Source: in.gr
Στην Ελλάδα επέστρεψαν 94 αντικείμενα της νεολιθικής εποχής που είχαν κλαπεί από συλλέκτη το 1985 στη Λάρισα. Προσωρινά βρίσκονται στο Εθνικό Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο, μέχρι να προγραμματιστεί η μεταφορά τους στο Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο της Λάρισας όπου ανήκουν.
Οι αρχαιότητες είχαν κλαπεί πριν από 22 χρόνια σε ένοπλη ληστεία στην οικία του συλλέκτη Κωνσταντίνου Θεοδωρόπουλου και στη συνέχεια προωθήθηκαν σε μουσείο του Μονάχου.
Πρόκειται για λίθινες και πήλινες σφραγίδες, λίθινα εργαλεία και φιάλες και 63 μαρμάρινα και πήλινα νεολιθικά αγγεία, εξήγησε ο διευθυντής του Εθνικού Αρχαιολογικού Μουσείου Ν. Καλτσάς στην τελετή παράδοσης την Τρίτη.
Ο Μιχάλης Λιάπης, ικανοποιημένος από την εξέλιξη της υπόθεσης, τόνισε πως η αντιμετώπιση της κλοπής και παράνομης διακίνησης αρχαιοτήτων βρίσκεται στον πυρήνα της πολιτικής του υπουργείου Πολιτισμού.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Ικανοποίηση Λιάπη από την εξέλιξη των εργασιών στην Αρχαία Ολυμπία
Source: in.gr
«Οι εργασίες αποκατάστασης στην Αρχαία Ολυμπία προχωρούν βάσει του χρονοδιαγράμματος που είχαμε σχεδιάσει και προσωπικά είμαι ιδιαίτερα ικανοποιημένος. Σε λίγο καιρό θα αποδώσουμε στη διεθνή κοινότητα την Αρχαία Ολυμπία αποκαταστημένη» δήλωσε ο υπουργός Πολιτισμού Μιχάλης Λιάπης, ο οποίος επισκέφθηκε για δεύτερη φορά την περιοχή.
Η τελετή αφής της Ολυμπιακής φλόγας θα γίνει στις 24 Μαρτίου «κατά τον καλύτερο τρόπο» είπε χαρακτηριστικά ο κ. Λιάπης.
Ο υπουργός Πολιτισμού δεν στάθηκε μόνο στην αποκατάσταση της περιοχής από την πυρκαγιά, αλλά αναφέρθηκε και στην εκτέλεση έργων για περαιτέρω ανάδειξη της Αρχαίας Ολυμπίας. Όπως σημείωσε, «θέλουμε με μακρόπνοα έργα να αναδείξουμε ακόμη περισσότερο αυτό το μνημείο - σύμβολο της πολιτιστικής μας κληρονομιάς».
Πρόσθεσε ότι «η πολιτική βούληση είναι δεδομένη, χρήματα υπάρχουν και η παρακολούθηση των έργων θα είναι άμεση και διαρκής, διότι δεν δικαιολογούνται καθυστερήσεις».
Επίσης, ο υπουργός Πολιτισμού ζήτησε από τον περιφερειάρχη Δυτικής Ελλάδας Σπύρο Σπυρίδωνα, να ολοκληρωθούν μέσα στην επόμενη εβδομάδα οι πληρωμές των εργαζομένων που απασχολούνται στα έργα αποκατάστασης.
Εν τω μεταξύ, σύμφωνα με Τα Νέα, 20 χρόνια και 30.000 δέντρα και θάμνοι, σε πρώτη φάση, θα χρειαστούν για να αποκατασταθεί το τοπίο στον αρχαιολογικό χώρο της Ολυμπίας.
Με τα 30.000 δέντρα, μόλις το 1/3 όσων κάηκαν στην πυρκαγιά του Αυγούστου, επιχειρείται να βελτιωθεί η αποκαρδιωτική εικόνα της Αρχαίας Ολυμπίας εν όψει της τελετής της Αφής της Ολυμπιακής Φλόγας στις 25 Μαρτίου για τους Αγώνες του Πεκίνου.
Οι επεμβάσεις στην αποκατάσταση της εικόνας του αρχαιολογικού χώρου θα είναι ριζικές, καθώς τη θέση των πεύκων που κυριαρχούσαν θα πάρουν κυρίως πλατύφυλλα δέντρα, που αν καούν να μπορούν να ξαναβλαστήσουν με στόχο την αποκαστάση του αρχαίου δρυοδάσους.
Για τον λόγο αυτό θα χρησιμοποιηθούν 26 διαφορετικά είδη δένδρων και θάμνων -ανάμεσά τους βελανιδιά, δρυς, ελιά, κυπαρίσσι, πουρνάρι, κουτσουπιά, κουμαριά, δάφνη, λυγαριά, μυρτιά, πικροδάφνη, αγριοτριανταφυλλιά, σφενδάμι- για να καλύψουν τις καταστροφές σε συνολικά 255 στρέμματα του αρχαιολογικού χώρου και των γύρω λόφων.
Το βάρος προγραμματίζεται να πέσει στο σήμα κατατεθέν του τοπίου της Αρχαίας Ολυμπίας, τον Κρόνιο Λόφο. Κουμαριές και σπάρτα, που δεν θα έχουν μεγάλο ύψος για να μην κρύψουν τη γραμμή του ορίζοντα, θα φυτευτούν με υδροσπορά (ειδικό σύστημα φύτευσης διά ψεκασμού) πάνω σε ειδικό (βιοδιασπώμενο μέσα σε τέσσερα χρόνια) γεωΰφασμα.
Στο μέσον του λόφου θα φυτευτούν δρυς και κουτσουπιές, ενώ στο κάτω μέρος τον ρόλο «κουρτίνας» θα παίξουν δάφνες, ελιές και κουτσουπιές με ύψος έως και 2 μ. Απαραίτητη προϋπόθεση να γίνει διασκόπηση του εδάφους καθώς ο Κρόνιος Λόφος έχει ανασκαφεί ελάχιστα.
Λυγαριές, πικροδάφνες, κυπαρίσσια και αγριελιές από την Κρήτη θα βρουν τη θέση τους σε δυο λωρίδες που θα διαμορφωθούν εκατέρωθεν του μήκους 80 μ. διαδρόμου προς το μνημείο του Πιερ Ντε Κουμπερντέν. Μικρές συστάδες δέντρων θα τοποθετηθούν κατά μήκους του οδικού δικτύου εντός του αρχαιολογικού χώρου, ενώ οι ξένοι προς την τοπική χλωρίδα ευκάλυπτοι και οι τριανταφυλλιές που βρίσκονταν έξω από το μουσείο προβλέπεται να αντικατασταθούν με αγριοτριανταφυλλιές, δάφνες και πλατάνια.
Προβληματισμός ωστόσο προέκυψε για την προέλευση των υπεραιωνόβιων ελαιοδέντρων που θα ταξιδέψουν από την Κρήτη, καθώς θεωρήθηκε «προβληματικό» το έπαθλο των Ολυμπιακών Αγώνων, το στεφάνι ελιάς, να προέρχεται από ελαιόδεντρα Κρήτης!
Ωστόσο, η μυθολογία «που θέλει την πρώτη ελιά να φτάνει στην Ολυμπία από την Κρήτη» φαίνεται να δίνει το πράσινο φως για το ταξίδι των 170 δέντρων. Τα υπόλοιπα φυτά έχουν δεσμευθεί ήδη στην πλειονότητά τους από φυτώρια της Πάτρας, ανάμεσά τους κάπου 4.200 κυπαρίσσια, το ύψος των οποίων κυμαίνεται από 50 εκατ. έως 3 μέτρα.
«Οι εργασίες αποκατάστασης στην Αρχαία Ολυμπία προχωρούν βάσει του χρονοδιαγράμματος που είχαμε σχεδιάσει και προσωπικά είμαι ιδιαίτερα ικανοποιημένος. Σε λίγο καιρό θα αποδώσουμε στη διεθνή κοινότητα την Αρχαία Ολυμπία αποκαταστημένη» δήλωσε ο υπουργός Πολιτισμού Μιχάλης Λιάπης, ο οποίος επισκέφθηκε για δεύτερη φορά την περιοχή.
Η τελετή αφής της Ολυμπιακής φλόγας θα γίνει στις 24 Μαρτίου «κατά τον καλύτερο τρόπο» είπε χαρακτηριστικά ο κ. Λιάπης.
Ο υπουργός Πολιτισμού δεν στάθηκε μόνο στην αποκατάσταση της περιοχής από την πυρκαγιά, αλλά αναφέρθηκε και στην εκτέλεση έργων για περαιτέρω ανάδειξη της Αρχαίας Ολυμπίας. Όπως σημείωσε, «θέλουμε με μακρόπνοα έργα να αναδείξουμε ακόμη περισσότερο αυτό το μνημείο - σύμβολο της πολιτιστικής μας κληρονομιάς».
Πρόσθεσε ότι «η πολιτική βούληση είναι δεδομένη, χρήματα υπάρχουν και η παρακολούθηση των έργων θα είναι άμεση και διαρκής, διότι δεν δικαιολογούνται καθυστερήσεις».
Επίσης, ο υπουργός Πολιτισμού ζήτησε από τον περιφερειάρχη Δυτικής Ελλάδας Σπύρο Σπυρίδωνα, να ολοκληρωθούν μέσα στην επόμενη εβδομάδα οι πληρωμές των εργαζομένων που απασχολούνται στα έργα αποκατάστασης.
Εν τω μεταξύ, σύμφωνα με Τα Νέα, 20 χρόνια και 30.000 δέντρα και θάμνοι, σε πρώτη φάση, θα χρειαστούν για να αποκατασταθεί το τοπίο στον αρχαιολογικό χώρο της Ολυμπίας.
Με τα 30.000 δέντρα, μόλις το 1/3 όσων κάηκαν στην πυρκαγιά του Αυγούστου, επιχειρείται να βελτιωθεί η αποκαρδιωτική εικόνα της Αρχαίας Ολυμπίας εν όψει της τελετής της Αφής της Ολυμπιακής Φλόγας στις 25 Μαρτίου για τους Αγώνες του Πεκίνου.
Οι επεμβάσεις στην αποκατάσταση της εικόνας του αρχαιολογικού χώρου θα είναι ριζικές, καθώς τη θέση των πεύκων που κυριαρχούσαν θα πάρουν κυρίως πλατύφυλλα δέντρα, που αν καούν να μπορούν να ξαναβλαστήσουν με στόχο την αποκαστάση του αρχαίου δρυοδάσους.
Για τον λόγο αυτό θα χρησιμοποιηθούν 26 διαφορετικά είδη δένδρων και θάμνων -ανάμεσά τους βελανιδιά, δρυς, ελιά, κυπαρίσσι, πουρνάρι, κουτσουπιά, κουμαριά, δάφνη, λυγαριά, μυρτιά, πικροδάφνη, αγριοτριανταφυλλιά, σφενδάμι- για να καλύψουν τις καταστροφές σε συνολικά 255 στρέμματα του αρχαιολογικού χώρου και των γύρω λόφων.
Το βάρος προγραμματίζεται να πέσει στο σήμα κατατεθέν του τοπίου της Αρχαίας Ολυμπίας, τον Κρόνιο Λόφο. Κουμαριές και σπάρτα, που δεν θα έχουν μεγάλο ύψος για να μην κρύψουν τη γραμμή του ορίζοντα, θα φυτευτούν με υδροσπορά (ειδικό σύστημα φύτευσης διά ψεκασμού) πάνω σε ειδικό (βιοδιασπώμενο μέσα σε τέσσερα χρόνια) γεωΰφασμα.
Στο μέσον του λόφου θα φυτευτούν δρυς και κουτσουπιές, ενώ στο κάτω μέρος τον ρόλο «κουρτίνας» θα παίξουν δάφνες, ελιές και κουτσουπιές με ύψος έως και 2 μ. Απαραίτητη προϋπόθεση να γίνει διασκόπηση του εδάφους καθώς ο Κρόνιος Λόφος έχει ανασκαφεί ελάχιστα.
Λυγαριές, πικροδάφνες, κυπαρίσσια και αγριελιές από την Κρήτη θα βρουν τη θέση τους σε δυο λωρίδες που θα διαμορφωθούν εκατέρωθεν του μήκους 80 μ. διαδρόμου προς το μνημείο του Πιερ Ντε Κουμπερντέν. Μικρές συστάδες δέντρων θα τοποθετηθούν κατά μήκους του οδικού δικτύου εντός του αρχαιολογικού χώρου, ενώ οι ξένοι προς την τοπική χλωρίδα ευκάλυπτοι και οι τριανταφυλλιές που βρίσκονταν έξω από το μουσείο προβλέπεται να αντικατασταθούν με αγριοτριανταφυλλιές, δάφνες και πλατάνια.
Προβληματισμός ωστόσο προέκυψε για την προέλευση των υπεραιωνόβιων ελαιοδέντρων που θα ταξιδέψουν από την Κρήτη, καθώς θεωρήθηκε «προβληματικό» το έπαθλο των Ολυμπιακών Αγώνων, το στεφάνι ελιάς, να προέρχεται από ελαιόδεντρα Κρήτης!
Ωστόσο, η μυθολογία «που θέλει την πρώτη ελιά να φτάνει στην Ολυμπία από την Κρήτη» φαίνεται να δίνει το πράσινο φως για το ταξίδι των 170 δέντρων. Τα υπόλοιπα φυτά έχουν δεσμευθεί ήδη στην πλειονότητά τους από φυτώρια της Πάτρας, ανάμεσά τους κάπου 4.200 κυπαρίσσια, το ύψος των οποίων κυμαίνεται από 50 εκατ. έως 3 μέτρα.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Job at Dartmouth College
Seen at AegeaNet
DARTMOUTH COLLEGE HANOVER, NH
The Department of Classics at Dartmouth College anticipates an opening for a one-year visiting professor to teach courses in introductory archaeology, Greek archaeology and elementary Latin from September 2008 through March 2009. In addition, the candidate should be prepared to assist a Dartmouth faculty member in Greece during the Spring quarter of 2009 (late March through early June) for the department's off-campus program (extensive travel required). Ph.D. is expected at the time of appointment (July 2008).
Please send a letter of application, a curriculum vitae, transcript, and three letters of recommendation to: Robin Donovan, Department Administrator, Classics Department, 6086 Reed Hall, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755.
Review of applications will begin on December 1, 2007, and continue until the position is filled. Electronic submissions are encouraged. Inquiries may be directed to Robin.T.Donovan@Dartmouth.edu or 603-646-3394. Dartmouth College is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer.
DARTMOUTH COLLEGE HANOVER, NH
The Department of Classics at Dartmouth College anticipates an opening for a one-year visiting professor to teach courses in introductory archaeology, Greek archaeology and elementary Latin from September 2008 through March 2009. In addition, the candidate should be prepared to assist a Dartmouth faculty member in Greece during the Spring quarter of 2009 (late March through early June) for the department's off-campus program (extensive travel required). Ph.D. is expected at the time of appointment (July 2008).
Please send a letter of application, a curriculum vitae, transcript, and three letters of recommendation to: Robin Donovan, Department Administrator, Classics Department, 6086 Reed Hall, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755.
Review of applications will begin on December 1, 2007, and continue until the position is filled. Electronic submissions are encouraged. Inquiries may be directed to Robin.T.Donovan@Dartmouth.edu or 603-646-3394. Dartmouth College is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer.
Next Aegean Seminar in Zagreb
Seen at AegeaNet
The next Aegean Seminar in Croatia will take place on 05 November 2007 at 18.30 at the lecture hall of the Croatian Journalists’ Association, Perkovčeva Street 2, Zagreb. It will host Professor Emeritus Christos Doumas with a lecture titled "The volcanic eruption of Thera and the fiction of Atlantis".
In addition to this, prof. Doumas will give a University lecture "Aegean islands – cradle of civilisation" on 06 November 2007 at 11.15. The venue of this lecture is the Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Lecture Hall VI, Ivana Lucica Street 3, Zagreb.
For any further information, please contact Helena Tomas on htomas@ffzg.hr.
The next Aegean Seminar in Croatia will take place on 05 November 2007 at 18.30 at the lecture hall of the Croatian Journalists’ Association, Perkovčeva Street 2, Zagreb. It will host Professor Emeritus Christos Doumas with a lecture titled "The volcanic eruption of Thera and the fiction of Atlantis".
In addition to this, prof. Doumas will give a University lecture "Aegean islands – cradle of civilisation" on 06 November 2007 at 11.15. The venue of this lecture is the Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Lecture Hall VI, Ivana Lucica Street 3, Zagreb.
For any further information, please contact Helena Tomas on htomas@ffzg.hr.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
A 3,000-year-old mystery is finally solved: Tutankhamun died in a hunting accident
Source: The Independent
By Steve Connor, Science Editor
The mystery behind the sudden death of Tutankhamun, the boy king who ruled Egypt more than 3,000 years ago, may have been finally solved by scientists who believe that he fell from a fast-moving chariot while out hunting in the desert.
Speculation surrounding Tutankhamun's death has been rife since his tomb was broken into in 1922 by archaeologist Howard Carter. X-rays of the mummy taken in 1968 indicated a swelling at the base of the skull, suggesting "King Tut" was killed by a blow to the head.
More recent studies using a CT medical scanner, however, revealed he suffered a badly broken leg, just above his knee just before he died. That in turn probably led to lethal blood poisoning. Now further evidence has come to light suggesting that he suffered the fracture while hunting game from a chariot.
The new findings are still circumstantial but one of Egypt's leading experts on Tutankhamun will say in a television documentary to be screened this week that he believes the case is now solved on how the boy king met his sudden and unexpected end.
"He was not murdered as many people thought. He had an accident when he was hunting in the desert. Falling from a chariot made this fracture in his left leg and this really is in my opinion how he died," said Zahi Hawass, general secretary of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.
Until now, many historians had assumed that he was treated as a rather fragile child who was cosseted and protected from physical danger. However, Nadia Lokma of the Cairo Museum said that a recent analysis of the chariots found in the tombs of the pharaohs indicated that they were not merely ceremonial but show signs of wear and tear. Hundreds of arrows recovered from the tomb also show evidence of having been fired and recovered. "These chariots are hunting chariots, not war chariots. You can see from the wear on them that they were actually used in life," Dr Lokma said.
A cache of clothing found in Tutankhamun's tomb, which was stored in the vaults of the Cairo Museum, suggest that he was accustomed to riding these chariots himself. They include a specially-adapted corset which would have protected the wearer's abdominal organs from any damage from an accident or the heavy jostling of a chariot ride.
A final piece of evidence comes from a garland of flowers placed around the neck of Tutankhamun's mummy. Botanists found it included cornflowers and mayweed that were fresh at the time the decoration was made.
"The cornflower and mayweed on the garland around the mummy were in flower in March and April, which tells us the time of year he was buried," said Nigel Hepper of the Royal Horticultural Society at Kew Gardens.
Because the flowers could have been collected only between the middle of March and the end of April, and as the complex process of mummification lasted 70 days, this meant Tutankhamun probably died in December or January. That timing coincided with the middle of the winter hunting season.
The results of the latest research into Tutankhamun, which are to feature in a Channel Five documentary tomorrow evening, come just a few weeks before Britain hosts the first exhibition of his tomb's artefacts in 35 years at The O2 centre, formerly the Millennium Dome, in south-east London.
When the first Tutankhamun exhibition in London was held at the British Museum in 1972, some 1.5 million people made the pilgrimage to see his fabulous solid-gold facemask. This time, however, the mask will remain in Egypt because of fears it might not withstand the trip.
The present-day Lord Carnarvon, whose ancestor paid for Howard Carter's 1922 expedition, said the latest findings indicated that Tutankhamun was an active young man who took risks with his life.
"I thought he was an over-cosseted child, but I think he was really out there in the field and taking part in things towards the end of his short life," Lord Carnarvon said. "His chariots could have reached considerable speeds, up to 25mph. If a chariot turns over at that speed, you could easily break your leg very seriously."
By Steve Connor, Science Editor
The mystery behind the sudden death of Tutankhamun, the boy king who ruled Egypt more than 3,000 years ago, may have been finally solved by scientists who believe that he fell from a fast-moving chariot while out hunting in the desert.
Speculation surrounding Tutankhamun's death has been rife since his tomb was broken into in 1922 by archaeologist Howard Carter. X-rays of the mummy taken in 1968 indicated a swelling at the base of the skull, suggesting "King Tut" was killed by a blow to the head.
More recent studies using a CT medical scanner, however, revealed he suffered a badly broken leg, just above his knee just before he died. That in turn probably led to lethal blood poisoning. Now further evidence has come to light suggesting that he suffered the fracture while hunting game from a chariot.
The new findings are still circumstantial but one of Egypt's leading experts on Tutankhamun will say in a television documentary to be screened this week that he believes the case is now solved on how the boy king met his sudden and unexpected end.
"He was not murdered as many people thought. He had an accident when he was hunting in the desert. Falling from a chariot made this fracture in his left leg and this really is in my opinion how he died," said Zahi Hawass, general secretary of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.
Until now, many historians had assumed that he was treated as a rather fragile child who was cosseted and protected from physical danger. However, Nadia Lokma of the Cairo Museum said that a recent analysis of the chariots found in the tombs of the pharaohs indicated that they were not merely ceremonial but show signs of wear and tear. Hundreds of arrows recovered from the tomb also show evidence of having been fired and recovered. "These chariots are hunting chariots, not war chariots. You can see from the wear on them that they were actually used in life," Dr Lokma said.
A cache of clothing found in Tutankhamun's tomb, which was stored in the vaults of the Cairo Museum, suggest that he was accustomed to riding these chariots himself. They include a specially-adapted corset which would have protected the wearer's abdominal organs from any damage from an accident or the heavy jostling of a chariot ride.
A final piece of evidence comes from a garland of flowers placed around the neck of Tutankhamun's mummy. Botanists found it included cornflowers and mayweed that were fresh at the time the decoration was made.
"The cornflower and mayweed on the garland around the mummy were in flower in March and April, which tells us the time of year he was buried," said Nigel Hepper of the Royal Horticultural Society at Kew Gardens.
Because the flowers could have been collected only between the middle of March and the end of April, and as the complex process of mummification lasted 70 days, this meant Tutankhamun probably died in December or January. That timing coincided with the middle of the winter hunting season.
The results of the latest research into Tutankhamun, which are to feature in a Channel Five documentary tomorrow evening, come just a few weeks before Britain hosts the first exhibition of his tomb's artefacts in 35 years at The O2 centre, formerly the Millennium Dome, in south-east London.
When the first Tutankhamun exhibition in London was held at the British Museum in 1972, some 1.5 million people made the pilgrimage to see his fabulous solid-gold facemask. This time, however, the mask will remain in Egypt because of fears it might not withstand the trip.
The present-day Lord Carnarvon, whose ancestor paid for Howard Carter's 1922 expedition, said the latest findings indicated that Tutankhamun was an active young man who took risks with his life.
"I thought he was an over-cosseted child, but I think he was really out there in the field and taking part in things towards the end of his short life," Lord Carnarvon said. "His chariots could have reached considerable speeds, up to 25mph. If a chariot turns over at that speed, you could easily break your leg very seriously."
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Turkish Dam May Leave Mosques, Mosaics to Tigris Scuba Divers
Source: Bloomberg.com
By Ben Holland
Oct. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Hasankeyf in southeast Turkey has been home to Assyrians, Romans, Byzantines and Ottomans over the past 3,000 years, and has the monuments to prove it. Visitors may soon need scuba gear to see them.
Turkey plans to build a $1.7 billion dam to generate power from the Tigris River, which flows through Hasankeyf en route to Iraq. Archaeologists are fighting the project so they don't have to choose between moving fragile structures like Hasankeyf's Silk Road bridge or seeing them submerged under 100 feet (30 meters) of water.
The town's history unfolds down the sandstone cliffs that line the Tigris. On the plateau above the river lie the ruins of a castle built by Byzantine emperor Constantine the Great. Caves carved into the sheer walls three millennia ago were inhabited until the 1960s. Near the river, archaeologists have uncovered a complex of medieval mosques, palaces and shops.
``It's tragic and it's outrageous'' to flood the valley, says Tom Sinclair, a history professor at the University of Cyprus. ``You can just walk in there and immediately get the idea of a medieval city.''
Archaeologists and environmentalists last year asked the European Court of Human Rights to stop the dam, known as the Ilisu project. The court in April rejected the case because European human rights laws don't protect cultural heritage, says Murat Cano, the lawyer who filed the action.
The government sidelined an earlier project six years ago after protests by environmental and human rights groups. In response, planners agreed to build a new town for Hasankeyf residents and move some of the monuments.
`Already Collapsing'
``These structures are already collapsing,'' says Yunus Bayraktar, who oversees the project for Turkish builder Nurol Holding AS. ``If there wasn't a dam project, they'd all be going to hell.''
Unfurling maps and plans across the table in his Ankara office, Bayraktar describes the future Hasankeyf: marinas, an open-air museum and a steady flow of tourists drawn to the monuments and water sports on a lake six times the size of Manhattan. The caves can be transformed into luxury apartments, and ``the world's billionaires will come and buy them,'' he says.
Present-day Hasankeyf straddles the Tigris. Above the town rise the minarets of the 15th-century El-Rizk mosque, which has a twin spiral staircase leading up the tower. Children compete to tell visitors how the architect escaped down one stairway as his angry master, sword in hand, pursued him up the other.
Three pillars survive from the stone bridge once used by travelers on the Silk Road from China to Constantinople. On the river's north bank sits an onion-domed tomb inlaid with blue tiles that was built for the son of the Turkmen King Hasan the Tall in the 14th century.
`Stone Would Crumble'
``I don't think they can be moved,'' says Abdusselam Ulucam, the Turkish archaeologist in charge of excavation at Hasankeyf. ``The stone would crumble to dust in your hands.''
There is probably more to be found. Last month, a security guard stumbled across a Roman mosaic on a wall buried behind the rubble inside a chamber at the base of the cliffs.
``It just shows you what else could be discovered,'' says Sinclair, author of a four-volume study of east Turkey's antiquities published by Pindar Press.
The dam's builders and financial backers, including Societe Generale SA and export credit agencies in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, say they'll pay for archaeologists to keep digging until the waters rise.
Turkey has made ``fundamental improvements'' in the project, with social and environmental criteria to be monitored by independent experts, Paris-based Societe Generale said in an e-mailed response to questions.
Creating Jobs
Some locals welcome the project because it will create jobs.
Sait Tekin, a local shopkeeper, says there is now work in Hasankeyf because investment dried up after the dam was first proposed half a century ago.
``It's better that it should be flooded than stay like this,'' Tekin says as he chats with friends at his general store on the city's main street. ``We just want to know what's going to happen.''
Others aren't convinced.
``This is my home. Of course I don't want to leave it,'' says Cigdem Kayalar, 16, as she milks goats in the shade by the river's edge. Kayalar admits life in Hasankeyf isn't easy: her father can only find work when archaeologists are in town, paying locals about 1 lira (81 cents) an hour to dig for them.
Ilisu is one of 13 dams planned for the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, as Turkey strives to meet the needs of its growing economy. When completed in about seven years, the project will generate 3,800 gigawatt-hours of power annually, or 2.4 percent of Turkey's current output, according to Energy Ministry figures.
Lawyer Cano recognizes that Turkey needs power and that the latest Ilisu project will relocate or compensate the 55,000 people who'll lose their homes.
Still, he says, Hasankeyf shouldn't be flooded.
``Each civilization has a duty to pass on what has survived from its predecessors,'' he says. ``Invest, for sure, but also protect.''
To contact the reporter on this story: Ben Holland in Istanbul at bholland1@bloomberg.net .
By Ben Holland
Oct. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Hasankeyf in southeast Turkey has been home to Assyrians, Romans, Byzantines and Ottomans over the past 3,000 years, and has the monuments to prove it. Visitors may soon need scuba gear to see them.
Turkey plans to build a $1.7 billion dam to generate power from the Tigris River, which flows through Hasankeyf en route to Iraq. Archaeologists are fighting the project so they don't have to choose between moving fragile structures like Hasankeyf's Silk Road bridge or seeing them submerged under 100 feet (30 meters) of water.
The town's history unfolds down the sandstone cliffs that line the Tigris. On the plateau above the river lie the ruins of a castle built by Byzantine emperor Constantine the Great. Caves carved into the sheer walls three millennia ago were inhabited until the 1960s. Near the river, archaeologists have uncovered a complex of medieval mosques, palaces and shops.
``It's tragic and it's outrageous'' to flood the valley, says Tom Sinclair, a history professor at the University of Cyprus. ``You can just walk in there and immediately get the idea of a medieval city.''
Archaeologists and environmentalists last year asked the European Court of Human Rights to stop the dam, known as the Ilisu project. The court in April rejected the case because European human rights laws don't protect cultural heritage, says Murat Cano, the lawyer who filed the action.
The government sidelined an earlier project six years ago after protests by environmental and human rights groups. In response, planners agreed to build a new town for Hasankeyf residents and move some of the monuments.
`Already Collapsing'
``These structures are already collapsing,'' says Yunus Bayraktar, who oversees the project for Turkish builder Nurol Holding AS. ``If there wasn't a dam project, they'd all be going to hell.''
Unfurling maps and plans across the table in his Ankara office, Bayraktar describes the future Hasankeyf: marinas, an open-air museum and a steady flow of tourists drawn to the monuments and water sports on a lake six times the size of Manhattan. The caves can be transformed into luxury apartments, and ``the world's billionaires will come and buy them,'' he says.
Present-day Hasankeyf straddles the Tigris. Above the town rise the minarets of the 15th-century El-Rizk mosque, which has a twin spiral staircase leading up the tower. Children compete to tell visitors how the architect escaped down one stairway as his angry master, sword in hand, pursued him up the other.
Three pillars survive from the stone bridge once used by travelers on the Silk Road from China to Constantinople. On the river's north bank sits an onion-domed tomb inlaid with blue tiles that was built for the son of the Turkmen King Hasan the Tall in the 14th century.
`Stone Would Crumble'
``I don't think they can be moved,'' says Abdusselam Ulucam, the Turkish archaeologist in charge of excavation at Hasankeyf. ``The stone would crumble to dust in your hands.''
There is probably more to be found. Last month, a security guard stumbled across a Roman mosaic on a wall buried behind the rubble inside a chamber at the base of the cliffs.
``It just shows you what else could be discovered,'' says Sinclair, author of a four-volume study of east Turkey's antiquities published by Pindar Press.
The dam's builders and financial backers, including Societe Generale SA and export credit agencies in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, say they'll pay for archaeologists to keep digging until the waters rise.
Turkey has made ``fundamental improvements'' in the project, with social and environmental criteria to be monitored by independent experts, Paris-based Societe Generale said in an e-mailed response to questions.
Creating Jobs
Some locals welcome the project because it will create jobs.
Sait Tekin, a local shopkeeper, says there is now work in Hasankeyf because investment dried up after the dam was first proposed half a century ago.
``It's better that it should be flooded than stay like this,'' Tekin says as he chats with friends at his general store on the city's main street. ``We just want to know what's going to happen.''
Others aren't convinced.
``This is my home. Of course I don't want to leave it,'' says Cigdem Kayalar, 16, as she milks goats in the shade by the river's edge. Kayalar admits life in Hasankeyf isn't easy: her father can only find work when archaeologists are in town, paying locals about 1 lira (81 cents) an hour to dig for them.
Ilisu is one of 13 dams planned for the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, as Turkey strives to meet the needs of its growing economy. When completed in about seven years, the project will generate 3,800 gigawatt-hours of power annually, or 2.4 percent of Turkey's current output, according to Energy Ministry figures.
Lawyer Cano recognizes that Turkey needs power and that the latest Ilisu project will relocate or compensate the 55,000 people who'll lose their homes.
Still, he says, Hasankeyf shouldn't be flooded.
``Each civilization has a duty to pass on what has survived from its predecessors,'' he says. ``Invest, for sure, but also protect.''
To contact the reporter on this story: Ben Holland in Istanbul at bholland1@bloomberg.net .
When, not if, the marbles return...
Source: ekathimerini
A crane transferring a crate of antiquities from the old to the new Acropolis Museum.
HELBI
The Acropolis is “missing the Marbles,” was the headline of a story in the Christian Science Monitor by Nicole Itano, in a report on the beginning of a large-scale operation last week to move tons of antiquities from the Acropolis to the new museum at its foot. At 9 a.m. sharp last Sunday, a 2.3-ton marble sculpture was the first of 4,500 works of art that will be moved over the next three months. The new museum, however, will be better known for what is missing from it rather than for what it contains. For when it opens to the public next year, the celebrated Parthenon Marbles, also known as the “Elgin Marbles” after the British member of the nobility who made off with them in the 19th century, will still be missing. Nearly 200 years later, the British Museum still has about half of the extant Parthenon sculptures. Greece hopes that the new museum will put more pressure on London to return them. The latest battle to have the marbles returned dates back to 1982, when the then culture minister, actress Melina Mercouri, speaking at a UN conference, called for their return. The Christian Science Monitor quoted Anthony Snodgrass, a retired professor of classical archaeology at Cambridge University and chairman of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles. “One of the arguments in the past that was always used was, if only Athens had a proper exhibition space for the marbles and if only the Greeks showed themselves able to look after and exhibit the marbles satisfactorily, it would be a different matter,”... “Now everybody will be able to see for themselves what is being perpetuated by keeping the two halves of the marbles apart. And this will be graphically displayed in the new museum.” The US-based Swiss architect who designed the museum, Bernard Tschumi, said the missing marbles were “central to his design.” As for the British Museum, its spokesperson Hannah Boulton, told the newspaper that “the very purpose of the British Museum is to present a unique overview of world civilization, and the Parthenon Marbles are an integral part of that.” Germany’s Deutsche Welle press review, and Austria’s daily Die Presse both carried extensive reports on the importance of the new museum. It is clear that Greece is not alone in seeking the return of its cultural treasures. Meanwhile, Jules Dassin, the president and soul of the Melina Mercouri Foundation, which was instrumental in realizing the new museum, said nothing can stop an idea whose time has come.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Italian experts to explore parts of ancient Patliputra
Source: m&c
Patna, Oct 18 (IANS) A three-member Italian archaeologist team, in a joint collaboration with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), will explore the undiscovered parts of the ancient Patliputra, near moder-day Patna.
'Our thrust will be to study, explore and identify new sites related to ancient Patliputra,' Giovenni Veradi, an internationally acclaimed archaeologist, told IANS here Thursday.
'The team will seek financial assistance from Italian government to go ahead with its joint collaboration and to explore the sites,' he said.
Giovenni Veradi's latest excavation work at Gotinava in Nepal was lauded for its discovery of tracing the spread of Mauryan empire beyond India to Nepal and China.
The ASI is also upbeat to join hands with Italian archaeologists. 'It is going to be a big move to explore many more new facts about Patliputra,' said P.K. Mishra, superintendent archaeologist of the Patna circle.
It is widely believed by the experts that Patliputra was much bigger than what has been discovered till date.
'It is a hard fact that Patliputra remains one of the least explored of the ancient sites in India, ' Mishra said.
Mishra said that the fresh explorations assume much significance in view of the satellite images taken by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) last year.
Italian archaeologists are planning to study stone slabs and Arogya Vihar or hospital-cum-monastery at Kumrahar, six km from Patna.
Chinese scholars Hieun Tsang and Fa Hien have accounted the size and grandeur of the ancient Patiliputra. Megasthenese, the celebrated Greek ambassador in the court of Chandragupta Maurya, gave vivid accounts of Patilputra in his book 'Indica'.
Patna, Oct 18 (IANS) A three-member Italian archaeologist team, in a joint collaboration with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), will explore the undiscovered parts of the ancient Patliputra, near moder-day Patna.
'Our thrust will be to study, explore and identify new sites related to ancient Patliputra,' Giovenni Veradi, an internationally acclaimed archaeologist, told IANS here Thursday.
'The team will seek financial assistance from Italian government to go ahead with its joint collaboration and to explore the sites,' he said.
Giovenni Veradi's latest excavation work at Gotinava in Nepal was lauded for its discovery of tracing the spread of Mauryan empire beyond India to Nepal and China.
The ASI is also upbeat to join hands with Italian archaeologists. 'It is going to be a big move to explore many more new facts about Patliputra,' said P.K. Mishra, superintendent archaeologist of the Patna circle.
It is widely believed by the experts that Patliputra was much bigger than what has been discovered till date.
'It is a hard fact that Patliputra remains one of the least explored of the ancient sites in India, ' Mishra said.
Mishra said that the fresh explorations assume much significance in view of the satellite images taken by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) last year.
Italian archaeologists are planning to study stone slabs and Arogya Vihar or hospital-cum-monastery at Kumrahar, six km from Patna.
Chinese scholars Hieun Tsang and Fa Hien have accounted the size and grandeur of the ancient Patiliputra. Megasthenese, the celebrated Greek ambassador in the court of Chandragupta Maurya, gave vivid accounts of Patilputra in his book 'Indica'.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Job at UCL
Research Assistant
Arts and Humanities
UCL Museums and Collections
Scale 6 (£23,002 - £24,403 per annum) plus London Allowance of £2,572 per annum
Full time, 9 month contract due to funding.
E-Curator: 3D colour scans for remote object identification and assessment
This project draws on UCL's expertise both in curatorship and in e-Science. It takes advantage of the presence at UCL of world class collections across a range of disciplines and of a state of the art colour scanner, the quality of which is unequalled in the UK. The project aims to apply e-science technologies to museum work and artefact analysis, exploring the potential to capture and share in a secure and repeatable manner very large, detailed datasets about museum artefacts, thereby enhancing international scholarship and facilitating the safe movement of artefacts. The ability to share validated 3D colour data could facilitate object-tracking and condition checking, enabling curators and conservators to compare records collected at different institutions and stored remotely, or collected over a period of time under different conditions, in order to assess and monitor change. The project is jointly funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC).
We are seeking a Research Assistant with a background in the Arts and Humanities, who will be responsible for organising formative, interim and summative evaluation of the project with curators and conservators. S/he will be trained in 3D colour scanning with Arius equipment and software in order to undertake object scanning with curators, will organise workshops, and will play a key role in publishing and disseminating the findings in appropriate professional contexts within the museum and heritage sector. S/he will work closely with a Research Assistant from a Computer Science background who is developing software tools for the project.
A full job description, person specification is available at www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/jobs.
Application forms can be downloaded from http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/jobs/.
Please email completed applications to Hannah Parton h.parton@ucl.ac.uk or post to Room 118, Chorley Institute, Pearson Building, UCL, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT.
Telephone enquiries - 020 7679 2462.
Interviews will be held on 26 November.
We regret that due to administration costs we are only able to respond to applicants whom we wish to interview. If you have not heard from us within one month after the closing date please assume you have been unsuccessful in your application for this post.
UCL Taking Action For Equality.
The closing date for applications is Friday, 9th November 2007.
Arts and Humanities
UCL Museums and Collections
Scale 6 (£23,002 - £24,403 per annum) plus London Allowance of £2,572 per annum
Full time, 9 month contract due to funding.
E-Curator: 3D colour scans for remote object identification and assessment
This project draws on UCL's expertise both in curatorship and in e-Science. It takes advantage of the presence at UCL of world class collections across a range of disciplines and of a state of the art colour scanner, the quality of which is unequalled in the UK. The project aims to apply e-science technologies to museum work and artefact analysis, exploring the potential to capture and share in a secure and repeatable manner very large, detailed datasets about museum artefacts, thereby enhancing international scholarship and facilitating the safe movement of artefacts. The ability to share validated 3D colour data could facilitate object-tracking and condition checking, enabling curators and conservators to compare records collected at different institutions and stored remotely, or collected over a period of time under different conditions, in order to assess and monitor change. The project is jointly funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC).
We are seeking a Research Assistant with a background in the Arts and Humanities, who will be responsible for organising formative, interim and summative evaluation of the project with curators and conservators. S/he will be trained in 3D colour scanning with Arius equipment and software in order to undertake object scanning with curators, will organise workshops, and will play a key role in publishing and disseminating the findings in appropriate professional contexts within the museum and heritage sector. S/he will work closely with a Research Assistant from a Computer Science background who is developing software tools for the project.
A full job description, person specification is available at www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/jobs.
Application forms can be downloaded from http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/jobs/.
Please email completed applications to Hannah Parton h.parton@ucl.ac.uk or post to Room 118, Chorley Institute, Pearson Building, UCL, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT.
Telephone enquiries - 020 7679 2462.
Interviews will be held on 26 November.
We regret that due to administration costs we are only able to respond to applicants whom we wish to interview. If you have not heard from us within one month after the closing date please assume you have been unsuccessful in your application for this post.
UCL Taking Action For Equality.
The closing date for applications is Friday, 9th November 2007.
Jobs at University of York
Lecturers
The Archaeology of the last 2000 years
Department of Archaeology
Ref: BA07434
Applications are invited for two lectureships to complement and consolidate existing departmental strengths. You should be specialists in the archaeology of historic or protohistoric periods, of Europe or beyond. You should also be able to demonstrate academic leadership, interest and ability in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, and possess a clear research vision.
Both posts will be appointed on the lecturer scale, with a starting salary of £32,796 pa. Informal enquiries may be made to the Head of Department, Prof. Julian Richards (tel 00 44 (0)1904 433930, e-mail jdr1@york.ac.uk).
One post is available from 1 January 2008 or as soon as possible thereafter; the other from 1 October 2008.
Closing date for applications: 12.00 noon on Thursday 15 November 2007.
For further particulars and details of how to apply, please see our website at: http://www.york.ac.uk/admin/persnl/jobs/ or write to the Personnel Office, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, quoting reference number BA07434.
The University of York is committed to diversity and has policies and developmental programmes in place to promote equality of opportunity.
The Archaeology of the last 2000 years
Department of Archaeology
Ref: BA07434
Applications are invited for two lectureships to complement and consolidate existing departmental strengths. You should be specialists in the archaeology of historic or protohistoric periods, of Europe or beyond. You should also be able to demonstrate academic leadership, interest and ability in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, and possess a clear research vision.
Both posts will be appointed on the lecturer scale, with a starting salary of £32,796 pa. Informal enquiries may be made to the Head of Department, Prof. Julian Richards (tel 00 44 (0)1904 433930, e-mail jdr1@york.ac.uk).
One post is available from 1 January 2008 or as soon as possible thereafter; the other from 1 October 2008.
Closing date for applications: 12.00 noon on Thursday 15 November 2007.
For further particulars and details of how to apply, please see our website at: http://www.york.ac.uk/admin/persnl/jobs/ or write to the Personnel Office, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, quoting reference number BA07434.
The University of York is committed to diversity and has policies and developmental programmes in place to promote equality of opportunity.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Συνεχίζονται στην Ολυμπία τα γυρίσματα της ταινίας της Νία Βαρντάλος
Source: in.gr
Στην Ολυμπία θα συνεχιστούν τα γυρίσματα της ταινίας My Life in ruins με πρωταγωνίστρια την Νία Βαρντάλος. Μαζί της συναντήθηκε ο υπουργός Πολιτισμού Μιχάλης Λιάπης εκφράζοντας την στήριξή του.
Τα γυρίσματα της ταινίας έγιναν τη Δευτέρα στη Ρωμαϊκή Αγορά, ενώ τα επισκέφθηκε και ο κ. Λιάπης. Ο υπουργός Πολιτισμού ενημερώθηκε για την εξέλιξη των γυρισμάτων και την παραγωγή και ευχαρίστησε την Νία Βαρντάλος για την προβολή της Ελλάδας με τις ταινίες της. Την προσκάλεσε επίσης να κάνει την πρεμιέρα της ταινίας στην Αθήνα.
Από την πλευρά της, η ηθοποιός δήλωσε ενθουσιασμένη που κάνει γυρίσματα στους αρχαιολογικούς χώρους της Ελλάδας.
Ο σκηνοθέτης Ντόναλντ Πέτρι δήλωσε, σύμφωνα με Τα Νέα, ότι «η ενέργεια, ο πολιτισμός που μεταδίδουν αρχαιολογικοί χώροι όπως η Ακρόπολη, οι Δελφοί, η Ολυμπία, σπάνια μπορούν να 'μεταδοθούν' στον θεατή μέσω μιας ταινίας, γι' αυτό εύχομαι η δική μας να καταφέρει να μεταδώσει έστω και μια αύρα της δύναμης που εκπέμπουν αυτοί οι τόποι».
Στην ταινία η Βαρντάλος υποδύεται μια ξεναγό, που «παρουσιάζει» την Ελλάδα σε ομάδα Αμερικανών τουριστών και ερωτεύεται τον Αλέξη Γεωργούλη.
Στην Ολυμπία θα συνεχιστούν τα γυρίσματα της ταινίας My Life in ruins με πρωταγωνίστρια την Νία Βαρντάλος. Μαζί της συναντήθηκε ο υπουργός Πολιτισμού Μιχάλης Λιάπης εκφράζοντας την στήριξή του.
Τα γυρίσματα της ταινίας έγιναν τη Δευτέρα στη Ρωμαϊκή Αγορά, ενώ τα επισκέφθηκε και ο κ. Λιάπης. Ο υπουργός Πολιτισμού ενημερώθηκε για την εξέλιξη των γυρισμάτων και την παραγωγή και ευχαρίστησε την Νία Βαρντάλος για την προβολή της Ελλάδας με τις ταινίες της. Την προσκάλεσε επίσης να κάνει την πρεμιέρα της ταινίας στην Αθήνα.
Από την πλευρά της, η ηθοποιός δήλωσε ενθουσιασμένη που κάνει γυρίσματα στους αρχαιολογικούς χώρους της Ελλάδας.
Ο σκηνοθέτης Ντόναλντ Πέτρι δήλωσε, σύμφωνα με Τα Νέα, ότι «η ενέργεια, ο πολιτισμός που μεταδίδουν αρχαιολογικοί χώροι όπως η Ακρόπολη, οι Δελφοί, η Ολυμπία, σπάνια μπορούν να 'μεταδοθούν' στον θεατή μέσω μιας ταινίας, γι' αυτό εύχομαι η δική μας να καταφέρει να μεταδώσει έστω και μια αύρα της δύναμης που εκπέμπουν αυτοί οι τόποι».
Στην ταινία η Βαρντάλος υποδύεται μια ξεναγό, που «παρουσιάζει» την Ελλάδα σε ομάδα Αμερικανών τουριστών και ερωτεύεται τον Αλέξη Γεωργούλη.
Aswan Obelisk Quarry more than meets the eye
Source: EurekAlert!
The unfinished Obelisk Quarry in Aswan, Egypt, has a canal that may have connected to the Nile and allowed the large stone monuments to float to their permanent locations, according to an international team of researchers. This canal, however, may be allowing salts from ground water to seep into what has been the best preserved example of obelisk quarrying in Egypt.
"Working deposits and surfaces exposed during excavation are being damaged by accumulation of salts," the researchers said at the Second International Conference on Geology of the Tethyr at the Cairo University. "These unique artifacts document quarry methods and should be preserved."
The granite quarry, located on the east bank of the Nile in the center of Aswan City, contains a very large unfinished obelisk that was not completed because of latent cracks. While the cracks were bad for the ancient Egyptian stone carvers, the unfinished monument provides the opportunity for archaeologists to understand how people worked hard stone quarries.
Excavations by the Aswan Office of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Egypt, began in 2002 to prepare the site for tourists. Among the discoveries made were a trench at least 8.25 feet deep. Archaeologists were unable to reach the bottom because of groundwater incursion.
"Some researchers suggested that this trench linked the quarry with the Nile," says Dr. Richard R. Parizek, professor of geology and geo-environmental engineering at Penn State. "Transporting huge granite monoliths by boat to the Nile during the annual flood would appear to be easier than having to transport these blocks overland from the quarry to the Nile." READ FULL STORY
The unfinished Obelisk Quarry in Aswan, Egypt, has a canal that may have connected to the Nile and allowed the large stone monuments to float to their permanent locations, according to an international team of researchers. This canal, however, may be allowing salts from ground water to seep into what has been the best preserved example of obelisk quarrying in Egypt.
"Working deposits and surfaces exposed during excavation are being damaged by accumulation of salts," the researchers said at the Second International Conference on Geology of the Tethyr at the Cairo University. "These unique artifacts document quarry methods and should be preserved."
The granite quarry, located on the east bank of the Nile in the center of Aswan City, contains a very large unfinished obelisk that was not completed because of latent cracks. While the cracks were bad for the ancient Egyptian stone carvers, the unfinished monument provides the opportunity for archaeologists to understand how people worked hard stone quarries.
Excavations by the Aswan Office of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Egypt, began in 2002 to prepare the site for tourists. Among the discoveries made were a trench at least 8.25 feet deep. Archaeologists were unable to reach the bottom because of groundwater incursion.
"Some researchers suggested that this trench linked the quarry with the Nile," says Dr. Richard R. Parizek, professor of geology and geo-environmental engineering at Penn State. "Transporting huge granite monoliths by boat to the Nile during the annual flood would appear to be easier than having to transport these blocks overland from the quarry to the Nile." READ FULL STORY
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
The rising love of loot
Source: Athens News
In the first of two interviews on the ownership and display of antiquities,the newly installed director of the American School talks about the destructive effects of private collections
JOHN PSAROPOULOS
"AT THE University of Cincinnati we passed a resolution in our department, which is strongly focused on archaeology, that we would not accept the donation of any antiquities from private sources into our department, and that we would not accept funding for archaeological projects from collectors.
We all had been in situations where we had witnessed terrible looting of archaeological sites. Often the amount of devastation to an archaeological site is really disproportionate to the loot that's recovered. People will do huge damage to a site just to walk away with some coins, destroying sometimes the whole history of an area in an evening with a bulldozer. There's hardly a field archaeologist alive who hasn't seen that.
Some of us have been in situations where we've had to post guards with guns over archaeological sites at night, especially if we're digging in or around the cemetery. These things because there's a market, there's a demand for antiquities, and that market is largely fed through the introduction of new antiquities, which pass up in a chain of transmission from small farmers encouraged by higher level exploiters, who feed these finds into overseas networks.
I think we need to attack small-scale operations like eBay. You find thousands of hits for illegal antiquities on eBay every day. Those may not be coming out of Greece now, but they're coming out of certain Balkan countries; they're coming out of Russia, the Near East. The business in Iraq and Afghanistan led to a real flood of antiquities from those places into western markets.
An unbelievable range of things is now being collected that was never collected before, with huge values attached. Things that one used to be able to acquire for hundreds of dollars are now on sale for tens of thousands of dollars.
The antiquities laws in America are, in my view, ridiculous. They permit the private ownership of archaeological sites and the exploitation of those sites. If I am a farmer and I own an American Indian cemetery, something Late Mississippian, 13th or 14th century after Christ with beautiful artefacts, I can dig it. They're my property. I can sell them just as private property. There are no restrictions whatsoever.
So we do what we can do. We have a couple of organisations in the States that exist to raise money to buy private property on which archaeological sites are located - the Archaeological Conservancy. We buy sites and set them aside just to protect them for the future.
There's something of value in almost every place. In a country like Greece that's been occupied for thousands and thousands of years, it's impossible to dig and not find something. This is a matter for citizens and education and sociology, not for law enforcement. We each need to be educated and take ethical positions.
I remember when Jackie Kennedy started her Every Litter Bit Hurts in America campaign and I thought, "Yeah right, people are going to stop littering." And they did. It took a couple of decades, but they did. And that was through public awareness, constant bombardment of the public message.
I've read the documents from the 1820s when the [Greek] government was trying to organise the archaeological service. What they were doing - and it was somewhat successful - was appeal to national pride. It didn't work with everybody, but there were people sending antiquities to form the national collection established initially on Aegina.
At the same time, work on the other end of the equation - make it harder to sell by cracking down on law enforcement in the receiving countries. And that requires a change in American attitudes.
It used to be possible to take your antiquities into a local university department, talk to a professor and say, "What is this? Is this real?" We don't do that anymore. We tell them that we have no opinion. It's not our business. We refuse to partake in the process. This is a role a person like myself can play to make the process of commoditisation more difficult. I want a buyer to have doubts about the authenticity of [an object]. It's the official policy of the Archaeological Institute of America, which is the parent institution of the American School in Athens.
There's an argument to be made that it's better for an antiquity to stay in the country of origin through purchase by a private collector than for it to leave. At least you retain it in Greece. But that's different from what goes on in America and Britain.
Museums form support organisations - friends of the museum - and those are encouraged to collect to buy. The purpose is that the museum, rather than directly buying the objects, which they don't have the money to do anyway, can deny the responsibility for the acquisition because it's purchased by the buyer. And the private buyer then ultimately wills it or donates it to the museum and receives tax benefits for so doing. So, in effect, everybody feels good.
I think some of the most avid collectors are paying the highest prices and are fuelling demand; they're driving the market. I don't want to see archaeological sites destroyed. I want to learn as much about the past as possible.
My personal feeling is that antiquities are best held by people for whom they offer the most meaning. It's not just the Parthenon Marbles. Bulgarians have raised issues about silver plate that's held in Greece. A big issue for Albanians is the helmet of Skanderbeg held in Austria. Where is the helmet of Skanderbeg most naturally displayed - in Tirana or Vienna? You can make an argument that it's a part of the history of the Austrian empire and its expansion into the Balkans, but I think that it doesn't have the emotional charge that it has for the Albanians, and it seems a crying shame that there has to be a model of it in the museum in Tirana. Where do the Parthenon Marbles look best? Where do they derive the most meaning?
In the first of two interviews on the ownership and display of antiquities,the newly installed director of the American School talks about the destructive effects of private collections
JOHN PSAROPOULOS
"AT THE University of Cincinnati we passed a resolution in our department, which is strongly focused on archaeology, that we would not accept the donation of any antiquities from private sources into our department, and that we would not accept funding for archaeological projects from collectors.
We all had been in situations where we had witnessed terrible looting of archaeological sites. Often the amount of devastation to an archaeological site is really disproportionate to the loot that's recovered. People will do huge damage to a site just to walk away with some coins, destroying sometimes the whole history of an area in an evening with a bulldozer. There's hardly a field archaeologist alive who hasn't seen that.
Some of us have been in situations where we've had to post guards with guns over archaeological sites at night, especially if we're digging in or around the cemetery. These things because there's a market, there's a demand for antiquities, and that market is largely fed through the introduction of new antiquities, which pass up in a chain of transmission from small farmers encouraged by higher level exploiters, who feed these finds into overseas networks.
I think we need to attack small-scale operations like eBay. You find thousands of hits for illegal antiquities on eBay every day. Those may not be coming out of Greece now, but they're coming out of certain Balkan countries; they're coming out of Russia, the Near East. The business in Iraq and Afghanistan led to a real flood of antiquities from those places into western markets.
An unbelievable range of things is now being collected that was never collected before, with huge values attached. Things that one used to be able to acquire for hundreds of dollars are now on sale for tens of thousands of dollars.
The antiquities laws in America are, in my view, ridiculous. They permit the private ownership of archaeological sites and the exploitation of those sites. If I am a farmer and I own an American Indian cemetery, something Late Mississippian, 13th or 14th century after Christ with beautiful artefacts, I can dig it. They're my property. I can sell them just as private property. There are no restrictions whatsoever.
So we do what we can do. We have a couple of organisations in the States that exist to raise money to buy private property on which archaeological sites are located - the Archaeological Conservancy. We buy sites and set them aside just to protect them for the future.
There's something of value in almost every place. In a country like Greece that's been occupied for thousands and thousands of years, it's impossible to dig and not find something. This is a matter for citizens and education and sociology, not for law enforcement. We each need to be educated and take ethical positions.
I remember when Jackie Kennedy started her Every Litter Bit Hurts in America campaign and I thought, "Yeah right, people are going to stop littering." And they did. It took a couple of decades, but they did. And that was through public awareness, constant bombardment of the public message.
I've read the documents from the 1820s when the [Greek] government was trying to organise the archaeological service. What they were doing - and it was somewhat successful - was appeal to national pride. It didn't work with everybody, but there were people sending antiquities to form the national collection established initially on Aegina.
At the same time, work on the other end of the equation - make it harder to sell by cracking down on law enforcement in the receiving countries. And that requires a change in American attitudes.
It used to be possible to take your antiquities into a local university department, talk to a professor and say, "What is this? Is this real?" We don't do that anymore. We tell them that we have no opinion. It's not our business. We refuse to partake in the process. This is a role a person like myself can play to make the process of commoditisation more difficult. I want a buyer to have doubts about the authenticity of [an object]. It's the official policy of the Archaeological Institute of America, which is the parent institution of the American School in Athens.
There's an argument to be made that it's better for an antiquity to stay in the country of origin through purchase by a private collector than for it to leave. At least you retain it in Greece. But that's different from what goes on in America and Britain.
Museums form support organisations - friends of the museum - and those are encouraged to collect to buy. The purpose is that the museum, rather than directly buying the objects, which they don't have the money to do anyway, can deny the responsibility for the acquisition because it's purchased by the buyer. And the private buyer then ultimately wills it or donates it to the museum and receives tax benefits for so doing. So, in effect, everybody feels good.
I think some of the most avid collectors are paying the highest prices and are fuelling demand; they're driving the market. I don't want to see archaeological sites destroyed. I want to learn as much about the past as possible.
My personal feeling is that antiquities are best held by people for whom they offer the most meaning. It's not just the Parthenon Marbles. Bulgarians have raised issues about silver plate that's held in Greece. A big issue for Albanians is the helmet of Skanderbeg held in Austria. Where is the helmet of Skanderbeg most naturally displayed - in Tirana or Vienna? You can make an argument that it's a part of the history of the Austrian empire and its expansion into the Balkans, but I think that it doesn't have the emotional charge that it has for the Albanians, and it seems a crying shame that there has to be a model of it in the museum in Tirana. Where do the Parthenon Marbles look best? Where do they derive the most meaning?
Το νέο Μουσείο της Ακρόπολης ενισχύει το αίτημα για επιστροφή των Γλυπτών
Source: in.gr
Το νέο Μουσείο της Ακρόπολης αποτελεί την απάντηση στο βασικό επιχείρημα του Βρετανικού Μουσείου ότι η Ελλάδα δεν διαθέτει μουσείο ικανό να φιλοξενήσει τα Γλυπτά του Παρθενώνα, αναφέρουν τα διεθνή μέσα ενημέρωσης.
«Υπάρχει η ελπίδα ότι (το μουσείο) θα καταρρίψει το επιχείρημα ότι η σύγχρονη Ελλάδα δεν μπορεί να φιλοξενήσει σωστά τους θησαυρούς της χρυσής εποχής της» αναφέρει η εφημερίδα Guardian, με την ευκαιρία της εκκίνησης των διαδικασιών μεταφοράς των αρχαιοτήτων.
«Με την αναπαραγωγή στον επάνω όροφο του ναού του Παρθενώνα στις ακριβείς διαστάσεις του, οι υποστηρικτές του λένε ότι τα τα μάρμαρα μπορούν να παρουσιαστούν στην αρχική τους διάταξη και πλαίσιο, με έναν τρόπο που δεν θα μπορούσε ποτέ να γίνει στο Βρετανικό Μουσείο» συνεχίζει η εφημερίδα.
Ο Guardian αναφέρει επίσης ότι αν και οι δημοσκοπήσεις τα τελευταία δέκα χρόνια είναι υπέρ της επιστροφής των Γλυπτών στην Ελλάδα, το Βρετανικό Μουσείο αρνείται να συμμετάσχει στη διαμάχη.
Και o Independent αναφέρεται στη διαδικασία της μεταφοράς των αρχαιοτήτων προσθέτοντας ότι το Βρετανικό Μουσείο αρνείται επίμονα την επιστροφή τους.
Λίγες ημέρες νωρίτερα η Washington Post σε άρθρο με τίτλο «Οι Έλληνες κάνουν τα πάντα για την επιστροφή των Μαρμάρων» ανέφερε ότι το κτίριο έχει σχεδιαστεί για να διαπερνά την πολυπλοκότητα των επιχειρημάτων για την κλεμμένη τέχνη, θέλοντας να απευθυνθούν κατευθείαν στο συναίσθημα».
Στη συνέχεια η εφημερίδα αναφέρει ότι το τωρινό επιχείρημα του μουσείου (ότι εκεί επιτρέπεται να ειπωθεί η ιστορία των Γλυπτών, ανάμεσα σε άλλες, άλλων αρχαιοτήτων), διαφέρει από εκείνη που αναφέρει στην ιστοσελίδα του. Στη συνέχεια καταρρίπτει ένα- ένα τα επιχειρήματα του Βρετανικού Μουσείου.
Εν τω μεταξύ, ο Βρετανός πρέσβης στην Ελλάδα δήλωσε την Κυριακή ότι το μουσείο «είναι πολύ εντυπωσιακό, αλλά δεν μπορώ να πω περισσότερα από αυτό».
Ο υπουργός Πολιτισμού Μιχάλης Λιάπης επισήμανε ότι για πρώτη φορά ύστερα από 2.500 χρόνια μεταφέρονται τα Γλυπτά του Παρθενώνα στο νέο Μουσείο.
«Επανέρχεται ως φυσικό επακόλουθο το αίτημα για την αποκατάσταση της ενότητας των Γλυπτών του Παρθενώνα» δήλωσε χαρακτηρίζοντας το αίτημα αυτό οικουμενικό και «ανάλογο εκείνου για ειρήνη στον κόσμο και για σεβασμό των ανθρωπίνων δικαιωμάτων».
Ερωτώμενος ο πρώην υπουργός Πολιτισμού της Γαλλίας Ζακ Λανγκ μετά τη συνάντησή του με τον Έλληνα πρωθυπουργό, εάν είναι καιρός να επιστρέψουν τα γλυπτά από το Βρετανικό Μουσείο στην Ελλάδα, εκείνος απάντησε: «Από την πρώτη μέρα υποστήριξα την πρωτοβουλία με την Μελίνα Μερκούρη και τον Ζυλ Ντασέν. Πιστεύω ότι είναι μια δίκαιη υπόθεση και ότι τελικά οι Βρετανοί θα πρέπει να το αποδεχθούν».
Το νέο Μουσείο της Ακρόπολης αποτελεί την απάντηση στο βασικό επιχείρημα του Βρετανικού Μουσείου ότι η Ελλάδα δεν διαθέτει μουσείο ικανό να φιλοξενήσει τα Γλυπτά του Παρθενώνα, αναφέρουν τα διεθνή μέσα ενημέρωσης.
«Υπάρχει η ελπίδα ότι (το μουσείο) θα καταρρίψει το επιχείρημα ότι η σύγχρονη Ελλάδα δεν μπορεί να φιλοξενήσει σωστά τους θησαυρούς της χρυσής εποχής της» αναφέρει η εφημερίδα Guardian, με την ευκαιρία της εκκίνησης των διαδικασιών μεταφοράς των αρχαιοτήτων.
«Με την αναπαραγωγή στον επάνω όροφο του ναού του Παρθενώνα στις ακριβείς διαστάσεις του, οι υποστηρικτές του λένε ότι τα τα μάρμαρα μπορούν να παρουσιαστούν στην αρχική τους διάταξη και πλαίσιο, με έναν τρόπο που δεν θα μπορούσε ποτέ να γίνει στο Βρετανικό Μουσείο» συνεχίζει η εφημερίδα.
Ο Guardian αναφέρει επίσης ότι αν και οι δημοσκοπήσεις τα τελευταία δέκα χρόνια είναι υπέρ της επιστροφής των Γλυπτών στην Ελλάδα, το Βρετανικό Μουσείο αρνείται να συμμετάσχει στη διαμάχη.
Και o Independent αναφέρεται στη διαδικασία της μεταφοράς των αρχαιοτήτων προσθέτοντας ότι το Βρετανικό Μουσείο αρνείται επίμονα την επιστροφή τους.
Λίγες ημέρες νωρίτερα η Washington Post σε άρθρο με τίτλο «Οι Έλληνες κάνουν τα πάντα για την επιστροφή των Μαρμάρων» ανέφερε ότι το κτίριο έχει σχεδιαστεί για να διαπερνά την πολυπλοκότητα των επιχειρημάτων για την κλεμμένη τέχνη, θέλοντας να απευθυνθούν κατευθείαν στο συναίσθημα».
Στη συνέχεια η εφημερίδα αναφέρει ότι το τωρινό επιχείρημα του μουσείου (ότι εκεί επιτρέπεται να ειπωθεί η ιστορία των Γλυπτών, ανάμεσα σε άλλες, άλλων αρχαιοτήτων), διαφέρει από εκείνη που αναφέρει στην ιστοσελίδα του. Στη συνέχεια καταρρίπτει ένα- ένα τα επιχειρήματα του Βρετανικού Μουσείου.
Εν τω μεταξύ, ο Βρετανός πρέσβης στην Ελλάδα δήλωσε την Κυριακή ότι το μουσείο «είναι πολύ εντυπωσιακό, αλλά δεν μπορώ να πω περισσότερα από αυτό».
Ο υπουργός Πολιτισμού Μιχάλης Λιάπης επισήμανε ότι για πρώτη φορά ύστερα από 2.500 χρόνια μεταφέρονται τα Γλυπτά του Παρθενώνα στο νέο Μουσείο.
«Επανέρχεται ως φυσικό επακόλουθο το αίτημα για την αποκατάσταση της ενότητας των Γλυπτών του Παρθενώνα» δήλωσε χαρακτηρίζοντας το αίτημα αυτό οικουμενικό και «ανάλογο εκείνου για ειρήνη στον κόσμο και για σεβασμό των ανθρωπίνων δικαιωμάτων».
Ερωτώμενος ο πρώην υπουργός Πολιτισμού της Γαλλίας Ζακ Λανγκ μετά τη συνάντησή του με τον Έλληνα πρωθυπουργό, εάν είναι καιρός να επιστρέψουν τα γλυπτά από το Βρετανικό Μουσείο στην Ελλάδα, εκείνος απάντησε: «Από την πρώτη μέρα υποστήριξα την πρωτοβουλία με την Μελίνα Μερκούρη και τον Ζυλ Ντασέν. Πιστεύω ότι είναι μια δίκαιη υπόθεση και ότι τελικά οι Βρετανοί θα πρέπει να το αποδεχθούν».
Israel to Resume Dig Near Temple Mount
Source: AP via Google News
By MATTI FRIEDMAN
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel will resume archaeological excavations near a Jerusalem holy site that has often been a flashpoint for violence, Israeli officials said Sunday. The decision drew Palestinian charges that Israel is trying to scuttle next month's U.S.-sponsored peace conference.
Fearing an outbreak of violence, an Israeli Cabinet minister said he stalled construction for at least two weeks. But officials said they remained determined to push forward with the project.
The dig is located outside the Old City compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, and is home to the gold-capped Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque.
Israel captured the site from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast War and it has since served as a symbol of the two sides' competing claims to Jerusalem. Day-to-day administration of the site remains in Muslim hands.
When the dig began in February, it caused an uproar in the Islamic world, with some Muslims alleging that Israel was plotting to undermine the foundations of the site's mosques.
Israel termed those charges ludicrous, saying the dig was meant to clear the way for construction of a pedestrian walkway up to the compound, replacing one damaged in a 2004 snowstorm. But digging work at the site was quietly halted in June without explanation.
The government's Committee on Jerusalem Affairs voted two weeks ago to resume archaeological work at the site, Jacob Edery, a Cabinet minister and committee member, told The Associated Press. Edery said the dig had been held up since early summer for bureaucratic reasons related to planning permits.
"I'm sorry the work was held up at all, because the walkway was supposed to be almost finished by now," Edery said. He said some aspects of the plan have been modified, but no major changes were made.
After Edery's announcement, Raleb Majadele, the only Arab Cabinet minister, filed an appeal to block the project, which will halt progress for two weeks.
"I want the excavations delayed because it is very bad timing under the present political conditions," he said, citing an upcoming U.S.-hosted peace conference next month and the current Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
But Roni Dahan, a spokesman for Edery, said "the idea is definitely to continue excavations there."
When work began, Palestinians charged that Israel did not have the right to make alterations around the holy site, which houses Islam's third-holiest shrine.
Palestinian officials were outraged by Israel's latest decision, saying it endangered the U.S.-sponsored peace conference scheduled to be held in Annapolis, Md., next month.
"Always, whenever there is an important move toward peace, they do something to enrage Palestinians," said Adnan Husseini, an adviser on Jerusalem affairs to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
By MATTI FRIEDMAN
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel will resume archaeological excavations near a Jerusalem holy site that has often been a flashpoint for violence, Israeli officials said Sunday. The decision drew Palestinian charges that Israel is trying to scuttle next month's U.S.-sponsored peace conference.
Fearing an outbreak of violence, an Israeli Cabinet minister said he stalled construction for at least two weeks. But officials said they remained determined to push forward with the project.
The dig is located outside the Old City compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, and is home to the gold-capped Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque.
Israel captured the site from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast War and it has since served as a symbol of the two sides' competing claims to Jerusalem. Day-to-day administration of the site remains in Muslim hands.
When the dig began in February, it caused an uproar in the Islamic world, with some Muslims alleging that Israel was plotting to undermine the foundations of the site's mosques.
Israel termed those charges ludicrous, saying the dig was meant to clear the way for construction of a pedestrian walkway up to the compound, replacing one damaged in a 2004 snowstorm. But digging work at the site was quietly halted in June without explanation.
The government's Committee on Jerusalem Affairs voted two weeks ago to resume archaeological work at the site, Jacob Edery, a Cabinet minister and committee member, told The Associated Press. Edery said the dig had been held up since early summer for bureaucratic reasons related to planning permits.
"I'm sorry the work was held up at all, because the walkway was supposed to be almost finished by now," Edery said. He said some aspects of the plan have been modified, but no major changes were made.
After Edery's announcement, Raleb Majadele, the only Arab Cabinet minister, filed an appeal to block the project, which will halt progress for two weeks.
"I want the excavations delayed because it is very bad timing under the present political conditions," he said, citing an upcoming U.S.-hosted peace conference next month and the current Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
But Roni Dahan, a spokesman for Edery, said "the idea is definitely to continue excavations there."
When work began, Palestinians charged that Israel did not have the right to make alterations around the holy site, which houses Islam's third-holiest shrine.
Palestinian officials were outraged by Israel's latest decision, saying it endangered the U.S.-sponsored peace conference scheduled to be held in Annapolis, Md., next month.
"Always, whenever there is an important move toward peace, they do something to enrage Palestinians," said Adnan Husseini, an adviser on Jerusalem affairs to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Acropolis Museum
Source: ekathimerini
YANNIS BEHRAKIS/REUTERS
A container with ancient artifacts inside is lowered from the Acropolis yesterday at the start of the process to transfer more than 4,000 antiquities from the sacred rock to the new Acropolis Museum some 400 meters away using three giant cranes. The beginning of the historic operation was watched by hundreds of onlookers, including protesters who want the government to halt plans to knock down two listed buildings that are partially blocking the view of the Parthenon from the museum, which is due to fully open to the public late next year.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Test for Acropolis move a success
Source: ekathimerini
A test run for an ambitious project to relocate thousands of treasured antiquities from the Acropolis to the new Acropolis Museum was completed successfully yesterday, officials said.
The exercise was in preparation for the real test on Sunday, when cranes will start moving the first of some 4,500 ancient artifacts into the museum designed by US-based architect Bernard Tschumi and due to open fully to the public late next year.
Yesterday’s operation lasted two-and-half hours and involved three 50-meter cranes slowly moving a 3-ton block of marble into the top floor of the museum.
“If we had put a cup of coffee on top of the crate, it would have stayed in place,” said Costas Zambas, the engineer supervising the move.
To ensure that no harm comes to the artifacts – insured for –400 million – they will be carefully padded and boxed and transferred extremely slowly, meaning the process will take several weeks. But officials were confident that the antiquities will all be in their new home by early next year.
“Within three months from today, the new museum will host the artifacts which will be moved for the first time in 2,500 years – at least the first time legally,” Culture Minister Michalis Liapis said, referring to the removal of pieces of the Parthenon by Britain’s Lord Elgin 200 years ago.
According to the director of the new museum, Dimitris Pantermalis, the absence of the Parthenon Marbles – in the British Museum since their removal by Elgin – “is the most eloquent way to present the problem.” “We want visitors to wonder where these artifacts are,” he said.
On Sunday morning, when the relocation project is set to begin, cranes are to move a 2,500-year-old marble block, weighing 2.3 tons, from the Parthenon frieze. Most of the artifacts date to the 6th and 5th centuries BC.
The entire move – described by Liapis yesterday as “an historic event of major national importance” – is expected to cost 1.6 million euros.
A test run for an ambitious project to relocate thousands of treasured antiquities from the Acropolis to the new Acropolis Museum was completed successfully yesterday, officials said.
The exercise was in preparation for the real test on Sunday, when cranes will start moving the first of some 4,500 ancient artifacts into the museum designed by US-based architect Bernard Tschumi and due to open fully to the public late next year.
Yesterday’s operation lasted two-and-half hours and involved three 50-meter cranes slowly moving a 3-ton block of marble into the top floor of the museum.
“If we had put a cup of coffee on top of the crate, it would have stayed in place,” said Costas Zambas, the engineer supervising the move.
To ensure that no harm comes to the artifacts – insured for –400 million – they will be carefully padded and boxed and transferred extremely slowly, meaning the process will take several weeks. But officials were confident that the antiquities will all be in their new home by early next year.
“Within three months from today, the new museum will host the artifacts which will be moved for the first time in 2,500 years – at least the first time legally,” Culture Minister Michalis Liapis said, referring to the removal of pieces of the Parthenon by Britain’s Lord Elgin 200 years ago.
According to the director of the new museum, Dimitris Pantermalis, the absence of the Parthenon Marbles – in the British Museum since their removal by Elgin – “is the most eloquent way to present the problem.” “We want visitors to wonder where these artifacts are,” he said.
On Sunday morning, when the relocation project is set to begin, cranes are to move a 2,500-year-old marble block, weighing 2.3 tons, from the Parthenon frieze. Most of the artifacts date to the 6th and 5th centuries BC.
The entire move – described by Liapis yesterday as “an historic event of major national importance” – is expected to cost 1.6 million euros.
The history of coins in the Schliemanns’ old home
Second floor of the Numismatic Museum open for visitors
By Iota Sykka - Kathimerini
The three-story building with a large courtyard built in a mix of neoclassical and Renaissance styles is a sight to admire on Panepistimiou Street. It was designed by Ernst Ziller, who was responsible for such fine buildings in Athens as the National Theater, the Stathatos Mansion, and the Church of Aghios Loukas on Patission Street. The former was the home of the archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann. Recently the building has been out of sight, hidden behind the conservators’ drapes during the refurbishment needed before the second floor was opened. When the last pieces of scaffolding were removed, the revamp was deemed a success. The balconies with their terracotta railings and the marble on the facade are bright again, while the metal railings have been gilded in the style of the era when the gate used to open every Thursday to admit the cream of Athens society.
Now that the refurbishment of the Iliou Mansion and its transformation into the Numismatic Museum are complete, and the permanent exhibition, “The History of Coins,” is in place, the museum is already open to visitors, before its official opening.
The work has revealed the building’s impressive decor. The frescoes by Slovenian painter Yuri Subic were done according to the owners’ wishes, with subjects taken from the villas of Pompeii. The mosaic floors were made by Italian master craftsmen, with decorative motifs inspired by or copied from finds excavated by Schliemann.
Conservators have worked wonders on the second floor, which had suffered damage when rented out to state services.
What used to be the home of Heinrich and Sophia Schliemann and their children is painted ocher, deep green, sweet red and blue and houses the museum’s collection of 500,000 items.
There is an elevator for people of limited mobility, and a modern cafe is an added attraction.
Yiorka Nikolaou, Panayiotis Tselegas and their assistants have created a period atmosphere with scales, lead seals, stamps and coins that have been made into jewelry and amulets.
Denarii, dirhams, ducats and even modern Greek drachmas are among the exhibits that trace the history of money.
The six ground-floor rooms present the evolution of ancient Greek coins, from the turtles of Aegina and owls of Athens, to coins used throughout the ancient world, such as the Athenian tetradrachm and the gold coin of Alexander the Great. On the same floor, which is associated with the social life of the Schliemann family, visitors can learn about the history of the museum and its major donors.
On the second floor, the journey into the world of coins starts with the Roman era. Visitors can see how coins were minted, what the images on them represent, bronze coins minted for local use, and a banner portraying the system of coins and their fluctuations in value.
You can see how much a meal at a hotel or a haircut cost, and what happens when coins go out of circulation and are used as amulets or jewelry.
Exhibits from the Byzantine era are in what used to be the Schliemanns’ bedroom. One point of interest is the lead seals that the patriarchs of Constantinople used to stamp correspondence and laws.
The 24-carat Byzantine coin weighing 4.5 grams lasted 10 centuries till 1040, according to the label.
Another highlight is an amusing game with prices. An adult eunuch slave cost 30-50 Roman solidos, a doctor’s fee was 8-12 solidos, while 72 solidos would get you a silk robe.
In what was once the bedroom of the Schliemanns’ son Agamemnon, the exhibits trace the transition from Byzantine to European coins from France, Russia and Germany, up to the 15th century. At that time the Venetian currency was the strongest. The modern coins are displayed in the former room of Andromache, the Schliemanns’ daughter, and the history of the drachma in the children’s playroom. A comparison of meat prices in modern times show that a kilo of meat cost 80 lepta in 1880, 20 drachmas and 40 lepta in 1931 and 70 drachmas 15 lepta in 1975. The library will be used for the museum’s temporary exhibitions, and currently holds old studies of numismatics, while the last room tells everything you might want to know about forgery and counterfeiting in the 19th century, when the forgery of ancient coins became common, as the museum’s director Despina Evgenidou explained.
By Iota Sykka - Kathimerini
The three-story building with a large courtyard built in a mix of neoclassical and Renaissance styles is a sight to admire on Panepistimiou Street. It was designed by Ernst Ziller, who was responsible for such fine buildings in Athens as the National Theater, the Stathatos Mansion, and the Church of Aghios Loukas on Patission Street. The former was the home of the archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann. Recently the building has been out of sight, hidden behind the conservators’ drapes during the refurbishment needed before the second floor was opened. When the last pieces of scaffolding were removed, the revamp was deemed a success. The balconies with their terracotta railings and the marble on the facade are bright again, while the metal railings have been gilded in the style of the era when the gate used to open every Thursday to admit the cream of Athens society.
Now that the refurbishment of the Iliou Mansion and its transformation into the Numismatic Museum are complete, and the permanent exhibition, “The History of Coins,” is in place, the museum is already open to visitors, before its official opening.
The work has revealed the building’s impressive decor. The frescoes by Slovenian painter Yuri Subic were done according to the owners’ wishes, with subjects taken from the villas of Pompeii. The mosaic floors were made by Italian master craftsmen, with decorative motifs inspired by or copied from finds excavated by Schliemann.
Conservators have worked wonders on the second floor, which had suffered damage when rented out to state services.
What used to be the home of Heinrich and Sophia Schliemann and their children is painted ocher, deep green, sweet red and blue and houses the museum’s collection of 500,000 items.
There is an elevator for people of limited mobility, and a modern cafe is an added attraction.
Yiorka Nikolaou, Panayiotis Tselegas and their assistants have created a period atmosphere with scales, lead seals, stamps and coins that have been made into jewelry and amulets.
Denarii, dirhams, ducats and even modern Greek drachmas are among the exhibits that trace the history of money.
The six ground-floor rooms present the evolution of ancient Greek coins, from the turtles of Aegina and owls of Athens, to coins used throughout the ancient world, such as the Athenian tetradrachm and the gold coin of Alexander the Great. On the same floor, which is associated with the social life of the Schliemann family, visitors can learn about the history of the museum and its major donors.
On the second floor, the journey into the world of coins starts with the Roman era. Visitors can see how coins were minted, what the images on them represent, bronze coins minted for local use, and a banner portraying the system of coins and their fluctuations in value.
You can see how much a meal at a hotel or a haircut cost, and what happens when coins go out of circulation and are used as amulets or jewelry.
Exhibits from the Byzantine era are in what used to be the Schliemanns’ bedroom. One point of interest is the lead seals that the patriarchs of Constantinople used to stamp correspondence and laws.
The 24-carat Byzantine coin weighing 4.5 grams lasted 10 centuries till 1040, according to the label.
Another highlight is an amusing game with prices. An adult eunuch slave cost 30-50 Roman solidos, a doctor’s fee was 8-12 solidos, while 72 solidos would get you a silk robe.
In what was once the bedroom of the Schliemanns’ son Agamemnon, the exhibits trace the transition from Byzantine to European coins from France, Russia and Germany, up to the 15th century. At that time the Venetian currency was the strongest. The modern coins are displayed in the former room of Andromache, the Schliemanns’ daughter, and the history of the drachma in the children’s playroom. A comparison of meat prices in modern times show that a kilo of meat cost 80 lepta in 1880, 20 drachmas and 40 lepta in 1931 and 70 drachmas 15 lepta in 1975. The library will be used for the museum’s temporary exhibitions, and currently holds old studies of numismatics, while the last room tells everything you might want to know about forgery and counterfeiting in the 19th century, when the forgery of ancient coins became common, as the museum’s director Despina Evgenidou explained.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
New Acropolis Museum...
HARRY VAN VERSENDAAL/KATHIMERINI
Workers clean the windows of the new Acropolis Museum, designed by US-based architect Bernard Tschumi, as it braces for the transfer of thousands of precious artifacts, starting Sunday. Three cranes will be used for the delicate operation that is expected to last at least 38 days. A test run is scheduled today. Controversy persists over plans to demolish two listed buildings on Dionysiou Areopagitou St, near the museum’s entrance, which partly block the view to the Parthenon.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Archaeologists in Portugal net haul of Roman coins
Source: AP via PR-inside.com
LISBON, Portugal (AP) - Archeologists in Portugal have found more than 4,500 Roman coins bundled together inside the wall of a blacksmith's house dating from the fourth century.
Antonio Sa Coixao, who is leading excavations in Coriscada in northeastern Portugal, said Wednesday by telephone the 4,526 copper and bronze coins were inside a hollow wall and covered by dirt and tools. The coins had apparently been put in a sack which had mostly disintegrated, he said. «It looks like someone was trying to hide them, but they never went back to get them,» Sa Coixao said.
Archeologists excavating the site, which is believed to be a Roman village, came across the coins Friday, he said.
Sa Coixao said he expected to send the coins to the University of Lyon, France, to be cleaned and catalogued.
The excavation site, about 300 kilometers (180 miles) from Lisbon, also includes a spa and a large house with heated rooms and colorful mosaics, according to Sa Coixao. He expected the dig to last several more years.
LISBON, Portugal (AP) - Archeologists in Portugal have found more than 4,500 Roman coins bundled together inside the wall of a blacksmith's house dating from the fourth century.
Antonio Sa Coixao, who is leading excavations in Coriscada in northeastern Portugal, said Wednesday by telephone the 4,526 copper and bronze coins were inside a hollow wall and covered by dirt and tools. The coins had apparently been put in a sack which had mostly disintegrated, he said. «It looks like someone was trying to hide them, but they never went back to get them,» Sa Coixao said.
Archeologists excavating the site, which is believed to be a Roman village, came across the coins Friday, he said.
Sa Coixao said he expected to send the coins to the University of Lyon, France, to be cleaned and catalogued.
The excavation site, about 300 kilometers (180 miles) from Lisbon, also includes a spa and a large house with heated rooms and colorful mosaics, according to Sa Coixao. He expected the dig to last several more years.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Unearthing Rome's king
Source: Times Online
By Richard Owen
Italian archeologists have uncovered the ruins of a 2,700 year old sanctuary which they say provides the first physical evidence of Rome at the time of Numa Pompilius, Rome’s legendary second king, in the 8th century BC.
Numa Pompilius, a member of the Sabine tribe, was elected at the age of forty to succeed Romulus, the founder of Rome. He reigned from 715-673 BC, and is said by Plutarch to have been a reluctant monarch who ushered in a 40-year period of peace and stability. He was celebrated for his wisdom, personal austerity and piety.
Clementina Panella, the archeologist from Rome’s Sapienza University who is leading the dig, said Numa Pompilius was also known to have established religious practices and observance in the emergent city state, instituting the office of priest or pontifex and founding the cult of the Vestal Virgins. She said the temple or sanctuary her team had uncovered lay between the Palatine and Velian hills, close to the Colosseum, the Arch of Titus and Via Sacra, and had probably been dedicated to the Goddess of Fortune.
The dig began a year ago, with the help of 130 students and volunteers. The wall of the temple was found seven metres below the surface, together with a street and pavement and two wells, one round and one rectangular. Both wells were “full of thousands of votive offerings and cult objects”, including the bones of birds and animals and ceramic bowls and cups.
Dr Panella said there was no doubt that the objects dated from the period of Numa Pompilius. However there were no statues or figures because Numa forbade images of the gods in his temples, arguing that it was “impious to represent things Divine by what is perishable”.
Numa Pompilius is also credited with dividing Rome into administrative districts, and according to Plutarch organised the city’s first occupational guilds, “forming companies of musicians, goldsmiths, carpenters, dyers, shoemakers, skinners, braziers, and potters”.
Corriere della Sera said the unearthing of the temple proved there were still “remarkable discoveries” to be made in the Forum and Palatine Hill areas. Last year Andrea Carandini, Professor of Archeology at La Sapienza, announced that he had discovered the remains of a royal palace dating to the time of Romulus.
He said the palace, built around a courtyard, had a monumental entrance and ornate furniture and tiles, and was ten times the size of ordinary homes of the period.
Also last year Dr Panella, who has been excavating in the Forum for twenty years, discovered a sceptre which belonged to Emperor Maxentius, who ruled for six years until 312AD — towards the end of the Roman state.
Maxentius drowned in the Tiber during the battle on the Milvian bridge against his brother-in-law, Constantine, who attributed his victory over Maxentius to divine intervention and converted the Roman empire to Christianity.
Maxentius’s supporters are thought to have hidden the sceptre after the defeat. It was found wrapped in silk and linen in a wooden box together with battle standards and lance heads.
By Richard Owen
Italian archeologists have uncovered the ruins of a 2,700 year old sanctuary which they say provides the first physical evidence of Rome at the time of Numa Pompilius, Rome’s legendary second king, in the 8th century BC.
Numa Pompilius, a member of the Sabine tribe, was elected at the age of forty to succeed Romulus, the founder of Rome. He reigned from 715-673 BC, and is said by Plutarch to have been a reluctant monarch who ushered in a 40-year period of peace and stability. He was celebrated for his wisdom, personal austerity and piety.
Clementina Panella, the archeologist from Rome’s Sapienza University who is leading the dig, said Numa Pompilius was also known to have established religious practices and observance in the emergent city state, instituting the office of priest or pontifex and founding the cult of the Vestal Virgins. She said the temple or sanctuary her team had uncovered lay between the Palatine and Velian hills, close to the Colosseum, the Arch of Titus and Via Sacra, and had probably been dedicated to the Goddess of Fortune.
The dig began a year ago, with the help of 130 students and volunteers. The wall of the temple was found seven metres below the surface, together with a street and pavement and two wells, one round and one rectangular. Both wells were “full of thousands of votive offerings and cult objects”, including the bones of birds and animals and ceramic bowls and cups.
Dr Panella said there was no doubt that the objects dated from the period of Numa Pompilius. However there were no statues or figures because Numa forbade images of the gods in his temples, arguing that it was “impious to represent things Divine by what is perishable”.
Numa Pompilius is also credited with dividing Rome into administrative districts, and according to Plutarch organised the city’s first occupational guilds, “forming companies of musicians, goldsmiths, carpenters, dyers, shoemakers, skinners, braziers, and potters”.
Corriere della Sera said the unearthing of the temple proved there were still “remarkable discoveries” to be made in the Forum and Palatine Hill areas. Last year Andrea Carandini, Professor of Archeology at La Sapienza, announced that he had discovered the remains of a royal palace dating to the time of Romulus.
He said the palace, built around a courtyard, had a monumental entrance and ornate furniture and tiles, and was ten times the size of ordinary homes of the period.
Also last year Dr Panella, who has been excavating in the Forum for twenty years, discovered a sceptre which belonged to Emperor Maxentius, who ruled for six years until 312AD — towards the end of the Roman state.
Maxentius drowned in the Tiber during the battle on the Milvian bridge against his brother-in-law, Constantine, who attributed his victory over Maxentius to divine intervention and converted the Roman empire to Christianity.
Maxentius’s supporters are thought to have hidden the sceptre after the defeat. It was found wrapped in silk and linen in a wooden box together with battle standards and lance heads.
Τοιχογραφία του 11ου πΧ ανακάλυψαν αρχαιολόγοι στη Συρία
Source: in.gr
Μπροστά σε μια τοιχογραφία που ενδεχομένως χρονολογείται από τον 11ο π.Χ. αιώνα βρέθηκαν αρχαιολόγοι στη βόρεια Συρία, όπως μετέδωσε το επίσημο πρακτορείο ειδήσεων της χώρας SANA.
Ο επικεφαλής της ανασκαφής στην πόλη Αλέπο της Συρίας, τη δεύτερη μεγαλύτερη μετά τη Δαμασκό, δήλωσε ότι η τοιχογραφία έχει άσπρο, μαύρο και κόκκινο χρώμα με γεωμετρικά σχήματα, τετράγωνα και παραλληλόγραμμα.
Το εύρημα εντοπίστηκε σε οίκημα κοντά στον Ευφράτη. Το οίκημα πρέπει να χρησιμοποιείτο για θρησκευτικές τελετές και κοινωνικές εκδηλώσεις, ενώ η τοιχογραφία θεωρείται από τις παλαιότερες στον κόσμο.
Monday, October 08, 2007
Diyarbakır excavation reveals ancient tomb of young lovers
Source: Today’s Zaman
Archaeologists discovered the tomb of a young couple locked in an embrace during their work in Hakemi Use in the Bismil district of the southeastern province of Diyarbakır on Saturday.
Archaeologists assert that the couple, who presumably died some 8,000 years ago, is likely to set a record as the oldest embracing couple in the history of archaeology. Diyarbakır was witness to an extraordinary discovery when archaeologists revealed the tomb of the couple near the township of Tepe in the district of Bismil. The shroud of mystery over the couple will be removed after anthropologists examine the skeletons.
The site at Hakemi Use, 70 kilometers east of Diyarbakır on the south bank of Tigris River, has been under excavation since 2001 by a team of archaeologists led by Halil Tekin of Hacettepe University. The team’s objective is to rescue artifacts at the site before the area is flooded by the Ilısu Dam. Salvage efforts were launched with the initiative of the government after the dam project was introduced in the region. The main site of excavation at Hakemi Use is a mound of 120 meters in diameter and four meters high dating from the Late Neolithic period.
The discovery of the tomb of the two lovers has sparked a wave of excitement among the team of archaeologists. Halil Tekin, head of the team, has indicated that the tomb is at least 1,000 years older than the one found last year in Verona, Italy. “The excavation work at the Hakemi Use site has been underway since 2001 with a group of archaeologists from Hacettepe University under the lead of the Diyarbakır Archeology and Ethnography Department. We have recently discovered a tomb bearing the skeletons of a 30-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman. The way they were buried signifies that they were lovers. An illness or even a crime of love may have been the cause of their death. We will learn much more about them after anthropologists in our university complete their examinations on the skeletons,” Tekin was quoted as saying by the state-run Anatolia news agency.
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Σε τελική ευθεία οι εργασίες για τη μεταφορά αρχαιοτήτων στο Νέο Μουσείο της Ακρόπολης
Source: in.gr
Τις εργασίες για την προετοιμασία μεταφοράς αρχαιοτήτων στο Νέο Μουσείο της Ακρόπολης επιθεώρησε ο υπουργός Πολιτισμού Μιχάλης Λιάπης. Η «μετακόμιση του αιώνα», όπως αποκαλείται, ξεκινά στις 14 Οκτωβρίου στις 10 το πρωί.
Την Πέμπτη 11 Οκτωβρίου θα γίνει η «πρόβα τζενεράλε» για τη μεταφορά των αρχαιοτήτων της Ακρόπολης. «Πρωταρχικό μέλημα όλων μας είναι η ασφαλής μεταφορά των αντικειμένων» δήλωσε ο κ. Λιάπης, ο οποίος επισκέφθηκε το Παλαιό Μουσείο της Ακρόπολης και επιθεώρησε τις εργασίες συντήρησης και συσκευασίας των εκθεμάτων.
Ο υπουργός Πολιτισμού δήλωσε επίσης ότι θα ληφθούν «τα απαιτούμενα μέτρα για τη διευκόλυνση των περίοικων και περιπατητών της Διονυσίου Αεροπαγίτου κατά την περίοδο της μεταφοράς».
Οι υπεύθυνοι λένε ότι η μετακόμιση θα ξεκινήσει «Θεού θέλοντος και καιρού επιτρέποντος» στις 14 Οκτωβρίου στις 10:00 π.μ.
Ερώτηση Φ.Κουβέλη
Την ίδια στιγμή ο βουλευτής του ΣΥΡΙΖΑ Φώτης Κουβέλης απηύθυνε στον υπουργό Πολιτισμού ερώτηση για την επανεξέταση της κατεδάφισης του χαρακτηρισμένου ως μνημείου κτιρίου επί της Διονυσίου Αεροπαγίτου 17.
Το ακίνητο πρόκειται να απαλλοτριωθεί και να κατεδαφιστεί «προκειμένου το νέο μουσείο Ακροπόλεως να έχει απρόσκοπτη οπτική επαφή με τον ιερό βράχο της Ακροπόλεως».
Το κτίριο αυτό, που κρίθηκε διατηρητέο το 1978, είναι έργο του αρχιτέκτονα Βασίλη Κουρεμένου και θεωρείται ένα από τα ωραιότερα δείγματα Art Deco στην Αθήνα, κοσμημένο με γλυπτά, ψηφιδωτά και ορθομαρμαρώσεις από κόκκινο και γκρίζο μάρμαρο.
Τις εργασίες για την προετοιμασία μεταφοράς αρχαιοτήτων στο Νέο Μουσείο της Ακρόπολης επιθεώρησε ο υπουργός Πολιτισμού Μιχάλης Λιάπης. Η «μετακόμιση του αιώνα», όπως αποκαλείται, ξεκινά στις 14 Οκτωβρίου στις 10 το πρωί.
Την Πέμπτη 11 Οκτωβρίου θα γίνει η «πρόβα τζενεράλε» για τη μεταφορά των αρχαιοτήτων της Ακρόπολης. «Πρωταρχικό μέλημα όλων μας είναι η ασφαλής μεταφορά των αντικειμένων» δήλωσε ο κ. Λιάπης, ο οποίος επισκέφθηκε το Παλαιό Μουσείο της Ακρόπολης και επιθεώρησε τις εργασίες συντήρησης και συσκευασίας των εκθεμάτων.
Ο υπουργός Πολιτισμού δήλωσε επίσης ότι θα ληφθούν «τα απαιτούμενα μέτρα για τη διευκόλυνση των περίοικων και περιπατητών της Διονυσίου Αεροπαγίτου κατά την περίοδο της μεταφοράς».
Οι υπεύθυνοι λένε ότι η μετακόμιση θα ξεκινήσει «Θεού θέλοντος και καιρού επιτρέποντος» στις 14 Οκτωβρίου στις 10:00 π.μ.
Ερώτηση Φ.Κουβέλη
Την ίδια στιγμή ο βουλευτής του ΣΥΡΙΖΑ Φώτης Κουβέλης απηύθυνε στον υπουργό Πολιτισμού ερώτηση για την επανεξέταση της κατεδάφισης του χαρακτηρισμένου ως μνημείου κτιρίου επί της Διονυσίου Αεροπαγίτου 17.
Το ακίνητο πρόκειται να απαλλοτριωθεί και να κατεδαφιστεί «προκειμένου το νέο μουσείο Ακροπόλεως να έχει απρόσκοπτη οπτική επαφή με τον ιερό βράχο της Ακροπόλεως».
Το κτίριο αυτό, που κρίθηκε διατηρητέο το 1978, είναι έργο του αρχιτέκτονα Βασίλη Κουρεμένου και θεωρείται ένα από τα ωραιότερα δείγματα Art Deco στην Αθήνα, κοσμημένο με γλυπτά, ψηφιδωτά και ορθομαρμαρώσεις από κόκκινο και γκρίζο μάρμαρο.
Remains of a Parthian Fort Discovered in Malayer
Source: The Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies
LONDON, (CAIS) -- Following six months of continuous research, archaeologists have completed their studies on the post-Sasanian period in Kalan Dam in Malayer, Hamedan province and have started their work on recently discovered Parthian ruins at the site.
Announcing this, head of the excavation team involved in saving Patapeh Mound which will be submerged by the dam’s reservoir, Hassan Rezvani told Persian service of CHN that Patapeh is made up of different ancient layers from the pre-historic times up to the post-Sasanian period (637-850 E).
“Following the completion of studies on the post-Sasanian ruins, we came across architectural remains at the site date back to the Parthian dynastic era (248 BCE-224 CE),“ he said.
Earlier, discovery of a post-Sasanian fort at Kalan Dam in Malayer, Hamadan province, has paved the way for archaeologists to study 1,000 years of architectural developments in the area.
Archaeological studies on the fort reveal that the fort was in use from the Saljuq (1037-1187 CE) to Qajar (1781-1925 CE) periods and after various renovations, especially during the Ilkhanid era, it was transformed into glassworks in the period and an industrial center in the Zandieh era.
According to Rezvani, a three-meter wide wall made of bricks measuring 37 cm X 37 cm and mortar was also unearthed, demonstrating the strength of the fort in the Parthian period.
Patapeh, which is 25 meters high, is the highest mound which has so far been studied.
LONDON, (CAIS) -- Following six months of continuous research, archaeologists have completed their studies on the post-Sasanian period in Kalan Dam in Malayer, Hamedan province and have started their work on recently discovered Parthian ruins at the site.
Announcing this, head of the excavation team involved in saving Patapeh Mound which will be submerged by the dam’s reservoir, Hassan Rezvani told Persian service of CHN that Patapeh is made up of different ancient layers from the pre-historic times up to the post-Sasanian period (637-850 E).
“Following the completion of studies on the post-Sasanian ruins, we came across architectural remains at the site date back to the Parthian dynastic era (248 BCE-224 CE),“ he said.
Earlier, discovery of a post-Sasanian fort at Kalan Dam in Malayer, Hamadan province, has paved the way for archaeologists to study 1,000 years of architectural developments in the area.
Archaeological studies on the fort reveal that the fort was in use from the Saljuq (1037-1187 CE) to Qajar (1781-1925 CE) periods and after various renovations, especially during the Ilkhanid era, it was transformed into glassworks in the period and an industrial center in the Zandieh era.
According to Rezvani, a three-meter wide wall made of bricks measuring 37 cm X 37 cm and mortar was also unearthed, demonstrating the strength of the fort in the Parthian period.
Patapeh, which is 25 meters high, is the highest mound which has so far been studied.
Treasures from the Benaki Museum at the Gulbenkian
Source: ekathimerini
A selection from the permanent collection of the Benaki Museum is presented in “The Greeks: Art Treasures from the Benaki Museum, Athens” a survey exhibition on Greek history and civilization which has been organized by the Benaki and is hosted at Lisbon’s reputable Calouste Gulbenkian Museum.
The exhibition, which opened recently, includes 157 objects and follows the course of Greek civilization and history from prehistoric times to the country’s independence in the early 19th century.
It reflects the museum’s extroverted policy of loaning its collections internationally and its effort toward encouraging cultural exchanges with museums worldwide. After Lisbon, the exhibition will travel to Canada and, in 2009, to Chile.
A similar exhibition was organized by the Benaki in Sydney two years ago.
Works from the Benaki Museum collection have traveled to Lisbon before. In 1999, the Velimezis collection was presented at the Mosteiro des Jeronimos. The Benaki has collaborated with the Gulbenkian Museum in the recent past: The “Glass of the Sultans” exhibition that was hosted at the Islamic art branch of the Benaki Museum included holdings from the rare collection of Islamic art owned by the Portuguese museum. A large exhibition on this well-known collection is scheduled for 2009 at the Benaki Museum.
A selection from the permanent collection of the Benaki Museum is presented in “The Greeks: Art Treasures from the Benaki Museum, Athens” a survey exhibition on Greek history and civilization which has been organized by the Benaki and is hosted at Lisbon’s reputable Calouste Gulbenkian Museum.
The exhibition, which opened recently, includes 157 objects and follows the course of Greek civilization and history from prehistoric times to the country’s independence in the early 19th century.
It reflects the museum’s extroverted policy of loaning its collections internationally and its effort toward encouraging cultural exchanges with museums worldwide. After Lisbon, the exhibition will travel to Canada and, in 2009, to Chile.
A similar exhibition was organized by the Benaki in Sydney two years ago.
Works from the Benaki Museum collection have traveled to Lisbon before. In 1999, the Velimezis collection was presented at the Mosteiro des Jeronimos. The Benaki has collaborated with the Gulbenkian Museum in the recent past: The “Glass of the Sultans” exhibition that was hosted at the Islamic art branch of the Benaki Museum included holdings from the rare collection of Islamic art owned by the Portuguese museum. A large exhibition on this well-known collection is scheduled for 2009 at the Benaki Museum.
Work of archaeologist Sir John Boardman celebrated in Athens
Artist Nicholas Egon (right) with Sir John Boardman (left) at the Colloquium on Classical Archaeology held in Athens last week to celebrate Boardman’s work.
HELBI-ekathimerini
On September 26, the Greek students of Sir John Boardman celebrated his 80th birthday with a Colloquium on Classical Archaeology at the Faculty Club of Athens University. John Boardman is a professor emeritus at Oxford and the most distinguished classical archaeologist of our times. He has published many books on Greek art encompassing a wide range of subjects, such as vase painting, gems and cameos, as well as sculpture. He has also published widely on the diffusion of Greek art beyond the borders of Greece. He has taught students from different countries, especially Greece, the United States and Germany. He remains an active scholar and is preparing the publication of the gem collection that was once in the possession of the Duke of Marlborough. The papers in the colloquium were all given by Boardman's former pupils who are now academics at Greek and British universities. The keynote paper was presented by Boardman himself. It was organized by Professor Olga Palagia of Athens University and sponsored by Mistra Estates - Ladopoulos. The speakers were Irene Lemos of Oxford University, Nota Kourou of the University of Athens, Stavros Paspalas of the Australian Archaeological Institute, Maria Pipili of the Athens Academy Research Center, Anna Lemos of the University of Athens, Stephi Korti-Konti of Thessaloniki University, Anthi Dipla, Bettina Tsigarida, Eleni Zimi, Olga Palagia and Dimitris Plantzos.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Malta: Government starts destroying archaeological site
Source: maltaStar
Wasteserv, government’s waste management company, ordered excavators to start digging up and clearing away an archaeological site at Tal-Kus, Gozo, to make way for the foundations of a waste transfer station.
On Friday a large excavator arrived on site, in Xewkija, and started digging down the rocky surface on which the archaeological remains lie. The Xewkija Local Council asked the court to intervene and stop the destruction, but the Wasteserv contractor only stopped for a few hours, and continued late in the afternoon of the same day.
On Saturday morning the contractor returned to the site with the excavator and continued cutting rocks on the archaeological site. When local councillors tried to stop him, the contractor walked away, only to return a few minutes later and continue working. Eventually police had to be called in to enforce the court order and put a stop to the contractor’s abuse.
Dr Monica Vella, the Xewkija mayor, explained that in July, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, issued a detailed report to reconfirm that the importance of the site in question, and of the precious archaeological remains found in it. Yet, despite all this, Wasteserv persisted in its plans to build a Waste Transfer Station to process all of Gozo’s domestic waste.
In order to stop the excavators contracted by Wasteserv, the local council asked the Gozo Courts to issue a prohibitory injuction and stop Wasteserv from destroying the site. The courts temporarily accepted the request and asked the government company, and its contractors, to refrain from “carrying out excavation works, rock cutting, cleaning or other construction works in the Waste Transfer Station project.” The court will take a final decision on whether or not to uphold the prohibition of works, in the coming days.
In the meantime, maltastar.com is informed that officials from the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage are expected to visit the site in the coming days to inspect the damage.
Wasteserv, government’s waste management company, ordered excavators to start digging up and clearing away an archaeological site at Tal-Kus, Gozo, to make way for the foundations of a waste transfer station.
On Friday a large excavator arrived on site, in Xewkija, and started digging down the rocky surface on which the archaeological remains lie. The Xewkija Local Council asked the court to intervene and stop the destruction, but the Wasteserv contractor only stopped for a few hours, and continued late in the afternoon of the same day.
On Saturday morning the contractor returned to the site with the excavator and continued cutting rocks on the archaeological site. When local councillors tried to stop him, the contractor walked away, only to return a few minutes later and continue working. Eventually police had to be called in to enforce the court order and put a stop to the contractor’s abuse.
Dr Monica Vella, the Xewkija mayor, explained that in July, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, issued a detailed report to reconfirm that the importance of the site in question, and of the precious archaeological remains found in it. Yet, despite all this, Wasteserv persisted in its plans to build a Waste Transfer Station to process all of Gozo’s domestic waste.
In order to stop the excavators contracted by Wasteserv, the local council asked the Gozo Courts to issue a prohibitory injuction and stop Wasteserv from destroying the site. The courts temporarily accepted the request and asked the government company, and its contractors, to refrain from “carrying out excavation works, rock cutting, cleaning or other construction works in the Waste Transfer Station project.” The court will take a final decision on whether or not to uphold the prohibition of works, in the coming days.
In the meantime, maltastar.com is informed that officials from the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage are expected to visit the site in the coming days to inspect the damage.
Egypt to put Tutankhamun mummy on display in tomb
Source: Reuters
By Cynthia Johnston
CAIRO, Oct 2 (Reuters Life!) - Egypt will put the mummy of the boy pharaoh Tutankhamun on display next month inside his tomb in Luxor's Valley of the Kings, allowing visitors to see his face for the first time, Egypt's chief archaeologist said on Tuesday.
Zahi Hawass, head of the High Council for Antiquities, said he would place the mummy in a climate-controlled glass showcase in the tomb and cover the body with linen. Tutankhamun's bare face would be visible.
"You will enter the tomb and see for the first time the face of Tutankhamun ... This is the first time in history that anyone will see the mummy (in public). This will continue the magic of Tutankhamun," Hawass told Reuters in an interview.
Tutankhamun, who died on the cusp of adulthood, ruled Egypt between about 1361 and 1352 BC. The 1922 discovery of his intact tomb, whose treasures included a now famous gold funerary mask, stunned the archaeological community.
Although the artefacts from Tutankhamun's burial tomb have toured the world, the mummified body of the king has been examined only a handful of times in detail since the tomb was discovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter.
Hawass said Tutankhamun's mummy was currently resting in a sarcophagus inside the tomb covered by a gilded coffin, but that the humidity caused by the breathing of thousands of visitors threatened to damage it.
"I thought that this will help tourists and at the same time help preserving the mummy. I think a mummy like this, the golden boy, it is time that people should really see it," he said.
Tutankhamun came to the throne shortly after the death of Akhenaten, the maverick pharaoh who abandoned most of Egypt's old gods in favour of the Aten sun disc and brought in a new and more expressive style of art.
NO DATE SET YET
During Tutankhamun's reign, advocates of the old religion were regaining control of the country and turning their backs on Akhenaten's innovations.
Tutankhamun was buried along with many other pharaohs of the period in the Valley of the Kings near the modern town of Luxor.
Hawass had not yet set a date to display the mummy, but said he expected it to be shortly before a mid-November exhibit on Tutankhamun in London that is to include the pharaoh's royal crown but not the gold mask, which is too delicate to travel.
Hawass described Tutankhamun as having "buck teeth", and pictures of the mummy show a face with high cheekbones and blackened, cracked skin and an intact nose.
Hawass was also planning to shortly open 16 jars from Tutankhamun's tomb that were rediscovered in a storage area in Luxor. The jars were originally found by Carter but were forgotten about over the years.
He said he expected the jars would contain food, grain, beer and wine, items the king would have been expected to need in his afterlife. The jars were part of caches of artefacts whose rediscovery was announced last month.
Mystery has surrounded Tutankhamun ever since 1922. Lord Carnarvon, Carter's sponsor and among the first to enter the tomb, died shortly afterward from an infected mosquito bite.
Newspapers at the time said Carter had unleashed a pharaonic curse that killed Carnarvon and others linked to the discovery. Scientists have in the past suggested that a disease lying dormant in the tomb may have killed the British aristocrat.
By Cynthia Johnston
CAIRO, Oct 2 (Reuters Life!) - Egypt will put the mummy of the boy pharaoh Tutankhamun on display next month inside his tomb in Luxor's Valley of the Kings, allowing visitors to see his face for the first time, Egypt's chief archaeologist said on Tuesday.
Zahi Hawass, head of the High Council for Antiquities, said he would place the mummy in a climate-controlled glass showcase in the tomb and cover the body with linen. Tutankhamun's bare face would be visible.
"You will enter the tomb and see for the first time the face of Tutankhamun ... This is the first time in history that anyone will see the mummy (in public). This will continue the magic of Tutankhamun," Hawass told Reuters in an interview.
Tutankhamun, who died on the cusp of adulthood, ruled Egypt between about 1361 and 1352 BC. The 1922 discovery of his intact tomb, whose treasures included a now famous gold funerary mask, stunned the archaeological community.
Although the artefacts from Tutankhamun's burial tomb have toured the world, the mummified body of the king has been examined only a handful of times in detail since the tomb was discovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter.
Hawass said Tutankhamun's mummy was currently resting in a sarcophagus inside the tomb covered by a gilded coffin, but that the humidity caused by the breathing of thousands of visitors threatened to damage it.
"I thought that this will help tourists and at the same time help preserving the mummy. I think a mummy like this, the golden boy, it is time that people should really see it," he said.
Tutankhamun came to the throne shortly after the death of Akhenaten, the maverick pharaoh who abandoned most of Egypt's old gods in favour of the Aten sun disc and brought in a new and more expressive style of art.
NO DATE SET YET
During Tutankhamun's reign, advocates of the old religion were regaining control of the country and turning their backs on Akhenaten's innovations.
Tutankhamun was buried along with many other pharaohs of the period in the Valley of the Kings near the modern town of Luxor.
Hawass had not yet set a date to display the mummy, but said he expected it to be shortly before a mid-November exhibit on Tutankhamun in London that is to include the pharaoh's royal crown but not the gold mask, which is too delicate to travel.
Hawass described Tutankhamun as having "buck teeth", and pictures of the mummy show a face with high cheekbones and blackened, cracked skin and an intact nose.
Hawass was also planning to shortly open 16 jars from Tutankhamun's tomb that were rediscovered in a storage area in Luxor. The jars were originally found by Carter but were forgotten about over the years.
He said he expected the jars would contain food, grain, beer and wine, items the king would have been expected to need in his afterlife. The jars were part of caches of artefacts whose rediscovery was announced last month.
Mystery has surrounded Tutankhamun ever since 1922. Lord Carnarvon, Carter's sponsor and among the first to enter the tomb, died shortly afterward from an infected mosquito bite.
Newspapers at the time said Carter had unleashed a pharaonic curse that killed Carnarvon and others linked to the discovery. Scientists have in the past suggested that a disease lying dormant in the tomb may have killed the British aristocrat.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Archaeologists...
Source: ekathimerini
Archaeologists prepare artifacts from the Acropolis for their transfer to the new Acropolis Museum some 400 meters away. Culture Minister Michalis Liapis said yesterday that the removal of the antiquities is due to begin on Sunday, October 14.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
The Scythian rider-nomads' enigma
Source: Athens News
HANNS NEUERBOURG
In ancient Greece, the Scythians were at first known as mysterious "milkers of mares". To Jeremiah, the Old Testament prophet, the Scythian mounted archers crossing Palestine to raid Egypt were "midnight people".
Detailed reports about the rider-nomads came only some 2,500 years ago from the widely travelled Greek historian Herodotus. Now a major archaeological exhibition offers an exhaustive overview of the life and history of the enigmatic tribes that ruled the steppes in Eastern Europe and Asia for more than 500 years BC and had a little-known but highly developed culture.
Museums and institutes in eight European and Asian countries worked together in preparing the impressive show at Berlin's Martin Gropius building. Many objects on display have never been shown in the West, among them magnificent samples excavated only in recent years.
The show's title, Under the Sign of the Golden Griffin: the Royal Graves of the Scythians, refers to Herodotus' claim that they originated in a "Land of the Gold-Guarding Griffins". The griffin, a mythological animal with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle, can be seen on many artefacts recovered by archaeologists.
However, Herodotus made scarce mention of the enormous amounts of gold, silver, bronze and electrum (a gold and silver alloy) that the Scythians wore and used, and which are now fascinating exhibition visitors.
The show was triggered by a sensational find made by a German-Russian team between 2001 and 2003 on a southern Siberian plain popularly known as the Valley of the Kings. In one of untold burial mounds in the region, the team excavated the grave of a royal couple in a chamber 10 feet deep containing a vast amount of gold objects.
It was a unique discovery because grave robbers, known to have been active since antiquity, obviously abandoned search of this mound after uncovering other chambers that were empty.
Many of the artefacts from this find are on view at the exhibition. They range from a neck ring weighing 1.5 kilograms (a little over 3 pounds) to more than 5,000 tiny golden figurines of panthers decorating the capelike mantles of the prince and his wife.
The German Archaeological Institute compared the importance of the find to the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 near Luxor, Egypt, in what is also known as the Valley of the Kings.
Research established that the prince died of prostate cancer in the 7th century BC. The much younger and healthy wife showed no traces of violence. But given the Scythians' horrifying funerary ritual described by Herodotus, she hardly died of natural causes. That ritual demanded that the widow, aides and servants must immediately follow the prince or king into death. The same applied to the horses.
The skeletons of 41 slain men and women and the remains of 14 horses, all strangled or killed with battle axes, were found in other chambers of the burial mound. The funeral ceremony also included the smoking of marijuana, according to research verifying an observation already made by Herodotus.
Last year, a German-Russian-Mongolian team made another spectacular find in the permafrost of the Mongolian side of the Altai Mountains, near the Russian border. In a stone-covered mound, the archaeologists discovered the frozen remains of a Scythian warrior who died some 2,500 years ago. The partly mummified, completely clothed warrior is also displayed at the exhibition, his armament and other equipment well preserved.
The man wore a sable-rimmed fur coat and woolen trousers and his legs were stuck in boots made of felt similar to the grey blanket on which he was lying. His headdress, still to be restored, was decorated with wooden animal figurines originally covered with gold foil. The excellent preservation of the clothing permits detailed scientific research.
The "Golden Man of Issyk", discovered in the 1970s in Kazakhstan, is also a main attraction at the show. It is the life-size reconstruction of the clothing of a youth whose corpse was literally strewn with jewellery and thousands of plates and platelets of gold.
A golden pectoral of compelling beauty found in 1971 and lent by the Ukrainian National Museums is sure to be an eye-catcher, too. A photograph of it makes the cover the detailed exhibition catalogue.
The show gives proof of the fabulous wealth the Scythians amassed by controlling important east-west trade routes. But it leaves unanswered the question how such highly detailed golden masterpieces could be created with simple hand tools.
The Golden Comb from the fabled "Siberian Collection" of Peter the Great at St Petersburg's Hermitage Museum is a dazzling example of such masterly goldsmithing. The Russian Czar was the first among European Royalty to appreciate Scythian art and begin an important collection in the early 18th century. This started a bit of archaeological research which was scientifically intensified only some 50 years ago.
The show will move to Munich next month and then to Hamburg in 2008. Several major items, including the famous golden comb, will return to the lenders at the end of the Berlin run.
HANNS NEUERBOURG
In ancient Greece, the Scythians were at first known as mysterious "milkers of mares". To Jeremiah, the Old Testament prophet, the Scythian mounted archers crossing Palestine to raid Egypt were "midnight people".
Detailed reports about the rider-nomads came only some 2,500 years ago from the widely travelled Greek historian Herodotus. Now a major archaeological exhibition offers an exhaustive overview of the life and history of the enigmatic tribes that ruled the steppes in Eastern Europe and Asia for more than 500 years BC and had a little-known but highly developed culture.
Museums and institutes in eight European and Asian countries worked together in preparing the impressive show at Berlin's Martin Gropius building. Many objects on display have never been shown in the West, among them magnificent samples excavated only in recent years.
The show's title, Under the Sign of the Golden Griffin: the Royal Graves of the Scythians, refers to Herodotus' claim that they originated in a "Land of the Gold-Guarding Griffins". The griffin, a mythological animal with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle, can be seen on many artefacts recovered by archaeologists.
However, Herodotus made scarce mention of the enormous amounts of gold, silver, bronze and electrum (a gold and silver alloy) that the Scythians wore and used, and which are now fascinating exhibition visitors.
The show was triggered by a sensational find made by a German-Russian team between 2001 and 2003 on a southern Siberian plain popularly known as the Valley of the Kings. In one of untold burial mounds in the region, the team excavated the grave of a royal couple in a chamber 10 feet deep containing a vast amount of gold objects.
It was a unique discovery because grave robbers, known to have been active since antiquity, obviously abandoned search of this mound after uncovering other chambers that were empty.
Many of the artefacts from this find are on view at the exhibition. They range from a neck ring weighing 1.5 kilograms (a little over 3 pounds) to more than 5,000 tiny golden figurines of panthers decorating the capelike mantles of the prince and his wife.
The German Archaeological Institute compared the importance of the find to the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 near Luxor, Egypt, in what is also known as the Valley of the Kings.
Research established that the prince died of prostate cancer in the 7th century BC. The much younger and healthy wife showed no traces of violence. But given the Scythians' horrifying funerary ritual described by Herodotus, she hardly died of natural causes. That ritual demanded that the widow, aides and servants must immediately follow the prince or king into death. The same applied to the horses.
The skeletons of 41 slain men and women and the remains of 14 horses, all strangled or killed with battle axes, were found in other chambers of the burial mound. The funeral ceremony also included the smoking of marijuana, according to research verifying an observation already made by Herodotus.
Last year, a German-Russian-Mongolian team made another spectacular find in the permafrost of the Mongolian side of the Altai Mountains, near the Russian border. In a stone-covered mound, the archaeologists discovered the frozen remains of a Scythian warrior who died some 2,500 years ago. The partly mummified, completely clothed warrior is also displayed at the exhibition, his armament and other equipment well preserved.
The man wore a sable-rimmed fur coat and woolen trousers and his legs were stuck in boots made of felt similar to the grey blanket on which he was lying. His headdress, still to be restored, was decorated with wooden animal figurines originally covered with gold foil. The excellent preservation of the clothing permits detailed scientific research.
The "Golden Man of Issyk", discovered in the 1970s in Kazakhstan, is also a main attraction at the show. It is the life-size reconstruction of the clothing of a youth whose corpse was literally strewn with jewellery and thousands of plates and platelets of gold.
A golden pectoral of compelling beauty found in 1971 and lent by the Ukrainian National Museums is sure to be an eye-catcher, too. A photograph of it makes the cover the detailed exhibition catalogue.
The show gives proof of the fabulous wealth the Scythians amassed by controlling important east-west trade routes. But it leaves unanswered the question how such highly detailed golden masterpieces could be created with simple hand tools.
The Golden Comb from the fabled "Siberian Collection" of Peter the Great at St Petersburg's Hermitage Museum is a dazzling example of such masterly goldsmithing. The Russian Czar was the first among European Royalty to appreciate Scythian art and begin an important collection in the early 18th century. This started a bit of archaeological research which was scientifically intensified only some 50 years ago.
The show will move to Munich next month and then to Hamburg in 2008. Several major items, including the famous golden comb, will return to the lenders at the end of the Berlin run.
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