Thursday, July 31, 2014

Wine cup used by Pericles found in grave north of Athens



A cup believed to have been used by Classical Greek statesman Pericles has been found in a pauper’s grave in north Athens, according to local reports Wednesday. The ceramic wine cup, smashed in 12 pieces, was found during building construction in the northern Athens suburb of Kifissia, Ta Nea daily said. After piecing it together, archeologists were astounded to find the name “Pericles” scratched under one of its handles, alongside the names of five other men, in apparent order of seniority. Experts are “99 percent” sure that the cup was used by the Athenian statesman, as one of the other names listed, Ariphron, is that of Pericles’ elder brother.

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Friday, July 25, 2014

Latest ISIL Culture Crime


Another site lost to Islamist fanatics bent destroying not only places venerated by Christians and Jews, but even other, fellow Muslims. Archaeo-bloggers have been publishing pictures proving that ISIL has dynamited a mosque and shrine devoted to Jonah the Prophet.  It is time the US got tough with these rag-head cavemen. But in the light of evidence like this, how can the anti-collecting ranters claim that artifacts should be repatriated to countries with people like these running around unchecked wantonly destroying everything? They are far better off safe in US collections. 

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Ancient Priest’s Tomb Painting Discovered Near Great Pyramid at Giza



A wall painting, dating back over 4,300 years, has been discovered in a tomb located just east of the Great Pyramid of Giza. The painting shows vivid scenes of life, including boats sailing south on the Nile River, a bird hunting trip in a marsh and a man named Perseneb who’s shown with his wife and dog. While Giza is famous for its pyramids, the site also contains fields of tombs that sprawl to the east and west of the Great Pyramid. These tombs were created for private individuals who held varying degrees of rank and power during the Old Kingdom (2649-2150 B.C.), the age when the Giza pyramids were built.

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Wednesday, July 9, 2014

What Do We Really Know about Global Warming?


"fight on – for honest science, affordable energy, accountable government, and better lives for billions of people — and against the dark forces of climate fanaticism. I also know we are being joined by more and more countries, as they increasingly understand the true nature of this ideological conflict.”

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Remains of Long-Lost Temple Discovered in Iraq



Life-size human statues and column bases from a long-lost temple dedicated to a supreme god have been discovered in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq. The discoveries date back over 2,500 years to the Iron Age, a time period when several groups — such as the Urartians, Assyrians and Scythians — vied for supremacy over what is now northern Iraq. "I didn’t do excavation, just archaeological soundings —the villagers uncovered these materials accidentally," said Dlshad Marf Zamua, a doctoral student at Leiden University in the Netherlands, who began the fieldwork in 2005.

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Thursday, July 3, 2014

Chinese Collectors Given Unfair Advantage


Chinese coin experts are coming to America, presumably looking for historical coins to bring back to their homeland. Why has the Archaeological Institute of America and the State Department's Cultural Heritage Center worked so hard to preclude Americans from importing the exact, same coins Chinese collectors enjoy, and now Chinese dealers are now freely exporting back into China?
More at Cultural Property Observer: Sucking Sound