explorator 6.20

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explorator 6.20                               September 14, 2003
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Thanks to Arthur Shippee,  Bill Kennedy, Jenny Clifton,
Donna Hurst, Emily Smyth, Greg Dow,Hernan Astudillo, Gene Barkley,
Joan Griffith, John Hall, John Hill, John McMahon,
John McChesney-Young, Joseph Lauer, Karl Wittwer, Kristina Killgrove,
Maurice O'Sullivan, Michael Oberndorf, Mike Ruggeri, Tony Jackson,
W. Richard Frahm, and Yonatan Nadelman for headses upses this week
(as always hoping I have left no one out).

Have you visited our blog yet?

http://www.atrium-media.com/rogueclassicism/
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================================================================
AFRICA, EUROPE, AND ASIA
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Archaeologists are so clumsy that they even stumble underwater,
this time finding evidence of a sunken Mesolithic settlement off
the northeast coast of England:

http://tinyurl.com/naux (Reuters)
http://tinyurl.com/nav3 (Independent)
http://famulus.msnbc.com/famulusintl/ap09-12-110441.asp
http://tinyurl.com/nauh (Yahoo)
http://tinyurl.com/naxm (Telegraph)

Plenty of coverage of Zahi Hawass and crew's plans to dispel the
tales of the 'curse of the pharaoh' by examining tombs for
toxins and the like:

http://www.msnbc.com/news/965766.asp
http://tinyurl.com/naue (Yahoo)
http://tinyurl.com/nav6 (La Tercera - Spanish)

There's a fair bit of coverage of this one -- archaeologists
have dated the so-called "Hezekiah's Tunnel" to a time that
matches up with Hezekiah:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-09/huoj-dok090903.php
http://tinyurl.com/nasy (New York Times)
http://www.msnbc.com/news/964464.asp
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3098018.stm
http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/09/10/tunnel_biblical030910
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/afp/20030908/bibletunnel.html

Burials found during construction of various projects in Israel
have received various responses (this is a series from
Ha'aretz):

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/338105.html
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/338104.html
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/338103.html

Interest in how many antiquities are missing from Iraq seems to
have waned of late ... a recent Department of Defense briefing,
however, will bring us up to speed (it's rather lengthy):

http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/2003/tr20030910-0660.html

Approximately 150 graves, including an ornate family enclosure,
have been found in Hellenikon:

http://tinyurl.com/nayq (AthensNews)

AthensNews has a nice overview piece on the site of Helike:

http://tinyurl.com/nayv

An 'amateur chemist' (isn't that like an amateur pharmacist?)
has worked out how the murex mollusks were processed to make
the purple worn by Roman emperors:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3103354.stm

Here's a bit more info on that dig to find remains of Caligula's
palace in the forum:

http://tinyurl.com/nb0o (Stanford Report)

A dugout canoe of unknown antiquity (1000 - 2000 b.p.) has been
found in a lake in Norway:

http://stacks.msnbc.com/news/964000.asp
http://tinyurl.com/naw4

Another Dark Age boat has been found near the mouth of
Portsmouth Harbour:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3096846.stm

Floods have damaged many of the buildings of ancient Timbuktu:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3093660.stm

More archaeologists are being sent to Ayodhya:

http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/sep12/n6.asp

Medieval gunpowder apparently packed the same punch as its
modern counterpart:

http://famulus.msnbc.com/famulusgen/reuters09-10-072017.asp

Not sure how to deal with this one, but it is a translation of
an article which appeared in a Chinese newspaper *Wen Hui Bao*
(August 26, 2003) and was sent to me for wider dissemination:

> SURPRISING DISCOVERY OF A NORTHERN ZHOU TOMB IN XI'AN
>
> In the tomb were discovered a painted stone outer coffin (i.e., a
stone
> sarcophagus) and a set of engraved stone wall reliefs, plus the finds
> also include the first uneathing of textual materials relating to
> Sogdians from the Western Regions
>
> Filed by Han Hong, our reporter in Shaanxi
> Transmitted telegraphically from Xi'an on Aug. 25
>
>     A rare large-scale tomb dating to the Northern Zhou period 1,400
> years ago was recently quite unexpectedly discovered at a construction
> site (see photograph at the right) in the northern suburbs of Xi'an by
> specialists from the Xi'an City Office for Archeology and the
> Preservation of Cultural Relics who have now explored and excavated
it.
> Discovered in the tomb was a stone GUO decorated with colorful
> paintings.  (A GUO [sarcophagus] is a large "coffin" outside the
coffin
> that indicates the stature and position of the tomb occupant.)  On the
> sarcophagus were discovered writing that describes Sogdian culture and
> circumstances concerning cultural exchange with the Central Plains.
> This is a unique instance in excavations within China.  It is said
that
> this is the oldest stone sarcophagus discovered to date in Shaanxi
> Province.
>
> This newly discovered tomb is located in Jingshangcun (Upper Well
> Village) in the northern suburbs of Xi'an 3.5 km west of the site of
Han
> Dynasty Chang'an.
>
> At the site, this reporter observed that the pit of the large tomb has
> the shape of an inverted cone with the "bottom pointing skyward" and
> opening out toward the top.  Standing at the upper edge of the pit and
> looking down toward the bottom immediately makes one feel dizzy.  On
the
> floor of the 13 meter deep pit lined with bricks quietly rests the
stone
> sarcophagus which is securely covered with a plastic tarpaulin.  Sun
> Fuxi, the Director of the Xi'an Office for Archeology and the
> Preservation of Cultural Relics which organized the dig, explained
that
> the seat of the tomb is situated in the north and faces south.  The
tomb
> chamber and the ceiling well, passageway compartments, and entrance
path
> all together are 48 meters in length.  There are five ceiling wells
and
> five passageway compartments.  The stone sarcophagus at the bottom of
> the pit is 2.46 meters long, 1.56 meters wide, and 1.7-8 meters high.
> At present, a portion of it is still buried in the soil.  This large
> stone sarcophagus employs an imitation wood construction in the form
of
> a hip and gable roof.  Since the inside of the sarcophagus is still
> completely filled with accumulated earth, it is still not known what
is
> inside of it, but the surface of the stone sarcophagus is everywhere
> covered with pictures engraved in medium relief.  Most of the reliefs
> have been painted, and there are portions with gilding.  The coloring
is
> very rich.  Most of the designs have to do with entertainers.  There
are
> also pictures with a considerable number of beasts with human heads,
> human bodies with the heads of beasts, and birds with human heads.  In
> addition, a small amount of human bones has been found in the tomb.
> Wall paintings have been found on the left and right sides of the
> entrances to the five passageway chambers.  However, because the
> paintings were done on a surface of lime that had been applied
directly
> to the mud wall, only traces of the paintings remained after
excavation.
>
> Sun Fuxi explained that, according to preliminary excavation findings,
> the tomb belongs to the Northern Zhou period and the tomb occupant was
a
> leader of Zoroastrianism (also called "Fire Worshipping Religion") who
> belonged to the kingdom of Shi of the Nine Kingdoms of Zhaowu (a
special
> Chinese term in antiquity for the minority people living in the area
of
> modern Uzbekistan and Tajikistan).  His grandfather and father had
both
> served as __sabao__ for the kingdom of Shi (__sabao__ were the leaders
> responsible for supervising merchants and commerce, and were also
> chieftains of tribal confederations combining governmental and
religious
> duties in one person).  During the Northern Zhou period, the tomb
> occupant himself had been appointed as Panshi (Supervisor) of
Liangzhou
> (the area from Wuwei to Pingliang in modern Gansu) in charge of the
> affairs of all those national minorities from Sogdiana, Central Asia,
> and Western Asia who entered Chinese territory.  Sun Fuxi noted that
> Liangzhou was an important "transfer station" for Sogdians passing
from
> West Asia and Central Asia to China in those times.
>
> This Northern Zhou tomb is rich in typical cultural features of the
> Western Regions, and for the first time offers excavated written
> materials relating to Sogdians of the Western Regions.  The
> archeological workers explained that, aside from a portion of the
> written materials that can be read, there is still a portion that
cannot
> be identified.  Whether it is old Arabic [VHM:  this seems highly
> unlikely to me], or old Persian, or Persian-Parthian [VHM:  the
reporter
> writes Boxi Botuowen; it is very difficult to figure out what he means
> by this] requires additional research to determine.
>
>
> translated by VHMair
>
> +++++
>
> The report is accompanied by a box on "Baihuojiao [Fire-worshipping
> Religion, i.e., Zoroastrianism]."  I translate it herewith for you:
>
> +++++
>
> The Fire-worshipping Religion was born in ancient Persia (modern Iran)
> and is one of the oldest religions in the world.  In the land of its
> birth, it is referred to as "the Teaching / Doctrine of Zoroaster"
> (Zoroaster being its founder).  Because of increasing contacts between
> China and the Sassanian kingdom, the Fire-worshipping Religion was
> transmitted into [what is now] the Chinese [region of] Xinjiang.  At
the
> very latest, this religion had entered China by the beginning of the
> Northern Dynasties.  Sogdians, Turks, and others from the Western
> Regions all believed in the Fire-worshipping religion [VHM:  as
stated,
> this is not entirely correct, since many turks, Sogdians, and other
> Central Asians believed in Buddhism, Christianity, Manicheism, and
other
> religions], especially the Sogdians.  "Sogdia" is a Central Asian
place
> name, and the Sogdian people themselves belonged to the Iranian
language
> group.  [VHM:  the logic of this sentence is faulty, but it is clear
> enough that the reporter means that the Sogdians spoke an Iranian
> language].  From the beginning to the end, they all believed in the
> Fire-worshipping Religion [VHM:  see my note above on this subject].
>
> In order to manage the affairs of foreigners, the Northern Zhou, Sui,
> and Tang governments all established the position of __sabao__ at the
> center and in various localities to be in charge of Fire-worshipping
> sacrifices.  By the period of the Tang Dynasty, the Tang people
referred
> to the Fire-worshipping Religion as __xianjiao__ (__xian__ is the
spirit
> of heaven).  The Tang government established a __sabao fu__ (Superior
> Prefecture) and also established the official ranks of __sabao__,
__xian
> zhu__ (Zoroastrianism Supplicant), __xianzheng__ (Zorastrian
Director),
> and so forth for the purpose of worshipping the __xian__ divinity and
to
> carry out sacrifices.  It was previously due to the support of the
> northern dynasties, especially Northern Zhou and Northern Qi, that the
> Fire-worshipping Religion developed into one of the three major
foreign
> religions of the Tang period.
>
>
> translated by VHMair

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THE AMERICAS
================================================================
The 'who got to the Americas when' thing is in the news again:

http://tinyurl.com/nazx

The latest in the Kennewick Man saga is a debate over the
definition of 'Native American':

http://www.msnbc.com/news/965113.asp
http://tinyurl.com/navy (Yahoo)
http://www.tribnet.com/news/government/story/3893902p-3917111c.html

A late palaeoindian site has been found in Vermont:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-09/uov-afp091003.php
http://tinyurl.com/n1qm (AScribe)

An archaeologist has found evidence of a major flood of the
Sacramento River ca. 980 A.D./C.E.:

http://www.chicoer.com/Stories/0,1413,135~25088~1618090,00.html

Archaeologists are excavating a number of 'Caste War' sites in
Bacalar, Mexico:

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/6721331.htm

Underwater archaeologists are investigating a shipwreck off the
coast of North Carolina which may be associated with either
Blackbeard or the Civil War:

http://tinyurl.com/naup
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ALSO OF INTEREST
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The British Museum says it will not return the Rosetta Stone to
Egypt:

http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=11313

Also on the British Museum front, in anticipation of its
upcoming 250th anniversary, the Royal Mail has come up with some
rather nice commemorative stamps:

http://www.norvic-philatelics.co.uk/museum.htm

A possibly fake bust of Sesostris III is causing an eminent
collector's reputation to be called into question (so, of
course, there's a legal battle going on):

http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/story/0,11711,1039688,00.html

Science News has a brief item on dating petroglyphs in Borneo:

http://www.sciencenews.org/20030906/fob2.asp

The Max Planck Institute for Computer Science has come up with
a much more efficient method for putting a face on a skull:

http://tinyurl.com/nax4 (Technology Research News)

A new study is afoot to figure out when and how the human mind
evolved:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3095018.stm

A September 11 reflection article in the New York Times uses that
event as a point of departure for talking about 'globalisation'
in ancient times and responses to it:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/11/opinion/11WRIG.html

The New York Times has a piece on the Morrill collection of
ancient/antique Chinese porcelain:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/12/arts/12ANTI.html

Scientists are questioning whether the Yersina bacterium did,
in fact, cause the 'Black Plague':

http://tinyurl.com/naw1 (Yahoo)

The use of 'denglish' is causing concern among language purists
in Germany:

http://tinyurl.com/mqbl (Guardian)
================================================================
MAGAZINES AND JOURNALS
================================================================
Antiquity 77 (September 2003)

http://antiquity.ac.uk/CurrentIssue/currentindex.html (TOCS,
some reviews and 'Project Gallery' available online)

Biblical Archaeology Review (September/October 2003):

http://www.bib-arch.org/bswb_BAR/indexBAR.html

Archaeology Odyssey (September/October 2003):

http://www.bib-arch.org/bswb_AO/indexAO.html
================================================================
ON THE WEB
================================================================
The Frank Coffyn Collection has recently hit the web and
comprises an interactive exhibit of early photos documenting the
history of flight in the U.S.:

http://www.centennialofflight.gov/coffyn/
================================================================
NEW ONLINE BOOKS
================================================================
William Smith, *A Smaller History of Greece*:

http://tinyurl.com/nb20 (About.com)
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CRIME BEAT
================================================================
A museum-led organization is setting up a central registry in
order to identify and recover art items looted by the Nazis:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/08/arts/08PORT.html

A third-century B.C./B.C.E. alabaster plaque depicting a fertility
goddess which had been stolen from Yemen back in 1994 has
turned up in a Sotheby's auction:

http://tinyurl.com/nau7

American museums admit they have played a role in the looting of
Native American sites:

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~11676~1605219,00.html

Speaking of which ... looting of Native American sites is on
the increase:

http://tinyurl.com/naxb (VOA)

The U.S. is working on legislation which would ban the import of
Iraqi objects without requisite documentation:

http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=11294
================================================================
BOOK REVIEWS
================================================================
Caroline Alexander, *The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny
on the Bounty*:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/14/books/review/14KLINKET.html

Michael F. Brown, *Who Owns Native Culture?*:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/14/books/review/14SCHWEDT.html

Sally Denton, *American Massacre: The Tragedy at Mountain
Meadows, September 1857* (link to first chapter on page as well):

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/07/books/review/07BAINLT.html

Michael Wood, *The Road to Delphi: The Life and Afterlife of
Oracles*:

http://tinyurl.com/naye (Washington Post)

V.D. Hanson, *Battles that Changed the World*:

http://tinyurl.com/nb10 (CSM)
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EXHIBITIONS
================================================================
12 Black Classicists:

http://tinyurl.com/nb19
http://www.detnews.com/2003/entertainment/0309/06/d01-263595.htm

Coming of Age in Ancient Greece:

http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities/2003-07/fragments.html
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20030908/classictoys.html
(includes nice slideshow)

The Responsive Eye: Ralph T. Coe and the Collecting of American
Indian Art (Met):

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/12/arts/design/12SMIT.html
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CLASSICIST'S CORNER
================================================================
Niall Slater has become president of Phi Beta Kappa:

http://tinyurl.com/nb0u

Peter Jones in the Spectator:


http://tinyurl.com/nb1v

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

Akropolis News in Classical Greek:
http://www.akwn.net/

Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini
http://www.yle.fi/fbc/latini/trans.html

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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REPEATS
================================================================
Senua (Celtic/Roman divinity):

http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/story/0,11711,1033318,00.html
================================================================
OTHER SOURCES OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL NEWS
================================================================
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/@HH!35!F6!26C030D734B7/Topiltzin-2091/Ancie
ntAmericaand/

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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===============================================================
David Meadows                         dmeadows-AT-idirectdotcom
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Rogueclassicism ... updated at sunrise and sunset.
http://www.atrium-media.com/rogueclassicism
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