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explorator 4.40 february 3, 2002
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Editor's note: Depending on your mail software, some urls may
wrap (especially those from the Telegraph) which will require
you to rebuild the url at your end; if you get a 'file not
found', check to see if the url wrapped on you. Most urls should
be active for at least eight hours from the time of publication.
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Thanks to Bill Kennedy, Ardle MacMahon, Arthur Shippee, Maurice
O'Sullivan, Joanne Conman, J. Moretz, Elizabeth Mae Marlowe,
for headses upses this week (a.a.h.i.h.l.n.o.o.)
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Editor's note: I understand that some issues of Explorator are
arriving with big image ads from Yahoo (and other things)
added on. While I can't prevent Yahoo from adding ads, you can
fiddle with your settings to get the text version rather than
an image:
If you remember how to log in:
Go to and log in
Select Explorator from the "My Groups" column on the left
Click on the words "Edit my membership" (upper right, sort of)
Scroll down to Message Format and make sure "Do not convert to
HTML" is checked.
Click on the "Save Changes" button, then sign out.
That *should* do it, although sometimes it seems not to.
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AFRICA, EUROPE, AND ASIA
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A brief item in the Times suggests falconry might date back to
the Ice Age:
,,2-2002042435,00.html
What might be the oldest tombs ever from Egypt have been found by
an Australian team (I can't believe they took five years to announce
this):
,5936,3673238%5E421,00.html
,1113,2-11-38_1137931,00.html
Five other tombs have also been found:
Ancient Egyptians were possibly the first people to make
gold jewellery:
And here's an extremely vague report of a tomb discovery at
Borg al Arab:
cf:
... and a similarly vague report about the discovery of
some 3000-year-old inscriptions in the Suez region:
... and a Roman bathing complex has been found in Qotour:
Ptolemaic remains have been found in southern Egypt:
There's a piece circulating speculating on whether Israel's
lost tribes can be found in Afghanistan:
The Belfast Telegraph (briefly) reports the discovery of an
ancient ringfort:
Iron Age sites are under threat in Britain:
An inscription which records the names of some of those who fell
in Athens' ill-fated Sicilian Expedition has come to light near
the Kerameikos cemetery:
The restoration of Hadrian's Arch in Athens is almost underway:
Discovery Channel has a nice feature on the water supply (and the waterworks)
which supplied Londinium:
The Telegraph has a feature on the source of garum:
cf.
A 1st century A.D./C.E. painting of Bacchus and other mythological
types has been found (and restored) in London:
,,2-2002052529,00.html
The tomb of Huidi, the second emperor of the Western Han Dynasty
has been found in Shaanxi Province:
... and artifacts from the Xia and Shang dynasties have been
found in China's Yunnan province:
Archaeologists are hot on the trail of the grave of Richard II:
,,2-2002043849,00.html
,3604,640961,00.html
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THE AMERICAS
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Not much from the Americas this week, save a report on an impending
search for a sunken Russian ship:
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ON THE NEWSSTANDS
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There's a new issue of Bible Review out, with articles on Judith
and Esther, among other things:
Spectroscopy Magazine has an article by H.G.M. Edwards, "Raman
Raman Microscopy in Art and Archeology: Illumination of Historical
Mysteries in Rock Art and Frescoes" (.pdf). Access via (if you can
... I couldn't get it Adobe to launch from the direct link):
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ON THE WEB
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The TAY Project (Archaeological Settlements of Turkey) is worth
taking a look at; they've recently added a "Destruction Report"
which outlines plans to better police sites:
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CRIME BEAT
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This is really a followup, but it's the New York Times' extended
coverage of the trial of Frederick Schulz, that antiquities
dealer who was charged under an Egyptian law:
An Ethiopian artifact looted in the 19th century depicting the
Ark of the Covenant is being returned:
The BBC has a feature on looting of religious art on Cyprus:
Britain is about to introduce a new law on import/export of
illicit antiquities:
100 ancient artifacts have been discovered in a Greek pensioner's
home:
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AT ABOUT.COM
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Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill's latest is on Linnaeus and Botanical
names:
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REVIEWS
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Athens News has a review of John Hazel, *Who's Who in the Greek
World*:
The Independent has a review of Mark Kurlansky, *Salt: A World History*:
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EXHIBITIONS
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Twelve museums in Greece are sending artifacts to Germany for an
exhibition titled "Greek Classical Civilization":
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CLASSICIST'S CORNER
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There's a couple new Roman-themed movies in the works, including
one on Boudicca:
Athens News has a touristy thing on Orchomenos, with plenty of
Classical content:
Woohoo! The same source relates that Athens is tearing down tons
of billboards and other signs which obscure views of things like
the Parthenon:
For some reason, this piece on the comeback of Latin turned up
in the scan today ... it's kind of old, but what the heck:
A nice photo:
Peter Jones in the Spectator:
... and Dot Wordsworth:
Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini
U.S. Weather in Latin:
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OBITUARIES
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[the obit for John D'Arms in the New York Times has expired; if
you come across one, please forward it to me! Thanks]
Frank Schuster:
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FOLLOWUPS
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Akhenaten Sarcophagus:
Mummy Wheat:
Elgin Marbles:
Oetzi as Sacrifice:
Scythian Gold (I think I missed this one):
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EXPLORATOR is a weekly newsletter representing the fruits of
the labours of 'media research division' of The Atrium. Various
on-line news and magazine sources are scoured for news of the
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