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explorator 6.35                                december 28, 2003
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Thanks to Arthur Shippee,  Bill Kennedy, Dave Sowdon, Rick
Riedlinger,  Donna Hurst, Michael Oberndorf, Freya Horsfield,
Maurice O'Sullivan, Rick Pettigrew, Ling Ouyang, John McMahon,
Jim Phelps, Joseph Lauer, Mike Ruggeri, Susan Jaslow, Adrian
Murdoch, Richard C. Griffiths, Hernan Astudillo, and Yonatan
Nadelman for headses upses this week (as always hoping I have
left no one out).

*n.b. I transferred much of my computer life to my laptop this
week, so it's highly possible/probable that I have left someone
out ... there might also be omissions/duplications in today's
edition. Apologies if this is the sort of thing that rankles
you.

Have you visited our blog yet?

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

If you're using an (ahem) old or clunky browser, try accessing
it via Bloglines:

http://www.bloglines.com/preview?siteid=21809

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AFRICA, EUROPE, AND ASIA
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The debate over whether Neanderthals and 'less brutish' humans
interbred continues:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3346455.stm

Remains of some 8 000 b.p. 'wine' have been found in the former
Soviet republic of Georgia:

http://tinyurl.com/ytvx3 (Indepdendent)

French archaeologists working in Egypt have found a number of
Late Dynastic - Ptolemaic mummies and artificats:

http://tinyurl.com/32wn4 (IOL ... get a spellchecker!)

The New York Times has a nice piece on archaeology in the
Wadi Arabah:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/23/science/23ARCH.html

A summary of what was found in Abu-Kir Bay this year:

http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html10/o251223p.htm

Second Temple/Hasmonean period artifacts were uncovered
this week just outside the walls of Jerusalem:

http://tinyurl.com/3y6sq (Jerusalem Post)

The earthquake in Bam (Iran) this week, in addition to the
human toll, also damaged a number of archaeological sites:

http://www.sundayherald.com/38966
http://tinyurl.com/2bhek (Independent)
http://tinyurl.com/yw9j3 (NY Times)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/photo_gallery/3351505.stm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,12858,1112944,00.html

Al-Jazeera has a piece on the neglected archaeological sites
of Palestine:

http://tinyurl.com/2xpfm

A Roman wall was found during Cathedral renovations in Malta:

http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=142893

The Kaiseraugst Roman silver hoard has been brought together
and put on display for the first time:

http://tinyurl.com/ypq66 (Swissinfo)

Here's one to build a crackpot theory on ... a Roman coin was
found during construction in New Zealand:

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/12/26/1072308676546.html
http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/default.asp?id=38338&;cat=1005&c=w

China's earliest pottery is apparently connected to a desire
to cook freshwater snails:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2003-12/23/content_1244885.htm

A huge Han and Tang (so far) burial site has been found in
southern Beijing:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2003-12/22/content_1242680.htm
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THE AMERICAS
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A major Mississipian site is being excavated near Cahokia
Mounds State Park:

http://www.belleville.com/mld/newsdemocrat/7540872.htm

It's time for the annual too-many-tourists-threaten-Machu-Picchu
piece:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3335315.stm

A touristy sort of thing on the White Shaman site in Texas
might be of interest:

http://tinyurl.com/2hl4k

Dendrochronology has established a date for a Hohokam site near
downtown Tucson:

http://tinyurl.com/yubly

They're still finding out things about Monticello:

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/South/12/22/monticello.wall.ap/
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ALSO OF INTEREST
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Last week we mentioned that a geologist was making suggestions
about the authenticity of the James Ossuary ... Biblical
Archaeology Review has a rather extensive article all about the
claim (scroll down to the last paragraph if descriptions of
oxygen isotope analysis cause your eyes to glaze over):

http://www.bib-arch.org/bswbbreakingflawed.html

Al-Ahram has a sort of 'the past year in heritage stuff' piece
that highlights matters archaeological etc.:

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/670/heritage.htm

cf: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3753790/

Macquarie University has purchased some Oxyrhynchus Papyri:

http://tinyurl.com/ywksf (Daily Telegraph)

The couple who found Oetzi are trying to collect a reward:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3339359.stm

BBC Radio had an interesting program about the history and
development of the alphabet (RealPlayer):

http://tinyurl.com/3y5h6

The University of Akron has been given a pile of Near
Eastern artifacts:

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/living/7568830.htm

An interesting piece on 'skinny Denis' and his calendrical
fiddling:

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/jaybryant/jb20031225.shtml

I think I mentioned this one before when it appeared in the
Washington post, but if not, it's a reasonable overview of
'Biblical archaeology':

http://www.detnews.com/2003/religion/0312/23/a12-16785.htm

The 'Doom Fresco' at Holy Trinity Church in Coventry will be
on display for the first time in 400 years:

http://tinyurl.com/ypzlv (BBC)

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina has opened a center for studying
ancient writing:

http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html10/o251223r.htm

Vietnamese scientists have restored the lacquered mummy of a
17th century Buddhist monk:

http://tinyurl.com/2eer7 (Channel News)

Potentially 'don't eat that elmer' material, but I'm in a good
mood ... here's a piece on assorted miracles associated with
Attila the Hun's purported grave:

http://tinyurl.com/2vphl (IOL)

The future of assorted stones in Scotland may have been
decided this week:

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/6718.html

A revisionist view of Mary, Queen of Scots:

http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/scotland.cfm?id=1400722003

Of borderline interest, I suspect ... the New Zealand storm
petrel is apparently not extinct after all:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3344917.stm
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MAGAZINES AND JOURNALS
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Archaeology 57.1 (Jan./Feb. 2004):

http://www.archaeology.org/magazine.php?page=curiss/index

Biblical Archaeology Review (Jan./Feb. 2004):

http://www.bib-arch.org/bswb_BAR/indexBAR.html
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ON THE WEB
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The SEPE site has a summary of work done during the 2003 season
at Tell Tebilla:

http://www.deltasinai.com/sepe-10.htm

The Roman Numismatic Gallery is worth a look:

http://www.romancoins.info/Content.html

Smith College Museum of Ancient Inventions:

http://www.smith.edu/hsc/museum/ancient_inventions/hsclist.htm
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ON  THE ARCHAEOLOGY CHANNEL
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People of the Whale (Part 1) ... all about the Ozette site on
the Washington Coast which revealed the "perfectly preserved
remains of a pre-contact Makah village beneath a series of
mudslides":

http://www.archaeologychannel.org/
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CRIME BEAT
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A sizeable chunk of an ancient fresco was stolen from the
Roman headquarters at Masada this week:

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/374340.html
http://tinyurl.com/2raru (Reuters via Yahoo)
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1015015.htm
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BOOK REVIEWS
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Stephen Prothero, *American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a
National Icon*:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/28/books/review/28MASSINT.html

Alan Massie, *Caligula*:

http://tinyurl.com/2tga7 (Telegraph)

Michael Wood, *The Road to Delphi*:

http://tinyurl.com/3x4m3 (Telegraph)

Gary Wills, *Negro President: Jefferson and the Slave Power*

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/25/books/25LEPO.html
cf: http://tinyurl.com/2w3rx (Wills' response to review)
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PERFORMANCES
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Taming of the Shrew:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/23/arts/theater/23SHRE.html
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DON'T EAT THAT ELMER (A.K.A. CVM GRANO SALIS)
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In case you missed it, they spotted a "ghost" on the security
cameras at Hampton Court:

http://msnbc.msn.com/Default.aspx?id=3760119&;p1=0
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EXHIBITIONS
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Charles Bargue: The Art of Drawing:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/26/arts/design/26DAHE.html

Finding Faith: Folk Art of Peru From the Collection of Antonio
Lulli:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/26/arts/design/26COTT.html

Birds of Central Park: Audobon's Watercolors:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/26/arts/design/26ANTI.html
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CLASSICIST'S CORNER
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Nice piece on Latin in the Economist:

http://tinyurl.com/289nm

Akropolis News in Classical Greek (it has returned!):
http://www.akwn.net/

Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini
[best accessed via our blog on Sundays]

Radio Bremen's Der Monatsrückblick - auf Latein
http://www.radiobremen.de/online/latein/

U.S. Weather in Latin:
http://latin.wunderground.com/

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OBITUARIES
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REPEATS
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30 000 B.P. Figurines from Germany:

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/7518667.htm

Exhuming the Medicis:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3802926/
http://tinyurl.com/3dn8h (NY Times)
http://tinyurl.com/2y7h5 (AP via Yahoo)

Tomb of Zacharias:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1218/p14s01-wome.html
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OTHER SOURCES OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL NEWS
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About.com Ancient History (blog):
http://ancienthistory.about.com/

About.com Archaeology (blog):
http://archaeology.about.com/mbody.htm

Archaeologica:
http://www.archaeologica.org/NewsPage.htm

Archaeology Magazine's Newsbriefs:
http://www.archaeology.org/magazine.php?page=0305/newsbriefs/index

Bible and Interpretation Breaking News:
http://www.bibleinterp.com/news.htm

CBA Newsfeed:
http://www.britarch.ac.uk/newsfeed/index.html

CBA Archaeoblog:
http://www.britarch.ac.uk/archaeoblog/

Classics in Contemporary Culture (blog):
http://www.people.memphis.edu/~mhooker/ccc.html

Cronaca (blog):
http://www.cronaca.com/

Francis Deblauwe's 'Iraq War and Archaeology' site:
http://cctr.umkc.edu/user/fdeblauwe/iraq.html

Maritime Underwater Archaeological News:
http://www.munarchaeology.com/munarchaeology/news/main.htm

Megalithic Portal
http://www.megalithic.co.uk

Michael Ruggeri's Ancient America and Mesoamerica News:
http://community-2.webtv.net/Topiltzin-2091/AncientAmericaand

Mirabilis.ca (blog):
http://www.mirabilis.ca

Paleojudaica (blog):
http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com

Phluzein (blog):
http://www.binref.com/phluzein/

Stone Pages Archaeo News:
http://www.stonepages.com/news/

Texas A&M Anthropology News Site:
http://www.tamu.edu/anthropology/news.html

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9:38:36 AM