Maia Atlantis: Ancient World Blogs

Islamkundliche Untersuchungen online << Adam C. McCollum (hmmlorientalia)

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:21:27 +0000

Since this blog’s inception there has been in the list of links one to digital editions of ZDMG, etc. In the same collection there are now 196 title of the series Islamkundliche Untersuchungen (h/t Sabine Schmidtke), a series covering a range of studies historical, literary, textual, linguistic, and social in the Middle East, and despite its title, the series is not strictly confined to Islamica. Every reader will have his or her own favorites or titles of interest, but as a sampling of the long list of books from this series freely available, here are a few of my own, with direct links:

Galen: “Über die Anatomie der Nerven” : Originalschrift und alexandrinisches Kompendium in arabischer Überlieferung / Ahmad M. Al-Dubayan

http://menadoc.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/ssg/content/titleinfo/256824

The stories of the Prophets by Ibn Muṭarrif al-Ṭarafī / ed. with an introd. and notes by Roberto Tottoli

http://menadoc.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/ssg/content/titleinfo/280877

Studien zum ältesten alchemistischen Schrifttum : auf der Grundlage zweier erstmals edierter arabischer Hermetica / Ingolf Vereno

http://menadoc.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/ssg/content/titleinfo/297787

Die Kritik der Prosa bei den Arabern : (vom 3./9. Jahrhundert bis zum Ende des 5./11. Jahrhunderts) / Mahmoud Darabseh

http://menadoc.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/ssg/content/titleinfo/304891

Über die Steine : das 14. Kapitel aus dem “Kitāb al-Muršid” des Muḥammad Ibn Aḥmad at-Tamīmī, nach dem Pariser Manuskript herausgegeben, übersetzt und kommentiert / Jutta Schönfeld

http://menadoc.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/ssg/content/titleinfo/1071856

Die Entstehung und Entwicklung der osmanisch-türkischen Paläographie und Diplomatik : mit einer Bibliographie / Valery Stojanow

http://menadoc.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/ssg/content/titleinfo/846828

Ibn ar-Rāhibs Leben und Werk : ein koptisch-arabischer Enzyklopädist des 7./13. Jahrhunderts / Adel Y. Sidarus

http://menadoc.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/ssg/content/titleinfo/847474

Der Orientalist Johann Gottfried Wetzstein als preussischer Konsul in Damaskus (1849 – 1861) : dargestellt nach seinen hinterlassenen Papieren / Ingeborg Huhn

http://menadoc.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/ssg/content/titleinfo/344941

Das Verhältnis von Poesie und Prosa in der arabischen Literaturtheorie des Mittelalters / Ziyad al-Ramadan az-Zuʿbī

http://menadoc.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/ssg/content/titleinfo/518946

Mädchennamen – verrätselt : 100 Rätsel-Epigramme aus d. adab-Werk Alf ǧāriya wa-ǧāriya (7./13. Jh.) / Jürgen W. Weil

http://menadoc.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/ssg/content/titleinfo/309887

Der arabische Dialekt von Mekka : Abriß der Grammatik mit Texten und Glossar / Giselher Schreiber

http://menadoc.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/ssg/content/titleinfo/305137

Das Kitāb ar-rauḍ al-ʿāṭir des Ibn-Aiyūb : Damaszener Biographien des 10./16. Jahrhunderts, Beschreibung und Edition / Ahmet Halil Güneş

http://menadoc.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/ssg/content/titleinfo/301056

Studien zur Grammatik des Osmanisch-Türkischen : unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des Vulgärosmanisch-Türkischen / von Erich Prokosch

http://menadoc.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/ssg/content/titleinfo/304595

Arabic literary works as a source of documentation for technical terms of the material culture / Dionisius A. Agius

http://menadoc.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/ssg/content/titleinfo/275281

Kritische Untersuchungen zum Diwan des Kumait b. Zaid / Kathrin Müller

http://menadoc.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/ssg/content/titleinfo/238296

Athanasius von Qūṣ Qilādat at-taḥrīr fī ʿilm at-tafsīr : eine koptische Grammatik in arabischer Sprache aus dem 13./14. Jh. / von Gertrud Bauer

http://menadoc.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/ssg/content/titleinfo/176618

Erziehung und Bildung im Schahname von Firdousi : eine Studie zur Geschichte der Erziehung im alten Iran / von Dariusch Bayat-Sarmadi

http://menadoc.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/ssg/content/titleinfo/176609

Happy reading.

New edition of "Vesuviana" << Blogging Pompeii

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Court) — Fri, 24 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

A new edition of the journal "Vesuviana" has come out with the following articles:

Valentino Gasparini, Jose Uroz Saez
Las murallas de Pompeya. Resultados del sondeo efectuado en Porta Nocera (2010) y su contextualizacion

Fabrizio Pesando
Fundamento sub terra: breve nota sulle fondazioni murarie pompeiane durante l'età sannitica

Francesca Bigi
I capitelli cubici: una nuova tipologia tutta pompeiana?

Luigi Pedroni
La casa di N. Popidius Priscus a Pompei (VII, 2, 20): contributi allo studio dell'edificio (indagini 2003-2005)

Luigi Pedroni, Alexandra Steiner
Marmi e pietre lavorate dalla casa di N. Popidius Priscus a Pompei: rapporto preliminare

John Pollini
A new winged goat table leg support from the house of Numerius Popidius Priscus at Pompei and the rediscovery of related finds lost for a century and a half

Domenico Camardo, Mario Notomista
Il "ninfeo" della Casa di Nettuno ed Anfitrite di Ercolano (V, 7-6). Nuovi dati archeologici dai recenti lavori di restauro

Giuseppe Camodeca
Una nuova compravendita di schiavo dalle Tabulae Herculanenses

ARIADNE - archaeological research data infrastructure << Charles Ellwood Jones (AWOL: The Ancient World Online)

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Jones) — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:54:19 +0000

ARIADNE

ARIADNE brings together and integrates existing archaeological research data infrastructures so that researchers can use the various distributed datasets and new and powerful technologies as an integral component of the archaeological research methodology. There is now a large availablity of archaeological digital datasets that all together span different periods, domains and regions; more are continuously created as a result of the increasing use of IT. The are the accumulated outcome of the research of individuals, teams and institutions, but form a vast and fragmented corpus and their potential has been constrained by difficult access and non-homogenous perspectives.

Ariadne will enable trans-national access of researchers to data centres, tools and guidance, and the creation of new Web-based services based on common interfaces to data repositories, availability of reference datasets and usage of innovative technologies. It will stimulate new research avenues in the field of archaeology, relying on the comparison, re-use and integration into current research of the outcomes of past and on-going field and laboratory activity. Such data are scattered amongst diverse collections, datasets, unpublished fieldwork reports (grey literature), and in publications. The latter still being the main source of knowledge sharing. Ariadne will contribute to the creation of a new community of researchers ready to exploit the contribution of Information Technology and to incorporate it in the body of established archaeological research methodology.

To achieve this result the project will use a number of integrating technologies that build on common features of the currently available datasets, and on integrating actions that will build a vibrant community of use.

About
Events
Resources
News
Partners

UNESCO's Reactive Monitoring Mission report on Pompeii << Blogging Pompeii

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Court) — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:51:00 +0000

You can download here UNESCO's Reactive Monitoring Mission report on Pompeii, Herculaneum and Oplontis that contains the results of their final mission in January 2013.

Doctor Who Complete Box Set! << James F. McGrath (Exploring Our Matrix)

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:35:51 +0000

Here is the box that the complete Doctor Who box set comes in, ready to ship:

I am joking, of course (if the photoshopping did not make that obvious). But it seemed as though someone ought to make an image like this, as a tribute to the nearly 363 hours of Doctor Who that have aired over the past 50 years.

Just how big would a complete box set be?

Friends of the Egyptian Museum << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Barford) — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:14:10 +0000

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo now has a Friends group. "Friends of the Egyptian Museum aims to offer support to the management of the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, and to cooperate with the Ministry of State for Antiquities Affairs to achieve four main aims:

To establish a wide reaching support /OR/ structured support network for the Museum with other institutions and individuals through projects and protocols of cooperation.
To foster Museum projects and academic research through fundraising and support.
To empower Museum staff.
To generate public interest in the Museum and Egyptian heritage.

We hope the Friends of the Egyptian Museum will be able to support our beloved museum through this very difficult time in Egypt's history.
This is the link to the Friends of the Egyptian Museum page. Please note that it still needs some work".

It seems there are a lot of concerns to be addressed: Sarah El-Rashidi, 'Egypt’s ancient artefacts crumble', Al Ahram 23 May 2013

UK Metal Detecting: From "Partners" to "Getting Down and Dirty''? << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Barford) — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:00:49 +0000

Archaeology days at the Cowper and Newton Museum
South East | Buckinghamshire Various dates (see below)
Archaeological skills, Hands-on activity, Performance, Family fun
This July the Cowper and Newton Museum will be getting down and dirty for our two new Archaeology Weekends! Both Saturdays (13th and 27th) we encourage you to bring any of your archaeological objects to be identified by our visiting Finds Liason Officer and her team of metal detectorists. [...] Website: http://www.cowperandnewtonmuseum.org.uk

These families are exhorted to "bring any of your archaeological objects", as if most British families have a whole box of them under the bed in the spare room. The prospect of "getting down and dirty" with ex-schoolteacher Ros Tyrell and her beep-beep boys somehow does not appeal, neither does it sound like "family fun", nor- come to that- an "archaeological skill".

George Clooney Hunts Nazi Loot ... << Dorothy King (PhDiva)

noreply@blogger.com (Dorothy King) — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:38:11 +0000

Yup, art restitution is about to get cool again ...

http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-23/george-clooney-hunts-nazi-loot-finds-german-cathedral.html

So take a look at www.LootBusters.com

Invitation to provide feedback on UCL Museums and Public Engagement << Andie Byrnes (Egyptology News)

noreply@blogger.com (Andie) — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:36:26 +0000

UCL Museums and Public Engagement (including the Grant Museum, Petrie Museum and Art Museum) are inviting your input to help them improve the ways in which they promote their museums and public engagement activities and communicate with their existing and potential audiences and visitors. Please note that you do not have to have visited any of the museums to take part. On completion of the survey you will be entered into a prize draw with £50 worth of vouchers of the winner's choice as the prize. The deadline is 4 June.

Complete the survey:
http://bit.ly/132y26y

Haplofind: mtDNA haplogroup assignment tool << Dienekes' Anthropology Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Dienekes) — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:00:01 +0000

Hum Mutat. 2013 May 20. doi: 10.1002/humu.22356. [Epub ahead of print]

HAPLOFIND: A New Method for High-Throughput mtDNA Haplogroup Assignment.

Vianello D, Sevini F, Castellani G, Laura L, Capri M, Franceschi C.

Abstract

Deep sequencing technologies are completely revolutionizing the approach to DNA analysis. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) studies entered in the "post-genomic era": the burst in sequenced samples observed in nuclear genomics is expected also in mitochondria, a trend that can already be detected checking complete mtDNA sequences database submission rate. Tools for the analysis of these data are available, but they fail in throughput or in easiness of use. We present here a new pipeline based on previous algorithms, inherited from the "nuclear genomic toolbox", combined with a newly developed algorithm capable of efficiently and easily classify new mtDNA sequences according to PhyloTree nomenclature. Detected mutations are also annotated using data collected from publicly available databases. Thanks to the analysis of all freely available sequences with known haplogroup obtained from GenBank, we were able to produce a Phylotree-based weighted tree, taking into account each haplogroup pattern conservation. The combination of a highly-efficient aligner, coupled with our algorithm and a massive usage of asynchronous parallel processing, allowed us to build a high-throughput pipeline for the analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences, that can quickly be updated to follow the ever-changing nomenclature. HaploFind is freely accessible at the web address https://haplofind.unibo.it.

Link

RomArché. A Villa Giulia rivivono le atmosfere del passato << ArcheoBlog

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:12:13 +0000

Il 24 maggio a partire dalle 19.30: archeologica, musica e piatti dell’antica Roma

Nei cortili di Villa Giulia per un tuffo nel passato con RomArché 2013: il 24 maggio, a partire dalle 19.30, le atmosfere, le musiche e i sapori dell’antica Roma accoglieranno il pubblico per una serata emozionante e fortemente evocativa.

Livio Zerbini, famoso storico e archeologo, ci guiderà alla scoperta di Licurgo e Numa Pompilio, personaggi già descritti nelle Vite Parellele di Plutarco, accompagnato dalle note dei Synaulia, gruppo di musica archeologica sperimentale noto per aver curato, fra gli altri, alcuni brani de “ Il Gladiatore ”.

La serata proseguirà con il banchetto ‘Eco di Sapori dall’Antichità’, degustazione a cura del Gruppo Storico Romano, che attraverso un’attenta ricostruzione filologica, basata sulle ricette di Apicio, offrirà piatti particolari e insoliti, rielaborati in chiave contemporanea, per un’esperienza eno-gastronomica ed estetica unica.

A RomArché proseguono, inoltre, tutti i giorni fino al 26 maggio, le attività di Biblioarché, con presentazioni di libri, riviste, dibattiti con gli autori, le visite guidate sperimentali in collaborazione con la Scuola Holden e la rassegna cinematografica curata da Rai Cinema.

Ingresso libero. RomArché Info: 06 90282729 – www.romarche.it

Ufficio stampa:

Monica Massolin

Binario Comunicazione

0521 1910211 – 345 9519146

massolin@binariocomunicazione.it

Cultural Encounters in Roman Patras << American School of Classical Studies in Athens: Events

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:50:38 +0000

May 27, 2013 - 1:51 PM - LECTURE Tamara Dijkstra (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)

Internship in Oxford at the Online Egyptological Bibliography (1 month) << Andie Byrnes (Egyptology News)

noreply@blogger.com (Andie) — Fri, 24 May 2013 10:24:48 +0000

For those people who have had trouble finding the information about the internship on the Griffith Institute Facebook page, I have copied and pasted the information here. I have no more details than those copied here, so please ask any questions via the contact details below.

The Mellon Foundation grant award for the Online Egyptological Bibliography (OEB) includes provision for an annual internship of one month to be held in Oxford.

Accordingly, we are seeking a person with an interest in bibliography & the development of databases in Egyptology to join the team for this period, during which they will gain experience of building an online bibliographic resource while contributing to the enhancement of the OEB database.

They will be able to devote some time to their own research, using the unrivalled facilities of the Sackler Library as well as other resources in Oxford.

We envisage that this person will be a graduate student of Egyptology (or a closely related subject) who will be willing to live & work in Oxford for a period of one month between July & September 2013. The precise period to be spent in Oxford need not coincide with a calendar month. Knowledge of Egyptological publications is essential, as is a concern for accuracy & consistency. The person must have a reading knowledge of French & German.

The intern will be reimbursed reasonable travel costs within the UK & will be helped with finding & paying for accommodation in Oxford, up to a total of £1000.

Those who are interested should write to R. Gareth Roberts (gareth.roberts [at] orinst.ox.ac.uk) with a letter, CV & the name of a referee (preferably their current graduate supervisor). We should like to receive expressions of interest as soon as possible, and no later than Friday 14 June, 2013.

Caravaggio’s famous painting goes to Croatia << Archaeology and Arts: Αρχαιολογία Online

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:18:56 +0000

Croatia is to be given Caravaggio’s “Supper at Emmaus” (1606) by Italy as a welcome present into the EU. The baroque masterpiece will be presented at Zagreb’s Museum for Arts and Crafts in June.

Man’s best and earliest friend << Archaeology and Arts: Αρχαιολογία Online

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:55:04 +0000

Dog burials from Simeria indicate that dogs were faced nearly as humans while the affection of humans to dogs was not essentially related to hunting.

Book Review: Pictures at an Exhibition, Sara Houghteling << Beatrice Kelly (After Indiana)

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:25:25 +0000

This book follows the attempts of Max Berenzon, a Parisian Jew, to recover the paintings looted from his father’s gallery during the Nazi occupation. Plagued by familial and romantic drama, “Max chases his twin obsessions: the lost paintings and Rose Clément.”

The cover of this book informs me that it “will conjure up the colors of Manet and Picasso more effectively than a glossy reproduction” (Minneapolis Star Tribune). I so desperately wanted to love this book and its apparently awe-inspiring textual “reproductions,” but felt wholeheartedly disappointed at the implausible and melodramatic twists the plot often took. The primary weakness of this otherwise fairly straightforward story of unrequited love and father-son tension is that Houghteling was too excited about her historical research to leave any of it out. As such, the characters know and witness just a bit too much in rather all too convenient ways, which, for me, made them more annoying than endearing.

It is certainly difficult to approach such a well-documented period as World War II because we can with great certainty confirm who was at, for example, the moving of Winged Victory from the Louvre. While Houghteling is undeniably a talented wordsmith, littering the text with beautiful phrases providing respite from the haze of war-torn France, she sometimes loses the thread of believability.

The most frustrating aspect for me was the supreme unlikeability of the woman our young protagonist has fallen for — Rose Clément. To base one of your main characters on the real life personality Rose Valland (a Parisian museum employee whose meticulous records tracked and subsequently saved many of the artworks looted by the Nazis) is to ask for comparison and disappointment. Beginning as a caricature of an art world climber and ending as a woman nearly driven to insanity from the pressures of record-keeping under the heavy hand of the Nazi occupation, Rose Clément seems to be an irreconcilably polarized character. Our narrator Max Berenzon’s love for her reminds me of the similarly unbelievable romance that drives Steve Martin’s An Object of Beauty.

Pictures at an Exhibition is an easy read, although I think that its strange combination of minute historical detail and superficial character developments will prove unsatisfying for both those interested in Nazi looting and those interested in a good novel.

The Plagues of the Cairo Museum << Archaeology and Arts: Αρχαιολογία Online

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:47:46 +0000

Ancient Egyptian artefacts deteriorate in Cairo’s central museum due to poor conditions, lack of resources; experts advise Egyptians to protect antiquities before damage is irreparable.

"An idolator of reason" << Jim Davila (Paleojudaica.com)

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila) — Fri, 24 May 2013 08:28:00 +0000

THIS WEEK'S DAF YOMI COLUMN BY ADAM KIRSCH IN TABLET: Who Can Follow These Rules? This week’s Talmud reading prompts strikingly contemporary questions about observance and belief.

In reading the Talmud, I have been especially interested in the glimpses it offers of how its complex rules were, or were not, actually observed in real life. It’s hard to imagine the average Jew in fifth-century-C.E. Babylonia—a farmer, soldier, or merchant—mastering the knowledge required to make judgments on every aspect of Jewish law. The question then becomes, did the majority of Jews consult experts frequently, or did they proceed by custom and rule of thumb, or did they simply ignore the law altogether? Was strict observance the exception, as it is among American Jews today, or the rule?

Cairo Geniza radio series << Jim Davila (Paleojudaica.com)

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila) — Fri, 24 May 2013 08:21:00 +0000

BBC RADIO 3 is running a series on the Cairo Geniza next week: Life in Fragments: Stories from the Cairo Genizah. More details here at the H-JUDAIC list.

Flour History << K. Kris Hearst (About.com: archaeology)

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:14:01 +0000

Evidence shows that humans have been grinding flour from seeds to make soups, bread, cookies and other kinds of edibles for some 30,000 years. Probably longer, in fact.

Traditional Grindstones from Maharashtra, India. Photo by Ganesh Dhamodkar...

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Picture of the day: Cat among the ruins of the Prytaneion at Ephesus (Turkey) << Carole Raddato (Following Hadrian)

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:13:26 +0000

Ephesus is teeming with cats. I happen to love cats and this is my best cat shot from Ephesus.

The reason I chose this photo today is that I just caught Cat Scratch Disease, an infection following the scratch of a cat, not from Ephesus, but from the ancient city of Olympos in Lycia. I never knew such a disease existed, although I have had many cats. For someone who is never ill and so fond of cats, I find it amusing that I caught this disease!

Time to worship Bastet… miaow!

Remains of ancient oak boat found in Ireland << Paola Arosio and Diego Meozzi (Stone Pages' Archaeonews)

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:50:17 +0000

On the River Boyne, in the republic of Ireland, near Drogheda, a team from the Boyne Fishermen's Rescue and Recovery Service came across an interesting discovery when they were out...

Stone Age hunter-scavengers << Paola Arosio and Diego Meozzi (Stone Pages' Archaeonews)

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:49:31 +0000

Evidence has been brought to light that our Stone Age ancestors developed techniques in hunter-scavenging, to fuel their evolution. The research study was carried out by a team from Baylor...

Neolithic hut re-construction in Wiltshire << Paola Arosio and Diego Meozzi (Stone Pages' Archaeonews)

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:47:41 +0000

Old Sarum has been chosen as the site for the re-construction of three Neolithic huts, in an attempt to understand what they looked like and how they worked. Different construction...

“Teche parlanti” high-tech al Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Cerveteri << ArcheoBlog

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:14:11 +0000

‘TECHE PARLANTI’ UNICHE AL MONDO AL MUSEO NAZIONALE DI CERVETERI PER UN VIAGGIO HI-TECH NEL MONDO DEGLI ETRUSCHI

Sono ‘teche parlanti’ uniche al mondo: con un semplice tocco sul reperto, le vetrine si trasformano in autentici touch screen e diventano multimediali e interattive grazie a realtà aumentata, video e divulgazioni d’autore a cura di Piero Angela e Paco Lanciano. Si chiama ‘Touch on glass’ ed è la tecnologia che da oggi fa il suo esordio al Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Cerveteri con ‘Museo Vivo’, le ultime installazioni di Filas nell’ambito del Distretto Tecnologico per i beni e le attività Culturali (Dtc), gestito dalla Finanziaria Laziale di Sviluppo per conto della Regione Lazio.

L’iniziativa – allestita da Mizar e realizzata in accordo con la Soprintendenza dell’Etruria Meridionale – è stata presentata oggi a Cerveteri dal Presidente della Regione Lazio, Nicola Zingaretti, l’assessore alla Cultura e Sport della Regione Lazio, Lidia Ravera, la Soprintendente per i beni Archeologici dell’Etruria Meridionale, Alfonsina Russo Tagliente, il Sindaco di Cerveteri, Alessio Pascucci, il Presidente Filas, Michele Pasca Raymondo ed il giornalista e divulgatore Piero Angela.

Grazie a ‘Museo Vivo’ i millenari reperti archeologici riprendono vita per raccontare storia, curiosità e segreti sull’affascinante mondo degli Etruschi. ‘Touch on glass’ funziona come uno smartphone: sfiorando il vetro in corrispondenza dell’oggetto, le speciali teche museali si animano e generano realtà aumentata su buccheri etruschi, anfore per l’olio e bicchieri per il vino, con l’ausilio di spettacoli di luce, effetti sonori, ricostruzioni 3D e proiezioni audiovisive. Al tocco le luci della teca si spengono per dare risalto al reperto prescelto; si attiva poi un breve video che ne descrive usi e costumi e lo riporta virtualmente nel luogo in cui è stato ritrovato. Il tutto è accompagnato dalle divulgazioni di Piero Angela. Oltre alle installazioni nelle teche, il museo mette a disposizione anche il filmato introduttivo con Piero Angela a grandezza naturale che accoglie e accompagna il visitatore durante tutta l’esposizione.

Cerveteri diventa così l’area archeologica, patrimonio dell’umanità, più hi-tech al mondo. ‘Museo Vivo’ si aggiunge infatti agli allestimenti multimediali realizzati in otto tombe della Necropoli della Banditaccia, sito Unesco. Tali interventi sono stati realizzati nell’ambito delle azioni del Dtc, il sistema integrato per valorizzare il patrimonio culturale del territorio attraverso le tecnologie digitali. Grazie ad avanzate tecniche di spettacolarizzazione, proiezioni audiovisive in sei lingue, ricostruzioni virtuali e effetti sonori, le installazioni mostrano ‘dal vivo’ nelle tombe stesse come queste erano più di duemila anni fa, riproducendo le atmosfere del tempo e i loro tesori con assoluto rigore scientifico e rispetto per la sacralità dei luoghi. Ad arricchire la visita, anche un’applicazione mobile che funge da guida interattiva: la App gratuita Cerveteri mostra la mappa della Necropoli su cui sono dislocati i vari punti di interesse corredati da immagini, file audio e schede descrittive.

Museo Vivo, realizzato da Filas per conto della Regione Lazio, rappresenta un’ulteriore leva per il rilancio dell’economia del territorio, a cominciare dal turismo. Basti pensare che nel 2012 grazie alle installazioni del Dtc, la Necropoli di Cerveteri ha registrato una crescita di afflussi di circa il 10% sul 2011 in controtendenza con il dato nazionale (-9% Dati MIBAC) e invertendo una tendenza in costante declino che ha visto dimezzare i visitatori delle necropoli negli ultimi 10 anni. Un comparto, quello dei beni culturali, strategico per il Lazio (regione con la più alta concentrazione di musei, monumenti e aree archeologiche statali), dove l’innovazione e la tecnologia possono portare un ritorno economico importante. Obiettivo del Dtc è infatti creare una rete fra imprese hi-tech, industrie creative (7mila con 250mila addetti solo a Roma), aziende nella filiera per i beni culturali (1.800) e del turismo culturale (30mila), incentivando l’innovazione e l’indotto sul territorio. Tutte le informazioni sul progetto Cerveteri e gli Etruschi sono presenti sul sito www.futouring.com

La bibliothèque universitaire de Lille pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale << Insula: Le blog de la Bibliothèque des Sciences de l'Antiquité (Lille 3)

Fri, 24 May 2013 05:19:54 +0000

Une histoire de la Bibliothèque universitaire de Lille / 10.

Ce billet présente l’état du bâtiment de la bibliothèque universitaire de Lille, de sa fréquentation par les étudiants et de l’accroissement relatif de ses collections durant la Seconde guerre mondiale.

Précédents épisodes :
1. Origine de la Bibliothèque des Facultés de Lille
2. La bibliothèque universitaire en 1909
3. Les bibliothécaires de l’université de Lille entre 1883 et 1923
4. Il est difficile de compter les livres dans une bibliothèque
5. Le catalogage à la Bibliothèque universitaire de Lille
6. La bibliothèque universitaire de Lille pendant la Grande Guerre
7. Réflexions sur le métier de bibliothécaire au début du 20e siècle
8. La bibliothèque universitaire de Lille dans l’entre-deux-guerres
9. Liliane Wetzel, bibliothécaire en chef des bibliothèques universitaire et municipale de Lille de 1937 à 1942

Mlle Andrée Bruchet, bibliothécaire à la bibliothèque universitaire de Grenoble, est nommée bibliothécaire en chef de l’université le 1^er octobre 1942. Pour des raisons de force majeure, elle ne peut rejoindre son poste que dans la seconde quinzaine de janvier 1943. À son arrivée, la bibliothèque municipale, fermée au public depuis septembre 1939, ouvre à nouveau.

Le bâtiment

Salle de lecture de la bibliothèque universitaire de Lille vers 1930

Les bibliothèques universitaire et municipale « s’étouffent mutuellement ». Le bâtiment commence à se dégrader. Cette situation entraîne de mauvaises conditions de travail pour le public et le personnel et une conservation difficile des collections.

1942-1943 (4^e année de guerre)

« Il faut signaler le mauvais état du bâtiment ; les sous-sols et le rez-de-chaussée sont humides et les collections risquent de subir des détériorations encore plus graves que celles déjà constatées ; cette humidité est due à une mauvaise ventilation, à un chauffage insuffisant et à une exposition défectueuse de certaines parties du bâtiment¹. »

1943-1944 (5^e année de guerre)

« La bibliothèque a subi quelques dégâts à Pâques, lors du bombardement de [la gare de triage] Lille-Délivrance ; la coupole de la salle de lecture et de nombreuses vitres ont été brisées. Dans l’avenir, lorsque les temps seront devenus meilleurs, il faudra envisager une révision de l’installation du chauffage central tout à fait insuffisant, afin de lutter contre l’humidité qui détériore les collections et pour améliorer les conditions de travail des lecteurs et du personnel². »

1944-1945

« L’humidité des sous-sols et du rez-de-chaussée devient inquiétante. Les collections se couvrent de moisissures, malgré les soins apportés dans le nettoyage des livres abîmés. L’insuffisance du chauffage durant 6 ans et la ventilation défectueuse en sont la cause principale³. »

1945-1946

« Les murs des sous-sols des ailes Jean-Bart et Angellier ont été recimentés en octobre 1945. Les verrières et les toitures de zinc de la coupole et des bureaux des bibliothécaires ont été réparées ; toutes ces réparations ont été effectuées par les soins des services d’entretien des bâtiments de la Ville de Lille. La bibliothèque universitaire a fait installer par mesure de sécurité des disjoncteurs dans les différents tableaux où sont installés les coupe-circuit des lignes électriques⁴. »

La fréquentation

Pendant cette période de guerre, la bibliothèque s’efforce de fonctionner dans des conditions aussi normales que possible.

	Étudiants inscrits	Lecteurs autorisés	Volumes communiqués	Volumes prêtés
1939-1940	851	32	37612	8545
1940-1941	1135	51	39519	11396
1941-1942	1831	69	52247	17897
1942-1943	2285	72	52348	19701
1943-1944	2299	58	47566	20360
1944-1945	2139	74	43360	18147⁵
1945-1946	2472	96	40704	18176

Le 2 décembre 1939, la Commission de la bibliothèque avait décidé d’ouvrir la bibliothèque universitaire au public le jeudi entre 12h et 14h. Cette décision est rediscutée en mars 1941 : peu d’étudiants (jamais plus de 4), effectifs insuffisants pour organiser un roulement du personnel⁶.

Les collections

	Accroissement des collections
1940-1941	+ 1356
1941-1942	+ 2693
1942-1943	+ 7794
1943-1944	+ 15668
1944-1945	+ 16184
1945-1946	+ 954

De nombreux abonnements aux périodiques sont interrompus. Certains reprennent à partir de 1944. Les achats d’ouvrages sont contraints par la hausse des prix, par les difficultés d’approvisionnement des librairies et par les contingentements.

Détail de la façade de la Bibliothèque universitaire de Lille

L’accroissement important des collections à partir de 1943-1944 s’explique par la reprise du catalogage des thèses en particulier étrangères, allemandes et néerlandaises : 12963 cette année-là et 12678 l’année suivante. Lille est, avec Lyon et Bordeaux, la seule bibliothèque de province à recevoir l’échange complet des thèses étrangères, en particulier les thèses allemandes.

La reconstitution des collections s’organise après la guerre avec l’aide des alliés. En 1945-1946, 3192 volumes en dons et échanges sont enregistrés contre 276 l’année précédente. Ce chiffre provient en partie d’un don important fait à la bibliothèque universitaire de Lille par la Direction des bibliothèques de livres anglais provenant de la Conférence interalliée des Ministres de l’Education. Ces livres sont répartis par les soins de la Direction des bibliothèques aux universités françaises parmi lesquelles Lille occupe une situation privilégiée par sa proximité avec l’Angleterre et ses enseignements d’histoire de la littérature et de la civilisation anglaises. 2374 volumes anglais sont reçus en 3 lots. La séance de la Commission de la bibliothèque du 20 novembre 1945 fait état du don de l’université d’Ann Arbor (Michigan). En 1946-1947, la Direction des bibliothèques, l’Army medical Service de Washington, l’American Library Association offrent de précieuses collections de périodiques (en partie en microfilms) qui permettent de combler en partie les lacunes de guerre.

En mars 1946, les collections précieuses évacuées en septembre 1939 sont ramenées dans un parfait état de conservation.

Notes du texte

« Rapport sur le fonctionnement de la bibliothèque de l’université pendant l’année scolaire 1942-1943 » par Mlle Bruchet, … dans Annales de l’université de Lille, 1942-1943, p. 10.
« Rapport sur la situation et le fonctionnement de la bibliothèque de l’université pendant l’année scolaire 1943-1944 » par Mlle Wetzel, … dans Annales de l’université de Lille, 1943-1944, p. 33.
« Rapport sur la situation et le fonctionnement de la bibliothèque de l’université pendant l’année scolaire 1944-1945 » par Mlle Wetzel, … dans Annales de l’université de Lille, 1944-1945, p. 24.
« Rapport sur la situation et le fonctionnement de la bibliothèque de l’université pendant l’année scolaire 1945-1946 » par Mlle Wetzel, … dans Annales de l’université de Lille, 1945-1946, p. 13.
En 1944, la bibliothèque municipale prête 7545 ouvrages, 8513 en 1945. Didier Queneutte, « Histoire de la bibliothèque municipale de Lille : 1939-1945 » dans La bibliothèque municipale de Lille fête les 40 ans de la médiathèque Jean Lévy, coord. par Didier Queneutte et Isabelle Westeel, Lille, Médiathèque Jean Lévy, 2005, p. 43.
Commission de la bibliothèque universitaire Séances du 2 décembre 1939 et du 4 mars 1941.

Friday Varia and Quick Hits << Bill Caraher (The New Archaeology of the Mediterranean World)

Fri, 24 May 2013 04:27:59 +0000

It feels much earlier (or later?) than 7 am right now as I push through jet lag to prepare another little spread of quick hits and varia for my readers. To continue where I left off on Wednesday, William Gibson describes jet lag in his 2003 novel Pattern Recognition as “the dire and ever-circling wolves of disrupted circadian rhythms.” That may be a bit overwrought, but it feels sort of accurate this morning.

An owl in Athens.
A couple articles by Joanna Smith and Szymon Rusinkiewicz on using and producing 3D models at Polis on Cyprus here and here.
Along similar lines, this is really funny and critically essay on the problem with state birds.
This is a cool faculty research seminar at my alma mater.
This is a ringing endorsement for peer review. (via Dimitri Nakassis). Is this really the best that the world can do right now?
MOOCs and the end of reform.
How to cite social media in MLA and APA style.
No go zones for Soviet citizens during the cold war.
Neil Gaiman and Kyle Cassidy discuss creativity.
Top 50 Oil and Gas people to follow on Twitter.
Follow the adventures of Kyle Cassidy and Bret Weber in the the Bakken this weekend on Twitter at #OilCampsND.
Great Deadspin article on how UND can lose its mind over little things.
What I’m listening to: Daft Punk, Random Access Memory; The National, Trouble Will Find Me.
What I’m reading: Polis and PKAP Notebooks.

La Parisienne, Minoan fresco remain found at Knossos on Crete,... << Ancient Art

Fri, 24 May 2013 04:00:00 +0000

La Parisienne, Minoan fresco remain found at Knossos on Crete, dates to about 1500 BC.

Courtesy & currently located at the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion. Photo taken by AlMare

Who Long? << James F. McGrath (Exploring Our Matrix)

Fri, 24 May 2013 03:27:53 +0000

This year is the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. And even with some hiatuses during that period, it has reached a grand total of almost 363 hours.

I’ve been rewatching the classic series, having started in 2011, and I still have a lot left…

Who is planning on rewatching the entire classic series this year, to celebrate the 50th anniversary?

The Grace in Being << James F. McGrath (Exploring Our Matrix)

Fri, 24 May 2013 01:18:15 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Sycamore School Middle School Symphonic Band recently premiered a composition by Julie Giroux, commissioned by the estate of Dr. Donald Johnson for them. I had the privilege of hearing it live at this performance, and am happy that it was recorded and I can now share it with you!

A Dantean moment << Tom Matrullo (Ovid's Metamorphoses)

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Matrullo) — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:24:33 +0000

There might be no more "Dantean" moment in the Metamorphoses than the sudden sound of Hippolytus's voice in book 15. For a comparison, consider the scene in Inferno 10 when, as Dante and Virgil are walking amid the open tombs in the City of Dis, they're suddenly interrupted by a deep voice from within a tomb:

O Tosco che per la città del foco

vivo ten vai cosù parlando onesto,

piacciati di restare in questo loco.

O Tuscan, thou who through the city of fire

Goest alive, thus speaking modestly,

Be pleased to stay thy footsteps in this place.

Farinata rises from his burning grave because he hears his native Florentine speech, and seizes the opportunity to hear of the living world.

Ovid's Egeria is disconsolate at the death of her consort, Numa, when she is suddenly interrupted:

How often Hippolytus, Theseus’s heroic son, said, to the weeping nymph: ‘Make an end to this, since yours is not the only fate to be lamented: think of others’ like misfortunes: you will endure your own more calmly.'

The appearance of Hippolytus is doubly unexpected -- nothing prepares us for the fact that he did not die in his chariot accident, or that he's in Aricia. Being addressed by a dead person who speaks of how he perished puts the sacred grove of Aricia on a path to the afterworld of Dante. Except here, Hippolytus has returned to life, albeit in disguise so that, as he says, his gift of life would neither be a cause of envy, nor enable him to be found by Dis. He speaks to comfort Egeria, though his speech seems to use an odd calculus to measure his disaster against her loss.

Hippolytus is one of very few figures in Greek mythology who return to live on Earth after total disfiguration and death. With Hippolytus, Ovid is exploring the limits of mortality, as Dante is doing in a quite different way with Farinata in the circle of heretics who deny immortal life.

The next post will continue with Hippolytus in Metamorphoses 15.

Questions about the Spengler Collection remain Unanswered by US Department of State. << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Barford) — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:10:13 +0000

The late William F. Spengler was, during his career with the U.S. State Department, the highest ranking U.S. diplomat in Afghanistan. During his tenure in Kabul, Mr. Spengler [...] regularly visited the bazaar and selected individual pieces of interest [ie ancient dugup coins] that he typically purchased at the prevailing scrap or precious metal rate. [...] Due to the benevolence of Mr. Spengler, many of these coins are preserved today in institutions here and abroad.

"Does the US State Department encourage its employees to engage in the purchase and collection of ancient artefacts from the cultures of the countries where they are stationed? (Actually that is not a rhetorical question, it seems to me that since this matter has been raised by Mr Sayles, an official statement is called-for)".

'The Spengler Collection at the CPAC', Monday, 20 September 2010

What if....? << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Barford) — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:09:29 +0000

.
We are supposed to be jubilating that some stolen cultural property is going back to from where it was stolen ('One Lot of Smuggled Dug-up Ancient Coins from Bulgaria off the US Market, but what of the Importer?'), but surely prevention is better than cure, why is the importer not facing charges?

I have another more fundamental question. What if ICE had not intercepted this shipment of 546 dugup ancient coins on their way, via the international smuggling network, from culture criminals (looters and middlemen) in Bulgaria to an unnamed US importer?

Well, once safely across the border and in the US (where "no US law would be broken" by their purchase wherever they were from), they would probably have gone (perhaps through an intermediary middleman) to a dealer who would advertise them for sale. Like many hundred other coins he has in stock. And how would the potential purchaser be able to know that had ICE been aware of these particular coins' entry into the US, they would have been seized as illicit? What in today's no-questions-asked US market differentiates the dodgy fresh imports missed by ICE from any of the other coins every PNG, IAPN, ACCG dealer has on sale?

Let me repeat that question, for the benefit of the slow-on-the-uptake coineys: "What in today's no-questions-asked US market differentiates the dodgy fresh imports missed by ICE from any of the other coins every PNG, IAPN, ACCG dealer has on sale?"

I'll anticipate their answer: "nothing".

Διπλοῦν ὁρῶσιν οἱ μαθόντες γράμματα << José María Ciordia (Pompilo: diario esporádico de un profesor de griego)

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:59:40 +0000

“Los que saben leer y escribir ven el doble” es una frase atribuída a Pitágoras. Podría decirse que es un gregajo si tuviéramos que inventar un paralelo del término latinajo. Aunque eran pocos, alguno había antes en España que soltaba latinajos: médicos, abogados, curas… pero qué pocos, ¡ay!, soltaban en su vida una frase o proverbio en griego antiguo, un gregajo.

Foto: Immanuel Giel (dominio público).

Para paliar esta minusvalía de nuestros contemporáneos, por aprender el idioma de mis antepasados in pectore, o por curiosidad sin más, he emprendido la traducción de un listado de locuciones griegas de la Wikipedia en inglés (WP-EN) a la Wikipedia en español (WP-ES): Anexo:Locuciones griegas. Allí encuentro perlas como esta regla menmotécnica para recordar el número pi: ἀεὶ ὁ θεὸς ὁ μέγας γεωμετρεῖ τὸ σύμπαν “Siempre el gran dios aplica la geometría a todo”, que vale (no revelaré aquí cómo) por 3,1415926. Voy por la alfa, y estás invitado/a a sumarte a este llamémosle esfuerzo o gusto. Así, y por cerrar en anillo este articulito, haremos verdad el dicho atribuido a Pitágoras de que διπλοῦν ὁρῶσιν οἱ μαθόντες γράμματα. Χαίρε.

María Moliner [no] se equivocaba << José María Ciordia (Pompilo: diario esporádico de un profesor de griego)

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:55:22 +0000

Solemos llamar María Moliner, con el nombre de su autora, al Diccionario de uso del español. Gracias a Wikipedia me entero de que hay varias ediciones de este diccionario: la edición original escrita y editada en vida de la autora, agotada hace años, y unas segunda y tercera ediciones publicadas tras su muerte con numerosos cambios debidos a otras manos. Leo que los herederos han litigado con la editorial a cuenta de estas ediciones espurias, no sé si por la integridad de la obra, por dinero o por ambos.

La primera edición, la fetén, no incluía las voces kuros y kore, pero se metieron con calzador en las ediciones siguientes, y se metieron mal. Kurós y koré dice la versión electrónica, y dice que porque vienen del griego ya agudas:

kurós (del gr. kourós, hombre joven)
koré (del gr. koré, mujer joven)

Una colleja había que meterles a estos lexicógrafos anónimos que no saben leer griego: κοῦρος y κόρη de toda la vida. Manolete, si no sabes deletrear, ¿pa qué te metes?

Bueno, pues que los chicos/as de Wikipedia se lo creyeron y pusieron toda la wiki perdida de kurós y korés agudos. Y en esas ando, de limpieza. ¡Anda que no hay faena! A ver si un bibliotecario me cree y traslada Kurós a Kuros, que les mosquea que yo diga que María Moliner se equivocaba, cuando lo que yo digo es que María Moliner [no] se equivocaba.

Por cierto, que cualquier excusa es buena para traer a colación esta foto del usuario de Wikimedia Commons Tetraktys: un primerísimo primer plano lateral de un kuros, el famoso Diadúmeno “el que se ciñe (la cinta a la cabeza)”. Las manchas de la piedra hasta parecen pelusilla de un mal afeitado. ¡Qué belleza!

Foto: Tetraktys. Licencia CC by-sa 3.0.

Money Launderers Using No-Questions-Asked Art Market to Cover Criminality << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Barford) — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:46:47 +0000

Of course antiquity sales is a very good example of all the tendencies discussed in this article from the Jewish Voice (Boruch Shubert, 'Money Launderers Using Art to Cover Criminality', 22 May 2013 ) which primarily has in mind other forms of "art"):

New revelations by law enforcement officials in both the United States and overseas show how money launderers – ever eager to find new ways to cover up their criminal deeds – are utilizing thousands of expensive artworks to disguise their illegitimate profits and unlawfully transfer assets on an international scale. Seeking ways to circumvent stricter government oversight of classical money-laundering methods, purveyors of such nefarious activity as smuggling, arms dealing and drug trafficking are taking advantage of the harder-to-track art market in much greater numbers than before.[...] The lucrative art market has become the money laundering vehicle of choice for so many because it is devoid of the legal safeguards found in most other industries. [...] it is relatively easy to move a painting from one country to another; the price of such an item can be raised or lowered by millions of dollars arbitrarily; and the identities of purchasers and sellers tend to be kept secret with a vengeance, leaving law enforcement to merely speculate who was actually involved, the source of the money and whether the price was suspicious.

New legislation in the EU and USA has been instituted to deal with this problem, but is insufficient. The article appears to be a plug for a soon-to-be-published book, "Money Laundering Through Art", by Fausto Martin De Sanctis. This calls for more focused international regulation of the art market. For their part, art dealers try to play down the role of art sales in the criminal underworld.

Art dealers and their clients are greatly reluctant to relinquish the trademark secrecy that is historically embedded within their business practices. In fact, the Art Dealers Association of America scoffs at the very notion that using art as a means of laundering money is a serious concern. “The issue is not an industry-wide problem and really does not pertain to us,” insisted Lily Mitchem Pearsall, the association’s spokeswoman.

Well, they would would they not? But if they are so sure of that, why not let's have the transparency from them they demand of lawmakers who produce regulations which affect the industry? Then we will see for ourselves.

Open Access Archaeology Digest #67 << Open Access Archaeology

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:30:07 +0000

A nice batch of Open Access (free to read) Archaeology articles:

Notice of the Kers of Samuelston.
http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/psas/contents.cfm?vol=3

Cobble Core Types in California
http://www.scahome.org/publications/proceedings/Proceedings.08Rondeau.pdf

Roman Urns found at Chesterford
http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/archjournal/contents.cfm?vol=7

Notices of Wroxeter the Roman Urioconium in Shropshire
http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/archjournal/contents.cfm?vol=16

The Roman fort at Fendoch in Glenalmond: a preliminary note
http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/psas/contents.cfm?vol=70

Learn more about Open Access and Archaeology at: http://bit.ly/YHuyFK

More on the Burial of King Richard III << Archaeology Magazine

saraceni@verizon.net (Jessica E. Saraceni) — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:07:38 +0000

LEICESTER, ENGLAND—Researchers from the University of Leicester have revealed in the journal Antiquity that the remains of King Richard III had been buried in an untidy grave, “without any pomp or solemn funeral,” as the medieval historian Polydore Vergil had written. There were no signs of a coffin or a shroud, and the lozenge-shaped grave was too short for his body, which had been placed on one side of the hole. Additional evidence suggests that the defeated king’s hands may have been tied. Other medieval graves in the town had been carefully dug to the correct length and with vertical sides.

Cave Paintings Found in Mexico’s San Carlos Mountains << Archaeology Magazine

saraceni@verizon.net (Jessica E. Saraceni) — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:04:33 +0000

BURGOS, MEXICO—Nearly 5,000 paintings have been discovered in 11 different sites in northeastern Mexico, in an area thought to have been uninhabited during the pre-Hispanic era. More than 1,500 of the paintings were found in one cave alone. The images depict people, animals, and insects, as well as an atlatl and abstract objects, and are thought to have been created by at least three different groups of hunter-gatherers. “We have not found any ancient objects linked to the context, and because the paintings are on ravine walls and in the rainy season the sediments are washed away, all we have is gravel,” said Gustavo Ramirez of the National Institute of Anthropology and History. Scientists will attempt to date the paintings’ pigments.

Gold and copper alloy spiral earring with griffin-head Greek,... << Ancient Peoples

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:02:59 +0000

Gold and copper alloy spiral earring with griffin-head

Greek, Cypriot

Classical Period, 400-350 B.C.

Source: The Metropolitan Museum

The Helmet of Peretu, a Geto-Dacian silver helmet dating from... << Ancient Art

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:02:48 +0000

The Helmet of Peretu, a Geto-Dacian silver helmet dating from the 5th century BC. It was found in the Peretu area, Romania.

Courtesy & currently located at the Romanian National History Museum. Photo taken by Cristian Chirita

Getting Acclimated << Scott Moore (Ancient History Ramblings)

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:00:07 +0000

Today was a down day to catch up on things after my travel to Cyprus. Surprisingly, jet lag has not been a problem. I was able to catch up on some research work and some departmental work, so it was a productive day. I also spent some time walking around the Larnaka waterfront and noticed very few changes, almost all of the stores and restaurants are still there. In fact, the were some additions, most noticeably a place where you can sit and put your feet in a tank for fish to cleanse and massage.

I also managed to find time to have an excellent souvlaki for lunch, as usual, and all in all it was actually a sort of relaxing day. This past semester was a bit hectic and it is nice to be able to slow down and catch my breath. Bill arrived tonite, and we will head out to the museum tomorrow morning to start processing our ceramics from last year.

RSM

Posted with Blogsy

Neanderthal Fossils Uncovered in Coastal Greek Cave << Archaeology Magazine

saraceni@verizon.net (Jessica E. Saraceni) — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:59:25 +0000

TÜBINGEN, GERMANY—The remains of several Neanderthals have been found at the Kalamakia Middle Paleolithic Cave on the Mani Peninsula in southern Greece. “The site is currently very close to the sea. During glacial times the sea level was lower, so there likely would have been a coastal plain exposed in front of the site. This habitat would be ideal for the kinds of animals that humans hunted,” said Katerina Harvati of the University of Tübingen. Here the Neanderthals ate fallow deer, ibex, shellfish, and tortoise, whose shells were crafted into tools. Before this discovery, the only known Neanderthal fossil in Greece was a single tooth, even though it was known that Neanderthals inhabited other Mediterranean coastal areas.

Elements in Baby Teeth Reveal Breast-Feeding History << Archaeology Magazine

saraceni@verizon.net (Jessica E. Saraceni) — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:57:01 +0000

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS—By measuring the ratios of barium to calcium in the layers of enamel and dentin in baby teeth, Manish Arora of Harvard University’s School of Public Health says that it is possible to determine how long a child had been breast fed. Before birth, very little barium is deposited into the developing teeth. The barium level spikes and stays high after birth when breast milk becomes the source of nutrition. When solid food is introduced, the levels change again. To test the technique, Arora analyzed a 100,000-year-old Neanderthal baby tooth from Belgium. He estimates that the child was breast fed exclusively until seven months of age, when its diet was supplemented with solid food, and that weaning occurred at 14 months of age. Breast feeding is “a major determinate of child health and immune protection, so breast-feeding is important both from the point of view of studying our evolution as well as studying health in modern humans,” he explained.

Open Access Journal: Gerda Henkel Stiftung: Jahresbericht << Charles Ellwood Jones (AWOL: The Ancient World Online)

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Jones) — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:45:06 +0000

Gerda Henkel Stiftung: Jahresbericht

Die Gerda Henkel Stiftung wurde im Juni 1976 von Frau Lisa Maskell zum Gedenken an ihre Mutter Gerda Henkel als gemeinnützige Stiftung des privaten Rechts mit Sitz in Düsseldorf errichtet. Ausschließlicher Stiftungszweck ist die Förderung der Wissenschaft, vornehmlich durch bestimmte fachlich und zeitlich begrenzte Arbeiten auf dem Gebiet der Geisteswissenschaft an Universitäten und Forschungsinstituten. Die Weiterbildung graduierter Studenten ist ein besonderes Anliegen der Stiftung.

Die Förderungen der Gerda Henkel Stiftung gelten den Historischen Geisteswissenschaften, vorrangig der Geschichtswissenschaft, der Archäologie, der Kunstgeschichte und historischen Teildisziplinen. Die Stiftung ist in Deutschland und international tätig.

The Gerda Henkel Foundation was established in 1976 by Lisa Maskell (1914 - 1998) in memory of her mother Gerda Henkel. Headquartered in Düsseldorf, the Gerda Henkel Foundation is a charitable organisation under private law that is independent of today's Henkel Group. The Foundation supports national and international academic projects in the following subjects: Archaeology, History, Historical Islamic Studies, Art History, History of Law, and Pre- and Protohistory. The Foundation is active both inside and outside Germany.
Jahresbericht 2012
Der Jahresbericht 2012 informiert über die laufenden Programme der Stiftung und stellt ausgewählte im Jahr 2012 neu in die Förderung aufgenommene und abgeschlossene Forschungsarbeiten vor.
Download (4.8 MB)

Jahresbericht 2011
Download (5.1 MB)
Jahresbericht 2010
Download (5.4 MB)
Jahresbericht 2009
Download (5.3 MB)
Jahresbericht 2008
Download (4.7 MB)
Jahresbericht 2007
Download (2.7 MB)
Jahresbericht 2006
Download (3.5 MB)
Jahresbericht 2005
Download (3.6 MB)
Jahresbericht 2004
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Jahresbericht 2003
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Jahresbericht 2002
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See the full List of Open Access Journals in Ancient Studies

REFEMA: Rôle Économique des Femmes en Mésopotamie Ancienne << Charles Ellwood Jones (AWOL: The Ancient World Online)

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Jones) — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:17:28 +0000

Carnet de REFEMA

Le “Carnet de REFEMA” est un carnet de recherche et un outil de travail destiné à faciliter les échanges et à rendre compte des étapes et résultats d’une recherche collective entamée en 2012: celle du programme franco-japonais en SHS consacré au “Rôle Économique des Femmes en Mésopotamie Ancienne” (REFEMA, projet CHORUS soutenu par l’Agence Nationale de la Recherche [ANR] et la Société Japonaise pour la Promotion de la Science [JSPS]). Cette recherche concerne plusieurs aspects de l’histoire économique et sociale de l’Antiquité proche-orientale, étudiée à partir des sources disponibles en écriture cunéiforme.
The “Carnet of REFEMA” is a research blog and a working tool to facilitate exchanges and to report on steps and results of a collective research project: the Japanese French project devoted since 2012 to the “Economic Role of Women in Ancient Mesopotamia “(REFEMA, CHORUS project supported by the French National Research Agency [ANR] and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science [JSPS]). This research concerns various aspects of the social and economic history of the ancient Near East, studied from available cuneiform sources.
「REFEMA研究メモ」は、2012年、日本学術振興会：二国間交流事業共同研究によるフランス国立研究機関（ANR）との共同研究「古代メソポタミアにおける女性の経済的役割」（Le Rôle Économique des Femmes en Mésopotamie Ancienne = REFEMA）の情報交換の場として、また進行状況や研究結果を報告する場として作成された。本研究は、楔形文字史料を用いた古代メソポタミア社会経済史に関する研究である。

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Jeffrey Gibson on the Disciples’ Prayer << James F. McGrath (Exploring Our Matrix)

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:07:03 +0000

I had the privilege of taking a look recently at a draft of a book Jeffrey Gibson has been working on, about the Lord’s Prayer, or as he prefers it be called, the Disciples’ Prayer. He has a very interesting take on it, suggesting that a key background to the prayer is to be found in the Biblical theme of the rebellious wilderness generation. He treats all of the elements as not mere petitions for something to be done by God, but that something happen through the one praying. And he makes the case that, as with other prayers Jesus gives his disciples, it is a prayer for protection against apostasy.

He has asked me what I think, and I think he makes a cogent argument. I still want to ponder some of the scholarly aspects of his case. But perhaps an equally significant test of his interpretation of the prayer is to pray the Disciples’ Prayer with the meaning he suggests that its elements had, in its earliest form. And so I’ve paraphrased it here, to try to get at the gist of how Jeffrey understands it. What follows is entirely my own wording, inspired by Jeffrey’s book – he should not be blamed for the details, although he should be given credit for the concepts where they are compelling.

Feel free to try it out too, if you are someone who prays, and then leave your comments here. Presumably if you find it meaningful, you will want to buy his book!

The Disciples’ Prayer

Father,

May we not behave in a way that dishonors your name,

But live under your dominion,

Having and being grateful for each day’s provisions

unlike our ancestors who grumbled in the wilderness.

May we not test you as they did.

Amen

1924 Print E-Sagila Image Babylon Hero-God Temple Marduk << All Mesopotamia

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:03:41 +0000

1924 Print E-Sagila Image Babylon Hero-God Temple Marduk

Academic Job Opening << Duane Smith (Abnormal Interests)

duane@telecomtally.com (Duane Smith) — Thu, 23 May 2013 18:36:08 +0000

in ME Studies. See if YOU qualify.

Via Leiter Reports: A Philosophy Blog

Coins returned to Bulgaria << David Gill (Looting Matters)

noreply@blogger.com (David Gill) — Thu, 23 May 2013 18:18:06 +0000

Source: ICE

ICE has announced the return of 546 ancient coins to Bulgaria ("Federal authorities return ancient coins to Bulgaria", May 21, 2013).

Bulgarian Ambassador Elena Poptodorova was quoted:

It is a special privilege to receive today, on behalf of the Bulgarian people, a part of our rich antique patrimony that was unlawfully taken away from us, ... I would like to thank both the HSI and CBP for their excellent work and high professionalism in retrieving these valuable ancient coins and returning them to where they belong, their homeland Bulgaria.

It appears that the coins were intercepted after a false declaration of origin.

In Doctor Who News << James F. McGrath (Exploring Our Matrix)

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:16:56 +0000

Doctor Who News has a brief piece about the forthcoming book Time and Relative Dimensions in Faith which Andy Crome and I have edited. It is already available for pre-order on Amazon in the UK (not yet through Amazon in the United States). I can’t guarantee that anyone will get them early as a result of pre-ordering, as some fans did with Blu-Ray copies of season 7.

Doctor Who News quotes David Moloney of Darton, Longman, and Todd as follows:

The book will be published on 29th October 2013, and its new title is Time and Relative Dimensions in Faith (and yes, there is a reason for the plural dimensions – as the editors Andrew Crome and James McGrath explain inside the book). The book is currently estimated to be a 304 page 198x126mm paperback, with 19 chapters written by contributors from the UK, US and Australia covering a wonderfully diverse range of subjects – all related to the exploration of religious themes in Doctor Who (in its many forms – TV old and new, books, audios, comics, etc).

As a Doctor Who fan myself I am absolutely delighted to be publishing this book in the show’s 50th anniversary year.

The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic << James F. McGrath (Exploring Our Matrix)

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:08:50 +0000

I had it drawn to my attention this morning that John Shelby Spong has a new book coming out soon: The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic. As it is about the Gospel of John, it is obviously of interest. I have a great ambivalence about Spong’s writings. On the one hand, his willingness to be a Christian iconoclast, not simply accepting traditional dogmas and viewpoints, I appreciate greatly. On the other hand, he sometimes presents as widely accepted scholarly viewpoints things that are his own idiosyncratic take on things – for instance, he suggests that the Gospels are in the genre of midrash, when his understanding of that term does not reflect that Jewish approach to commentary on Scripture.

That said, the idea that the Gospel of John might be either the work of a Jewish mystic, or about Jesus understood as a Jewish mystic, is worth exploring, and so I still look forward to seeing what Spong will do under this title.

The Progressive Christianity website has a sample from the book, the preface, which you can read as a pdf. It is mostly autobiographical and expressions of gratitude, and so doesn’t really give a sense of what the book’s contents are going to be like.

A few comments on grammatical terminology old and new << ἐν ἐφέσῳ: Thoughts and Meditations

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:04:42 +0000

I know its regularly said by those whose background is in classics and the tradition of classical philology that much of linguistics today and its own set terminology creates a sort of ivory tower situation, where it is almost impossible to follow a discussion as an outsider. And I certainly do not doubt that this is true to some extant for many of the descriptive and theoretical frameworks commonly used in linguistics, particularly in the more structuralist traditions. This problem is one that I’ve tried to fight against where I can, attempting to sufficiently define terminology as often as possible and linking to accessible sources for definitions, such as the SIL glossary of linguistic terms or the Leipzig Glossing Rules and its “appendix” of category labels.

On the other hand, whenever I open up a standard Greek grammar that’s written in the classical tradition, I cannot help but recognize the exact opposite problem. For example, for a contract project I’ve been working on, I’ve spent a little time examining the difference between ού and μή, Greek’s two negative particles. Here’s an example of the kind of obtuse, generally useless description of these two:

The two principle negative adverbs are ού and μή. Οὐ is the objective negative and μή is the subjective. It is hard to say which is stronger. Ού is stronger because it is simple, straightforward and uncompromised. Μή is stronger because it has an underlying sense of passion and rejection. The fervour and unction of μή suits the tone of much expression in the literature of the Hellenistic and Roman ages. So μή tends to supplant ού in many of its uses at writing. Some irregular uses of μή in Classical times, which do not fit into the idiomatic pattern then prevailing, are doubtless to be explained by the touch of passion beginning to make μή win out even in the earlier period. Another important facet of the meaning of μή is its appropriateness as a generic and so hypothetical negative. The idea of rejection it retains always, at least subliminally, can prevent an idea that is to say specifically, and so the suspended idea passes into the sphere of the typical or conditional.

Gary L. Cooper, Attic Greek Prose Syntax Vol 2., 1997.

The degree is nonsense in that quote is simply overwhelming. But I do not mean “nonsense” in that Cooper is wrong. No, most of the paragraph is fine, assuming one parses the actual proposition accurately (which may or may not be feasible). The nonsense is created by the sheer lack of well-defined terminology at all. What in the world does it mean for a negative to be “straightforward and uncompromised,” anyway? So much of this paragraph reads like filler solely designed to increase one’s word count. It certainly doesn’t help contribute to understanding the difference between ού and μή.

Here’s that same paragraph again with some commentary from me in bold bracketed text:

The two principle negative adverbs are ού and μή. Οὐ is the objective negative and μή is the subjective. [This is good and helpful. Now could we get a technical definition of what these two terms mean in relationship to negation?] It is hard to say which is stronger. [Stronger in what way?] Ού is stronger because it is simple, straightforward and uncompromised. [Yeah, no idea what that means…] Μή is stronger because it has an underlying sense of passion and rejection. [Well, “rejection” is something useful, at least etymologically, but passion? Other grammarians talk about μή being used to denote caution assertion, how does that relate to “passion”?]The fervour and unction of μή suits the tone of much expression in the literature of the Hellenistic and Roman ages. [This may be the first time I’ve see language change attributed to “unction.” Nice.] So μή tends to supplant ού in many of its uses at writing. Some irregular uses of μή in Classical times, which do not fit into the idiomatic pattern then prevailing, are doubtless to be explained by the touch of passion beginning to make μή win out even in the earlier period. [Which “irregular” uses are these? They’re never explicitly marked in the following detailed discussion?] Another important facet of the meaning of μή is its appropriateness as a generic and so hypothetical negative. [The term “hypothetical,” I can understand, but “generic”? Exactly what make μή “generic” and does that mean that ού, by implication is *not* “generic”?]The idea of rejection it retains always, at least subliminally [Yeah, I don’t but it], can prevent an idea that is to say specifically, and so the suspended idea passes into the sphere of the typical or conditional.

I hope that gives you a sense of the kind of things that go through my head when I’m reading traditional grammars. The nearly total lack of specificity in terminology, definitions, and explanation is incredibly frustrating.

Filed under: Grammar, Greek, Language, Linguistics, Semantics

iTanakh is getting more than a facelift << Christopher Heard (Higgaion)

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:03:18 +0000

iTanakh—the Web’s premiere index of free online resources for the academic study of the Hebrew Bible—went offline briefly recently during some server reorganization, but now it’s back, sporting a spiffy redesign. The new template not only uses a database on the back end instead of static HTML pages, which makes maintenance and updating much easier, but also incorporates several social media features. You can easily share links on Facebook, Twitter, or wherever. You can rate the listings from ★ to ★★★★★, and you can comment on the listings. I hope these new features make iTanakh more fun, interesting, and interactive, and perhaps even that they promote some discussion of the articles listed.

It’s going to take some time this time, to get the database in shape. Transferring the old links into the new structure is a relatively labor-intensive task, with lots of cutting, pasting, dragging, and clicking. I’ve begun work on Genesis, and as of this writing, I’ve published thirteen lucky links in the new format. As I move things over, I’m also incorporating some new data (like abstracts or thesis statements), pruning dead links, and tightening up the criteria for inclusion. If you’d like to help in this process by “adopting” a biblical book and converting the old links to the new style, I’d probably be happy to have your help. I say “probably” because reasonable facility with Biblical Hebrew is required for some of the listings. Contact me if you’re interested in volunteering to help the site regrow faster.

Until the new system has been populated with all of the links I want to keep from the previous iteration, the old static version of iTanakh will still be available, although some of the links to site graphics are broken so it won’t be pretty. Fixing those aesthetic issues is not on my to-do list, since I’m trying to retire those static pages as soon as possible. Welcome to the future!

שָׁלוֹם עָלֵיכֶם

Wooden offering statue of a woman This statue is still... << Ancient Peoples

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:01:37 +0000

Wooden offering statue of a woman

This statue is still beautifully painted in brilliant colours. Woman is balancing a basket on her head and holding a bird in her right hand. She is taking a step, indicating an active pose.

Egyptian.

Middle Kingdom, 12th dynasty, reign of Amenemhat I, 1985 - 1971 B.C.

Found in Thebes, Tomb of Meketre

Source: The Metropolitan Museum

Picture of the Week: Tabernacle Replica << BiblePlaces Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Seth M. Rodriquez) — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:58:36 +0000

(Post by Seth M. Rodriquez)

Most readers of this blog are familiar with reconstructions, sketches, and diagrams of the Tabernacle. From our reading of the text and with some help from Bible encyclopedias and study Bibles, we know the Tabernacle inside and out ... the courtyard, the altar, the tent itself with its various coverings, the outer room, the Holy of Holies, the various articles in the rooms, how the items were arranged in the court and in the tent, etc., etc.

But did you ever stop to think what the Tabernacle looked like to an ancient Israelite? I'm not talking about the priests and Levites who ministered in the Tabernacle, but just your average Israelite man or woman who would have passed by the Tabernacle on their way from one side of the camp to the other. What it would have looked like to their kids as they approached the Tabernacle, bringing the sacrificial animals that God had required? How much of God's tent could the average person see from outside the courtyard?

Our picture of the week seeks to portray just that:

This photo comes from Volume 5 of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands which focuses on the Negev and the Wilderness. Within this volume you will find a collection of pictures that captures a life-sized replica of the Tabernacle that stands in the Timna Valley in Israel. The PLBL states the following about the replica's history:

The model was created in 1986 by the Bible Center Theological Vocational School in Breckerfeld, Germany. It was displayed at exhibitions in seven European cities, mainly in Germany and Switzerland, before being erected in the Timna Valley.

You can see better pictures of the model on the BiblePlaces website here, but this particular image caught my attention because it is what the average Israelite would have seen on an average day. The outer screen of the Tabernacle's courtyard blocked most of the tent from view (Exod. 27:9-18), but someone standing outside could still see the top of the Tabernacle itself over the top of the screen. We know this because the height of the Tabernacle was at least 10 cubits (Exod. 26:15-16) while the height of the screen was around 5 cubits (Exod. 27:18), so the screen was only half as high as the tent.

A cubit is the length from the tip of your fingers to the tip of your elbow, thus in modern measurements a cubit is approximately half a meter or 18 inches. So to be more exact, the Tabernacle stood at least 5 meters (15 feet) tall and the screen was about 2.5 meters (7.5 feet) high. You would not be able to see anything if you were standing right next to the screen (unless you were extremely tall, like Goliath), but if you stood back away from the screen, the top of the Tabernacle could be seen towering over its surroundings.

On the one hand, the screen would have served as a reminder of the separation between a holy God and sinful man. Yet on the other hand, the tent itself was a visible reminder of the nearness of God. The book of Exodus teaches that God didn't deliver Israel from Egypt and then just walk away, but instead He delivered them so that He could dwell among them:

Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God. (Exod. 29:45-46.)

This image and over 700 others are available in Volume 5 of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands and can be purchased here for $34 (with free shipping). Additional information and images of the Tabernacle model can be seen here and here on the BiblePlaces website. For my thoughts about what happened to the Tabernacle after it was retired, see my posts on the Wild Olive Shoot blog here and here.

An Online Companion to the Riddle of the Labyrinth << Program in Aegean Scripts and Prehistory

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:48:24 +0000

In The Riddle of the Labyrinth (Ecco Press), author Margalit Fox gives us an inside look at the life of Alice E. Kober through first-hand sources. This was in part possible through “the newly opened archive of her papers at … Continue reading →

Evolving Christianity << James F. McGrath (Exploring Our Matrix)

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:41:30 +0000

Via Facebook. Christianity is changing all the time. It has evolved and continued to evolve, even on topics such as biological evolution. This t-shirt nicely symbolizes that point.

Afghan mine delays at ancient site delight archaeologists << David Connolly, Maggie Struckmeier, and Felicity Donohoe (Past Horizons: Adventures in Archaeology)

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:34:57 +0000

One of the excavated Buddhist stupas. Image: Jerome Starkey (Flickr, used under a CC BY-SA 3.0)

This article titled “Afghan mine delays at ancient site delight archaeologists” was written by Emma Graham-Harrison in Mes Aynak, for The Guardian on Thursday 23rd May 2013 15.39 UTC

The forts and temples of the ancient Buddhist town at Mes Aynak in Afghanistan throng with the biggest crowds they have seen in more than 14 centuries. Nearby, rows of sheet metal housing built for Chinese miners are almost empty.

Hundreds of archaeologists are working at the site to excavate gilded statues of the Buddha, elaborate stupas that rise from ornately carved floors and delicate frescoes protected by centuries of mud and forgetfulness. The rich vein of copper that once funded Mes Aynak’s creation is now likely to bring about its destruction: a Chinese state-owned mining company paid $3bn (£1.9bn) for the extraction rights, and the site will eventually become the world’s biggest copper mine.

But while the fevered excavations are a thrilling sight for those racing to save the last traces of Mes Aynak, the lack of activity in the mining camp is alarming financial mandarins in Kabul, who are counting on mining revenue to make up for slowing streams of western aid.

This year was supposed to see production of the first copper from the site since Afghanistan embraced Islam, the first gush of ore eventually forecast to bring $300m to the government each year, and a $1bn annual boost to the still feeble Afghan economy.

Instead, the only excavation on the site is of archaeological treasures and even the most optimistic officials and analysts admit it will be two years before Mes Aynak copper is trucked off to a Pakistani port.

However, others think 2016 or 2017 are more realistic, after a series of setbacks. The Chinese camp was evacuated last summer after a Taliban rocket attack and shows no signs of being restaffed, the ministry of mines wants to renegotiate the multibillion-dollar contract for the site, and the archaeological dig that must be completed before mining starts is still in full swing.

“Don’t worry, you will have at least until 2014,” one of the few Chinese miners who stayed on told archaeologists earlier this year. Others from China Metallurgical Group (MCC), the company with a majority stake in the mine, had a similar message. “The cultural artefacts are the most important thing,” they told surprised workers on an impromptu tour of the dig site.

Nearby, mining equipment sits idle, and many of the watchtowers ringing the core of the mine are empty at midday, although there is an outer circle of guards from a special resources protection unit.

Such concern for another country’s cultural heritage, unusual for a hard-nosed Chinese natural resources company, comes as Afghanistan braces itself for huge political and security upheaval in 2014. The last Nato troops will leave by the end of the year, and the country must hold a presidential election to replace Hamid Karzai, who has ruled for more than a decade but is barred by the constitution from standing again.

Any company looking at a decades-long project might prefer to wait for more clarity on who will rule the country, and how secure it will be, before starting work in earnest, although MCC did not respond to requests for comment on its plans for Mes Aynak.

The Afghan government may also be willing to swallow some delays as it looks to renegotiate a contract that has been shadowed by corruption allegations since it was signed off six years ago. The minister who agreed it resigned shortly after reports surfaced that he had pocketed a $30m bribe from MCC, which he strongly denied. .

“We have requested for the renegotiation [of the contract],” said the current minister of mines, Wahidullah Shahrani, who has led a high-profile campaign to modernise the ministry and make its bidding process professional and transparent.

He declined to go into details on what changes he was seeking, saying only that the contract was several years old. “When it comes to these types of big projects, there could be a need for some type of what we call correction measures to be taken. But as of now we have not launched any formal renegotiation with them,” he said, in an office lined with samples of the country’s many valuable rocks, from lapis lazuli to iron ore.

The Chinese company was due to submit a new work schedule at the end of April, Shahrani said, and if work goes smoothly he believes production could start by 2015.

The cash is certainly needed, with World Bank forecasts for a $7bn hole in Afghanistan’s annual budget after 2014, and the wider economy also suffering as US and Nato contracts dry up.

“When Aynak reaches full production the revenues to the government would be at least $300m … although it depends on fluctuations in the international copper market,” Shahrani said. “In terms of its contribution to the national economy, the indirect contribution, it would be around $1bn.”

But mining experts say that even if preparation work were to start in earnest this June, when the archaeologists’ permission to dig ends, production is unlikely before 2016, given the preparation work usually needed for big mining projects.

“Big mines take on average between three to five years to build and construct,” said a World Bank mining specialist, Michael Stanley, who declined to comment directly on Mes Aynak.

However, as long as the project is not called off, the wider Afghan economy will benefit from trucking, construction and any other work MCC contracts out, long before copper sales bring the government cash to balance its books.

“What everyone tends to forget is that the construction period for a mine, in terms of economic stimulus, is as important or more for the local economy than the production period,” Stanley said.

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010

Published via the Guardian News Feed plugin for WordPress.

COMUNICAZIONI dell'Istituto Papirologico «G. Vitelli» 11 << G.W. Schwendner (What's New in Papyrology)

noreply@blogger.com (G.W. Schwendner) — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:26:35 +0000

COMUNICAZIONI dell'Istituto Papirologico «G. Vitelli» 11

a cura di G. Bastianini e S. Russo

Firenze, Istituto Papirologico «G. Vitelli» 2013

INDICE:
Premessa p. III
Dai Papiri della Società Italiana
1. VT, Odae 8, 70?, 63, 74-79; 85-88 (M. Stroppa) p. 3
2. Preghiere per la comunità (M. Stroppa) p. 9
3. Orazione giudiziaria (E.A. Conti) p. 20
4. Frammento di petizione (S. Russo) p. 39
5. Lista di beni (S. Russo) p. 43
6. Intestazione di documento (S. Russo) p. 49
7. Frammento di documento matrimoniale (S. Russo) p. 51
8. Frammento di giornale ufficiale di uno stratego (G. Bastianini) p. 55
9. Lista di nomi (S. Russo) p. 59
10. Frammento di rapporto su una morte (accidentale?) (S. Russo) p. 62
11. Contratto di affitto di terreno (S. Russo) p. 65
12. Contratto di deposito (S. Russo) p. 68
13. Appunti di contenuto vario (E.A. Conti) p. 72
14. Contratto di lavoro? (S. Russo) p. 79
15-16. Ordini di consegna di carne (S. Russo) p. 83
T.M. Hickey, More from the dossier of Count John, son of Timagenes
(P.Ups. inv. 37) p. 87
E.A. Conti, Osservazioni paleografiche su PSI Com11 3 e lo ‘stile intermedio’ p. 91
R. Mascellari, P.Mil.Vogl. IV 222, 11: çkuvrinoç p. 111
I. Vezzani, Contributo allo studio iconografico del pSAT 3663
del Museo Egizio di Firenze p. 115
Indici dei testi editi in questo fascicolo:
Testi letterari p. 129
Testi documentari p. 131
Correzioni a testi già editi p. 137
Tavole I-XXV

Guido Bastianini

Istituto Papirologico "G. Vitelli"
Università degli Studi di Firenze

Borgo degli Albizi 12
I-50122 Firenze

_____________________

_____________________

«Segno e testo», vol. 10 (2012) << G.W. Schwendner (What's New in Papyrology)

noreply@blogger.com (G.W. Schwendner) — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:24:21 +0000

«Segno e testo», vol. 10 (2012), pp. 416, tavv. 48, € 64

Indice:

Menico Caroli, Il commercio librario nell'Egitto greco-romano
Valentina Garulli, Da Cipro a Delo: gli epigrammi di Antistene di Pafo; Francesca Romana Nocchi, Lettura di Menandro alla scuola del grammaticus
Fabio Acerbi, Commentari, scolii e annotazioni marginali ai trattati matematici greci
Lucia Castaldi, Gli scrupoli di Gregorio Magno: Scio enim quod Redemptor meus vivit
Rosella Tinaburri, Gli elementi paratestuali nel testimone cottoniano del Heliand
Filippo Ronconi, La Bibliothèque de Photius et le Marc. gr. 450. Recherches préliminaires
Bexen Campos, «Quand Dieu dit une chose et fait ensuite une autre»: la compilation de textes antijuifs et antihérétiques du Par. Coisl. 299
Margherita Losacco, «Il libro del Cristiano»: indagini sul Laur. Plut. 9.28, testimonio della Topografia cristiana di Cosma Indicopleuste
Vicente García Lobo – Alejandro Celso García Morilla, Un falso epigráfico del s. XII. La supuesta lápida de Santa María de Husillos
Nadezhda Kavrus-Hoffmann, The Scribe Gennadios af the Hodegon Monastery: a Case Study of Digraphism and Brotherly Spirit
Anatole Pierre Fuksas, Hierarchical Segmentation of Chretien's Chevalier au Lion in Ms. Princeton, University Library, Garrett 125
Sito web della rivista: http://www.eventi.unicas.it/Segno-e-Testo
La distribuzione di «Segno e testo» è curata da:
Brepols Publishers 
Begijnhof 67 – B-2300 Turnhout (Belgium) E-mail: info@brepols.net www.brepols.net Tel. +32 14 44 80 20 – Fax +32 14 42 89 19

L. Del Corso - P. Pecere (a cura di), Il libro filosofico dall'antichità al XXI secolo, "Quaestio" 11, 2012 << G.W. Schwendner (What's New in Papyrology)

noreply@blogger.com (G.W. Schwendner) — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:24:03 +0000

L. Del Corso - P. Pecere (a cura di), Il libro filosofico dall'antichità al XXI secolo, "Quaestio" 11, 2012, pp. XXII + 540 (con illustrazioni), € 80.

Tra i contributi di interesse papirologico e filologico:

L. DEL CORSO - P. PECERE, Premessa. Storia del libro e storia della filosofia
L. DEL CORSO, Il libro e il logos. Riflessioni sulla trasmissione del pensiero filosofico da Platone a Galeno
G. DEL MASTRO, Filosofi, scribi e glutinatores. I rotoli della Villa dei Papiri di Ercolano
M. HAAKE, Zwischen Alexander dem Großen und Arcadius, von Anaxarchos von Abdera zu Synesios von Kyrene. Die Gattung Über das Königtum im Kontext antiker Alleinherrschaften – eine Skizze
R. CHIARADONNA, Interpretazione filosofica e ricezione del corpus. Il caso di Aristotele (100 a.C. - 250 d.C.)
I. PRIVITERA, Aristotle and the Papyri: the Direct Tradition
C. TORNAU, Text, Medium und publizistische Begleitung: Buchproduktion und Buchkomposition bei Augustinus
F. RONCONI, Le silence des livres. Manuscrits philosophiques et circulation des idées à l’époque byzantine moyenne
Un indice completo del volume può essere visionato all'indirizzo
http://www.paginasc.it/quaestio.php?titolo=quaestio
con indicazioni per l'acquisto del volume

La distribuzione di Quaestio è curata inoltre da
Brepols Publishers Begijnhof 67 – B-2300 Turnhout (Belgium) E-mail: info@brepols.net www.brepols.net Tel. +32 14 44 80 20 – Fax +32 14 42 89 19

M. Faraguna (ed.), Archives and Archival Documents in Ancient Societies, << G.W. Schwendner (What's New in Papyrology)

noreply@blogger.com (G.W. Schwendner) — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:23:26 +0000

M. Faraguna (ed.), Archives and Archival Documents in Ancient Societies, Trieste 30 September-1 October 2011 (Legal Documents in Ancient Societies IV, Graeca Tergestina 1), Trieste, EUT, 2013, 378 p.

ISBN 978-88-8303-460-2

ABSTRACT

This book, part of a series aiming to investigate the legal systems of ancient societies through a document-based, comparative approach, focuses on the study of archives and archival records and their interplay with the workings of administrative and political systems.

The papers are arranged in four sections dealing with the Ancient Near East, Classical Greece, the Persian Tradition and the Hellenistic World, and the Roman Empire. The themes touched upon chronologically span from the early second millennium B.C. to the late Roman Empire and geographically range from Mesopotamia to the Western Mediterranean. The archives considered, public and private, are conspicuous for their variety and reflect diverse archival concepts and traditions but a number of common patterns also emerge in respect to their physical organization, to the classification of texts, the function of record-keeping and the role of seals. We are entitled to speak of a recurring ?archival behaviour?.

CONTENTS

Michele Faraguna (Trieste)

7 Foreword

Dennis Kehoe (New Orleans)

11 Archives and Archival Documents in Ancient Societies: Introduction

Ancient Near East

Sophie Démare-Lafont (Paris)

23 Zero and Infinity: the Archives in Mesopotamia

Klaas R. Veenhof (Leiden)

27 The Archives of Old Assyrian Traders: their Nature, Functions and Use

Antoine Jacquet (Paris)

63 Family Archives in Mesopotamia during the Old Babylonian Period

Susanne Paulus (Münster)

87 The Limits of Middle Babylonian Archives

Classical Greece

Christophe Pébarthe (Bordeaux)

107 Les archives de la cité de raison. Démocratie athénienne et pratiques documentaires à l?époque classique

Shimon Epstein (Tel-Aviv /Freiburg)

127 Attic Building Accounts from Euthynae to Stelae

Edward M. Harris (Durham)

143 The Plaint in Athenian Law and Legal Procedure

Michele Faraguna (Trieste)

163 Archives in Classical Greece: Some Observations

The Persian Tradition and the Hellenistic World

Ingo Kottsieper (Göttingen)

175 Aramäische Archive aus achämenidischer Zeit und ihre Funktion

Laura Boffo (Trieste)

201 La ?presenza? dei re negli archivi delle poleis ellenistiche

Lucia Criscuolo (Bologna)

245 Copie, malacopie, copie d'ufficio e il problema della titolarità di un archivio nell?Egitto tolemaico

Mark Depauw (Leuven)

259 Reflections on Reconstructing Private and Official Archives

The Roman Empire

Éva Jakab (Szeged)

269 Introduction: Archives in the Roman Empire

Kaja Harter-Uibopuu (Wien)

273 Epigraphische Quellen zum Archivwesen in den griechischen Poleis des ausgehenden Hellenismus und der Kaiserzeit

Thomas Kruse (Wien)

307 Bevölkerungskontrolle, Statuszugang und Archivpraxis im römischen Ägypten

Rudolf Haensch (München)

333 Die Statthalterarchive der Spätantike

Uri Yiftach-Firanko (Jerusalem)

351 Conclusions

363 Index locorum

In My Earbuds Lately << Martin Rundkvist (Aardvarchaeology)

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:20:58 +0000

For months I subscribed to too many podcasts, and so wasn’t listening to a lot of music. But lately I’ve made an effort to rectify that. Here’s what I’ve been bopping to.

Apples In Stereo – Travellers In Space And Time (2010). Lots of vocoder!
David Bowie – Pin Ups (1973). Glam covers of 60s British pop tunes.
Brimstone Solar Radiation Band – Solstice (2005). Norway’s finest psychedelia!
Jet – Shaka Rock (2009). Stonesy, amazingly derivative and amazingly good.
Midlake – Courage of Others (2010). Mournful, close two-part harmony, guitars, flute, always on the brink of over-earnestness.
Norm Sherman – Esoteric Order of Sherman (2012). Masterfully genre-spanning geek comedy songs.
Sword – Age of Winters (2006). Black Sabbath devotees lamenting the passing of the aurochs.
Tame Impala – Lonerism (2012). Australian Lennon soundalike plays spaced-out pop under the direction of ex-Mercury-Rev producer.
Yes – Fragile (1971). Exuberantly intricate prog rock.

Now tell me about some more good albums!

A.T. Wilburn, Materia Magica The Archaeology of Magic in Roman Egypt, Cyprus, and Spain << G.W. Schwendner (What's New in Papyrology)

noreply@blogger.com (G.W. Schwendner) — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:20:53 +0000

Materia Magica: The Archaeology of Magic in Roman Egypt, Cyprus, and Spain
Andrew T. Wilburn
Approaches ancient magical practice through archaeology and social history

Description
Series New Texts from Ancient Cultures

This exciting new study draws on objects excavated or discovered in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century at three Mediterranean sites. Through the three case studies, Materia Magica identifies specific forms of magic that may be otherwise unknown. It isolates the practitioners of magic and examines whether magic could be used as a form of countercultural resistance. Andrew T. Wilburn discovers magic in the objects of ancient daily life, suggesting that individuals frequently turned to magic, particularly in crises. Local forms of magic may have differed, and Wilburn proposes that the only way we can find small-town sorcerers is through careful examination of the archaeological evidence.
Studying the remains of spells enacted by practitioners, Wilburn's work unites the analysis of the words written on artifacts and the physical form of these objects. He situates these items within their contexts, to study how and why they were used. Materia Magica approaches magic as a material endeavor, in which spoken spells, ritual actions, and physical objects all played vital roles in the performance of a rite.
Materia Magica develops a new method for identifying and interpreting the material remains of magical practice by assessing artifacts within their archaeological contexts. Wilburn suggests that excavations undertaken in recent centuries can yield important lessons about the past, and he articulates the ways in which we can approach problematic data.
Andrew T. Wilburn is Associate Professor of Classics at Oberlin College.

Tweet from @TheArtNewspaper << Dorothy King (PhDiva)

noreply@blogger.com (Dorothy King) — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:17:05 +0000

@TheArtNewspaper: Caligula reunited with his barges—Restored statue, broken by tomb robbers, to go on display at Roman ship museum http://t.co/8Oc0EIwVH9

I covered the original story when it was found, and people have been asking for updates

Más sobre educación y el precio de la ignorancia << Elena Cano (Γνωθι τους αλλους)

noreply@blogger.com (ecano) — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:54:15 +0000

Hoy os dejo otro vídeo del canal de TED que, aunque ya tiene cuatro añitos y habla de la educación en Estados Unidos, nos ayuda a ver nuestra propia situación actual con mucha claridad, pues los problemas de los que habla son universales y tan urgentes aquí como allí.

Blue faience amulet of the eye of Horus The eye of Horus was... << Ancient Peoples

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:03:06 +0000

Blue faience amulet of the eye of Horus

The eye of Horus was the most popular amulet in Egypt because of its protective, regenerative and healing qualities.

Third Intermediate Period, 1070 - 664 B.C.

Egyptian.

Source: The Metropolitan Museum

Stanislav Grigoriev's "Ancient Indo-Europeans" << Dienekes' Anthropology Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Dienekes) — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:49:02 +0000

I had seen bits and pieces of SA Grigoriev's ideas in various publications, but it's nice to see this work in its entirety (although the reproduction of the maps doesn't seem to be very good). From the conclusion:

The Indo-European problem is a complex one, combining linguistic and archaeological evidence. In linguistics Gamkrelidze and Ivanov have suggested a system and a fundamental solution. Convincing linguistic models uniquely localising the Indo-European homeland in the Balkans, or even in the North Pontic area or Central Europe, are lacking. Often criticism of Gamkrelidze and Ivanov has been reduced to no more than a statement that archaeological evidence in favour of it is absent. As we see, this does not correspond to reality (and, by the way, did not correspond to reality before the publication of this book). There are a number of facts to prove the connections of North Eurasian and European cultures with the Near East, whilst convincing examples to demonstrate the reverse connections do not now exist. There is a purely historiographic tradition, not substantiated by facts. For the long years this tradition flourished it proved impossible to flesh it out with arguments, although skilled scholars attempted to do so. Therefore, hypotheses about the northern origin of the Indo-Europeans have practically nothing which can be used today in support, either linguistic or archaeological. The archaeological model suggested here is not complete in many respects. Many parallels may raise doubts, as it has not always been possible to back them up with completely identical artefacts. But in the consideration of distant migrations and subsequent cultural transformations, such complete similarity may be wanting.

Interestingly, Grigoriev's reconstruction does not seem to agree with G&I's model in all its details, as the latter suggested the Halafian culture as the archaeological manifestation of the Proto-Indo-European community (picture from Wikipedia on the right).

For reasons of my own (i.e., finding the hiding place of the "West Asian" autosomal component which I believe was introduced to Europe by Indo-Europeans) it might be worth seeking a more "eastern" PIE homeland.

In any case it would be wonderful to get some archaeogenetic data from the Near East. Irrespective of one's opinion on the IE problem, most everyone would agree that this is a critical region for understanding the prehistory of Eurasia.

Deux Œdipe tragiques << Compitum - événements (tous types)

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:12:38 +0000

Titre: Deux Œdipe tragiques
Lieu: Maison de l'Orient et de la Méditerranée / Lyon
Catégorie: Colloques, journées d'études
Date: 24.05.2013
Heure: 12.00 h - 15.10 h
Description:

Information signalée par Pascale Paré-Rey

Deux Œdipe tragiques

Sophocle, Œdipe à Colone – Sénèque, Œdipe

Programme de la journée du vendredi 24 mai 2013 - salle Joseph Reinach (4ème étage)

Le temps d'intervention comprend celui de l'exposé et dix à quinze minutes d'échange avec le public.

9h30-9h45 Accueil

9h45-10h30 A. Lebeau
« Oracles, prophéties, malédictions dans l'Œdipe à Colone de Sophocle »

10h30-11h15 François Le Pezron
« Sophocle donne-t-il un sens à la mort d'Œdipe? »

11h15-12h15 C. Mauduit et A.-S. Noel
« Dynamique et symbolique de l'espace dans Œdipe à Colone »

12h30-14h30 déjeuner (« Café du 7ème art », rue Berthelot ou « Le Saint-Laurent », rue Béchevelin)

14h30-15h15 M.-H. Garelli
« Dramaturgie de l'Œdipe de Sénèque »

15h15-16h00 Marine Bretin-Chabrol
« Coniuge est genitus tua (v. 867) : les nœuds de la parenté dans l'Œdipe de Sénèque »

16h00-16h30 Bilan et clôture de la journée

Organisation et contacts :
Isabelle Boehm : isabelle.boehm@mom.fr
Nadine Le Meur-Weissman : nadine.le-meur@ens-lyon.fr
Pascale Paré-Rey : pascale.rey@univ-lyon3.fr

Accounts for daily salaries sealed by a high civil servant named... << Ancient Art

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:01:27 +0000

Accounts for daily salaries sealed by a high civil servant named Ur-Shara. ca. 2044 BCE, made of terracotta.

Courtesy & currently located at the Musée des beaux-arts de Lyon, France. Photo taken by Rama

Ur, Iraq. << All Mesopotamia

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:00:55 +0000

Ur, Iraq.

APA Blog : Latin, Greek and Humanities at the Academy /Vivarium Novum/ in Rome – Italy << American Philological Association News

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:22:00 +0000

The Academy /Vivarium Novum /is offering ten full tuition scholarships for high school students of the European Union (16-18 years old) and ten full tuition scholarships for University students (18-24 years old) of any part of the world. The scholarships will cover all of the costs of room, board, teaching and didactic materials for courses to be held *from October 7, 2013 until June 14, 2014* on the grounds of the Academy’s campus at Rome.

Application letters must be sent to info@vivariumnovum.net by July 15 in order to receive consideration.

A good knowledge of the fundamental of Latin and Greek is required.

The courses will be as follows:

   1. Latin language (fundamental and advanced)
   2. Greek language (fundamental and advanced)
   3. Latin composition
   4. Roman History
   5. Ancient Latin literature
   6. History of ancient Philosophy
   7. Renaissance and Neo-Latin literature
   8. Latin and Greek music and poetry
   9. Classics reading seminars

The goal is to achieve a perfect command of both Latin and Greek through a total immersion in the two languages in order to master without any hindrances the texts and concepts which have been handed down from the ancient times, middle ages, the Renaissance period and modern era, and to cultivate the humanities in a manner similar to the Renaissance humanists. All the classes will be conducted in Latin, except for Greek classes which will be conducted in ancient Greek.

For more information about the Academy, visit its website.

The Penalty for Citing Wikipedia << James F. McGrath (Exploring Our Matrix)

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:47:21 +0000

John Anderson shared on Facebook the wonderful threat he makes to students if they should dare to cite Wikipedia in an assignment.

He said he tells them he will change the Wikipedia article, penalize them for citing Wikipedia, and then penalize them again for not citing it accurately!

The point he is trying to get across, of course, is that Wikipedia can be written and changed by anyone. The combination of its instability and the fact that one has no way of knowing whether at a given moment it was written wholly or primarily by experts in the area in question makes it unwise to use, except as a stepping stone to actual scholarly sources.

I do not have a problem with students using Wikipedia in the manner I just indicated, i.e. to lead them to other sources. The problem is in relying on someone else to mediate actual content and information to you from experts. Now that so many sources which reflect genuine expertise are available online, there is simply no reason to be relying on non-experts to read the experts for you and tell you what they say, if you are trying to really understand a topic.

Payment Changes << Joint Library of the Hellenic & Roman Societies / Institute of Classical Studies Library

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:46:50 +0000

Owing to the costs of processing debit/credit cards payments the library is now unable to accept these payments for amounts of less than £10.00.

We suggest that regular users of our postal loan and photocopying service make a payment of £10.00 regardless of the initial amount thereby putting themselves in credit with us. Many users already use the system for convenience anyway- if this seems undesirable you are able to wait until you have built up a debt of £10.00 and we can bill you for several transactions at once.

Of course cheques and cash payment are still welcome although cash is posted at the reader’s risk.

As some readers will be aware all money paid to the library is now payable to 'The Roman Society- Joint Library'.

Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause and do let us know if you have further questions.

Open Access Journal: Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique << Charles Ellwood Jones (AWOL: The Ancient World Online)

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Jones) — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:44:01 +0000

[First posted in AWOL 21 February 2012. Updated 23 May 2013]

Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique (at Persée) [Accessible also at CEFAEL]

Publié tout d'abord en plusieurs livraisons annuelles, le BCH se structure en deux fascicules semestriels à partir de 1920. Le premier réunit des études et des articles de synthèse et le second rassemble principalement le rapport sur les travaux de l’Ecole française d’Athènes et rend compte des chroniques des fouilles et des découvertes archéologiques faites en Grèce et à Chypre. La Chronique des fouilles en Grèce et à Chypre constituent des instruments de travail irremplaçables, assurant une large diffusion à la revue. Doté d'un comité de lecture, le BCH est largement ouvert aux savants étrangers et publie des articles dans les grandes langues européennes.

Paraît depuis 1877 ; il succède au Bulletin de l'École française d'Athènes (1868-1871)

1877-1879
1877 : [ 1 ]
1878 : [ 2 ]
1879 : [ 3 ]
1880-1889
1880 : [ 4 ]
1881 : [ 5 ]
1882 : [ 6 ]
1883 : [ 7 ]
1884 : [ 8 ]
1885 : [ 9 ]
1886 : [ 10 ]
1887 : [ 11 ]
1888 : [ 12 ]
1889 : [ 13 ]
1890-1899
1890 : [ 14 ]
1891 : [ 15 ]
1892 : [ 16 ]
1893 : [ 17 ]
1894 : [ 18 ] [ Tab ]
1895 : [ 19 ]
1896 : [ 20 ]
1897 : [ 21 ]
1898 : [ 22 ] [ Suppl. ]
1899 : [ 23 ]
1900-1909
1900 : [ 24 ]
1901 : [ 25 ]
1902 : [ 26 ]
1903 : [ 27 ]
1904 : [ 28 ]
1905 : [ 29 ]
1906 : [ 30 ]
1907 : [ 31 ]
1908 : [ 32 ]
1909 : [ 33 ]
1910-1919
1910 : [ 34 ]
1911 : [ 35 ]
1912 : [ 36 ]
1913 : [ 37 ]
1914 : [ 38 ]
1915 : [ 39 ]
1916 : [ 40 ]
1917 : [ 41-43 ]
1920-1929
1920 : [ 44 ]
1921 : [ 45 ]
1922 : [ 46 ]
1923 : [ 47 ]
1924 : [ 48 ]
1925 : [ 49 ]
1926 : [ 50 ]
1927 : [ 51 ]
1928 : [ 52 ]
1929 : [ 53 ]
1930-1939
1930 : [ 54 ]
1931 : [ 55 ]
1932 : [ 56 ]
1933 : [ 57 ]
1934 : [ 58 ]
1935 : [ 59 ]
1936 : [ 60 ]
1937 : [ 61 ]
1938 : [ 62 ]
1939 : [ 63 ]
1940-1949
1940 : [ 64-65 ]
1942 : [ 66-67 ]
1944 : [ 68-69 ]
1946 : [ 70 ]
1947 : [ 71-72 ]
1948 : [ Suppl. ]
1949 : [ 73 ]
1950-1959
1950 : [ 74 ]
1951 : [ 75 ]
1952 : [ 76 ]
1953 : [ 77 ]
1954 : [ 78 ]
1955 : [ 79 ]
1956 : [ 80 ]
1957 : [ 81 ]
1958 : [ 82 ]
1959 : [ 83-1 ] [ 83-2 ]
1960-1969
1960 : [ 84-1 ] [ 84-2 ]
1961 : [ 85 ]
1962 : [ 86-1 ] [ 86-2 ]
1963 : [ 87-1 ] [ 87-2 ]
1964 : [ 88-1 ] [ 88-2 ]
1965 : [ 89-1 ] [ 89-2 ]
1966 : [ 90-1 ] [ 90-2 ]
1967 : [ 91-1 ] [ 91-2 ]
1968 : [ 92-1 ] [ 92-2 ]
1969 : [ 93-1 ] [ 93-2 ]
1970-1979
1970 : [ 94-1 ] [ 94-2 ]
1971 : [ 95-1 ] [ 95-2 ]
1972 : [ 96-1 ] [ 96-2 ]
1973 : [ 97-1 ] [ 97-2 ] [ Suppl 1 ]
1974 : [ 98-1 ] [ 98-2 ]
1975 : [ 99-1 ] [ 99-2 ] [ Suppl 2 ]
1976 : [ 100-1 ] [ 100-2 ] [ Suppl 3 ]
1977 : [ 101-1 ] [ 101-2 ] [ Suppl 4 ]
1978 : [ 102-1 ] [ 102-2 ]
1979 : [ 103-1 ] [ 103-2 ]
1980-1989
1980 : [ 104-1 ] [ 104-2 ] [ Suppl 6 ]
1981 : [ 105-1 ] [ 105-2 ] [ Suppl 7 ]
1982 : [ 106-1 ] [ 106-2 ]
1983 : [ 107-1 ] [ 107-2 ] [ 8 ]
1984 : [ 108-1 ] [ 108-2 ] [ Suppl ]
1985 : [ 109-1 ] [ 109-2 ] [ 10 ] [ Suppl 11 ]
1986 : [ 110-1 ] [ 110-2 ]
1987 : [ 111-1 ] [ 111-2 ]
1988 : [ 112-1 ] [ 112-2 ]
1989 : [ 113-1 ] [ 113-2 ]
1990-1999
1990 : [ 114-1 ] [ 114-2 ]
1991 : [ 115-1 ] [ 115-2 ]
1992 : [ 116-1 ] [ 116-2 ]
1993 : [ 117-1 ] [ 117-2 ]
1994 : [ 118-1 ] [ 118-2 ]
1995 : [ 119-1 ] [ 119-2 ] [ 119-3 ]
1996 : [ 120-1 ] [ 120-2 ] [ 120-3 ]
1997 : [ 121-1 ] [ 121-2 ]
1998 : [ 122-1 ] [ 122-2 ]
1999 : [ 123-1 ] [ 123-2 ]

2000-2003

2000 : [ 124-1 ] [ 124-2 ]

2001 : [ 125-1 ] [ 125-2 ]

2002 : [ 126-1 ] [ 126-2 ]

2003 : [ 127-1 ]

See the full List of Open Access Journals in Ancient Studies

Traditions and Innovations in Bronze Age:textiles&clothing in the Aegean and in N.Europe << American School of Classical Studies in Athens: Events

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:57:38 +0000

May 24, 2013 - 3:58 PM - LECTURE Marie Louise Nosch

“Materiam superabat opus: Lucretius metamorphosed” << American School of Classical Studies in Athens: Events

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:50:27 +0000

May 24, 2013 - 3:51 PM - ομιλία στο πλαίσιο των «Επιστημονικών Συναντήσεων» του Τομέα Κλασικής Φιλολογίας του ΕΚΠΑ Καθηγητής Alessandro Schiesaro (Πανεπιστήμιο Sapienza της Ρώμης)

iPads in the Field and Reflections on Archaeology’s Digital Future << Bill Caraher (The New Archaeology of the Mediterranean World)

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:40:46 +0000

This is a post that might appear sometime in the next little bit on the ASOR Blog!

This past summer my excavation on Cyprus experimented with using iPads to document our excavations in the field. Since 2003, I have co-direct the Pyla-Koutsopetria Archaeological Project with Prof. R. Scott Moore of Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Prof. David K. Pettegrew of Messiah College. Over this time, the three of us designed our archaeological methods, in-field procedures, and data structure. During the 2012 season, we embraced the opportunity to test and refine a web application developed by Prof. Sam Fee at Washington and Jefferson College. Messiah College generously loaned us the iPads. Our trench supervisors and excavators embraced the experiment. And Sam was willing to work within with our existing data structure, databases, and ontologies.

By iPad standards, the cleverly named PKApp was simple in design. It drew upon relatively little of the iPad’s sophisticated hardware or processing power. We did not have the resources or the funding to develop a robust server-side or mobile digital infrastructure. In fact, the simplicity of our application’s design and the limited resources available to our project is probably the most significant aspect of our work. If a small and otherwise unremarkable project can develop a bespoke iPad application, it prompts us to consider how the techniques, procedures, and methods used to collect archaeological data are no long just the purview of digital project or technophile excavators. Digital archaeology is no long a particular subset of archaeological practice, but fundamentally coterminous with careful documentation in the field.

That we could develop and deploy an application demonstrates that we have officially entered a period of rapid technological change for archaeological data collection. Mobile computing has well and truly begun to replace old fashioned pen and paper notebooks. Responses to this change range from nearly unbridled enthusiasm to concerns about how the technology actually works and how our current infrastructure will continue to adapt to rapidly growing digital archives.

Here are my three thoughts along these lines:

1. Practical Realities.

Sam Fee presents the technical details for our application in the March 2013 issue of Near Eastern Archaeology. From the user’s perspective, however, the application is straightforward and uncomplicated. It provides places to enter the basic data collected over the course of excavation as well as open text fields to record descriptions of the stratigraphy and features.

The application ran on iPad tablets, but could have run on any tablet computer (or laptops) with only some small tweaks. The iPad proved durable and effective in the field. The screens held up against the glare of the Mediterranean sun, and the batteries survived the rigors of a full field day without any issues. The application worked flawlessly as well, collecting data entered by student and depositing it nightly in a designated email account.

Just to be certain, we continued to document our trenches on paper forms. This made sure that we had a complete record of our trenches in the event of a technology failure. None occurred.

2. Methods and Procedures.

The most remarkable thing about collecting data in a digital form at the side of the trench is that we have much better control over the quality of data that our trench supervisors records. We can control the entries into the database to ensure, for example, that soil descriptions are done according to standard Munsell categories, we can prevent anyone from incorrectly numbering a stratigraphic unit, or we can ensure that trench supervisors record elevations in an appropriate format. This ability to smooth data on the side the of the trench and to avoid problematic entries improved the quality of data from the moment that we began to use the application.

At the same time, however, we created an environment where the trench supervisor typed his trench descriptions. For most academics typing – even on the cramped, on-screen keyboard of the iPad – is at least as fast as writing so speed of recording was not an issue. What did pose a challenge was understanding how a typed record of a trench might differ from a handwritten record. We noticed for example that it was easier to delete a description that proved to be incorrect or inaccurate than it would be in a notebook. In fact, as many projects, we encouraged trench supervisors to strike through mistakes in their notebooks and forms to preserve a record of how their thinking changed over time and to share scratch paper and even informal notes prepared in the field. When a trench supervisor deletes a record that change is gone. Technical details like this gave us pause as we considered how digital tools could inadvertently change the kind of data we record from the field.

3. Digital Archives.

Once we produced data in digital form, we had to think hard about how we plan to preserve it for future generations of researchers. Traditional archives exist for the preservation of paper and pen documentation, and while a new generation of digital archives has begun to emerge, the standards and technologies needed to preserve and make available digital records remains in flux. We haven’t necessarily settled on a digital repository for our data, but we will almost certainly save our data to a number of institutional repositories.

The need to have a long term digital archive, however, is just part of the issues surrounding born-digital data in archaeology. With born-digital data, the process of archiving goes from being something that occurs at the very end of the project to an ongoing concern. Each day on PKAP, for example, we sent the data recorded on the iPads to a cloud service for archiving. For the daily archive, we sent our data directly from the iPad to the commonplace service of Gmail. The data was then accessible to the project directors who could back it up on their laptops and create multiple copies ensuring that our excavation data almost simultaneously exited in multiple places. This was a satisfactory and free short term solution, but hardly a long term step to ensuring a persistent record of our work.

The remarkable thing about our use of iPads, development of a web application, creation of methods and procedures to facilitate data collection, and use of a digital archive is that none of us on the project – except Sam Fee – are “digital archaeologists”. Despite our only rudimentary familiarity with the complexities of application development and implementation, the entire experiment was remarkably painless, low cost, and produced results that were better and more secure in most ways than our use of pens and paper. The democratization of digital data collection in archaeology marks a sea change in how the field works in basic ways. Digital tools are no long the domain of sophisticated projects with substantial budgets and dedicated specialists, but there for any project willing to create strategic alliances and to take the plunge. As I noted at the top of this blog post, the days of digital data capture in archaeology are no long in the future, but upon us.

ΚΩΣ Ι, στη σειρά Νομίσματα–Νομισματική Αιγαίου << American School of Classical Studies in Athens: Events

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:36:33 +0000

May 28, 2013 - 3:36 PM - παρουσίαση του βιβλίου της Βασιλικής Στεφανάκη Marie-Christine Marcellesi, Καθηγήτρια Αρχαίας Ιστορίας στο Πανεπιστήμιο Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV)

Après Athènes, Alexandrie :20 ans de fouilles dans la capitale des Ptolémées. << American School of Classical Studies in Athens: Events

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:21:42 +0000

June 06, 2013 - 3:21 PM - annual conference of the French School at Athens A. Farnoux, Directeur (Les activités de l’École française d’Athènes en 2012), J.-Y. Empereur, Directeur de recherche au CNRS

Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Trailer << James F. McGrath (Exploring Our Matrix)

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:15:53 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

I'm not entirely certain whether this is official, but it is still well done.

Do you think they are still planning to do something with the Doctor's name along the lines of the hints we had received up until now, as highlighted in the video? Or is that all a red herring? Or is it something which will, if it ever appears on the show, only happen at the end of the Doctor's lives?

Egyptology News from 20th to 23rd May 2013 << Andie Byrnes (Egyptology News)

noreply@blogger.com (Andie) — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:11:08 +0000

Fragment of fallen ceiling in the open air storage
of the lovely Temple of Tod complex, south of Luxor

Fieldwork

Penn curator Joe Wegner continues excavations at mortuary complex of Pharaoh Senwosret III, Abydos.Penn Artifactlab http://bit.ly/11a1cnf

Research

Hand in Hand with Politics: The Challenges of Egyptian Studies in Serbia by B. Anđelković. Friends of ASOR Newsletter. http://asorblog.org/?p=4490

Heritage Management and Looting

Egypt’s poor management of ancient monuments draws threat from UNESCO. Daily News Egypt http://bit.ly/19WhtLS

Minister for Antiquities says that UNESCO is not threatening to remove 6 sites from World Heritage List. Ahram Online http://bit.ly/11Vvw6J

Archaeologists denounce “disgraceful” plundering of the city of Antinopolis, built by Emperor Hadrian. The Art Newspaper http://bit.ly/164Sxpk and Past Horizons http://bit.ly/18g5wBS

Books

Ancient Egyptian Literature Theory and Practice. Edited by Roland Enmarch and Verena M. Lepper. OUP http://bit.ly/184k21N

Extended edition of Anubis, Bibliography on Mummies, Mummification and; Related Subjects. C.de Vartavan and I.Waanders http://bit.ly/10S3K4F

From Old Cairo to the New World: Coptic Studies Presented to Gawdat Gabra. Colloquia Antiqua 9. Peeters http://bit.ly/184krkP

Conferences

The British Museum continued its support of Sudanese archaeology with an international conference. Sudan Vision Daily http://bit.ly/ZdItHt

Czech Inst. of Egyptology announces international conference: Profane landscapes, sacred spaces. miroslav.barta [at] ff.cuni.cz

Museums and exhibitions

Alexandria plans for a new maritime museum at site of Qaitbay citadel. Archaeology News Network http://bit.ly/13NhuSj

Call for general public volunteers (14-65 yrs old) for the new Petrie Museum website to appraise work done so far: Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology http://bit.ly/16b4PfU

Free online/ open access

Ancient Egyptian Architecture Online provides vetted, standardized architectural drawings of a selection of buildings http://dai.aegaron.ucla.edu

MUDIRA: Joint project to digitize and provide access to the collections of images held at two Munich institutions. http://bit.ly/168xGBq

Short article: "Archaeology after the Arab Spring" by Jesse Casana. Friends of ASOR Newsletter http://asorblog.org/?p=4417

Short article in Spanish about the Turin papyrus that shows a Ramesside map of the Eastern Desert goldmines. Ushebtis http://bit.ly/Zabio1

Journals, Magazines and Newsletters

Damqatum, the CEHAO newsletter, 2012, nº 8, in English: UCA http://bit.ly/10VjbJj

Job Opportunities

Job: British Museum: Curator, Department of Ancient Egypt & Sudan, with responsibilities for research and outreach. http://bit.ly/10iJ7hX

Miscellaneous

Northampton faces legal challenge over Sekhemka statue sale from Marquis of Northampton. Museums Journal http://bit.ly/10U7Vgf

The Ancient Egypt Research Associates (AERA) archives now officially registered with the Library of Congress. AERA http://bit.ly/13LfZkl

Zahi Hawass, long-reigning king of AE antiquities was forced into exile but is now plotting a return. Smithsonian Mag http://bit.ly/16a12PH

For fun. This really made me laugh (and a good moral in the tale too). How NOT to hand in your PhD. The Thesis Whisperer http://bit.ly/192trWM

Πολυτέλεια & Δίκαιο μέσα από την ιστορική προοπτική. << American School of Classical Studies in Athens: Events

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:05:08 +0000

May 23, 2013 - 3:05 PM - Ἐκδήλωση ἀφιερωμένη στὴ μνήμη τοῦ Κωνσταντίνου Γ. Πιτσάκη (23&24 Μαϊου)

Completed Documentaries Needed << Nigel Hetherington (Past Preservers)

noreply@blogger.com (Nigel J Hetherington) — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:31:30 +0000

Do you own the rights to any compelling long or short form documentaries?

We are currently seeking content for a new online marketplace for media producers and international documentary outlets.

We are looking for projects of any subject, but of course we have a preference towards documentaries with a historical back ground.

You would need to own the broadcasting rights for the film and we would need to see a copy or promo.

If you have a film that fits these requirements, please send us an e-mail to nigel@pastpreservers.com with your project details.

Greco-Egyptian Magical Hymns: prayers of the Hellenistic Syncretism << Archaeology and Arts: Αρχαιολογία Online

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:21:54 +0000

A paper aiming to give them a position in the history of Greek (Mediterranean) religion, as a late manifestation of the liturgical-poetic genre of Hymnography, the most sublime of the offerings to the gods in every Mediterranean religion.

Iraq and the Jewish People: An Ancient Relationship << Lawrence H. Schiffman

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:17:52 +0000

Iraqi Jews in front of Ezekiel's Tomb

Part I

The mass emigration of Jews from Iraq in the years 1950 and 1951 brought to an end the existence of a community which had been in the region for millennia. From the very birth of Judaism in what was then Mesopotamia, Jews have been present in or very strongly linked to the area. The emigration from Iraq in the early 1950s caused a tremendous cultural loss for the Jews. It is not within the scope of this paper to fully examine what has been lost; however, it is important to make mention of the great culture which developed over centuries. In discussions of this type, researchers tend to focus on historical fact and neglect those valuable aspects of culture that are now gone.

This paper examines the relationship and interactions between Jews and the region now known as Iraq throughout the ages. The discussion will focus on a number of different periods, most notably:

1. The age of Mesopotamia, the birthplace of Judaism,

2. Assyria and Babylonia and the conquest of Israel and Judea,

3. The rise of the Babylonian community in Talmudic times,

4. The Geonic era, and

5. The Modern era—Ottoman, British, and Iraqi periods.

The question under examination is that of the effect which Iraq (known also as Mesopotamia, Assyria, and Babylonia) had on the Jewish people. The study begins with the very origins of the Jewish nation, moves through major developments for the Jewish community and, at the end, makes reference to the relevance of the discussion for the present day, referring to the problems the Jewish people face today vis-à-vis Iraq and the Arab world.

The review begins with the father of Judaism, Abraham, and his life in Iraq, then known as Mesopotamia.

Mesopotamia: Birthplace of Judaism

Before discussing the life of Abraham, it is important to review the geography and history of the region. On a map of modern Iraq, the southern end, or the Persian Gulf area, was, in ancient times, Sumer. Sumer was, in many ways, the earliest civilization, and the location of Ur of the Chaldees, Abraham’s birthplace. In the center of modern Iraq, where the Tigris and Eu-phrates rivers meet, is the area once known as Babylonia—the city of Babylon and its environs. Further north, where the rivers diverge, is the area that was known in ancient times as Assyria.

This region is one of the key places in which civilization came to be. Stories in the Book of Genesis clearly place the origins of civilization in this region. For example, the Tower of Babel story is clearly designed to convey, and, in fact, actually states, that this is the region from which the human race spread and all of the languages developed. The Bible expresses what has been learned from hundreds of years of archaeological excavations and study of clay tab-lets—that the ancient civilization which began first in Sumer, the area closest to the Gulf, and then spread through the rest of Mesopotamia, was a very advanced one. This civilization was highly developed in terms of subjects such as mathematics and religion (although pagan). Politically, the area was quite advanced as well; to a great extent, the need for irrigation of the territory required government organization early on.

The region being so advanced makes the origins of Judaism in the location understandable. Non-literal interpretation of midrash—namely, the stories in which Abraham comes to recognize the falseness of paganism and the truth of monotheism before the God reveals Himself to him—makes the developments seem almost natural given the circumstances. Abraham, as we know, moved from Ur of the Chaldees—an area which has been excavated and whose where-abouts have been documented—to Haran, in Assyria, and finally to Israel. The heritage which would have come to Israel with Abraham and his family must have been, in some senses, negative, having come from so pagan a region. Biblical accounts include mention of names of members of Abraham’s family whom we know to be connected with the moon cult.

On the other hand, much of what Abraham brought with him must also have been traditional law. On the top of Hammurabi’s Code from 1800 BCE there is an image of the sun god, considered to be the god of justice, handing down the law to his assistants. The assistants were known in Akkadian as Kittu—which in Hebrew is “kenut,” uprightness—and Mesharu—in Hebrew, “mesharim,” honesty or uprightness. These are values which came with Abraham as well. Clearly the pagan religion to which Abraham had been exposed in Ur of the Chaldees was unlike others—for example, the Canaanite religion, which included human sacrifice. Rather, the problem with the pagan religion with which Abraham was familiar was simply in the fact that it was polytheistic and, as such, did not perceive gods as moral figures.

It is for this reason that it is understandable that the Book of Genesis’ account of the creation includes hints rejecting the pagan ideas prominent in the Mesopotamian creation story. For example, in ancient Mesopotamian creation, the god spits into dirt to make a human being; in Genesis, God breathes spirit into a human being. The polemic is quite clearly rejecting elements of Mesopotamian culture; however, there is also a positive heritage adopted from that same culture.

It is also for this reason that parallels between the Mesopotamian heritage and Abraham’s new culture are prevalent—for example, in the legal system, whose external structure has much in common with biblical law, though biblical law has enhanced many principles.

Thus we find that the origins and the ideas of Judaism, while rejecting many aspects of the regional culture, were also made possible by the atmosphere of that very Mesopotamian culture. This first interaction between Jews and Mesopotamia is one which is vital and, in essence, defining for Judaism.

Coin smugglers foiled at Cairo Airport << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Barford) — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:17:31 +0000

Two separate attempts to smuggle historic (Graeco-Roman and Ottoman) coins were foiled at Cairo Airport on Wednesday, one in, the other out of the country:

The Antiquities Unit Bureau and the Antiquities and Tourism Police stopped a passenger carrying a Graeco-Roman gilded coin. Police said the passenger was travelling to an Arab country but refused to specify which one. Ahmed El-Rawi, head of the central administration of antiquities unit, said the coin is a unique Graeco-Roman artifact. It has a bearded royal face on one side and a picture of two birds standing on an olive branch on the other. The coin also bears Greek and Ptolemaic writing. The antiquities unit also confiscated three Ottoman coins from a passenger entering the country from United States who was allegedly planning to sell them. Both passengers are in custody as investigations continue.

It is not stated whether there were grounds for suspecting that the Ottoman coins had left Egypt illegally at some stage.

Nevine El-Aref, 'Coin smugglers foiled at Cairo Airport' Al Ahram, Wednesday 22 May 2013

Art of Medieval Serbia << Archaeology and Arts: Αρχαιολογία Online

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:05:03 +0000

Minor art and painting dating from the 11th-13th centuries as well as exact copies of wall paintings from Serbian monuments.

“Christ and the Pentateuch”: JSTOR Content on the Internet Archive << James F. McGrath (Exploring Our Matrix)

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:01:35 +0000

Content from JSTOR's older journal collection has been made available on the Internet Archive. As an example, below is a quote from an article by Henry P. Smith published in 1890, “Christ and the Pentateuch”, which appeared in the periodical The Old and New Testament Student. I think it is particularly interesting, given that some are still arguing today about things which Smith considered to have been settled more than a century ago, such as creation in six literal days. More than that, the persistence and growth of conservative and fundamentalist stances has indeed had a detrimental effect on Christianity in ways that were foreseeable back then.

The danger of insisting that the denial of the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch involves the denial of our Lord's divinity must be clear. This procedure can, at the best, only perplex the less decided, while it may drive the more independent into active disbelief. What would be the result to insist now in this way on the theory that the sun moves around the earth, or on the theory that the universe was created in six literal days? Yet these theories were once as firmly held and as decidedly based on Scripture as the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch is based upon the word of Christ. The divinity of our Lord, however, is as firmly established as in the days of Galileo, or as in the youth of Hugh Miller. When we think that Christianity has survived the attacks of a Hume, a Gibbon, a Lessing, and a whole French Revolution, we shall probably not be much disturbed at the supposed subversive tendencies of a Wellhausen.

I offer this as a discussion starter, as well as an illustration of the kinds of interesting older content one can find online nowadays.

Ovid, The Art of Love 1.637 << aleator classicus: reading at random in classical literature

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:00:26 +0000

One of Ovid’s more cynical lines.

expedit esse deos, et, ut expedit, esse putemus.

It is expedient for gods to exist, and, as it is expedient, we believe that they exist.

Filed under: Ovid

Modern Ways the Deceased are Memorialized << Katy Meyers (Bones Don't Lie)

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:00:23 +0000

The dead are treated and remembered in a range of ways from a simple burial in the old family graveyard to more epic modern treatments like being cremated and shot into outer space. How we interact with our deceased and what occurs during mourning are determined by a range of social, religious, political and personal … Continue reading »

Art of Medieval Serbia << Archaeology and Arts: Αρχαιολογία Online

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:58:23 +0000

The exhibition "Art of Medieval Serbia", organized by the Byzantine and Christian Museum in collaboration with National Museum in Belgrade, opens on May 27th, 2013.

Discovering Dilmun << Archaeology and Arts: Αρχαιολογία Online

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:34:46 +0000

Excavations at an archaeological site in Bahrain are shedding light on one of the oldest trading civilisations.

The Olympics: One year on… << Classical Association Blog

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:24:22 +0000

You may remember a while ago, we posted about the ‘Sport and Competition in Greece and Rome‘ colloquium which was held at the British Museum. One year on, Prof. Carey sends the following update on the event and the resources it has generated.

In case anybody missed it, in 2012 the Olympics came to London after an absence of 64 years. Since it will probably be another 64 years before they come back, the opportunity to emphasize the ancient background of the games seemed too good to miss. So a number of organizations (Classical Association, the societies, JACT, Friends of the Classics, the British Museum, Sir John Soane’s Museum and several universities) got together to produce a programme of events, exhibitions, debates, conferences and colloquia, public lectures. The biggest feature was a two day event at the British Museum consisting of a conference (Sport and competition) followed by public lectures by Mary Beard and Nigel Spivey. Topics ranged from fighting over control of the Olympics (Hans Van Wees), through Herodotos on Greekness and the games, Hazel Dodge on Roman chariot racing, to Alan Peatfield’s research on reconstructing ancient combat sports from vase paintings, plus of course Nigel on the archaeology and Mary on the Much Wenlock Olympics.

The idea was always to produce something lasting from the event. The lectures (almost all) were filmed and the full videos can be found on the Hellenic Society’s YouTube channel.

But we’ve also pulled together short film clips, texts and images to provide a teaching tool for schoolteachers and students (or just entertainment for the curious) here.

Prof. Chris Carey

Greek Warrior X-rayed on Long Island << Archaeology and Arts: Αρχαιολογία Online

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:16:56 +0000

It took less than 10 seconds to reveal the truth about the wounded warrior and confirm an Adelphi University archaeologist hypothesis.

Green Waste Contamination Hinders Artefact Hunting in UK? << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Barford) — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:05:36 +0000

As has been mentioned on this blog, UK artefact hunters with metal detectors are running a petition against the degree of contamination in the green waste (compost) used on the fields they want to hoik stuff from. They are making all sorts of claims about it, but the real reason is that the signals given off by non-ferrous material put onto the fields by accident when incidentally included in compost (like foil food wrappers) hinders the rapid removal of real artefacts from the archaeological context. Personally, I'll not be losing a lot of sleep over that. As Heritage Action ("A Waste of Time" 19/05/2013) point out:

Environment Minister Richard Benyon has just delivered some bad news for detectorists by pointing out that stringent limits on physical contaminants such as metals, plastics and glass “were revised down from a total of 0.5% of dry weight to 0.25% in 2011. They are now the toughest in Europe.” In other words, they’ll deal with breaches that cause health hazards but there’s no chance they’ll be changing what’s considered acceptable levels – which includes one part in 400 being metal. That’s a lot of beeps. And it’s legal innit! (To coin a phrase).

Perhaps instead of petitioning government to make their hobby (getting their hands on the buried heritage) more pleasant, these guys would be better employed getting more fellow hobbyists applying best practice more frequently to their hoiking.

Vignette: Compost, the artefact hunter's enemy?

One Lot of Smuggled Dug-up Ancient Coins from Bulgaria off the US Market, but what of the Importer? << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Barford) — Thu, 23 May 2013 09:50:41 +0000

ICE press release, 'Federal authorities return ancient coins to Bulgaria May 21, 2013.

In September 2011, HSI special agents learned of a shipment of ancient coins from Bulgaria destined for the United States. HSI New York, in close coordination with CBP’s Customs Air Cargo Examination Facility, examined and seized the coins. An investigation of the coins revealed the shipment contained a false country of origin, a false description of the commodity and were undervalued.

The 546 unlawfully taken coins have now been returned to Bulgaria at the ceremony, James T. Hayes Jr., special agent in charge of HSI New York, said "Today our two countries send a message to those who mistakenly perceive cultural theft as a low-risk, high-return business." He did not explain what the risk was, and why it was "higher" just because a few dozen were seized two years ago. Nevertheless they say:

The return of the coins to Bulgaria is a result of the active cooperation between the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime within the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior, the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Bulgaria and the expertise of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – both HSI and CBP – in its shared efforts to prevent, solve and document transnational cultural heritage crimes. HSI is continuing to look for connections to organized crime related to stolen illicit property out of Bulgaria.

Absolutely nothing is said (as usual) of either the importer or exporter, were they identified? Who were they? Were they members of any professional bodies (IAPN, PNG, ACCG)? Did the importer operate openly from a shop, through eBay or V-coins? How many more consignments of Bulgarian coins had this importer imported before this one was seized? Has he or she imported any more since? Is he or she continuing to import and offer for sale on the US no-questions-asked market more Bulgarian coins? Or is the importer awaiting trial?

Members of the public who have information about suspected stolen cultural property are urged to call the toll-free HSI tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or to complete its online tip form.

Meanwhile the ACCG seized coin forfeit case is going forward, once again I ask (maybe we will get an answer) was the importer in this recent case an ACCG member, or a donor to the ACCG benefit auctions? If the latter, what coins of his passed through ACCG hands?

Nowhere Safe as Treasure Hunters Plunder Heritage Sites for Profit << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Barford) — Thu, 23 May 2013 09:47:00 +0000

.
Louise Hogan, 'Nowhere safe as treasure hunters plunder our heritage sites 'for profit'....', Independent, 22 May 2013.

Our heritage is being "plundered by people for profit", the keeper of Ireland's national treasures has warned. Ned Kelly, keeper of Irish antiquities with the National Museum, said no site was safe [...]

Video here.

In the Irish Times (Steven Carroll, 'National Museum unveils haul of ‘looted’ artefacts', 21 May 2013) Ned Kelly, keeper of Irish antiquities at the National Museum of Ireland, is quoted as saying:

an increasing number of “treasure hunters” were purchasing metal detectors and using them to find and then pillage artefacts from historic sites in order to sell them on to dealers or auction them off on the internet. Similar historic objects were making hundreds or thousands of euro when sold, he said.“There has been an upsurge in treasure hunting in an orchestrated campaign and we can see dealers of metal detectors are at the back of this,” Dr Kelly said.

One wonders whether he has any one dealer involved in orchestrating a campaign to get legitimacy for artefact hunting in mind. According to the BBC article ('Irish treasure hunter's loot tracked down in England', 21 May 2013):

The presence of medieval objects suggest that sites such as castles and medieval churches may have been targeted while the presence of Georgian and Victorian metal furniture mounts, spoons, coins and thimbles, suggests the targeting of local estate houses, the museum said. No value has yet been put on the collection.

This factor is so often disregarded in discussions of the "partnership" with artefact hunters, they do not tend to search randomly, they target what are thought likely (by their relationship to known historical features and other factors) "[artefact/collectable] productive sites". To a great extent the artefacts that are disappearing into private collections like this come from the deliberate targeting of known sites.

As for the value, disregarding the high-value finds, selling each of those 900 objects for a few quid each (and some for ten quid or more) on eBay still represents a tidy profit on items which may well have been given to them for nothing (except for the traditional "Christmas time bottle of Whiskey and a box of chocolates for the wife") by the landowner unaware of their market value.

Rabid Arguments in US Antiquity Collecting << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Barford) — Thu, 23 May 2013 09:44:28 +0000

Dr C[lifford?] J. Scheiner (perhaps the porn dealer Clifford Scheiner?) writing on the Museum Security List reacts to the story about the looting at Antinopolis near Minya in Egypt. What he writes is astounding and really deserves putting in wider context and discussion. He opines:

Does any one else find it hypocritical that countries which refuse to protect the cultural heritage they possess within their borders so loudly complain in the media that they deserve to have returned to their country items of world cultural importance which originated within their geography but have been safely cared for for decades and centuries in other lands? Perhaps international laws on antiques replevin should be modified to exclude nations that do not meet standards of care for what they already are responsible for. There exi[s]ts an extensive list of endangered World Heritage sites, which grows weekly.

Wow. My first reaction is to point out that in point of fact, there are worldwide 38 sites on the list, just one in Egypt, but six on the American continent. So I consider that part of the argument less than relevant. Dr Scheiner has yet to reply to my questions which "international laws" he had mind, and whether it is sites he wishes to preserve or loose objects taken from them. I do not expect he will. Ton Cremers however was not very subtle either, he concentrated on the patronisingly colonialist "we look after things better than the natives" part of the argument:

Do I have the right to come and loot your heritage because I am convinced, according to my standards, that you do not take properly care of your heritage? During colonial days heritage from source countries was not looted to ensure better protection, but out of sheer greed. One must not forget that source countries that, according to you, do not take well care of their heritage have safeguarded that heritage hundreds, or even thousands of years before it was looted by western 'civilisations'. And: are those civilisations really better in safeguarding heritage, whether it be our heritage or that from far away countries? That is very disputable, even observing recent - 20th century - history. I have been maintaining the Museum Security Network for over 16 years. In those years some 45,000 reports about incidents with cultural heritage were disseminated. Most of those - fires, looting in wartime, vandalism, thefts, armed robberies, natural damages - were about incidents in Europe and the USA...the (in)famous continents with 'universal' museums. So let's be a bit more modest, and stop boasting that the 'consumer' countries know better how to deal with cultural property.

The argument under discussion is one that most frequently is trotted out by US collectors. I cannot recall too many examples of it being used in the UK. Part of the reason for its popularity in the US is the distorted way these transatlantic folk read the 1970 UNESCO Convention (through the prism of their own anachronistic CCPIA without seeing the wider background). I suspect however it goes deeper than that. Note the horror with which the argument (and other variants of basically the same notion) react to the prospect that cultural property should be leaving the shores of the USA, when "it should be" being used to the benefit of US citizens. Contrast that with the huge numbers of British antiques which are shipped out (yes, even over to Poland) week after week, month after month, year after year. Do the Brits have any problem with that? Well, if they do, it seems to me they only grumble very quietly. Yet the US collectors and antiquity buffs apparently convulsively want to hang on to every last piece of foreign dugup metal, marble or pot currently in the USA that (they feel) can illuminate their "roots" in Old World society. Is this related to the fact that the US is in fact cut off from what it fondly sees as its roots? If they are denied access to (illicit - see below) antiquities, is it in some way felt to threaten to undermine the carefully constructed identity of the nation? Is this compulsion to acquire, accumulate and retain born of a fear of isolation? Whatever it is, it seems to have a basis in irrationality.

Let us remember that the ONLY artefacts being repatriated from the US are those sold by US dealers to foreign buyers, and those that came to the US in a manner which involved breaking of some law or other (there are, pace Dr Scheiner, no "international laws", more is the pity).

Now, what's all this nonsense about "countries which refuse to protect the cultural heritage they possess within their borders"? I'd like to ask whether, in reality, the USA has a particularly laudable record in that regard. Does the US have any grounds for the evident feeling of self-satisfaction that comes through in suggestions like this? The Four Corners fiasco comes to mind, a moment's glance at the weekly volume of sales of native American lithics and pottery artefacts on EBay alone makes one wonder just what is being protected from what. We hear that the BLM and Park services are understaffed, unable to police sites to prevent vandalism and looting. Sites on private land are rented out so people can come and dig their own artefacts. I really do not see that the USA has any more to boast about with regard site protection than any other nation. We are all doing awfully, and losing vast amounts of our archaeological heritage annually. Redevelopment, agriculture, hydroelectric schemes, soil erosion and - yes, looting, to name a few agencies of destruction which in every country on this planet we can do nothing much to stop, and all too little to mitigate.* This is a global problem, not by any means restricted to poorer (or "backward" / "corrupt") countries. It is a serious problem and one that demands a response a little more sophisticated than the American collectors' idiotic "two wrongs make a right" arguments as represented here by Dr Scheiner.

Some figures might put the US vision of "how the world should be" into a little wider perspective. The USA has a total area of 9,826,675 km² and a population of 315,901,000. That means it has a population density of 34.2/km². It has a total GDP of $15.685 trillion (per capita, $49,922). Egypt has a total area of about a tenth of that of the USA, 1,002,450 km², but a population of 91,000,000 (so about a third of that of the USA), a nominal population density of 84/km² (but in fact mostly crowded into the Nile valley and delta which occupy less than 10% of the country's area, so that density is actually much, much higher with consequent pressure on the land - which happens of course to be the very area in which most ancient sites were located too). The total GDP is $533.739 billion (per capita $6,594).

If there is any hypocrisy here, it's self-satisfied and self-serving Americans ignoring the realities of the world and expecting Egypt to find some magic solution to the problem of preventing agricultural or other use of archaeological sites "in their geography" (sic). I'd like to ask, how many archaeological sites in the USA have been incorporated into private properties? Why is Dr Scheiner expecting (for example) the Egyptian state to make every part of every single one state property when his own state does not do that? That is hypocrisy.

Ton Cremers raises an important point. Scheiner apparently expects the rest of the world to fall in with what America (presenting itself as 'the international community') decrees is "the right thing to do". This ignores the fact that (a) people in other countries have lives to lead and need somewhere to do that, and the economic infrastructure to do that - is he going to force their governments to deny them that opportunity for the sake of some abstract concepts dreamed up in California, Chicago and New York state? And (b) other nations do have other ideas about what constitutes conservation. Who are the Americans to say they are all wrong because it is different to what they believe?

Dr Scheiner, get those Florida Everglades off the List of World Heritage in Danger before you start advocating punishing the brown-skinned folk for what America sees as their shortcomings. Why not work with them, rather than all the time against them? Surely is that not what an "international community" is about, is that not what a "global heritage" is about? Is not "intercultural understanding" about more than no-questions-asked collecting hoiked-out shabtis and knocked-off temple sculptures, but about attempting to understand the current problems of modern nations dealing with the many problems, including cultural ones, they face in the changing pressures of the modern world and global economy?

* (I like to think we can deal with the looting, given the will)

Discover the Archaic colors << Archaeology and Arts: Αρχαιολογία Online

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:36:15 +0000

The Μuseum’s initiative on Archaic Colors.

Return to Samarra << Archaeology and Arts: Αρχαιολογία Online

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:21:28 +0000

In 2013, BISI funded a pilot project to research, catalogue, photograph and conserve the V&A’s collections of material excavated by Ernst Herzfeld at Samarra in 1911-1913.

Lag B'Omer, Bar Kokhba, and ... Gondor? << Jim Davila (Paleojudaica.com)

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila) — Thu, 23 May 2013 09:03:00 +0000

ASKING THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: The (Biblical) Beacons of Gondor … Did Tolkien Know?

Mor Gabriel Monastery latest << Jim Davila (Paleojudaica.com)

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila) — Thu, 23 May 2013 09:00:00 +0000

(MODERN) SYRIAC WATCH: Funds allocated for new road to Mor Gabriel Monastery (Today's Zaman).

“As the local governor [of the Midyat district of Mardin], I pursue a policy of affirmative action towards Aramean [Syriac] citizens so that they do not feel alienated,” said [Oğuzhan] Bingöl, who added that Mor Gabriel Monastery is one of the most important treasures of the region. “I was ashamed of the conditions of the road to the monastery,” the local governor added, as he mentioned the demands of the Aramean community for the construction of a proper road.

Well good.

Much background on the Mor Gabriel Monastery in Turkey and the political tempest surrounding it is here with many links.

Trajan’s Bridge over the Danube << Archaeology and Arts: Αρχαιολογία Online

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:54:37 +0000

Lecture by Manolis Korres.

Vermes obit in Times Higher << Jim Davila (Paleojudaica.com)

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila) — Thu, 23 May 2013 08:52:00 +0000

ANOTHER OBITUARY FOR GEZA VERMES, this one by Matthew Reisz in Times Higher Education: Geza Vermes, 1924-2013.

Background here and here and links.

AAJ 2013 - A final few words << Aerial Photographic Archive for Archaeology in the Middle East

noreply@blogger.com (boroca) — Thu, 23 May 2013 08:43:56 +0000

Tools of the trade. APAAME_20130418_DLK-0310. Photo: David Kennedy.

The 2013 flying season in Jordan extended over a month and comprised of four flights: 20130409, 20130414, 20130418 and 20130428 which can now be accessed on our Flickr site; and five ground fieldtrips: 20130412, 20130416, 20130419, 20130430 and 20130502. Despite some very inclement weather in the month of April, somehow the flying days remained clear and four successful flights were conducted, sadly the first cut short to just two legs out of three due to technical difficulties.

All photographs from the flights are now online. Direct links to the flight photosets on Flickr are provided with the flight summaries below. We continue to provide all photographs ‘warts and all’ online as you may very well be interested in a different aspect of our photography and/or spot something that we haven’t in a ‘bad’ photo. If you do so please do not hesitate to let us know!

Ghussein Settlement 2. APAAME_20130409_RHB-0049. Photo: Robert Bewley.

20130409: to the east over the basalt desert. Bernd Mueller-Neuhof of the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut accompanied us on this flight to aid us in identifying and recording sites pertinent to his project ‘Arid Habitats in the 5th to the Early 3rd Millennium BC: Mobile Subsistence, Communication and Key Resource Use in the Northern Badia (NE-Jordan)’. This included stone structures and possible settlement areas built on the basalt landscape, such as the Bronze Age site and water farming structures of Jawa, but also flint mines located beyond the eastern edge of the lavafield.

Umm el-Hanafish. APAAME_20130414_REB-0028. Photo: Rebecca Banks.

20130414: This flight sought to illuminate for us of the condition of sites located within the hinterland of Amman, ancient Philadelphia. Some sites are well known ruins and have been investigated. Many sites are recorded as possible ruins by 19th century travellers or marked as ruins on maps created during the middle 20th century drawn from topographical survey photographs, but little is known of them since those notations. Sites were difficult to see or investigate due to their location either amongst the expanding suburbs of Amman or in a fertile area with continued farming, habitation, and even lush spring grasses doing their best to hide ruins.

Kites and Wheels in the vicinity of Azraq damaged due to bulldozing and the development of an olive farm. APAAME_20130418_MND-0806. Photo: Mat Dalton.

20130418: We returned to the basalt desert of Jordan for this flight to conduct some requested flying in the region of Jebel Qurma for the University of Leiden’s ongoing project directed by Prof. Akkermans, and those sites in the vicinity of the northernmost Mesa in the Qattafi area for Prof. Gary Rollefson and his ongoing research in that area. In addition to this we recorded and monitored numerous sites, moving north from the Qattafi area to Safawi, and then to Azraq itself. What is particularly apparent during this flight is the difference in site condition between more remote structures in the basalt desert and those closer to the developed areas of Safawi and Azraq.

Dayr Ajlun? located in the backyard of a modern house. A cistern and press are visible. APAAME_20130428_DDB-1107. Photo: Don Boyer

20130428: Our last flight of the season was spent in the fertile and densely populated areas of Jarash and the southern Highlands of Ajlun. Jarash is an area we monitor closely and frequently, but this flight we concentrated on smaller sites that can easily go unnoticed in the landscape - the evidence of water structures such as mills, presses, cisterns and channels that would have allowed the landscape to support a large population and industry in ancient times. These structures are the topic of the ongoing research of fellow AAJ team member Don Boyer. The flight also continued and broadened the focus of 20130414’s flight: sites noted by 19th century explorers and sites in the greater Amman hinterland area. This flight was not only interesting for its subject matter, but as it was spring, breathtakingly beautiful documenting the region’s landscape in full verdure.

We are always thankful for the kindness and hospitality we experience in Jordan: from the British Institute, Amman where we are based and supported by the Director Carol Palmer and the Administrator Nadja Qais; the Royal Jordanian Air Force who continually provide us with access to the very necessary aircraft and excellent pilots to conduct our flights – under the skilful and friendly direction of Colonel Ra’ed Thaglag, and Lt. Colonels Khalil Bjadough and Farouk Al-Sabbagh; our colleagues and the many institutions in and working in Jordan who meet with us and aid us in developing the Archive through their own research and expertise; and of course the lovely and constantly hospitable people of Jordan itself. Finally but crucially, heartfelt thanks to the continued generous and vital support of the Packard Humanities Institute.

Annual Meeting of the Belgian School at Athens << Archaeology and Arts: Αρχαιολογία Online

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:33:23 +0000

The Belgian School at Athens will hold its Annual Meeting

Corrections << Jim Davila (Paleojudaica.com)

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila) — Thu, 23 May 2013 08:25:00 +0000

TWO CORRECTIONS to recent posts:

First, Stephen Goranson has posted a correction to N. Y. Times obit for Geza Vermes at the biblicalist.

Background here.

Second, you may have noticed that a post from a few days ago about an article on Petra has been taken down. The author of the original article, Dr. Lucy Wadeson of Oxford University, has kindly sent me a link to a pdf file of her article: Petra: Behind the monumental facades. Current World Archaeology 57.1: 18–24 (2013).

2013.05.36: Mittel- und spätbronzezeitliche Keramik Griechenlands. Sammlung Fritz Schachermeyr, Faszikel III. Denkschriften der philosophisch-historischen Klasse, 439; Veröffentlichungen der Mykenischen Kommission, 31 << Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:20:24 +0000

Review of Peter Pavuk, Barbara Horejs, Mittel- und spätbronzezeitliche Keramik Griechenlands. Sammlung Fritz Schachermeyr, Faszikel III. Denkschriften der philosophisch-historischen Klasse, 439; Veröffentlichungen der Mykenischen Kommission, 31. Wien: 2012. Pp. 226. €59.00 (pb). ISBN 9783700170860.

2013.05.35: Epic and Empire in Vespasianic Rome: A New Reading of Valerius Flaccus' Argonautica << Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:20:24 +0000

Review of Tim Stover, Epic and Empire in Vespasianic Rome: A New Reading of Valerius Flaccus' Argonautica. Oxford; New York: 2012. Pp. x, 244. $99.00. ISBN 9780199644087.

Way to go in US "art" market << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Barford) — Thu, 23 May 2013 08:03:18 +0000

.
I hope this finds wider application than 'Holocaust art':
'Rutgers Law Review article advocates replacing restitution litigation with prosecutions', Lexology, May 23, 2013.

Mogelijke bescherming van de Antwerpen-Turnhoutstellung << ArcheoNet BE

Thu, 23 May 2013 07:50:57 +0000

Vlaams minister van Onroerend Erfgoed Geert Bourgeois denkt er aan om de Antwerpen-Turnhoutstellung te beschermen. De ‘stellung’ uit de Eerste Wereldoorlog was een verdedigingslijn tegen een mogelijke Nederlandse aanval in door Duitsland bezet België.Volgens experten zijn de bunkers en loopgraven in het noorden van Antwerpen een unicum in Europa.

Tijdens de Eerste Wereldoorlog bouwde de Duitse bezetter uit vrees voor een aanval vanuit het neutrale Nederland een verdedigingslinie van bunkers en loopgraven op de grens van Stabroek en Kapellen over Brasschaat en Schoten naar Turnhout. Vooral in het Kapelse Mastenbos is er nog veel terug te vinden van de 530 bunkers en loopgraven die in het noorden van Antwerpen gebouwd zijn. Experten stellen dat de restanten van die tien kilometer lange loopgraven, die van bunker naar schuilplek lopen, een unicum zijn in Europa. De Antwerpen-Turnhoutstellung uit ’14-’18, heeft een grote historische waarde en de bescherming van het gebied dringt zich op. Vlaams minister van Onroerend Erfgoed Geert Bourgeois erkent dit en wil dat dit gebied in de kijker gezet wordt.

De Kapelse burgemeester Dirk Van Mechelen hoopt dat de herdenking van De Groote Oorlog de start is voor de definitieve ontsluiting van de zone met respect voor geschiedenis en natuur. ‘Dit wordt een nieuwe toeristische attractie’, zegt Van Mechelen. ‘Vanuit Nederland is er alvast interesse om aan het Mastenbosloopgraven en bunkers een geleid bezoek te brengen.’ Overleg met de andere gemeentebesturen die de stellung aandoet, staat op de agenda van de burgemeester.

Bron: www.hetnieuwsblad.be

Tipperary Looter's Finds Tally << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Barford) — Thu, 23 May 2013 07:50:03 +0000

.
The reports of the recovery from a private house in England of a haul of just under 900 artefacts believed to have been illegally excavated in Ireland is interesting for a number of reasons. One of them is that it reveals just how many artefacts a metal detectorist can find. One of the suspects in question died in May 2012 (and some of his ashes were scattered, it is said, on one of 'his" fields). The investigation into the illegal activity is also stated in the reports to have begun in "2012". An unknown number of items however seem already to have been sold to collectors ( "Many items similar to those recovered have been offered for sale in recent times over the internet and are the subject of on-going investigations"). The collection as a whole consists of items which "are believed to have been illegally removed from Ireland between 2009 and 2012" (Irish Times). So this haul represents the results of three years plus five months of 2012, maximum, of an ill man dying of cancer. Not all of the 899 objects shown on the table (slide show here, and on the BBC page) are recordable. The "325 metal buttons dating from the 17th century to the 19th century" for example are not "recordable" in PAS terms, but the coins were (at least 57, quite a few thirteenth and fourteenth centuries). then there was an Early Medieval enamelled mount, a Bronze Age spearhead and flat axe (the latter though not necessarily found by the dead guy), a lot of later coins and early firearm projectiles, possibly from the site of some military skirmish. According to the Heritage Action Artefact Erosion Counter if this were happening in England or Wales, one might expect the artefact hunter to have taken from the ground 102 recordable artefacts in this time. Are there 102 objects worth recording in an archaeological database on this tabletop? We will have to wait for full documentation of the recovered collection, and the retrieval from no-questions-asking collectors who purchased items from it before it was seized, to answer that question. I'd say though its not an unlikely prospect.

Ned Kelly, keeper of Irish antiquities at the National Museum
of Ireland, examines some of the unsold items (Irish Times)

The displayed unsold items (BBC)

If you bought an artefact from this man, please contact the authorities. It was not his to sell. Of course, it would help get these artefacts back from unsuspecting buyers if the authorities named him....

900 looted artefacts recovered in Norfolk << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Barford) — Thu, 23 May 2013 06:44:04 +0000

Unlike the tragic situation in England and Wales, treasure hunters in the Republic of Ireland need a licence to search or dig and are obliged, by law, to report any finds or face up to five years in jail and a fine of 63,500 euro. Not everybody however plays along and the public interest is damaged:

Almost 900 artefacts illegally looted in Ireland by a treasure hunter with a metal detector have been recovered. [...] The items were recovered following a tip-off from the British Museum to the National Museum of Ireland last year when an important hoard of medieval silver coins had been exported illegally to the UK. Seamus Lynam, acting director of the National Museum, said the recovery underlines the continuing threat posed to Ireland's archaeological heritage by people using metal detectors. "Many items similar to those recovered have been offered for sale in recent times over the internet and are the subject of on-going investigations," he said. "The recovery shows the determination of the National Museum, the gardai and other State bodies to protect the nation's heritage and demonstrates the ability to recover important heritage objects even when they have been illegally removed from the jurisdiction." The collection was amassed by a British man living in Co Tipperary who worked closely with an associate in the Norfolk area to pass the goods on. The treasure hunter died in May 2012.

["Pass the goods on" is of course a euphemism for "flog off"]. After the tip-off, officers from Norfolk Constabulary made a visit to his house and found a number of dugup metal objects including 30 hammered coins, a flat copper axe dating to the Early Bronze Age and Bronze Age spear-head. There was also an undeclared hoard of 28 medieval hammered silver coins from the reigns of Edward I- III (1272-1377). The Irish-based detectorist's widow (on whose behalf, perhaps, the British-based tekkie was selling them?) apparently surrendered the artefacts and they were seized. All are believed to have been illegally removed from Ireland between 2009 and 2012. Some of them are said in the reports to be worth "several thousand euros" - one wonders to what extent the landowners on whose property they were found and who let the detectorist take them were actually appraised of the prices they would realise on the open market.

The recovery of the items, which are believed to have been taken from a number of sites in Tipperary, was the culmination of an investigation that began last year after the British Museum was alerted to messages on the internet where metal detecting in Ireland was being discussed.

Blooming stupid, isn't it, that one side of a line on a map they look after the buried heritage, while the other side of the line, in the same group of islands off the coast of Europe, they do not. In their attempts to dominate the island, the English have long look(ed) down on the Irish, but here's at least one area where the Irish have surpassed their backward insular neighbours.

So, who was the dead tekkie who flaunted the law?

Anon, '900 looted artefacts recovered', Belfast Telegraph 20th May 2013.

Elaine Keogh, 'Looted artefacts recovered in UK to go on display', Irish Times 20th May 2013.

Smuggling Antiquities from Syria << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Barford) — Thu, 23 May 2013 06:17:05 +0000

One possible route suggested, much smuggling
goes on over the border to the west of Aleppo

A Syrian official warned that his country's ancient artefacts are being smuggled abroad by Turkish, Lebanese and Iraqi groups during the crisis and unrest in Syria.

"The mafia of smuggling the ancient artifacts in Syria has now turned to stealing them and a number of Turkish, Lebanese and Iraqi nationals are collaborating with the local criminals in certain areas to this end," Manager of Syria's Museums Ma'moun Abdolkarim told FNA on Sunday [...] Abdolkarim warned that a passage has been created from Deir al-Zour to Turkey for the smugglers who use this channel to smuggle Syrian artifacts to Turkey and then to other parts of the world.

There is probably nothing particularly surprising in that. More odd is a further part of the same story by farsnews.com:

Earlier this year, local media reports also disclosed that the French government has prepared a complicated plan to take advantage of unrests in Syria to loot the country's unique antiques and mummies in collaboration with Syrian rebels and Turkey. According to a report by Arabi Press news website, based on the French plot, elements of the so called Free Syrian Army (FSA) smuggle the artifacts and mummies to Turkey under the excuse of protecting them and will then send them to France. The Intelligence data shows that the FSA is involved in smuggling the invaluable mummies of Syria's Tadmor region.

Anon, 'Official Reveals Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq's Roles in Smuggling Antiques from Syria' Farsnews.com 19th may 2013.

[PS: and whose fault is it all? According to these journalists: "Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border guards being reported across the country. The US and its western and regional allies have long sought to topple Assad and his ruling system. Media reports said that the Syrian rebels and terrorist groups have received significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, a crime paid for by the Persian Gulf Arab states and coordinated by the United States".]

Yasmine el-Shazli on the Jan 28th Cairo Museum Looting << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Barford) — Thu, 23 May 2013 05:24:17 +0000

The interviews with Yasmine el-Shazly (see the post above) contain two snippets about the events of 28th January 2011 which I think are significant. In one interview at the end of April, she was asked a question and there is a moment of quick thinking on the topic of the Museum's security cameras inside the galleries were "not working". She is apparently concerned not to say too much about this... I think there is a reason for this and could write a lot on that, but leave that for another time.

It is worth noting that the whole question of the "lighting" came up recently (so more than two years after the alleged problem was noticed) when new Minister of State for Antiquities Ahmed Eissa at a meeting at the Culture and Antiquities Committee (CAC) at parliament headquarters:

"urged members to allocate a larger budget to the MSA in order to restore the decaying royal and noble mummies, to protect Egypt’s heritage and monuments and to develop the Egyptian museum in Tahrir Square. Specifically, poor outdoor lighting systems and lamps make the security control cameras ineffectual, making the treasures of the Egyptian museum vulnerable to looters. In fact, the wall surrounding the property should be added onto because thieves have tried to scale the wall into the museum, who were, thankfully, caught by police".

Another moment is when Dr El-Shazly has misunderstood what the dozy presenter was getting at (stuff 'lost' in the basement) and started talking instead about "reading and listening to all the horrible things people say about the museum". This is in "Breakfast 16 11 2012" and she talks about the looting, in which she explains why it took so long to get a proper list of missing objects together, and mentions that they had to search for them all over the place - including "objects found on the roof".

This is really interesting. Readers of this blog will know that I do not think the "raiders" came through the roof, but the evidence points instead to them coming up the stairs from inside the museum itself. If objects really were found on the roof, this would be important evidence - but not in the obvious way.

I wonder what however Yasmine el-Shazly actually knows about these objects, how reliable a witness she is. Was she on the roof herself and saw them lying there? Or is she repeating what she heard, half-heard maybe from somebody else? After all the official version is that the robbers came through a skylight from the roof, and landed in a case in Room 42. Finding "objects on the roof" would just be an added detail to the official story. But its not as simple as that is it? The thieves were outside the museum and got in when they allegedly looted the objects. At first sight, the only way objects from the museum could get out again is by the looters going back through the same hole, but then, we are told that they came in on ripped-out telephone cables, and those cables came down right into a case with broken jagged glass. I would say that only counts as a "way out" to somebody with no imagination of the difficulties of climbing up out of a jagged broken-glass-surrounded-case, up a thin slippery telephone cable (or bundle of them) out through a hole smashed in more glass carrying a bundle of artefacts. Frankly, I just do not see it happening (that's quite apart from the fact that the window above that case was quite unambiguously not broken at the time the thieves allegedly came down through it because it was intact and the glass pane very very dirty when I saw it).

So maybe there were no museum objects on the roof? Maybe, but there is another possibility.

We know (actually we are told - slight difference there) that the army when they came to station themselves in the museum caught some of the "looters" on their way out. It is not wholly clear which ones where, but that aside, it suggests that at the time the army trucks turned up (allegedly around ten in the evening) and the colonel, or whoever was in charge was banging on the door, there were 'looters' (thieves) still in the museum building. If there really were object found dropped or discarded on the roof, it must mean that some of the intruders escaped, or tried to escape, across the roof (maybe to the infamous fire escape on the NW corner). But not up the alleged telephone cable abseil. They would have gone up the stairs. There must be access to the roof from inside the Museum. There may be a door with a notice "to the roof" on it in arabic somewhere in the Museum, or it may be unmarked. That is immaterial, it was dark in the museum and the intruders were running from big men with guns who were going to burst in at any moment. No time to search for the door. That they found it can only mean one thing. They knew where it was, they already knew how to get onto the roof from inside the Museum. That could apply to only three groups of people, museum employees (such as security staff or cleaners as well as curators), or outside contractors who'd done work on the roof. The third group would be people who were in the museum charged with keeping an eye on the demonstrators - for whom going onto the roof with binoculars and who-knows-what-else (and turning the museum's security cameras on the crowd outside the walls rather than the vicinity of the building) would be an obvious move. Anybody who has been following this blog will know who I think was in the museum that night and what they were doing there. I think those "thieves" did not come down from the roof on that night, but if the story of museum objects being found on the roof is a reflection of the true situation, it would seem they knew how to get out onto it.

Focus on UK Metal Detecting, With "Friends" like these, 'the Detectorist that Never Was' << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Barford) — Thu, 23 May 2013 05:08:24 +0000

There have now been quite a few reports about the Tipperary artefact thefts case:

'National Museum unveils haul of ‘looted’ artefacts'
'Treasure trove of looted artefacts found'
'Nowhere safe as treasure hunters plunder our heritage sites for profit'
'Irish treasure hunter's loot tracked down in England'

and not a single one mentions the name of the "enthusiast" who found (and took) history in Ireland ("a UK chap who lived in Tipperary"), nor his mate in Norfolk who received the finds he made. If the former was acting illegally, why can he not be named and shamed? If the latter was doing something illegal, then why has he (apparently) not been charged, if he was not doing anything illegal, but responsibly helping the authorities bring this transmaritime culture crime to light, then why can we all not learn his name?

Its a bit of a mystery isn't it? There are - we are told - all those "responsible" metal detectorists out there, and not a single one noticed this was going on? It took the BM, looking in on a metal detecting forum (by accident, policing it, or did they get a tip-off?) to report these dodgy doings to the authorities. Nobody else did? What kind of "responsibility" is that?

I remember when a certain UK detectorist passed away almost exactly a year ago, his family sent a message to a metal detecting forum near you where he'd been exhibiting his finds (apparently a lot of hammered coins), how gratified they were to know that he had found such friendship on the forum. Such good mates. There was a whole thread about this guy, the forum's "detectorist of the month" a little over a year ago, where members were expressing their shock and grief at his passing, that all his posts had been helpful and informative and a joy to read. Yet today, every single post he made to that forum has been deleted. Every one of them. All those helpful and informative posts, gone. Several old threads now begin incongruously with a text obviously answering a post from this guy, but above the reply what he'd written is invisible. He is apparently the detectorist of the month that never was. Such good mates, they have erased from the forum everything (?) written by a formerly highly valued member. Highly valued because he found a lot of stuff and could identify objects ("he was my own private FLO"). Found a lot of stuff. That is how much the friendship of a UK metal detectorist is worth, thick and thin. Best for th' 'obby to pretend the guy never existed. Shhhh.

If anyone cares to look, it's probably not really a very big step from that to working out who the detectorist who one might suspect was found in possession of the thieved artefacts from Tipperary (go on, have a go). You might find, for example that somebody would be giving an account of his own detecting on "[...]'s permissions", and describing finding some finds there himself. He might even turn out to be a "highly valued" member of at least one metal detecting forum near you. One where there is a curious silence about the whole Tipperary artefact theft case. Of course then any responsible detectorists who considers they know who this person was has a dilemma, whether to continue to interact with such a person on a "responsible detectorists' forum", or whether he should be asked to leave, lest the rest of us think that this facade of "responsibility" is in fact precisely that, a shallow, worthless facade.

Check it out for yourselves, and draw your own conclusions. TAKE A GOOD LOOK at this behaviour, for these are precisely the sort of people the PAS wants to grab more and more millions of public quid to make into the "partners" of the British Museum, archaeological heritage professionals and to whom they want us all to entrust the exploitation of the archaeological record. Take a good look and decide what you think about that as a "policy".

Vignette: "Industry and Idleness", plate IX (detail, Tom Idle consorting with his associates)

Latin Proverbs and Fables Round-Up: May 23 << Laura Gibbs (Bestiaria Latina Blog)

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 +0000

Here is a round-up of today's proverbs and fables - and for previous posts, check out the Bestiaria Latina Blog archives. Now that summer is here, I'm be working hard on the English-language proverbs. You can see what's going on over there at my new blog, The Proverb Laboratory, if you are interested, including some Latin proverbs there.

HODIE (Roman Calendar): ante diem decimum Kalendas Iunias.

MYTHS and LEGENDS: The art image for today's legend shows The Death of Hyacinth; you can also see the legends for the current week listed together here.

TODAY'S MOTTOES and PROVERBS:

3-WORD MOTTOES: Today's 3-word motto is Alis aspicio astra (English: Rising on my wings, I gaze at the stars).

3-WORD PROVERBS: Today's 3-word proverb is Arcus tensus rumpitur (English: The tensed bow snaps).

RHYMING PROVERBS: Today's proverb with rhyme is: Qui bibit et rebibit, nec cessat, stultus abibit (English: He who drinks and drinks again and does not stop will depart a fool).

VULGATE VERSES: Today's verse is Nos debemus alterutrum diligere (I John 4:11). For a translation, check out the polyglot Bible, in English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek, at the Sacred Texts Archive online.

ELIZABETHAN PROVERBS: Here is today's proverb commentary, this time by Taverner: Sub ipsius iudicio sorex perit: The Rat dieth by utteryng of her self. This Proverbe toke the beginning of the propertie of this vermin for the Rattes be wonte to make a noyse muche more than mice do, and do more rumble about and make a noysom crieng while they gnaw candels endes or such other trifels to whiche noyse many men harkeninge forthwith though it be in the darke night throw at them and to kill them. Semblably many men and women there be which by theyr owne noyse, and be wraying of them selves, seke their owne bande and destruction.

BREVISSIMA: The distich poster for today is Aurum Omnia Vincit. Click here for a full-sized view; the poem has a vocabulary list and an English translation, too.

And here are today's proverbial LOLcats:

TODAY'S FABLES:

FABULAE FACILES: The fable from the Fabulae Faciles widget is Formica Alata, the sad story of the ant who wanted to fly (this fable has a vocabulary list).

MILLE FABULAE: The fable from the Mille Fabulae et Una widget is Avara et Gallina, the story of a greedy woman and her overly fat hen.

GreekLOLz - and Latin and English, too. Below is one of my GreekLOLz; for the individual Greek, Latin and English versions of the graphic, see the blog post: Αἲξ δοῦσα τὴν μάχαιραν. Capra gladium praebens. The goat is proffering the knife.

CPAC Public Session to Consider Renewal of MOU with PRC << Peter Tompa (Cultural Property Observer)

noreply@blogger.com (Cultural Property Observer) — Thu, 23 May 2013 01:35:10 +0000

On May 14, 2013, I attended a public session of the US Cultural Property Advisory Committee (CPAC). CPAC was considering the possible renewal of the current MOU with China. The meeting took place in the Main State Department Building. In addition to CPAC members, speakers and some members of the public, there was also a 5 person delegation from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) present. They were not introduced and did not speak at the public session, though they likely conferred with CPAC privately afterwards.

The following CPAC members were present: James Willis (JW) (Trade); Rosemary Joyce (RJ) (Archaeology); Barbara Kaul (BK) (Public); Marta de la Torre (MT) (Public); Patty Gerstenblith (PG) (Chair-Public); Nancy Wilkie (NW) (Archaeology); Lothar von Falkenhausen (LF) (Archaeology); Katherine Reid (KR) (Museum); Nina Archibal (NA) (Museum). Jane Levine (Trade) was not present. One trade slot remains vacant.

Thirteen (13) individuals spoke. These included: (1) Josh Knerly (AAMD); (2) Thomas Lougham (Clark Art Institute); (3) Dr. Matthew Welch (Minneapolis Institute of Art); (4) Dr. Liu Yang (Minneapolis Institute of Art; (5) Robin Nicholson (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts); (6) Leila Amineddoleh (Executive Director, Lawyer’s Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation); (7) James Fitzpatrick (representing J.J. Lally & Co., a dealership in fine Chinese antiquities); (8) Peter Tompa (representing International Association of Professional Numismatists and the Professional Numismatists Guild); (9) Francis Allard (Indiana University of Pennsylvania); (10) Loukas Barton (University of Pittsburgh); (11) Roderick Campbell (New York University); (12) Anne Underhill (Yale University); and (13 ) Brian Daniels (Penn Cultural Center).

Josh Knerly (JK) supported the MOU, but suggested that China should be required to provide five (5) to ten (10) year long term loans rather than the current one (1) year loan period. He also noted that China’s ability to control its borders for evaluating its own self-help measures needs to take into account the strength of China as a world power. Quantifiable goals should be set for review within two (2) not the usual five (5) years. The designated list should be more limited. MT asked if there was any data about the impact of restrictions. She observed that the opacity of the antiquities market makes coming to conclusions difficult. KR asked about export licenses. JK indicates that CPAC should ask China for data. NW observed that the lack of an immunity law did not stop loans. JK indicated it did limit loans of certain materials.

Thomas Loughan (TL) indicated that more work needs to be done with extending loan periods. BK asked about the loan period. TL indicated it could be as little as less than five (5) months. JW wondered if a bilateral committee could be established to discuss the loan issue. KR asked about the types of object s that were loaned. It took two shows to get enough “Grade 1” objects to match the Clark’s loan of French paintings.

Matthew Welch (MW) and Liu Yang (LY) expressed concerns about last minute changes in objects to be loaned. This makes it difficult to create a display and a catalogue. Object lists are typically finalized up to two (2) years before with regard to loans from Europe. It is virtually impossible to organize exhibits that draw objects from more than one site because of the bureaucracy involved. JW wondered if tackling the underlying bureaucratic inertia was impossible. KR asked for a specific example. MW indicated his museum had hoped to get an exhibit from Sydney, but at the last moment important objects were removed for another exhibit in Hong Kong. It would be helpful if a contract could be finalized a year in advance. LF asked about loan fees. These are not too bad, but associated expenses can be very high. In response to questions from RJ and PG, MW reiterated that getting loans from single sites was much easier than from multiple sites and changes to an objects list creates chaos when trying to secure immunity from seizure from the US Department of State. MW dismissed KR’s claim that any problems were the result of cultural misunderstandings. MW noted that LY is Chinese and understands the system quite well, but problems have persisted.

Robin Nicholson (RN) discussed a prospective loan with the Palace Museum engineered with the support of Virginia’s governor. The goal of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is to have a contract in place with the Chinese a year in advance. Political support has been helpful in getting things done. BK asked what sort of artifacts were involved. RN indicated that the display related to 17^th c. artifacts and more recent ones.

Leila Amineddoleh (LA) supported the renewal of the MOU. She maintained the fact that 123 countries had signed the 1970 UNESCO Convention satisfied the Cultural Property Implementation Act’s (CPIA’s) concerted international response requirement. She also noted that China had signed cooperative agreements with other countries to deter pillage. BK asked about the internal Chinese market. LA indicated she was not familiar with details. LF asked how the PRC’s cooperation compared with that of other countries that have MOUs with the US. LA maintained that the PRC’s cooperation was good and was comparable to that of Italy. She also noted that the US has shown its cooperation most recently with Cambodia by seeking the forfeiture of a Khmer statute. KR noted that repatriations were part of the mix with Italy. JW noted that the forfeiture proceeding was not related to the MOU with Cambodia.

Jim Fitzpatrick (JF) indicated that it was important for CPAC to adhere to the CPIA’s statutory criteria. He noted that unlike many third world countries, China was quite able to control its borders. Furthermore, the domestic Chinese market is much larger than the US market so that import restrictions could have no impact on looting. It makes no sense for an artifact to be freely available for sale in Beijing but not Boston. There also needs to be self help, but artifacts leave the free ports of Hong Kong and Macao without restriction.

PG asked about supporting data. JF indicated that the statistic that 70% of artifacts in auctions go to Chinese buyers was based on an analysis of names of purchasers. MT opined that the size of the market was not clear because the antiquities market lacks transparency. She also noted that the figures included artifacts that are not currently restricted. JF argued that the Chinese police state should be able to stop looting if it so desired. JF noted that there was a certain resignation in the trade that it is difficult to undue restrictions. JF indicated that the restrictions had deterred sales to museums. JF also stated that as a consequence of the restrictions, much of the Chinese art business has gone abroad. He stated there is a danger that the Chinese art business will go to France as has the trade in Pre-Columbian artifacts.

JW indicated that he has now served on CPAC for 11 years and that he had noted a distinct decline in dealer and collector participation, especially compared to the last time the China MOU was discussed. JW suggested that this decline in comment from dealers and collectors should be taken as a troubling sign for CPAC’s members.

JF agreed, indicating that CPAC’s debate has devolved from the larger issues of import restrictions to listening to complaints from archaeologists and museums about China’s non-compliance with Art. II of the MOU. He stated, however, that numbers of comments received does not change CPAC’s obligation to apply the CPIA properly.

LF stated that looting is illegal in China and asked if the US should be a safe haven for looted goods. JF indicated that closing down the US legal market could not impact looting because of the size of the legal Chinese market.

Peter Tompa (PT) commended China for allowing and encouraging its people to collect common artifacts, but noted that import restrictions only give Chinese businesses—including insiders associated with the country’s rulers—a leg up on the foreign, especially US competition. PT also indicated that China has not met its obligations under Article II. In particular, the PRC has expanded its own export ban to any artifact pre-dating 1911 despite a promise to make legal export easier. The PRC has also failed to crack down on looted artifacts being re-imported into China from Hong Kong and Macao and has also failed to ensure that its own museums do not purchase looted materials. CPAC should recommend that the current MOU be suspended because it Is only hurting US interests. At a minimum, however, CPAC should advocate that cash coins—which exist in the millions if not billions—be delisted. The State Department cannot show these coins only circulated in China because they were widely exported. If anything, these coins should be shared with students as a teaching tool about Chinese history and culture.

PG asked about figures related to the size of the Chinese Art Market. PT confirmed that these figures include both ancient and modern art. NW asked where Chinese coins come from. PT indicted some come from tombs, but others come from deposits or were saved after the coins were no longer used as legal tender. As for coins coming from tombs, they would only be looted incidentally because looters would be primarily motivated to look for far more valuable items. As for coins that were never buried, he cited the attachment to his submission which described a Chinese collector who first learned about ancient Chinese cash coins from breaking open an old toy that made use of such coins as weights. In response to a question about the value of such coins, PT indicated that the value was generally minimal—such coins retail for as little as $1 in the US. NW maintained there was still an inventive to loot them because one of the hoards of 200,000 coins that was described would be worth $200,000. PT indicated that the value was likely much less in China.

Francis Allard (FA) spoke of his experiences excavating in China. He has been offered antiquities in the past but has always declined. Although FA supports the MOU, the Chinese bureaucracy has not made it easy to collaborate with Chinese colleagues. NW wondered whether the MOU could be used to promote the building of more laboratories to conduct research.

Loukas Barton (LB) has excavated in China, Mongolia and Alaska. The Chinese do not allow grave robbing. He also saw a group of looters being driven from town to town as examples. He can’t say for sure, but he thinks the Chinese must be taking effective action against looters because he is no longer being offered antiquities. The Chinese punitive system may be having an effect. LB specializes in pre-history. His request for a permit to collaborate with Chinese colleagues in his study of prehistoric China was denied without explanation in 2012. LB refused to speculate as to the reason. [CPO wonders whether the Chinese cultural bureaucracy does not want foreigners delving too far into China’s prehistory. Is it possible they are concerned that the results might undercut China’s historic claim of Han dominion over the land?] RJ asked about looting. LB indicated he saw evidence of tomb robbing, but where tombs had already been eroded. He has also seen shovel pits. LF expressed frustration with the Chinese denial of FA’s permit. LB indicated he was told by Chinese colleagues that it was due to a “political problem,” but they did not elaborate. There are other annoyances as the Chinese ban on the use of GPS devices. NW recounted how she was denied a permit as well in the 1980’s so the problem is not a new one.

Rod Campbell (RC) indicated that looting was still an issue in China. Bronzes and oracle bones are particular targets. RC indicated that the best Bronze Age sites have been looted. The MOU has helped encourage student exchanges. RC has been involved in salvage archaeology. Connections are important to work in China.

Anne Underhill (AU) suggested that the renewal of the MOU is an opportunity to make improvements. Looting has declined but some is still taking place. There should be an increase in cultural exchange. AU acknowledges there is a large internal market for Chinese artifacts, but the US should keep its import restrictions in place to demonstrate its good will to the Chinese and act as a good role model. There needs to be more of an effort made as to Hong Kong and Macao. Museum loans should be made more transparent. NW indicated there needs to be more Chinese language programs. In response to a question from PG, AH indicated that collaboration had improved.

Brian Daniels (BD) indicated that China had complied with Art. II of the MOU. It has improved regulation of its own market. In 2009, it created an antiquities police force. In 2011, it created an interministerial group to examine looting. There have been proposals to harmonize export controls with Hong Kong and Macao though work needs to be done. There has been more scrutiny of artifacts leaving China for these free ports. China has instituted a free museum policy. NA asked if cultural exchange ebbed and flowed according to diplomatic relations. BD indicated that he was not aware of any changes depending on diplomatic relations and in fact cultural relations are always beneficial. MT asked about policing. There were 764 cases in 2009 and 1210 cases in 2011. BD did not want to speculate as to the increase.

JW asked about Tibet to all participants. TL indicated there is some collaboration with Tibetan interests. PT indicated that the Chinese government has recently been criticized in the press for bulldozing large swaths of Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, in the name of promoting tourism.

The public meeting then closed.

Two Canosan kraters returned to Italy << David Gill (Looting Matters)

noreply@blogger.com (David Gill) — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:05:28 +0000

This time last year I was commenting on identifications made by Cambridge researcher Christos Tsirogiannis. He spotted that a pair of Canosan krater that were due to be auctioned in the June 2012 sale at Christie's Rockefeller Plaza could be identified from the polaroids in the Medici Dossier.

The research did not go unnoticed. The pair of kraters were returned to Italy on 14 September 2012. Investigative journalist Fabio Isman informs us that they are currently in an exhibition of repatriated antiquities at the Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant' Angelo in Rome (20 May -5 November 2013).

Tsirogiannis has written up the work for the next number of the Journal of Art Crime (2013). The detail is telling but readers of LM can wait for the publication.

This return demonstrates that items identified from the Medici Dossier (and this should be extended to the Becchina and Schinoussa archives) are perceived as "toxic". This is not the first time that such a return has been made from this auction house.

Readers of LM will be aware that Tsirogiannis has made a number of identifications in the June 2013 auction (although not all the pieces have been discussed). Two things need to happen. First, senior officers at Christie's need to look closely at what appears to be a flawed due diligence process in their "ancient art" department. Second, somebody should be contacting the Italian authorities as a matter of urgency.

Jobstudent gezocht voor archeologisch depot Provincie Antwerpen << ArcheoNet BE

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:57:45 +0000

De provincie Antwerpen zoekt momenteel een jobstudent archeologie om tijdens de zomermaanden mee te werken in het provinciaal archeologisch depot. Kandidaten zijn student archeologie, bij voorkeur BA3 of MA. Materiaalkennis (metaaltijden, Romeinse periode, middeleeuwen) is een pluspunt, maar niet vereist. Het gaat over een job voor de duur van 1 maand, tussen 1 juli en 15 september (definitieve data nog vast te leggen). Taken zijn onder andere het herverpakken van archeologische collecties, catalogeren van materiaal en aanvullen van de databank (Access).

Je werkt samen met een tweede jobstudent en onder begeleiding van een depotmedewerker. Het depot bevindt zich in de Boomgaardstraat 22-24 te 2600 Antwerpen.

Geïnteresseerden zenden voor 27 mei hun gegevens met gemotiveerde kandidaatsteling en beschikbare periode naar wouter.gheyle@admin.provant.be (Tel.: 03/2406423).

The First Christian Emperor Died << N.S. Gill (About.com Classical/Ancient History)

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:48:39 +0000

Detail from the Etruscan Larthia Seianti sarcophagus, About... << Ancient Art

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:01:22 +0000

Detail from the Etruscan Larthia Seianti sarcophagus, About 175-150 AD, From Chiusi, Siena.

Photo taken by Egisto Sani:

The cover of this terracotta sarcophagus depicts Larthia Seianti, a rich lady lived in the South Tuscany near Chiusi. The woman is portrayed lying-down on a kline. She is wearing a sumptuous and colorful clothing, and her figure is adorned by rich jewelry. The left arm is leaning against two colored cushions; her left hand, with the fingers richly decorated by rings, holds a round mirror. Her right hand puts away from the face the cloak covering her head.

A diadem made by flowers, presumably a wreath, embellishes her hair. A necklace decorated with a medallion representing Medusa’s head, is hanging around her neck. Two gold coronation bracelets, armillas, and red earrings in the shape of acorns complete the ornament of Larthia Seianti. (x)

Courtesy & currently located at the Museo Archeologico Etrusco, Florence.

Open Access Archaeology Digest #66 << Open Access Archaeology

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:30:05 +0000

Todays Open Access (free to read) Archaeology articles:

The Wharram Research Project: results to 1983 [multidisciplinary enquiry into evolution of two-parish landscape]
http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/med_arch/contents.cfm?vol=28

The College of St. Mary Magdalene, Bridgnorth, with some Account of its Deans and Prebendaries: The College
http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/archjournal/contents.cfm?vol=84

The Shrine and Head of St. Hugh of Lincoln
http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/archjournal/contents.cfm?vol=50

Special Subscriptions in 1890
http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/archjournal/contents.cfm?vol=48

Learn more about Open Access and Archaeology at: http://bit.ly/YHuyFK

Prehistoric Dogs Were More Than Hunting Companions << Archaeology Magazine

saraceni@verizon.net (Jessica E. Saraceni) — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:12:57 +0000

EDMONTON, CANADA—Robert Losey of the University of Alberta studied prehistoric burials of dogs from around the world. He found that dog burials were more common in regions where the human population was dense, the dead were buried in cemeteries, and people ate a lot of aquatic foods, even though it had been thought the dogs were kept by humans primarily for hunting terrestrial game. In Eastern Siberia, where dog domestication is estimated to have occurred 33,000 ago, dogs were only buried for the past 10,000 years, and then only when a human was also being buried. “I think the hunter-gatherers here saw some of the dogs as being nearly the same as themselves, even at a spiritual level. At this time, dogs were the only animals living closely with humans,” Losey said. For example, one dog had been buried wearing a necklace made of four red deer tooth pendants, a human fashion at the time.

New Technique Pinpoints Sources of Volcanic Glass << Archaeology Magazine

saraceni@verizon.net (Jessica E. Saraceni) — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:10:04 +0000

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND—While at the University of Sheffield from 1965 to 1972, Professor Lord Colin Renfrew created a technique to match the chemical composition of obsidian tools with the chemical composition of particular volcanoes and their lava flows. Now, Ellery Frahm of the University of Sheffield has refined that process using additional magnetic analyses so that archaeologists can trace the origins of obsidian tools to a particular volcanic quarry. “This approach provides a deeper insight into our understanding of past human behavior and will hopefully enhance research into how different groups managed natural resources linked to their economies,” he explained.

The shortest miles, part two: The Run. << He has a wife you know

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:07:00 +0000

A while back I blogged an article on buying some roman armour (see here) and I was itching to give it a try out. The problem is that it’s not exactly something you can just throw on and wander out in. Luckily then the Heroes Run came along and I blogged another piece concerning my preparations for it . Well, that happened at the weekend and though I am still a bit sore here are my thoughts and experiences on wearing a full set of legionary armour for 5km.

Ready but far from steady

Putting armour on is quite a feat to start off with, when I bought it I was told to bend it around to make it a bit more pliable. Instead I looked at it a lot and wore it occasionally (mainly when eating Pass the Garum’s roman dishes). The increase in wearing it did bear fruit and on the day the armour fitted on more easily than expected. A good start.

The feel of lorica segmentata is difficult to explain, it’s close fitting but nothing like chain mail which really hugs you (in the way a wet heavy jumper might). As the name suggests it’s segmented, lots of strips of metal means that it moves freely but acts like a solid. In terms of balance the weight is across the back of the shoulders. The advantage of this is that the chest is opened up. You might feel breathless but there’s not constriction of the chest.

Finally, one important point: I didn’t wear caligae (sandals). This might seem near heresy, but for a couple of points. The first is that I haven’t bought a pair yet, it’s best to have them made for your size and I’m still sourcing some. Even if I did have a pair I’m unsure I would have worn them, caligae (particularly with hob-nails) don’t work too well on tarmac and hard surfaces. Even the most well versed caligae wearer might come unstuck. Josephus, in his Jewish War, told the story of a centurion who fell over whilst chasing some fighters due to the slippery marble. The noise alerted those he was chasing who turned around and ran back to kill him as he lay on the floor (6.8).

I wasn’t fearful of falling over and being stabbed, but the point remains that caligae and hard surfaces are not good bedfellows. Many years ago I did a march in Boulogne in kit and the cobblestones + caligae turned what were feet into fearsome lumps of woe at the end of my legs.

Anyway, enough of feet.

I managed to merge in with the crowds of superheroes and only occasionally drew a curious look. One child, around 8 years old, called me a knight and did a running kick at my scutum (shield). To both our surprises he bounced off it and I was reminded of the ingenuity of the scutum. People often think it’s all metal, in fact it has a brass rim but was constructed with the roman version of plywood strips (each layer laid against the grain of the other). This created a very light but very strong and resilient shield. I sing its praises now, but later in the race I was of the mind to give it a kick too.

The reaction of children in general was interesting, in the Iliad Hector meets his son, Astyanax, when in armour and Astyanax is terrified (Bk 6). Some children, particularly young ones, love the armour and are fascinated by it (I was once in kit at the Museum of London chatting to a woman who was holding her youngest, we looked down to see that she’d dropped her dummy and was happily gumming the top of my shield). Others are terrified and I can understand why, even to an experienced eye there’s a lot going on and that’s without the noise (which I will come to later).

Soon the race had started and as I crossed the line I thought I’d ‘tab’ for a bit (basically running slowly with very short steps). Legionaries didn’t exactly run a great deal, the closest they would have come would have been the short dash to throw their pila (throwing spears) in the opening moments of battle. Pila had a number of effects, primarily they were intended to kill or maim and they could also disable a shield if stuck in one. With a range of around 15m (50ft) their main use was as a shock weapon, you can imagine (or perhaps not) a hail of these coming your way and moments later the force of the Roman front line hitting you. Quite something.

I wasn’t carrying a pilum (I don’t have one and I’m not sure it would have been a good idea!) but the short tab was quite an experience. For a start a lot of the momentum you have to generate is upwards, due to balancing you cannot really throw yourself forward and so you ‘bob’. This causes two things, downward pressure and a lot of noise. The former is pretty obvious when you think about it, my lorica weighed around 10kg (22lbs) and the force of this coming back down on you is quite something. That said I’m anything but a young and very fit legionary who would be drilled in wearing armour. The early stage of a newly enlisted soldier involved lots of stamina work in armour - to quote from my article mentioned above;

“Vegetius supposed that Roman recruits were trained to march 20 roman miles (18.4 miles/29.6 km) in 5 hours as a standard pace and the same time to complete 24 miles (22 miles/35.4 km) in the quick step. This works out at a standard pace of 3.68 mph (5.92 km/h) for standard and 4.4 mph (7.08 km/h) for quickstep. This means that a normal pace a legionary would complete the 5km in 50:40 and at a fast pace 42:22.”

The Romans did a lot of exercising in armour, this even included jumping over a vaulting horse (the most proficient would do this pilum in hand). All aimed to blend the solider into his armour. This wasn’t a Roman invention though, the Greeks had performed war dances (of which the pyrrhic was the most famous) in armour and there had even been an event in the Panathenaea which consisted of men dancing (albeit less armoured)

The second thing I mentioned, noise, was really noticeable. People must have thought that a wave of saucepans had jumped out of cupboards everywhere. Again, perhaps this had a good psychological effect? After the hail of pila you hear the moans of the dying and injured and then this metallic rolling wall of sound growing in the background. That said I was also thinking about the fate of Josephus’ Roman soldier, less intimidating and more alerting. I bet he wished his armour wasn’t so noisy.

Crossing the Rubicon

Around the 2.5km I was suffering, I’d stopped tabbing after the first 100 metres and a steady stride was being hampered by my balteus (belt) and scutum. As you can see from the pics the lower part of the lorica segmentata has little for a belt to gain any purchase on and as a result it kept slipping down.

Belts were important, they marked a soldier’s status, Goldsworthy mentions that Augustus would punish centurions by making them stand to attention without them (Complete Roman Army, 119). They held the pugio (small dagger) and the front strips could be decorated, some also argue that the strips offered some protection. I can’t see how other than perhaps confusing the eye with their movement. Suffice to say I spent much of my time with my right thumb hitched in the belt like some mechanical pantomime dame.

My left thumb was numb, as was my left hand, forearm and upper arm. Only the left shoulder was allowed the freedom of sensation and it used this to remind me that I was carrying the shield on my left side. In fairness the overhand grip (palm facing inwards) made holding the shield easier than expected and early on it simply hung there. The real culprit was the wind, the shield responded to any gust or strong breeze like an excited kite. The effect was either being pulled or pushed to the side. One way of avoiding this was to hug the shield in closer, but that still only lessened the effect of the wind slightly and made holding the shield harder. Swapping hands wasn’t effective either (the gladius kept banging) with no optio or centurion in sight I was able to stop a few times and get the feeling back.

Towards the end I started feeling comfortable again, though this may have been as much to do with knowing I was soon to finish as much as anything else. Though I didn’t take my time I calculated it at around the 53 minute mark. Not bad and what I hoped to come in around.

Putting my feet up

After watching the awards being handed out and chatting to a few of the organisers (and eating a deserved doughnut) I headed back and de-armoured. Anyone who has broken a limb and been in plaster will know that feeling when the plaster is removed from that limb and you feel as if you are going to float away. Imagine that sensation across the entire body. The elation was only checked by the sudden onset of fatigue and a need for tea and all things sweet. Exactly how Romans marched for several hours and then dug a camp (in fairness not always in armour) escapes me.

Marius, who reformed the Roman army in 107BC, had altered the Roman army in practically every sense. For example, prior to Marius the army at that point had been very reliant on long winding baggage trains. Marius scrapped this and made the newly homogenous legionary (prior to this Roman armies had been comprised of different unit types) responsible for carrying his own equipment, the aptly named impedimenta.

This new troop type marched with a furca, a T-shaped pole which he suspended his sarcina (bag) on and the rest of his kit, some 60 lbs including cooking equipment and rations. They quickly gained the nickname muli mariani, Marius’ mules and for around an hour I had a brief understanding of why.

Plant Pathogen Identified in 19th-Century Potato Leaves << Archaeology Magazine

saraceni@verizon.net (Jessica E. Saraceni) — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:06:24 +0000

NORWICH, ENGLAND—An international team of scientists has examined preserved nineteenth-century plant leaves and collected DNA from the fungus-like infection that wiped out Ireland’s potato crop in 1845. They found that this particular strain of Phytophthora infestans is genetically different from strains that cause infections in potato and tomato crops today. “Perhaps this strain became extinct when the first resistant potato varieties were bred at the beginning of the 20^th century,” said Kentaro Yoshida of The Sainsbury Laboratory. The failure of Ireland’s potato crop led to the deaths of an estimated one million people between 1846 and 1851.

Limestone stela of Ashurnasirpal... << Ancient Peoples

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:02:44 +0000

Limestone stela of Ashurnasirpal II

865BC-860BC

Neo-Assyrian

(Source: The British Museum)

Wetter Weather Spurred Human Innovations << Archaeology Magazine

saraceni@verizon.net (Jessica E. Saraceni) — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:02:02 +0000

PARIS, FRANCE—Periods of wet weather in South Africa led to population growth and cultural advancement in modern humans during the Middle Stone Age, according to a comparison of the archaeological record and climate history read from a sediment core. The use of symbols, the development of complex language, the manufacture and use of stone tools, and the creation of jewelry all coincided with climate change, according to Martin Ziegler of the Cardiff University School of Earth and Ocean Sciences. “At the same time, large parts of sub-Saharan Africa experienced drier conditions, so that South Africa potentially acted as a refuge for early humans,” he added.

Gallo-Romeinse ambachtslieden strijken zondag neer in Velzeke << ArcheoNet BE

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:55:05 +0000

Naar aanleiding van de vlooienmarkt slaan Gallische en Romeinse ambachtslieden en handelaars op zondag 26 mei opnieuw hun tenten op aan het Provinciaal Archeologisch Museum in Velzeke (Zottegem). Van 9u tot 18u tonen ze hun vakmanschap in smeden, hout en leder bewerken en weven. De handelaren bieden hun waren zoals aardewerk, leder, sieraden ook te koop aan, een uitgelezen kans dus om een uniek stuk in huis te halen. Naast talrijke demonstraties kun je in de binnentuin van het museum ook genieten van een Romeinse bar. Het museum is voor één dag gratis te bezichtigen.

A Whirlwind of Inconsistencies << James F. McGrath (Exploring Our Matrix)

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:44:56 +0000

In the wake of the devastating tornado in Oklahoma, a number of people have drawn attention to John Piper’s tweet of Job 1:19.

Far from this verse indicating the notion that God is judging Oklahoma (which is what some have come to expect to hear from spokespeople for conservative Christian viewpoints), in context the verse is part of a book that depicts disasters as coming upon Job not because he in any way deserves punishment, and for reasons which he never learns.

But that doesn’t get at the heart of the issue, which is what religious believers ought to think about natural disasters (even that term suggests one particular way of thinking about them). David Hayward offered the cartoon below, indicating (again, in accordance with the message of the Book of Job) that human attempts to offer explanation for tragedy are simply more tragedies.

Lots of people have also seen and commented on the video of an atheist who was asked if they thank the Lord for surviving the tornado.

I’d like to suggest that being thankful is absolutely appropriate, whether one is a Christian or an atheist, but being thankful in a manner that suggests that God saved you, while causing or allowing others to die, is not something beautiful but something reprehensible. It is not only sinners or people of some particular religious persuasion who survive disasters, and it is not only the righteous or people of some particular religious persuasion who survive. To suggest otherwise is to turn God into a monster.

So be consistent. Many people reject the attempt to blame people or God for tragedy. But by thanking God for those who survive, you are doing the exact same thing. And so if you think that saying God wanted to kill young children and chose to do so with a tornado is abhorrent blasphemy, then don’t say “thank God for sparing those other people.” It amounts to the same thing.

Fragmentary bust of Hadrian, from the area of Santa Bibiana at Termini station, ca. 117-120, Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Rome << Carole Raddato (Following Hadrian)

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:44:56 +0000

Inv. no. 124.491
Termini portrait sculptural type.

This fragmentary bust was discovered in 1941 during work on the main train station (Stazione Termini) hence known now as the “Stazione Termini” type (eight similar examples are known).

ancientpeoples: Roman Bathroom Habits The Romans were not shy... << He has a wife you know

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:40:09 +0000

ancientpeoples:

Roman Bathroom Habits

The Romans were not shy when it came to doing their “business”. Something that we today regard as an act that demands a certain level of privacy, in ancient Rome, bathroom habits were much more open and, to a great extent, totally lacking in privacy. In a city of over one-million people, ninety-five percent of them did not have access to a private bathroom. Only wealthy Romans could afford the luxury of having a private bathroom by tapping directly into the public aqueducts, which brought running water into their homes. However, for the majority of Romans lacking their own bathroom, there were two options available.

The first option was to go in any ordinary pot that you kept in your home or place of business; moreover, in the city of Rome itself, large urinal pots stood at several street corners. These “piss pots” actually had a very significant role in everyday life. The pots were collected by fullers because the urine functioned as an ancient form of bleach. Stale urine, known as wash, was a source of ammonium salts and assisted in cleansing and whitening cloth; urine made your whites white! In addition, tanners soaked animal skins in urine in order to remove hair fibers before tanning. Oddly enough these pots were eventually taxed by the emperor Vespasian which resulted in the piss pots being nicknamed after him. Flying waste was also a very common problem in Ancient Rome. Ancient writers mention anecdotes involving citizens emptying their pots from third or fourth-story windows on to whoever was walking in the street. There were laws enacted solely for the purpose of protecting those who had been hit by flying waste, “Damages to be paid by throwers of waste into the street if the person hit was injured, no damages paid for clothing or if hit outside of daylight hours.” Nevertheless, the simplest way of disposing of your waste was to throw it into the street, because the streets of Rome were naturally angled towards the center allowing waste to roll into the gutters. Some Insulae,(multi-story apartment buildings), however, could be linked by gravity-fed pipes that led to a main cesspit. Farmers would collect “night-soil” from these cesspits in order to fertilize their fields.

The second option available to the inhabitants of Rome was to head to a public bathroom. Ancient Roman public bathrooms were made out of long rows of massive stone with a hole cut into the stone every few feet. Located in front of the seating area is a channel or elongated basin where your sponge sticks are located. Sponge sticks you say, what the devil for? The Romans obviously did not use toilet paper, but used sponges soaked in water. You would grab a sponge attached to a stick and clean yourself, if you need more cleaning you could plunge the sponge stick back into the little stream and clean some more. Once you are finished with the sponge stick, you scrape the sponge against the side of the stone hole you are seated on and let it fall into the flowing water; quite a logical system reminiscent of modern day bidets. Underneath those Roman derrières flowed a system of plumbing that rivaled modern day cities like New York City. Constant running water flushes away the waste into an enormous sewage systems that runs under the streets of Rome, the Cloaca Maxima (Great Drain). This system is made possible by several aqueducts that flow into the city keeping it supplied with fresh flowing water. The Roman’s effective sewage system was not in place in order to combat the possibility of disease, but more so to combat smell; the role of impure water in causing disease seemed to be little understood by the Romans.

In some ancient bathrooms there is space for one-hundred people at a time. The bathrooms are open to all genders and all ages, so imagine men, women, and children all standing or sitting, doing their business next to one another in an open space. People are discussing business or gossiping to one another while going to the bathroom. Since for most Romans privacy is a unheard of aspect of life, why would it be different in this situation? However, the public bathrooms are not only visited by the common citizen, the wealthy also frequent them. Every location in ancient Rome where large crowds gather is an opportunity for wealthy Romans to pander to their constituents. Most upper-class Romans were running for some sort of political office, so the public bathrooms were a great location for mingling with the Roman people. Therefore, if you wished to hear the local gossip, chat with a friend or stranger, or simply do your business, the public bathrooms are always a good choice. Roman bathroom habits were communal, lacking in privacy, and surprisingly efficient, and they also allowed one to say, “I had a lovely conversation with a few people while sitting on the toilet the other day.”

Retelling Romans 2:17-29 << James F. McGrath (Exploring Our Matrix)

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:18:01 +0000

So you call yourself a Christian, and rely on the Bible, and boast in God, knowing God’s will and discerning what really matters because you’ve received Biblical instruction, being confident in your own ability to be a guide to the blind and a light to those in darkness, an educator of the foolish and teacher of the childish, having in the Bible the embodiment of knowledge and truth? Then let me ask you this: Will someone teach others but not also teach themselves? Will you bilk the faithful while preaching “Do not steal”? Will you have affairs while saying “You shall not commit adultery”? If you detest idols, will you commit sacrilege? The one who boasts in the Bible while trampling on the Bible’s teaching dishonors God. As the Bible itself says, “Because of you God’s name is blasphemed among the nations.”

Being a Christian has value if you put into practice what Jesus taught. But if you disobey his teaching, your belief becomes unbelief. And so if those who are not Christians do the very things that Jesus taught, will not their lack of belief in him be reckoned as belief? The one who is not a Christian and does what Jesus commanded will condemn you who – even though you call yourself a Christian and have the Bible – disobey what is taught therein.

For being a Christian is not about outward appearances or the wearing of a particular label, but about what happens inwardly, in the secret recesses of the heart, through the Spirit and not mere words. It is not about being applauded by other human beings, but by God.

______________________

I tried to maintain in this section the substitution of Christians in those places where Paul refers to Jews, just as I did in the previous section. Let me state once more the rationale for doing so:

Paul was not writing as someone who wore the label “Christian” but as a Jew.
Paul was arguing against the view that Jews alone had access to salvation and could be counted among or considered God’s people.
Most modern Christian readers are automatically inclined to assume that they are on Paul’s side. But Christian views of election and exclusivity of salvation very frequently mirror the views Paul was arguing against. And it is hard to notice this unless we who are Christians place ourselves in the shoes of those Paul argued against, and ask how what he wrote might apply to us.

We will see by end of this series whether I can consistently retell Romans to speak to Christians in this way. I suspect that it will not work to do so, particularly in Romans 9-11, where I think that I may have to take a different approach in order to help modern readers hear what Paul was saying in his own context. But hopefully the substitution in this passage will help modern readers feel the impact of what Paul wrote in the way that his contemporaries would have.

You can compare what I’ve written here with any standard translation of Romans into English to get a sense of what I’ve substituted.

MUDIRA: MUnich DIgital Research Archives << Charles Ellwood Jones (AWOL: The Ancient World Online)

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Jones) — Wed, 22 May 2013 18:09:38 +0000

MUDIRA: MUnich DIgital Research Archives

MUnich DIgital Research Archives ist ein im Frühjahr 2012 gestartetes Gemeinschaftsprojekt des Instituts für Ägyptologie der LMU München und des Staatlichen Museums Ägyptischer Kunst München (SMÄK), in welchem die umfangreichen Bildbestände beider Institutionen zu Altägypten digitalisiert und zugänglich gemacht werden. In der ersten (auf 2 bis 3 Jahre angelegten) Projektphase werden etwa 30.000 als Kleinbild-Diapositive vorliegende Originalaufnahmen aus Ägypten sowie von Beständen ägyptischer Museen und Sammlungen professionell gescannt und im Rahmen einer durch die IT-Gruppe Geisteswissenschaften (ITG) der LMU erstellten Datenbank online präsentiert. Ziele des Projektes sind die Erleichterung des Zugangs zu den Bildern, die wissenschaftliche Aufbereitung der dazugehörenden Informationen sowie letztendlich der Erhalt der oftmals wissenschaftshistorisch bedeutsamen Abbildungen auf einem zeitgemäßen Speichermedium. Der UNI DIA Verlag hat zudem seine knapp 6.000 Bilder zu Altägypten in digitalisierter Form zur Verfügung gestellt. Diese Bilder sind bereits komplett bearbeitet und abrufbar. In einem zweiten Schritt soll dann die Glasplattensammlung des Münchner Ägyptologischen Instituts digitalisiert und aufbereitet werden.

Gold Pendant 500-400 BC Cypro-Classical Height: 1.6cm (Source:... << Ancient Peoples

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:01:35 +0000

Gold Pendant

500-400 BC

Cypro-Classical

Height: 1.6cm

(Source: The British Museum)

Trenzalore << James F. McGrath (Exploring Our Matrix)

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:58:45 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

It looks like the tech folks at Patheos, who have been working hard on figuring out what was wrong with my blog, have made some progress! And since there is one place in the cosmos that a blogger must never go – his blog’s grave – I thought I’d share some music from the Doctor Who season finale, “The Name of the Doctor,” which seemed apt for the occasion. :

If you can actually get to this post, please be so kind as to leave a comment saying so!

Open Access Library: Trismegistos << Charles Ellwood Jones (AWOL: The Ancient World Online)

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Jones) — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:57:26 +0000

[First posted in AWOL 16 September 2009. Most recently updated 22 May 2013]

Trismegistos

Trismegistos [TM], called after the famous epithet of Hermes - Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom and writing who also played a major role in Greek religion and philosophy, is a platform aiming to surmount barriers of language and discipline in the study of texts from the ancient world, particularly late period Egypt and the Nile valley (roughly BC 800 - 800 AD).
The core component of TM is Trismegistos Texts, currently counting 165893 entries. When the database was created in 2005, it focused on providing information (metadata) on published papyrological documents from Graeco-Roman Egypt. Chronological boundaries are always artificial, and the nature of the sources soon suggested that BC 800 and AD 800 were more suited. Since egyptology does not know a disciplinary boundary between papyri and inscriptions, TM also decided to expand by adding all epigraphic material as well. Papyrology on the other hand includes also writing tablets from outside Egypt, which led us to widen our geographical scope to the entire ancient world. Finally, since the distinction between published and unpublished is increasingly less productive in a digital environment, we now no longer discriminate in that respect either. In principle, however, we still provide only metadata.
This means that Trismegistos increasingly wants to be a platform where information can be found about all texts from antiquity, thus facilitating cross-cultural and cross-linguistic research. This will of course only be possible through cooperation with all players in the field, since our aim is to lead people to the partner websites, where more information, often including also photographs, transliterations and translations of the texts, can be found.
Several aspects of the Texts database have been elaborated in the course of successive projects (see History) and have become separate databases linked with the core Trismegistos Texts database.
The Collections database, built on the Leuven Homepage of Papyrus Collections, is a set of currently 2530 modern institutional and private collections of texts and their 123,524 inventory numbers. It is searchable both separately and in the Texts database.
The Archives database, built on the Leuven Homepage of Papyrus Archives, is a set of currently 464 collections of texts in antiquity, mainly in Egypt, and the 16,461 texts that are part of these archives. It is searchable separately, leading to the texts themselves.
The People database, building on the Prosopographia Ptolemaica, is a complex set of prosopographical and onomastic databases. It currently contains 458,045 attestations of personal names of non-royal individuals living in Egypt between BC 800 and AD 800, including all languages and scripts and written on any surface.
The Places database, expanding the geographic database of the Fayum project, is a set of currently 14,197 places in (and some outside) Egypt. It contains the currently 113,927 toponyms attested in texts from Egypt (BC 800 – AD 800), but is also linked to the provenance field in Trismegistos Texts.
Finally, because abbreviations are often different in the various disciplines, we have also started creating a Bibliography which resolves many of the short references we use in Trismegistos. The other way round it also wants to facilitate the search for all texts in a specific publication. Its coverage is patchy except for the publications dealing with Demotic and Abnormal Hieratic, where the Demotistische Literaturübersicht provides a much higher standard of bibliographic information.

Trismegistos
Staff

TM Info
Introduction
Current Coverage
Partners
Languages and scripts
Stable Identifiers
History
Add a new text
Help us!

Trismegistos Online Publications (TOP)

This series, edited by W. Clarysse (K.U.Leuven) / M. Depauw (K.U.Leuven) / H.J. Thissen (Universität zu Köln), aims to provide freely downloadable pdf-documents with scholarly tools based upon or providing links to the Trismegistos database.
Contributors can send in manuscripts in Word format to mark.depauw@arts.kuleuven.be. The editors will decide whether the manuscript fits in the series and can be accepted for reviewing. An anonymous version of the manuscript will then be sent to two or more peers for evaluation. On the basis of their report the editors will take a decision whether to publish it in the series or not. Authors will be given the anonymous notes of the reviewers and can be asked to implement changes to their manuscript.

TOP 1 (Click to download)
M. Depauw, C. Arlt, M. Elebaut, A. Georgila, S.A. Gülden, H. Knuf, J. Moje, F. Naether, H. Verreth, S. Bronischewski, B. Derichs, S. Eslah, M. Kromer
A Chronological Survey of Precisely Dated Demotic and Abnormal Hieratic Sources
Version 1.0 (February 2007), Köln / Leuven 2008, xiii, 232 pp.
ISBN: 978-9-490604-0-04

TOP 2 (Click to download)
H. Verreth
A survey of toponyms in Egypt in the Graeco-Roman period
Version 1.0 (September 2008), Köln / Leuven 2008, 893 pp. (7 Mb).
ISBN: 978-9-490604-0-35

TOP 3 (Click to download)
H. Verreth
The provenance of Egyptian documents from the 8th century BC till the 8th century AD
Version 1.0 (August 2009), Köln / Leuven 2009, 314 pp. (13.3 Mb).
ISBN: 978-9-490604-0-28

TOP 4 (Click to download)
A. Benaissa
Rural Settlements of the Oxyrhynchite Nome. A Papyrological Survey
Version 2.0 (May 2012), Köln / Leuven 2012, 496 pp. (8.4 Mb).
ISBN: 978-9-490604-0-42
(The old version 1.0, from October 2009, is still available as well: click here to download in pdf).

TOP 5 (Click to download)
H. Verreth
Toponyms in Demotic and Abnormal Hieratic texts from the 8th century BC till the 5th century AD
Version 1.0 (August 2011), Köln / Leuven 2011, 719 pp. (9.6 Mb).
ISBN: 978-9-490604-0-66

TOP 6 (Click to download)
K.A. Worp
A New Survey of Greek, Coptic, Demotic and Latin Tabulae Preserved from Classical Antiquity
Version 1.0 (February 2012), Leiden / Leuven 2012, 78 pp. (0.6 Mb).
ISBN: 978-9-490604-0-59

TOP 7 (Click to download)
J. Lundon
The Scholia Minora in Homerum. An Alphabetical List
Version 1.0 (November 2012), Köln / Leuven 2012, 250 pp. (2.0 Mb).
ISBN: 978-94-9060-407-3

TOP 8
Y. Broux
Double Names in Roman Egypt: A Prosopography
Version 1.0 (forthcoming 2013), Leuven 2013.
Further volumes are in preparation.

Out of the TOP series:

J. France
Theadelpheia and Euhemereia. Village History in Graeco-Roman Egypt
Leuven, 1999 (Click here; WARNING: large file 55 Mb !! ).
[Unpublished PhD thesis]

K. Vandorpe
Egyptische geografische elementen in Griekse transcriptie
In Dutch - (English title for reference only: Egyptian geographical elements in Greek transcription)
Leuven, 1988 (Click here; ZIP-file; after decompressing, you will get a folder containing the text itself - which has been split up in 2 parts – and an index to the text. All files are searchable PDF's. WARNING: large file 95,8 Mb !! ).
[Unpublished Master thesis, in Dutch]

H. Verreth
The northern Sinai from the 7th century BC till the 7th century AD. A guide to the sources
Leuven, 2006 (Click here).
ISBN: 978-9-490604-0-11

High definition sourcing sharpens understanding of the past << David Connolly, Maggie Struckmeier, and Felicity Donohoe (Past Horizons: Adventures in Archaeology)

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:46:17 +0000

A new method of sourcing the origins of artefacts in high definition is set to improve our understanding of the past.

Dr Ellery Frahm at the University of Sheffield developed the new technology to better study Mesopotamian obsidian tools unearthed in Syria, where cultural heritage is threatened by the ongoing conflict.

The research brings five decades of research full circle and presents a significant advance in the field. While at the University of Sheffield from 1965 – 1972, Professor Lord Colin Renfrew developed a technique that matched stone tools made of obsidian, naturally occurring glass, to their volcanic origins based on their chemical fingerprints. Considered one of the greatest successes in scientific archaeology, matching artefacts to specific volcanoes was a significant leap forward in understanding trade, contact, and cultural change in the ancient world.

Matching artefact to particular quarry

The study involved more magnetic measurements of obsidian than all previously published studies combined. Image: University of Sheffield

Nearly 50 years later, Dr Frahm’s work is the next major advance in obsidian sourcing. Previously it was only possible to match an artefact to a particular volcano or lava flow, sometimes covering dozens of chemically uniform square kilometres. Frahm’s new approach builds on traditional methods with additional magnetic analyses. The magnetic properties of obsidian vary on the scale of meters, not kilometres, enabling researchers to match an artefact to a particular quarry at the volcano. The result is much greater specificity of an artefact’s origin, enabling human behaviours in the past to be reconstructed with greater spatial resolution than previously possible.

“Sourcing artefacts in this way gives us a sharper picture of the past,” explained Frahm. “We have already used this approach to show how obsidian was collected from certain quarries at volcanoes and how ancient quarrying locations change over time. This approach provides a deeper insight into our understanding of past human behaviour and will hopefully enhance research into how different groups managed natural resources linked to their economies.”

Simplicity of approach

Indeed, one of the most important aspects of the study for Dr Frahm and his collaborator, Dr Joshua Feinberg at the University of Minnesota, was the simplicity of the approach and how widely applicable it will be. “Our magnetic tests were chosen in part for their simplicity so that most rock magnetism laboratories could take the necessary measurements and apply this new approach worldwide. We did not want to develop a technique that could only be done in one or two laboratories in the world. It was important the approach be accessible, making it as ‘open source’ as possible.”

Dr Ellery Frahm at an obsidian outcrop. Image: University of Sheffield

Sheer quantities studied

Development of this approach partly depended on the sheer quantities of specimens and artefacts studied, “This study involved more magnetic measurements of obsidian than all previously published studies combined,” explained Frahm. “The resulting picture revealed how to identify quarries of particular importance to Mesopotamian peoples, and it helps us to piece together their cultural significance.”

The cultural significance of artefacts to Syria’s heritage, which is under threat due to the current conflict, is an important part of Frahm’s research. “During my fieldwork in Syria, I identified some spectacular artefacts that should be curated and displayed to the Syrian public at the Deir ez-Zor archaeological museum.

“Unfortunately, Deir ez-Zor has been a centre of fighting since summer 2011. The last time I had an update, the museum had become a stronghold for the Syrian military, even with snipers on the roof, and it appears that when they pulled out last fall, the museum was essentially trashed. This has a doubly damaging effect on the country. Not only do many Syrians see archaeological sites and artefacts as part of their heritage, but also archaeological excavations put money into the local economy and employ local workers, helping people in rural villages make ends meet. Protecting Syrian heritage throughout this terrible conflict is an issue that needs attention from people who are in a position to help.”

Source: University of Sheffield

More Information

From Flow to Quarry: Magnetic Properties of Obsidian and Changing the Scale of Archaeological Sourcing. Journal of Archaeological Science

Cite this article

University of Sheffield. High definition sourcing sharpens understanding of the past. Past Horizons. May 22, 2013, from http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/05/2013/high-definition-sourcing-sharpens-understanding-of-the-past

For Archaeology News – Archaeology Research – Archaeology Press Releases

Arrival in Cyprus << Scott Moore (Ancient History Ramblings)

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:37:34 +0000

I hate to disappoint Richard Rothaus, but it was an uneventful trip to Cyprus this year, compared to other flights I have had. I have had some……unusual luck in flying ? Let's see – I was rerouted due to a strike, forced to land due to a bomb threat, pilot could not see the runway because of fog and was rerouted, etc. – the usual things. Anyway, the flight was fairly uneventful. I do have a few thoughts. First, I am always amazed at how small the world is. As I was sitting in my seat for my Philadelphia to Athens leg, my friend and fellow archaeologist Michael Toumazou comes walking down the aisle and sits down in my row two seats over. Mike directs the Athienou Archaeological Project which is about 20 kilometers down the road from us at PKAP and he and the rest of the Athienou staff have always been very friendly and helpful to us.

Two, I was less than impressed with my first Trans-Atlantic US Air flight for several reasons. While the staff, attendants, and pilot were all very nice and appeared to be highly qualified, I was disappointed in the low budget approach to everything (food, baggage, seats) especially since their cost for the flight was not appreciably lower than other airlines. For example, there was one medium-sized video screen and two iPad-sized screens in my cabin area and I was 8 rows away from the medium-sized screen, and it was blocked by a person's head anyway. I was expecting the video screen in the headrest of the seat in front of me, like I have had on British Air, Air Canada, Lufthansa flights – and was very surprised not to have this on a 10 hour flight, it felt like a flight from the late 80s. Fortunately, I had loaded several movies on my iPad and could watch those instead of about 1/3 of a screen from about 25 feet away.

The main reason I was unhappy was that I had a lot of luggage this year and was concerned about the excess baggage charges. One reader helpfully suggested that I contact US Air's customer service department and explain the situation since they make exceptions for certain items, like many types of sporting goods equipment. I emailed US Air last Wednesday explaining my situation and received an automated reply saying that usually get to these emails in 2-3 business days. I finally received a reply that was sent the night after I started traveling that morning saying:

“Dear Dr. Moore, Thank you for contacting US Airways. We apologize that your email was not processed in a timely manner so that we could answer your request prior to your departure. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us …..”

I suppose that is an effective way to handle inquiries to customer service about upcoming flights.

RSM

Posted with Blogsy

Yasmine el-Shazly Interviews << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Barford) — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:35:18 +0000

Way back two years ago, I replied to a letter mentioning me written by Dr Yasmine el Shazly in which I suspect I was a little harsh. She did not exactly come over too well in what she wrote, perhaps too I did not fully appreciate the background to what she was writing. I was therefore interested to see a series of You Tube videos from Egyptian English-language breakfast TV (state-owned Nile International TV). She turns out to be an extremely photogenic and articulate lady with some good ideas and an amazing laugh. The first three videos have pretty bad quality and they all have annoying musical interludes, but are worth watching.

16:08

Breakfast 16 11 2012 Yasmin El Shazly (rather bad sound quality)
(mentions "reading and listening to all the horrible things people say about the museum", oh dear...)

Breakfast 1-3-2013 Part (6) Dr.Yasmin elshazly (sadly not the best quality)

Breakfast 1-3-2013 Part (7) Dr.Yasmin elshazly (appears to be blank)

Women's World 26-4-2013 Yasmin El Shazly (part one)
Dr el Shazly appears here, after a report on an excavation at Sakkara.

10:09

Women's World 264-2013 Yasmin El Shazly (part 2)

10:09

Women's World 264-2013 Yasmin El Shazly (part 3)

14:48
breakfast 14-5-2013 dr yasmine el shazil part 3

The lady deserves to go far.

Looting at Antinopolis << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Barford) — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:28:13 +0000

Another alert in the blogosphere to another site in danger from encroachment and looting in post-Revolution Egypt (Francesco Tiradritti. 'The battle for Egypt’s ancient Roman site, Antinopolis' Published online: 21 May 2013). This lies in teh vicinity of Minya, a region already noted for lawlessness when it comes to antiquities and looting.

Antinopolis, located near the Nile over 30km south of the nearest large town, Minya, is being damaged by encroachment and digging for artefacts. The well-preserved Roman hippodrome has now been swallowed by the ever-expanding cemetery for Sheikh ‘Ibada, the neighbouring small town. Large areas are being prepared for redevelopment and parts of the ancient necropolis on the north of the site have already been converted into farmland.

The alarm was raised by Rosario Pintaudi (an Italian archaeologist from the Vitelli Papyrological Institute, Florence), together with Jay Heidel (Chicago University’s Oriental Institute). there was a meeting with Mohammed Ibrahim, the former minister of antiquities (reportedly: "who only promised to address the matter when he realised that a nearby temple, built by Rameses II, is also under threat").

Raymond Johnson, the director of the archaeological mission from the University of Chicago in Luxor, says: “This is a disgrace, it’s a real tragedy. After the meeting with the minister they increased the number of guards, but many of them are from the same families as those that pillage the site.” [...] “It’s a battle,” says Pintaudi, “groups of children pass by us, grinning, armed with spades with which they dig out artefacts and sell them. People don’t like our presence here.”

The photos should be studied by those who advocate "punishing looters". The Google Earth photos of the site go up to 22.2.2013 and the encroachment can be seen, the modern town has extended some 50 m into the west side of the Roman site and the extension of the cemetery onto one arm of the hippodrome bank can clearly be seen (the bank appears to have been eroded, and then levelled(?). On the other hand, one can clearly see the constraints of the site, the cemetery is already huge (compared to some up and down-river) and the town's population no doubt expanding. Most of the usable (ie flattish) land is occupied by a complex of several overlapping archaeological sites covering an area of 3.6 x 1.1 km behind the town. It is pretty obvious that this has been a severe constraint on the development of the town for a number of decades. How can further development on this site be managed sustainably (or in fact, can it)?

Antonous the Gay God's website hits.

Antinopolis has a web-presence independent of the archaeological issues, it's regarded by a certain interest group as the city of "Antonous, the Gay God". It seems (see cluster map) that he has a lot of devotees. Maybe they'd be interested in helping do something about the damage to this site?

As for any looting going on, I expect we will now be hearing from the foreign collectors (who say they have the "rights" to collect and preserve the world archaeological heritage if they want to) that since the brown-skinned people and 'corrupt local authorities' are not going to protect the sites from the looters, then it is theirs by rights. By buying the little bits the looters are searching out, they claim they are "protecting them" (the little looted objects). I would say the fact that people with no scruples and self-serving (pseudo) arguments will willingly buy things like this without even batting an eyelid let alone asking any searching questions is the main reason why these people are digging into these sites, smashing what they cannot sell. If world opinion turns against these unscrupulous collectors and dealers, shames them into changing their ways, the looters lose their customers. But then, how much shame do these collectors have anyway? Enough to make them start asking their suppliers for some frank answers to some pretty straightforward questions? Enough shame to clean up this dirty and destructive market? Have a look on any antiquities site, have a look on some of the internet auction venues. Where are all those little artefacts coming from? Where have all the little artefacts dug up on sites like Antinopolis gone? What actually are the reasons for assuming that the one question does not answer the other? Ockham's razor is poised above the "it's from an old collection, but I cannot document that" argument, surely. Let's STOP this now.

Vignette: Children with shovels at Antinopolis.

Uruk migrants in the Caucasus << Dienekes' Anthropology Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Dienekes) — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:21:31 +0000

From the paper:

The period between the 4th and 3rd millennia B.C. was the time of great cataclysmic events in the Caucasus; its cultural advances were influenced by changes within its boundaries as well as interactions with the outside world.

The most significant occurrence of this epoch was the appearance of a large number of peoples of Mesopotamian cultural identity who contributed to speeding up the rhythm of its cultural development, adding “explosive” character to its progress.

...

During this period the South Caucasus experienced two powerful waves of Middle Eastern expansion: the first at the time of Late Neolithic culture of Sioni in the 4th-5th millennia B.C., and the second at the period of Tsopi culture in the Late Neolithic Age, at the end of the 5th and the first half of the 4th millennium B.C., which is known as the Uruk expansion era. Later, in the second half of the 4th and throughout the 3 rd millennium B.C., during the Early Bronze Age the Kura-Araxes culture of the Caucasus spread throughout the greater part of the Caucasus, Eastern Anatolia, northern parts of Iran, Middle East and even Europe.

...

In this context, recent archaeological finds in the Southern and Northeastern Caucasus gave yet another, entirely new nuance to scientific researches into the ancient past of the Caucasus. They made it clear that incursion of these peoples into the Caucasus was not a onetime event, but continued for a significantly long period. Reasoning by the topography of the archaeological finds in Mesopotamia, it becomes clear that large masses of migrant settlers from that area did not move straight along the route to Transcaucasia in order to reach the destination faster. Actually, they settled down in every region of the Caucasus, in the mountains and flatlands, in areas where they could maintain a lifestyle familiar to them.

...

It seems obvious that from that period on, two cultures of the Caucasus that had been at different stages of development could coexist peacefully on the basis of their mutual participation in metallurgical manufacturing; it was this type of communal economy that gave impetus to a speedy development of the local culture. This is well illustrated by the metallurgical items of the Kura-Araxes culture, which is significantly more advanced in comparison with the preAeneolithic culture.

...

At present the situation has changed drastically. On the basis of a whole series of radiocarbon analyses, it has been proved [15; 82] that burial mounds of the ancient pit-grave culture are of a significantly later period in comparison with Maikop archaeological sites. This allows scholars to assume that the tradition of building this type of burial mounds emerged precisely in the Maikop culture. Its ties with Levant and Mesopotamian antiquities point to its earlier origin [15: 97]. At the same time, a whole range of chronological data obtained with radiocarbon analysis has established that the settlements and burial mounds of the South Caucasus containing Uruk artefact are coexistent with the Maikop culture [13: 149-153] and, accordingly, the ancient pit-grave culture and its burial mounds belong to a later period. Therefore, today we cannot possibly ascribe the emergence of this kind of burial mounds in the Maikop culture as well as similar contemporaneous sites in the South Caucasus to the influence of the steppe zone cultures. Moreover, there were no adverse conditions that would have prevented emergence of this type of burial mounds in the Caucasus itself

UPDATE: Also relevant a book chapter on The Caucasus - donor and recipient of materials to and from the ancient near east, and a talk by EN Chernykh in a recent conference on the topic of Caucasus as the Bridge Between the Settled Farming and the Pastor.

BULLETIN OF THE GEORGIAN NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, vol. 6, no. 2, 2012

Uruk Migrants in the Caucasus

Konstantine Pitskhelauri

ABSTRACT. At the end of the 5th and in the 4th millennia B.C. large masses of Uruk migrants had settled in the South, and later in the North Caucasus. Assimilation of cultures of the newcomers and residents, as a result, caused their “explosive” development paving the way to the formation of the Maikop culture in the North Caucasus and the Kura-Araxes culture in the South Caucasus. © 2012 Bull. Georg. Natl. Acad. Sci.

Link (pdf)

I Jornadas de recreación romano-celtíbera de Muel << Roberto Lérida (Aragón Romano)

noreply@blogger.com (Mono Gramático) — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:07:18 +0000

Este próximo fin de semana va a tener lugar en la localidad zaragoza de Muel, famosa por su presa romana, la primera edición de las Jornadas de recreación romano-celtíbera con motivo de difundir y promocionar la presa romana de Muel se han programado una serie de actividades que tendrán lugar en el parque de Muel.
Organiza el Ayuntamiento de Muel en colaboración con el Grupo de Recreación Histórica Athenea Promachos y Grupo Celtíbero de Tudela.
Os djuntamos el programa de actividades:
SABADO 25:
- 10,30 horas: Inicio actividades en el parque.
A lo largo de la mañana se desarrollaran talleres y juegos infantiles, demostraciones de los grupos participantes, atención a los visitantes, etc.
- 12,00 horas: Presentación oficial de la I Jornada de recreación romano-celtibera. - 12,30 horas: Charla explicativa y demostrativa sobre la fundación de Roma, sus obras hidráulicas, su expansión en el mundo, la evolución de Roma a través de sus ejércitos, los celtiberos, etc.
- 13,30 horas: Escenificación de combates entre romanos y celtiberos. Técnicas, formaciones, demostraciones, etc.
- 14,00 horas: Comida popular en el parque. Se pueden adquirir los vales en el Ayuntamiento al precio de 2€.
- 16,30 horas: Continuación de actividades en el parque.
- 17,00 horas: Charla explicativa y demostrativa sobre la fundación de Roma, sus obras hidráulicas, su expansión en el mundo, la evolución de Roma a través de sus ejércitos, etc.
- 18,00 horas: Conferencia sobre la presa romana de Muel a cargo de Paula Uribe Agudo, directora de excavaciones de la presa de Muel y miebro del Grupo Investigador de Excelencia URBS de la Universidad de Zaragoza, acompañada por Javier Fanlo. Pabellón de cultura.
- 19,00 horas: Concurso de duelos entre recreadores. Concurso de duelos entre el público que quiera participar. Previa inscripción a lo largo del día.
- 20,30 horas: Fin de las actividades.
DOMINGO 26:
- 10,30 horas: A lo largo de la mañana se desarrollara una charla explicativa y demostrativa sobre la fundación de Roma, sus obras hidráulicas, su expansión en el mundo, la evolución de Roma a través de sus ejércitos, etc., con demostraciones del grupo romano y con atención a los visitantes, etc.
NOTA: Este programa es provisional y puede sufrir modificaciones lo cual se informará en este evento.c

Marquis of Northampton (Re)claims Family's Ownership of Sekhemka statue << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Barford) — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:43:07 +0000

Duh. Read the small print. The deed of gift whereby the 4th Marquess of Northampton donated his Egyptian and geological collections (including the statue of Sekhemka which the Museum now wants to flog off) was signed in 1880 and reads as follows:

“The corporation covenant with the Marquis […] assigns at all times for ever hereafter to exhibit the same collection freely to the public […] and at no time to dispose of any part of the collections […] in default whereof at any time the said collection shall revert and be restored to the Marquis his heirs […] in as good condition as it was received.”

To download a copy of the deed of gift, click here (pdf)
A spokesman for the museum says it's going ahead with flogging it off, they need the money and they assert that since the statue is not specifically mentioned, they can ignore the Marquis's clearly-expressed wishes in the matter"and are working with Arts Council England to achieve an ethical disposal” (sic). An ethical disposal would be to send it back to Egypt if nobody actually wants it in the UK.

Patrick Steel, 'Northampton faces legal challenge over Egyptian collections', Museums Journal 20.05.2013.

Vignette: Sekhemka was a scribe, he could read, can Northampton councillors?

"La Grande Razzia è ancora tra noi, e Christie’s lo sa" << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Barford) — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:31:47 +0000

.
Fabio Isman writes in the Italian Arte Magazine, "La Grande Razzia è ancora tra noi, e Christie’s lo sa", whether or not they knew, they do now. " Items identified from the Medici, Becchina and Symes photographic archives are surfacing in the New York Christie's auction this June". David Gill asks ('New York market and recently-surfaced antiquities') what they will do now... Are they going to shop another of their sellers?

History Buffs Applaud Raid << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Barford) — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:19:57 +0000

.
On a metal detecting forum near you, the "responsible" tekkies ("passionately intersted in history") have reacted to yesterday's news of the seizure of 900 looted artefacts from a Norfolk home with joy. Bazza Thugwit, of Billericay for example writes (21 may 2013):

Well caught! People who handle dodgy artefacts should get what they deserve. Pity these guys got away with it for so long.

Sam Scabmitts (21 may 2013) agrees:

Lock 'em up, that's what I say!

The forum's moderator Ivor Eraysor adds:

the British Museum was right to shop these guys the moment they spotted them, apparently this was through one of the 'other' metal detecting forums, if these guys had been writing about what they were doing over here, they'd have been banned immediately and the police informed. We refuse to allow our forum to be used for discussions of anything of that nature. Be warned.

The reader need not try following the links, they do not work because there never were any such posts. The whole matter of one of their number in Northern Ireland going out there without a permit and thus metal detecting illegally has been skipped over on most detecting forums this morning. The whole issue of a metal detectorists's family home in Norfolk being raided and an entire collection of items seized is not mentioned. There has been no discussion of the fact that the Northern Irish guy ("only interested in the history?") was reportedly passing on masses of objects to the Norfolk guy. Why would he do that? Why would the latter accumulate a whole load of stuff which he'd not found himself while "researching local history"? There are no anecdotes about how Thugwit "always suspected that **** was up to summat" and was a strange guy, and that he'd "never give his hand to him at a club dig". There are in fact a number of elements to this story which to my mind any normal group of enthusiasts (and especially self-proclaimed "responsible ones") would be interest themselves in and be discussing with alacrity. So why is there instead a conspiracy of silence about this notable and interesting case?

“We know for a fact that metal detectors were used,” said Dr Ned Kelly, keeper of antiquities with the National Museum of Ireland, where the items will be displayed to the media tomorrow.

Keynote, Some Assembly Required, now on Youtube << Shawn Graham (Electric Archaeology)

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:16:50 +0000

‘Some Assembly Required’, my keynote at the Canadian Network for Innovation in Education is now available on youtube.

(If you don’t see me, I’m the second person on the playlist).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K58DOSeQ0N4&feature=share&list=PLL1ugrJCNbcq8v_iIHqh8mCja6YFOuCEe

Maia Atlantis: Ancient World Blogs

Islamkundliche Untersuchungen online << Adam C. McCollum (hmmlorientalia)

New edition of "Vesuviana" << Blogging Pompeii

ARIADNE - archaeological research data infrastructure << Charles Ellwood Jones (AWOL: The Ancient World Online)

UNESCO's Reactive Monitoring Mission report on Pompeii << Blogging Pompeii

Doctor Who Complete Box Set! << James F. McGrath (Exploring Our Matrix)

Friends of the Egyptian Museum << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

UK Metal Detecting: From "Partners" to "Getting Down and Dirty''? << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

George Clooney Hunts Nazi Loot ... << Dorothy King (PhDiva)

Invitation to provide feedback on UCL Museums and Public Engagement << Andie Byrnes (Egyptology News)

Haplofind: mtDNA haplogroup assignment tool << Dienekes' Anthropology Blog

RomArché. A Villa Giulia rivivono le atmosfere del passato << ArcheoBlog

Cultural Encounters in Roman Patras << American School of Classical Studies in Athens: Events

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Caravaggio’s famous painting goes to Croatia << Archaeology and Arts: Αρχαιολογία Online

Man’s best and earliest friend << Archaeology and Arts: Αρχαιολογία Online

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The Plagues of the Cairo Museum << Archaeology and Arts: Αρχαιολογία Online

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Cairo Geniza radio series << Jim Davila (Paleojudaica.com)

Flour History << K. Kris Hearst (About.com: archaeology)

Picture of the day: Cat among the ruins of the Prytaneion at Ephesus (Turkey) << Carole Raddato (Following Hadrian)

Remains of ancient oak boat found in Ireland << Paola Arosio and Diego Meozzi (Stone Pages' Archaeonews)

Stone Age hunter-scavengers << Paola Arosio and Diego Meozzi (Stone Pages' Archaeonews)

Neolithic hut re-construction in Wiltshire << Paola Arosio and Diego Meozzi (Stone Pages' Archaeonews)

“Teche parlanti” high-tech al Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Cerveteri << ArcheoBlog

La bibliothèque universitaire de Lille pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale << Insula: Le blog de la Bibliothèque des Sciences de l'Antiquité (Lille 3)

Une histoire de la Bibliothèque universitaire de Lille / 10.

Le bâtiment

1942-1943 (4e année de guerre)

1943-1944 (5e année de guerre)

1944-1945

1945-1946

La fréquentation

Les collections

Notes du texte

Friday Varia and Quick Hits << Bill Caraher (The New Archaeology of the Mediterranean World)

La Parisienne, Minoan fresco remain found at Knossos on Crete,... << Ancient Art

Who Long? << James F. McGrath (Exploring Our Matrix)

The Grace in Being << James F. McGrath (Exploring Our Matrix)

A Dantean moment << Tom Matrullo (Ovid's Metamorphoses)

Questions about the Spengler Collection remain Unanswered by US Department of State. << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

What if....? << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

Διπλοῦν ὁρῶσιν οἱ μαθόντες γράμματα << José María Ciordia (Pompilo: diario esporádico de un profesor de griego)

María Moliner [no] se equivocaba << José María Ciordia (Pompilo: diario esporádico de un profesor de griego)

Money Launderers Using No-Questions-Asked Art Market to Cover Criminality << Paul Barford (Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues)

Open Access Archaeology Digest #67 << Open Access Archaeology

More on the Burial of King Richard III << Archaeology Magazine

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Elements in Baby Teeth Reveal Breast-Feeding History << Archaeology Magazine

Open Access Journal: Gerda Henkel Stiftung: Jahresbericht << Charles Ellwood Jones (AWOL: The Ancient World Online)

Jahresbericht 2012

Jahresbericht 2011

Jahresbericht 2010

Jahresbericht 2009

Jahresbericht 2008

Jahresbericht 2007

Jahresbericht 2006

Jahresbericht 2005

Jahresbericht 2004

Jahresbericht 2003

Jahresbericht 2002

REFEMA: Rôle Économique des Femmes en Mésopotamie Ancienne << Charles Ellwood Jones (AWOL: The Ancient World Online)

Jeffrey Gibson on the Disciples’ Prayer << James F. McGrath (Exploring Our Matrix)

1924 Print E-Sagila Image Babylon Hero-God Temple Marduk << All Mesopotamia

1924 Print E-Sagila Image Babylon Hero-God Temple Marduk

Academic Job Opening << Duane Smith (Abnormal Interests)

Coins returned to Bulgaria << David Gill (Looting Matters)

In Doctor Who News << James F. McGrath (Exploring Our Matrix)

The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic << James F. McGrath (Exploring Our Matrix)

A few comments on grammatical terminology old and new << ἐν ἐφέσῳ: Thoughts and Meditations

iTanakh is getting more than a facelift << Christopher Heard (Higgaion)

Wooden offering statue of a woman This statue is still... << Ancient Peoples

Picture of the Week: Tabernacle Replica << BiblePlaces Blog

An Online Companion to the Riddle of the Labyrinth << Program in Aegean Scripts and Prehistory

Evolving Christianity << James F. McGrath (Exploring Our Matrix)

1942-1943 (4^e année de guerre)

1943-1944 (5^e année de guerre)