus.

]|[=================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR Watching the Web for News of the Ancient World Volume 3, Issue 52 -- April 29, 2001 OLD WORLD NEWS The Daily Star has a feature on the Canaanite site of Yarmuta: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/28_04_01/art3.htm A conference on how best to preserve the monuments of the Middle/Near east has political implications: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_1295000/1295319.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_1295000/1295008.stm MSNBC (and others) has an interesting item on black magic in the ancient Greek world: http://stacks.msnbc.com/news/560131.asp http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12907&m=A05&aa=1&eidos=S http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=79231 Police have confiscated a hoard of interesting illegally-excavated artifacts near Vonitsa: http://www.ekathimerini.com/news/content.asp?aid=80390 AthensNews has a lengthy touristy piece on ancient Troezen: http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12907&m=A24&aa=1&eidos=S A fourth-century Egyptian coffin is on display in Rochester: http://library.northernlight.com/EB20010427170000046.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc Another bit of fallout from Afghanistan: the left foot of Zeus is on display in Tokyo: http://www.asahi.com/english/asahi/0426/asahi042604.html The Aberdeen Herald has a brief item on a recent Iron Age discovery in that city: http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/archive/24-4-19101-0-1-2.html The Times (South Africa) has a feature on the excavations at Uxellodunum ('eat your heart out Asterix'): http://www.iol.co.za/html/frame_news.php?click_id=79&art_id=qw988311781884B216 (cf. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_275516.html?menu=) There was a fair bit of coverage this week devoted to the discovery of a Roman-era armoury/armour in Roman Carlisle: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1297000/1297752.stm http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,478537,00.html http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-120182,00.html http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/04/0427_romanarmor.html A Roman villa at El-Jem will soon be open to the public: http://www.news24.co.za/News24/Technology/Science_Nature/0,1113,2-13-46_1014411,00.html A third-century Celtic fibula has reached a rather high price at auction: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=gjSGSbru&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/4/26/ngold26.html Also at auction at Christie's ... a pile of Italian vases, many of them looted apparently: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,7-118293,00.html Le Figaro has an item (in French) on damage done and threatened to the Henri IV-era Chateau de Saumur (watch the wrap): http://www.lefigaro.fr/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?pagename=FutureTense/Apps/Xcelerate/View&c=figArticle&cid=FIGI72LWTLC The Times of India reports on damage done to Mnajdra Temple: http://web.infinito.it/utenti/m/malta_mega_temples/mnajdest/times15.html The BBC has an item on damage done to the Zoukoudian Caves: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_1298000/1298621.stm CNN has a piece on the threat to ancient cities in Laos: http://www.cnn.com/2001/TRAVEL/NEWS/04/26/laos.ancientcities.ap/index.html SwissInfo reports on an exhibition of ancient textiles from the Taklamakan Desert: http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/Swissinfo.html?siteSect=201&sid=661022 NEW WORLD NEWS There was major coverage of the discovery/redating of the Peruvian city of Caral: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1298000/1298460.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid_1299000/1299426.stm http://www.nandotimes.com/noframes/story/0,2107,500476670-500732206-504186344-0,00.html http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/city010426.html http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/nation/science/A8889-2001Apr26.html http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2001/04/27/fp1s3-csm.shtml http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/articles/042601-oldestperucity.htm http://www.enn.com/news/wire-stories/2001/04/04282001/reu_peru_43240.asp http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-120993,00.html http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/world.cfm?id=67657 http://www.msnbc.com/news/564981.asp http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010426/sc/science_city_dc.html http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/04/0426_perucity.html The Telegraph has a feature on the Mayan site of Las Milpas: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=0xbKbsGq&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/4/28/wmay28.html The Salt Lake Tribune has an interesting item on a pile of old footwear originally found in Promontory Cave: http://www.sltrib.com/04272001/utah/92394.htm http://www1.standard.net/stories/local/04-2001/FTP0284@local@28cave@Ogden.asp The Washington Post has a nice piece on the slave graves at what was once James Madison's home: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8417-2001Apr26.html The Columbus Dispatch has an item in anticipation of a conference (held last week) called "Old and New World Prehistory at the Crossroads": http://www.dispatch.com/news/news01/apr01/670378.html ON THE NEWSSTANDS Archaeology Magazine has a new online issue with abstracts of articles on ancient Abydos, the recently-discovered inn at Pompeii, the spiritual life of slaves in America, and numerous other items: http://www.archaeology.org/0105/toc/toc.html The Art Newspaper has apparently updated its archaeology page (but not copyright date!), with items on Stonehenge, the statue of Cybele recently found in Greece, threats to sites in Sicily, and a cache of coins from Syria: http://www.theartnewspaper.com/archaeology/archeology.asp Biblical Archaeology Review also has a new online issue, with articles on stone shrines in the Negev, the battle over ownership of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Abraham's Ur, among other things: http://www.bib-arch.org/bar2.html Egypt Revealed has a piece in anticipation of a F. Goddio lecture on the layout of the sunken bits of ancient Alexandria (with a fairly good map): http://www.egyptrevealed.com/042601-goddio-sunkencity.htm CLASSICIST'S CORNER This is the sort of thing I've been dying to do with my classes: http://inq.philly.com/content/inquirer/2001/04/26/local_news/PDIG26.htm The Independent has a precis of Peter Wiseman's presidential address to the Classical Association: http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=69022 http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-117802,00.html More from the meeting: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-118372,00.html FOLLOWUPS Buddha birthplace: http://stacks.msnbc.com/news/563429.asp Cleopatra at the BM: http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12907&m=A02&aa=3&eidos=S Herculaneum Papyri: http://www.standard.net/stories/local/04-2001/ftp0103@local@20decode@ogden.asp The Hunley: http://www.hunley.org/html/Excavation/excavation_update_apr_27.htm http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/04/0427_hunleyapril27.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/565751.asp Karachi mummy: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=fsDwD0os&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/4/29/wmum29.html Pyramid hidden cavities: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_1285000/1285707.stm http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12907&m=A16&aa=4&eidos=S http://www.egyptrevealed.com/042301-debunkfrench.htm Seahenge: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1298000/1298533.stm Troy: Myth and Reality: http://www.msnbc.com/news/556889.asp OBITUARIES Laurence Flanagan: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,60-120135,00.html AT ABOUT.COM Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest feature is on Spartacus: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa042101a.htm Archaeology Guide Kris Hirst has put up the transcript of last week's chat with Larry McKee (this week's has, alas, been postponed): http://archaeology.about.com/science/archaeology/library/chat/n_mckee.htm REGULAR FEATURES CTCWeb's Words of the Week http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/myword.html Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html English translation (probably delayed ... hasn't been updated since August): http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/whats-new/latin-news/mainlatin.html EXPLORATOR IS ARCHIVED AT: http://www.onelist.com/archive/Explorator ]|[================================================================]|[ EXPLORATOR is a weekly newsletter representing the fruits of the labours of 'media research division' of The Atrium. Various on-line news and magazine sources are scoured on a daily basis for news of the ancient world (broadly construed: practically anything relating to archaeology or history prior to about 1700 or so is fair game) and when a sufficient number of urls are gathered (usually a minimum of three stories), they are delivered to your mailbox free of charge! Those articles that don't expire, plus supplementary links eventually find a home at: The Media Archive (just going up as of January 7, 2001): http://atrium-media.com/mediaarchive.html ]|[================================================================]|[ Explorator is Copyright (c) 2001 David Meadows; Feel free to distribute these listings via email to your pals, students, teachers, etc., but please include this copyright notice. These listings are not to be posted to a website; instead, please provide a link to either Commentarium or Rostra (or both)! You can subscribe to or unsubscribe from this list by going to the following web page: http://www.egroups.com/subscribe.cgi/Explorator Or, send by sending a blank email message to: mailto:Explorator-subscribe@egroups.com or mailto:Explorator-unsubscribe@egroups.com ]|[=================================================================]|[

Gladiator-Era Armor Factory Found By Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News May 2 � Archaeologists working in northern England have excavated one of the most important finds in Britain from the Roman period- an armor workshop containing rare gladiator-era garb and other Roman military equipment. more... http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20010430/gladiator.html

---------------------------------------------------------- / PHYSICSWEB: E-mail alert \ (http://PhysicsWeb.org) ========================================================== ---------------------------------------------------------- | News ========================================================== * Carbon clock could show the wrong time: (10 May) Carbon dating is a mainstay of geology and archaeology - but an enormous peak discovered in the amount of carbon-14 in the atmosphere between 45 thousand and 11 thousand years ago casts doubt on the biological carbon cycle that underpins the technique. The study led by physicist Warren Beck of the University of Arizona, US, could also affect estimates of how quickly the Earth can re-absorb the excess carbon dioxide generated by fossil fuels (J W Beck et al 2001 Science to appear). [ http://PhysicsWeb.org/article/news/5/5/7 ] ----------------------------------------------------------

Va. Highway Work Unearths Ancient Quarry of Jasper By Craig Timberg Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, May 4, 2001; Page B01 CULPEPER COUNTY, Va. -- The drive for the future here has turned up tantalizing clues about Virginia's prehistoric past. In the path of a long-awaited four-lane highway, archaeologists working for the Virginia Department of Transportation discovered reddish-brown pieces of jasper, a rock that the continent's earliest settlers used for spear points, knives and other tools. Hundreds of pieces of it, in flakes that looked like the result of human handiwork, turned up in a test pit right in the path of where the new and improved Route 3 was to pass through a rural stretch of this county halfway between Charlottesville and Washington. Five years and $300,000 of state-funded digging later, archaeologists are hailing the site, dubbed Brook Run, as a rare and exquisitely well-preserved ancient quarry. It dates to more than 11,000 years ago, a time many scientists call the earliest human habitation of the region. The site consists of two pits, nearly 14 feet deep through bedrock and soil, and less than two feet across at the bottom. Archaeologists are puzzling over how ancient people, without the benefits of backhoes or even a modern shovel, managed to dig so deep to extract stones from a vertical seam so narrow. "They must have been very narrow people who went down there and hauled that stuff out," marveled Michael F. Johnson, Fairfax County staff archaeologist. They are equally astonished that Brook Run was found at all in a place where scientific models didn't predict human settlements and no disruption at the surface offered a hint of what lay beneath. The shovel test pits were dug about every 50 feet along the 10-mile highway corridor from Lignum to the outskirts of the town of Culpeper. Such surveys for historic and cultural artifacts are common for road-building projects; finds as valuable as Brook Run are not. "If [highway officials] had just walked through here without doing the shovel test, they never would have found the site," said archaeologist Eric Voigt, whose firm, the Louis Berger Group, has a contract with the Virginia Department of Transportation. Voigt and crews of up to a dozen workers have spent the past year excavating the site. The evidence they found suggests that Paleo-Indians, the ancestors of today's American Indians, came across the jasper by accident -- as VDOT did -- maybe while following game or traveling to villages on the Rappahannock or Rapidan river, more than a mile away. Over the next several hundred years, Voigt said, the Paleo-Indians returned repeatedly, digging deeper each time into the seam of jasper and carrying back hunks of the rock to their villages, where they fashioned it into tools. Voigt and his crew found a rock hearth dating back 11,500 years but little other evidence of human habitation here. "This site does show, even more strongly, how important really good raw materials were to these folks," he said. Dating the site were pieces of burned wood that fell into the narrow pits. Carbon dating of the burned wood and the rock hearth put the age of the site between 10,500 and 11,500 years ago. Voigt stirred brief hopes of a more stunning discovery when one relic initially appeared to be 15,000 years old. Archaeologists had long agreed that humans arrived in the Americas across a land bridge from Asia and settled the continent about 11,500 years ago. But recent discoveries have challenged that, and some archaeologists were hoping that Brook Run would offer proof that humans settled in the Americas thousands of years earlier and perhaps arrived along a different route. A site called Cactus Hill, in Sussex County south of Richmond, has relics seeming to date back that far, but the finding remains controversial. At Brook Run, a more precise reading this week of the oldest relic put its date at 11,500 years ago. Virginia was then emerging from the Ice Age and had a climate far colder than today, with more pine trees and a different mix of wildlife, including bison. There are few archaeological sites on the East Coast as old as Brook Run. Virginia has three others, Cactus Hill, Thunderbird in Warren County and Williamson in Dinwiddie County. Smithsonian archaeologist Dennis Stanford visited Brook Run this week and came away astonished. "We didn't know people did that type of quarrying," he said. "Every bit of data that can be gleaned out of each site is just wonderful." Voigt and his crews have extracted more than 700,000 relics from Brook Run for analysis. They plan to fill the site with sand and cover it with plantings so future archaeologists will be able to continue exploring it. To make that easier, VDOT has revamped its designs for improving Route 3. Officials plan to build a narrower median strip so the new road doesn't disturb the ancient quarry. "There's just no way you can justify paving over this site," said VDOT spokesman Jim Jennings. � 2001 The Washington Post Company

More on the above story on the ancient site in Virginia http://www.culpepernews.com/Archive/n1feb01.htm#past

Wow! Yet another controversial site to conflict with the conventional thought as to when the Native Americans arrived. Perhaps they are right in their view that they have always been here. Then maybe those who acertain that the arrived about 30,000 years ago are right. Or perhaps there was no one migration, but a succession of migrations into the Americas by different means and routes over a long period of time.

Yup - the "Clovis First" debate has probably been buried for good. Too much evidence points to earlier than formerly though occupation of the North American continent!

My considered opinion (Please, prove me wrong!) is that many migtrations of many sorts of origins occurred. Over a very long time. I think we are just beginning to discover what is in those woods. Even as far east as the East Coast of North America! Check the age of Meadowcroft and contemporary structures!

Meadowcroft is considered to be at least 13,000 years old, I think. The Meadowcroft data was considered extremely controversial in the early days of the excavation.

I think the Meadowcroft dates are still controversial. Groundwater seepage and nearby springs were though to contaminate the site, but think the Clovis Firsters are fianlly conceding that Clovies was NOT first no matter what dates the afix to Meadowcroft.

Silbury Hill is about to be subjected to a 3D seismic scan: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=rQFhmbXX&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/5/18/nstone18.html Archaeologists have found stained glass which might be associated with Lady Godiva: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4186858,00.html The discovery of a 17th century shipwreck might delay pipeline construction in Dublin Bay: http://www.iol.co.za/html/frame_news.php?click_id=588&art_id=qw990116701574B264 Not really archaeology or ancient, but interesting nonetheless is the claim that Anne Boleyn might have been pregnant when she was executed: http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=73561 The Guardian has a feature on what a career in archaeology might involve: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4188105,00.html

Archaeology is hopelessly enmeshed in politics, wars etc. During war, opposing sides are always quick to target monuments of national importance and national pride, and the archaeologicalo heritage of opposing sides. Archaeology is endlessly manipulated to suit the ideology of people. But on a more humorous note I decided to post some howlers I personally was told by people I met. The funny thing is not so much the ignorance but the pride and "know-all" attitude of the people I was speaking to. Some people love to bash/show off to archaeologists for some reason.... 1) (On the temples of Ireland and Malta) "But they have the same spirals. I think I have understood what happened. An irish craftsman who made the symbols on Newgrange travelled to Malta and made them on the temples there as well". 2) (On the Pyramids of Egypt) "You have an absolutely closed mind. Can you not at least consider that there was a possibility that the pyramids were build by aliens from the Plaedes? No? But u CANT say no! You are so closed minded!" 3)(on megaliths) "I dont call them megaliths. I have read many books on the subject and prefer to call them sarsens. Have you sarsens in Malta?" (she didn't realise that sarsen was a stone type that some of the stonehenge megaliths were made out of) 4)(Guide taking us around the Hypogeum) "And here is the hole where there was the snakepit, and justabove it in that niche they kept a statue of the mother goddess holding snakes (???). Right above us are the famous red ochre spirals. They are the trees of life like the tree of life in the Bible and Mesopotamia (????) and in those hollows over there women slept offering their dreams to the goddess (??????????)." (needless to say for once i was speechless). 5) (Angry man talking to me over phone when i was working at the arch museum) "Tourists come up to me and ask me where the Salina catacombs are and I am ashamed to tell them they were destroyed by people putting rubbish in them and that you lot did nothing to stop it. I used to go to the catacombs everyday! Now they are building over them!! You lot are **&%$#@#" ...(ME) "Excuse me sir where exactly do you place the salina catacombs?"...(HIM)..."what do you mean? under X overY of course!"...(ME)..."uhh...no..not exactltly they are in L under S"...(HIM)..."OH" **click** (know-all man in attendance of archaeology lecture on the building of the temples) "I disagree with this presentation. It would have taken far more labour to build the temples. I am an engineer! I know these things. You didn't even mention the guy who would have written down all the plans and given them to the others to follow..." (umm maltese temples are dated to 5000-3000 in all..like..no writing in Malta then? ouch this was bad...it was a public lecture) Thanks for this, Si�g http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/prehistoricarchaeology

Thanks for this H_H Secrets of Stone Age hill to be revealed By David Derbyshire, Science Correspondent THE largest and most mysterious Stone Age earth mound in Western Europe may be about to reveal some of its closely guarded secrets. Archaeologists are assembling on the summit of Silbury Hill, in Avebury, Wiltshire, to carry out its first three-dimensional seismic scan. The survey will reveal the extent of damage caused to the World Heritage Site by 18th and 19th century investigators. It may also solve the long-standing mystery of whether chambers, tunnels and burial rooms lie within the mound. Silbury Hill is about 130ft high and has a circumference at its base of 1,640ft. It covers five acres and is made from 12 million cubic feet of soil and chalk. It was built between 2800 and 2000 BC, but its purpose remains a mystery. The hill has attracted numerous legends. According to one, a solid gold knight and horse are hidden in a burial chamber. Last year a hole appeared on its flat summit, the result of a partial collapse of a vertical mine shaft dug by the Duke of Northumberland into the middle of the mound in 1776. His excavation found nothing, but archaeologists believe that the shaft was carelessly filled in. The hole at the summit, which measures 24ft by 18ft wide and is around 12 feet deep, is threatening the stability of the site. English Heritage, which is funding a dig to find out more, said a seismic scan within the next few weeks would reveal the extent of the instability and the state of other mine shafts dug in 1849, 1867, 1886 and 1968. Amanda Chadburn, English Heritage's inspector of ancient monuments, said: "The excavations will provide us with knowledge essential to our understanding of the hill's present condition. "Together with a seismic survey, it will enable us to solve some extremely complex technical problems and decide on the most effective strategy for repairs." The mound is thought to have religious significance and forms part of a complex of monuments in Avebury. http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/prehistoricarchaeology

Ancient cemetery discovered in Costa Rica San Jose, Costa Rica - Human remains more than 2 500 years old have been found on Costa Rica's Pacific coast and are believed to be part of an important pre-Colombian cemetery, scientists said on Wednesday. A fisherman discovered the site in April when he came across some bones 200 miles (320 kms) north-east of the capital, San Jose, said Vicente Guerrero, an archaeologist with the National Museum. Among the cadavers is a small child whose remains were well preserved. The site had been covered by the ocean, but was exposed during a low tide common in April. Guerrero said the burial was unique in its detail. Scientists have been able to determine the subjects' sex, age, height and cause of death. - Sapa-AP

More on P I C T I S H http://www.linguistlist.org/~ask-ling/archive-1998.7/msg00983.html and especially http://www.britannica.com/seo/p/pictish-language/ (the britannica article will list sources. There is some disagreement among scholars but generally, newer scholarship indicates that the Picts spoke a very ancient dialect of Brythonic or P-Celtic, like the language of the Gauls and Britons, rather than Goidelic or Gaelic like the Irish and Scotts. There are those who still disagree, however. When Columba went to proselytize the Picts he needed a translater even though he spoke both Briton and Irish. People of the "non-Celtic" school point to this as evidence that the Picts were a non-Celtic ore even non-Indo European people. But the fact of the matter is that this evidence is not dispositive because people who speak linguistically similar languages often cannot understand each other. For example, a French person would need a translator to converse with people who spoke Spanish, though they are both Romance languages. An even better way of looking at it is to say that even the same language may be unintelligible if you look at a much older dialect than the one with which you are familiar. How many modern English speakers can understand Beowulf, for example? Greek, too, has undergone significant changes in the last 1000 years; I'm told that Byzantine Greek (used in the Orthodox liturgy) is almost unintelligible to modern Greek speakers. Thanks Doug oldestcivilizations@yahoogroups.com

H_H - thank you for sending me this. It is 'orrible! Duchas objects to King's Island plans By �ibhir Mulqueen, Midwest Correspondent D�chas, the Heritage Service, says a proposed hotel development for the King's Island area of Limerick will erase a medieval laneway and ignores important monuments. The application by King's Island Developments to build a 107-bedroom hotel is for an area which formed part of the historic walled city. A substantial part of the wall runs through the site, Ms Triona Lonergan of the development applications section of D�chas told Limerick Corporation. The proposal is for two interconnected curvilinear blocks, reaching a height of 20.5 metres, in an area bounded by the Northern Relief Road, the medieval Long Lane and Sir Harry's Mall, which runs alongside the Abbey river. The developers also propose building a pedestrian boardwalk across the river. "It is proposed to erase all trace of a medieval laneway, the widening of a second medieval lane and the substantial loss of the southern end of Sir Harry's Mall," Ms Lonergan said. more... http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2001/0522/hom15.htm

Have asked for a legal opinion on this one .. let you know if I find out anything

Thanks for that Maggie!

DISCOVER ARCHAEOLOGY ONLINE WEEKLY, MAY 24, 2001 http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml The Feature Report Menu: * Dateline ... Caral, Peru * Indian Seabed Hides Ancient Remains * Oldest European Calendar Deciphered * So You Want To Be An Archaeologist * China Strengthens Cultural Relics Protection Laws * Hunley Commander's Remains Found * Seafood Gave Modern Humans Edge * Egyptian Farmer Discovers Ottoman Warship * Archaeoseismological Research * U.S. Customs Returns Relic To China * People Of Mystery * The Marathon Battlefield/The War Continues Click here to get there: http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/newsletter.shtml Thank you for subscribing!

From 'orrible 'orace with thanks from me: Digging deep to uncover secrets of ancient tomb Recent geophysical tests conducted at one of Ireland's most fascinating landmarks will provide some new insights into the mysteries of the Newgrange passage tomb in Meath's Boyne Valley. The use of modern technology allows archeologists to map out what lies hidden underground using electronic waves. It is now known that the process conducted for the first time at the historic site has produced a number of startling discoveries. A report on the findings, which are believed to show a long "avenue of the dead" leading up to the monument, is now being evaluated by experts. Details are likely to be released in the coming months. Constructed around 3000BC, Newgrange is one of Ireland's oldest man-made structures and a master feat of engineering even today. It is the oldest structure in the world with a recognised solar alignment. The drum-shaped passage tomb is part of a cluster which includes the smaller structures at Knowth and Dowth.While it is known as a passage tomb (the remains of six people were found inside), experts believe the structure and its surrounds fulfilled a number of functions which are still not clear today. It is thought to be a religious site and may also have been a gathering point for political use. Newgrange is best known for its marking of the winter solstice on December 22 - the shortest day of the year. At Newgrange, a "light box" opening above the entrance channels the sunlight in a beam right down the internal passage almost to the end of the tunnel. When Newgrange was first constructed, the alignment of the earth and sun were slightly different and the beam of sunlight would have reached right to the central chamber, illuminating it fully. The chamber at the end of the Newgrange tunnel has a corbelled stone roof built by stacking flat stones one on top of another in a reducing circle - using their own weight to create stability. � Tunnel vision: archeologists have found an "avenue of the dead" leading to the Newgrange tomb. Photograph: Eamonn Farrell Passage tombs like Newgrange and its neighbours, Knowth and Dowth, were made by building a stone tunnel and the relevant chambers and then stacking boulders and earth on top. Newgrange has 200,000 tonnes of rock and stands 42ft (13 metres) high and 260ft (80 metres) across. Outside Newgrange is "dashed" with gleaming quartz which cannot be found locally. The tomb is surrounded by large stones, some of which are carved with spirals thought to represent the sun while others show lined carvings. Newgrange was first excavated in the 1960s by Professor Michael J O'Kelly. The monument was excavated and restored to its present form. The Boyne Valley was first occupied 7,000 years ago by a pre-Celtic people who farmed the fertile valley. Dowth was the first tomb to be built followed by Newgrange and then Knowth. The Knowth site is more rounded and only 33ft deep but contains two tunnels back to back, one facing east and the other west. Knowth was continually occupied, later providing a fortress for Celtic and then Norman use. Dowth has remained unexcavated. Copyright 2001 Times Newspapers Ltd.

photograph and url for the above article http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/05/27/stipripri02021.html

Horrible, *Hugs* again for this article. Fascinating stuff! Earliest Scots discovered Frank O�Donnell (fodonnell@scotsman.com) AMATEUR archaeologists have discovered the earliest known evidence of human settlement in Scotland - dating from 8500BC. The remains of a temporary camp at Cramond, on Edinburgh�s northern foreshore, were uncovered with more than 3,000 artefacts, including around 300 stone tools and tool fragments. Tiny fragments of discarded hazelnut shells were the crucial evidence that the inhabitants of the mesolithic site were the earliest known people to have lived in Scotland - pushing the starting date for Scottish civilisation back around 500 years. The find proves the theory that people began to recolonise Scotland almost immediately after the last Ice Age. John Lawson, of Edinburgh City Council�s archaeology service, said: "It�s exciting to think these are the oldest known remains of settlers in Scotland. This is one of the most significant archaeological finds in the UK." Cramond now contains links to all periods of human occupation in Scotland. Previous excavations have uncovered a Roman fort, the underlying medireview church and village and a Roman lioness sculpture. A team of archaeologists began digging trenches in an area close to a Roman bath house in 1995. The dig expected to uncover further Roman remains but it quickly became apparent the team from the Edinburgh Archaeology Field Society had stumbled upon a mesolithic site. Careful analysis of the findings, with the assistance of the local authority and the National Museums of Scotland, has taken six years and it is only now archaeologists have been able to confirm the significance of the discovery.

Found this brilliant site ...have a look http://www.ghcc.msfc.nasa.gov/archeology/archeology.html

Here's a great link if you want to find lots of archeology sites. There's sure to be something of interest to you here .... http://bubl.ac.uk/link/hum.html

Regarding Newgrange,I have long thought that the book was still open and now that the proper tools are being used we should soon see how old the site actually is.But I wonder why the other Irish sites are so neglected.The time scale of all the guesses regarding all aspects of the prehistoric occupation of europe ,never mind just Ireland,must be pushed back a good few thousand years.Recent studies by younger Archaeologists versed in all the disciplines are putting the skids under the old farts who have dominated the field for far too long.Simply..it has been a cake walk for the old brigade to bullshit and get away with nonsense,the time of the real Archaeologist has come at long last

I trust you are out there encouraging them. I know your bit of the Auld Sod is sacred ground to you and no stone will be unturned in your efforts to get to the history of the place. Modern technology has been embraced by the new archaeologists, but the power still lies in the Old Boy Network who refuse to upgrage their memory banks or install new thinking. Those I used to worship have become stumbling blocks (go to a fogue in Cornwall to see a real one!) in the path of advancement of Archaeology. You are sadly right, but as long as you are custodian of even a small part of our ancient past, I will rest contented that what can be done will be done correctly. Go to it, man! I am right behind you carrying the lunch and notebooks.

This stuff Horace just sent me is amazing stuff. I wonder if I should post it under Mysterious Geo... for the time being check out http://www.geocities.com/mythical_ireland/ancientsites/dowth/index.html Mahalo Nui Loa, Horace. How I would love to see the Boyne monuments!!!

Liam, thanks for this! http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/Print/0,3858,4194064,00.html Stones that could be Britain's pyramids Backwardness of ancient Britain is myth, says historian Fiachra Gibbons, arts correspondent Tuesday May 29, 2001 The Guardian The history books tell us how the Romans brought civilisation to the barbarians of Britain. But yesterday an archaeologist turned that long-held belief upside down by claiming that the ancient people of these islands were far more advanced than any of the early Mediterranean cultures. More daring still, Barry Cunliffe, professor of European archaeology at Oxford, also disputes what he calls the "established pseudo-history" that the Celts swept westwards through Europe until they reached the Atlantic seaboards of Spain, France, Britain and Ireland. "There is simply no evidence for this," he said. "There was no great movement of peoples towards the Atlantic, because they were already there," he told the Hay-on-Wye book festival yesterday. "Only recently have we begun to discover that these people were far more advanced than those around the Mediterranean. We have underestimated dramatically the complexity of these people." Professor Cunliffe said the view of Stone Age Britain as backward had been skewed by our historical reliance on Greek and Roman classical texts, which were thick with prejudice and ignorant of almost anything beyond the Pillars of Hercules (Gibraltar). "For all these years we have been looking at Europe the wrong way round, and the idea that civilisation flowed out from the Mediterranean out to the barbarian edges of Europe has clouded our view that it flowed the other way too." He said the Atlantic civilisations that began to develop on favoured stretches of coasts such as southern Spain, Galicia, Brittany, Cornwall, Ireland and the western |isles of Scotland during the Mesolithic period from 6000 BC were the "most advanced and stable communities in Europe". He went on: "They were the first, for instance, to make what we call 'careful burials' and to leave offerings for the dead, surrounding their heads with red ochre to symbolise blood. You find remarkable similarity in these coastal burials from Iberia right up to Ireland and even to Denmark." The huge shellfish middens on which Stone Age people lived, and later buried their dead, also contained hooks and bones of large deep sea fish which proved that they had seagoing vessels. Prof Cunliffe said it was from these middens that the huge megalithic tombs, standing stones and circles that still pockmark Britain and Ireland, sprang up by 3000BC. "Thirty years ago it was held that these great stone monuments were influenced from the Mediterranean cultures, but carbon dating has begun to prove that this building was happening here long before they began to appear in southern Europe." The "astonishing complexity and daring" of these vast tombs, like those at Newgrange in Co Meath, Ireland, and Maes Howe on Orkney is as impressive as anything in Egypt at the same time. The professor, who has developed his theories in his new book Facing The Atlantic, and a forthcoming volume which follows Pytheas the Greek's circumnavigation of Britain in 320BC, said it was "very mistaken" to dismiss these Atlantic civilisations because they did not develop early forms of writing. "There is a tendency to say that the complex, urban societies that developed in the eastern Mediterranean were more advanced because they had writing," he said. "But these Atlantic ones were innovative in other ways. They were hugely more advanced in navigation, shipbuilding and their solar knowledge, and that of the seasons and the stars." But perhaps Prof Cunliffe's most extraordinary claim is that the Gaelic, Welsh, Cornish, Galician and Breton languages are not the last vestiges of a tongue carried by Celtic invaders from northern India, but were local languages which grew from the aboriginal population.

Good Grief, Middens have given rise to New Grange? Dowth and Nowth? Have they truly yielded fish bones at the bottom? Oh my heavens! Imagine living on your own rubbish tip?! We were a smelly lot. I can only wonder that we did not die off from some plague brough about by flies and rats who surly shared our abode. I think I need another bath!

Horace, The dolmen at Bree has a recumbent stone circle? I am all astonishment. A mini Boyne monument! I recall seeing dolmens in Wales and in Cornwall. None had standing stones around them. Henge traces, but no stones that I recall. *Getting out my books again* Your website is wonderful. May I offer my congratulations on a job well done?! I plan to spen hours in your company scraping the ground softly with a badger brush so I do not harm the glass shards. I also plan to get a bit of Rhyolite for my volcanic rock collection. Plants I will tackle in a bit elsewhere. Your home is wonderful. You did a splendid job on it! http://homepage.eircom.net/~bree

Thank you for your kind words Marcia and I must send you some Rhyolite,some limestone from the cliffs of Moher in Co. Clare and some 430 million year old fossil bearing limestone from the Hook Head here in Wexford which is sadly disappearing due to the action of Mother Nature ,Liam PS I did a post recently in your lovely conference and one of the young and fragrant members said that I did not sound horrible at all.Any more slanderous libelous stuff like that and I will show how horrible I am.Not horrible indeed,where do these youngsters get their ideas from?

OOOOOOuuuuuuuuu Sacred stones from the Emerald Isle?! FOSSILS?????? I will understand if it is not possible... The thought is lovely and the suggestion is much appreciated. See??? Not Horrible at all. Or is that for scaring the ladies who get too close? How horrible are you half way around the world? Can you scare straight through the earth?!

Me? scare ladies? never

Ah, That is nice to know. You warned us about how horrible you could be. I'll never tell what a pussycat you really are! Tell them to stick their cell-phone masts... well, trying to be a lady about this is not easy. Just tell them to shove them ! I'll help!

A pussycat? Marcia do you mean that Horrible Horace might occasionally be, just a little bit, horrible. After all, pussycats may have soft fur and purr, but they also have fangs and claws.

and things that go bump in the night

Uh oh... I'd better behave myself. Lots of stuff goes bump in the night when you dwell in a house 250 years old and live on land occupied for aeons. You don't happen to have Indian burial grounds, do you? You don't want to build your Hale (Hawaiian for "house") on that! Native Hawaiian burials are also not a good thing to build upon. Night-marchers, you know!

French Scientists Revive Napoleon Poisoning Theory French scientists on Friday presented new findings which they say prove that Napoleon was poisoned with arsenic, reinforcing the controversial theory that the emperor was murdered by French and British conspirators. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010601/sc/life_napoleon_dc_1.html ***watch out for that Napoleon Brandy!

I'm more inclined to believe that Napoleon poisoned himself rather than endure the sheer boredom of life on St. Helena.

I thought it was the aresenic on his wallpaper that did it. Copper arsenate was commonly known as Paris Green and was the chief source of green pigment for art and printing (and wallpaper) early on. It is illegal to use it now, for good reason!

I thought that some of you might be interested in this link in regard to the Celts. http://www.ares.u-net.com/celtindx.htm

Ooouuu yes!!! Thank you ... will report back. I have been "buried" in pyroclastic flows all morning and this will be a pleasant break ! Mahalo Nui!

I have downloaded that site to read later ,Cheryl,thank you for the link.A little caution on some "Celtic " sites ,racists have been known to take over the celtic history and twist it to try to prove some theory of a master-race in the Nazi style.I am not exactly a Politically Correct person but i abhor these people.That said there are some very good sites dealing with my great(to the power of megawatt)granddaddy.I will post some links later..I am still the new boy in this very nice and active Conference.(Thats another kiss you owe me Marcia)

There are some slightly "off-beat" (trying to be charitable) links there that should provide sfor some interesting conversation. Horace, you and I share these hisroty reconstructionists. The damage everything they touch. Soil and despoil. (All you have to do is make sure you have the entire url listed including the http part) *BIG HUGS* I am so delighted to have you join us. I hope you feel right at home. Thank you *kisses* for the lovely compliment! You are the ones who make it work. Otherwise you get my monologues all the time... Politically Correct is an oxymoron to me. How offensive!

Back to some nice Archaeo..sorry I have not yet upated my site on the ad-freeEircom,but if anyone is interested the photos of the stones surounding the Dolmen are on http://www.geocities.com/bree_house ,go to the photofile,which shows 4 blank buttons,click on the third one down(I hope,I'm on apple and blackberry wine just now) it should show a list of photos with red bits all over. Any questions to breehouse@eircom.net Liam

Ok... Wonder if you wrote this before or after our little conversation...*;) Thank you!

I found them!!! Thank you. The are on the photofile page. Just scroll down below the four dolmen ones and there are 13 photos complete with the arrows (must have Welshmen about!) Hugs... I hope you slept soundly!

There may well be a full circle of stones around that Dolmen,its very overgrown with brambles etc and as its not on my land I cant touch anything.maybe we will have a little conversation later............