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explorator 5.1 May 5, 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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Welcome to our fifth year!! What began as a whim while I
was locked out of my office at McMaster University and was waiting
for security to let me in (and was reading the rather old newsclippings
posted on the Classics Department bulletin board) has turned into
a Sunday morning ritual for me and, apparently, quite a few others!
A year ago we were boasting a subscriber base of 1948 and today we
can claim 2720 (a 40% or so increase!), augmented, of course, by
those who read it via sci.archaeology.moderated or humanities.classics
or any of the several email lists which get various edited versions
-- today you get the full version to see what you've been missing.
We continue to be free and ad free save for those yahoo things) and
will remain that way for the foreseeable future!
Speaking of yahoo, I've decided that Explorator will remain
hosted there until something equivalent comes along but in the
next few weeks I'll be sending out a message indicating how you
can minimize the impact of yahoo's advertising policies at your
end.
Last, but not least, I apologize last week for my geographically-
challenged suggestion that the Island of Jersey was near
Cornwall! (I do have coffee in me for this issue!).
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Thanks to John Hill, Arthur Shippee, W. Richard Frahm, George
Pesely, 'ekbole', Maurice O'Sullivan, Kris Curry, Isidoros, John Lens,
Ardle MacMahon, for headses upses this week (a.a.h.i.h.l.n.o.o.)
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AFRICA, EUROPE, AND ASIA
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Let's start with one the scan didn't pick up a while ago ... a
nice little article which can't really be classified, but which
is entitled "The Awful Truth About Archaeology":
"Stumbling" archaeologists strike again: this time clumsily discovering
4th dynasty pyramid:
Climate changes threaten Egypt's monuments:
Sadly, it looks like Assur will be the latest casualty of dam
building in Iraq:
Archaeologists mapping the ancient city of Uruk have found it often
matches the description in the "Song" of Gilgamesh:
Iraq is asking Germany to return the Ishtar Gate:
,2763,709809,00.html
An article on a USydney dig in Australia, although rather
unfocussed:
Students are learning heritage preservation at Petra:
Archaeologists working in the Kerameikos have found a "rare" type
of kouros:
A bit of the Via Egnatia along with artifacts from other eras
has been found:
The Taliban didn't get *everything* -- saved was a second century
A.D./C.E. bowl with bacchannalian scenes (this one's *very*
interesting):
,3604,709045,00.html
The Long Man of Wilmington has been, er, 'defaced':
Plans are in the works to help conserve Mohenjodaro:
A 2200-year-old wooden (!) map has been discovered in China's
Gansu province:
A 5000-year-old bird-shaped "totem" has been found in China's
Anhui province:
Arab archaeologists have called for protection of Palestinian
sites:
On the eve of the official opening of the revived Library of
Alexandria, Iraq is announcing that it intends to revive the
Library of Ashurbanipal:
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THE AMERICAS
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Road construction near/in Miami has revealed a burial of a member
of the Tequesta people:
Philadelphians continue to wait to see what was excavated from
Independence Mall:
They're searching for the lost ships of the Franklin Expedition:
This one's just down the road from me ... Hamilton officials have
stopped a dig at a site slated to be in the way of expressway
construction:
{C7F4EEEF-8ADC-4861-B481-C8B3C5B2A6A8}
An Onandaga site has led to a change in plans for bridge construction
in Syracuse:
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ON THE NEWSSTANDS
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There's a new issue of British Archaeology out, with articles on
the Armada, the Vikings, Balbridie, and other things:
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ON THE WEB
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A New York Times article (mentioned below in the Classics section)
caused me to check this one out. It's the UCLA Cultural VR Lab
site where they've been giving various ancient structures the
VR treatment. There's some interesting reconstructions at their
website (esp. in the "Portfolio"):
I've been alerted to the existence of the Anthro-Globe site,
which appears to publish full text articles as .pdf's (requiring
Acrobat Reader, of course). Of interest might be Sergei V. Rjabchikov,
"Some Remarks on the Scythian and Sarmatian Religion":
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NEW ONLINE BOOKS
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Homer, *The Odyssey* (Pope translation):
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CRIME BEAT
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At a memorial for the four Canadians killed in that 'friendly fire'
incident in Afghanistan, our Governess-General appears to have
quoted from Pericles' Funeral Oration (although true to form, Canadian
journalists seem unable to 'name the name'):
{7157C231-B4AF-441E-993F-6D902B45ED6B}
More arrests in Greece (Thessaloniki, to be exact):
A guy was caught with a metal detector on Mt. Zion:
A nice article on tombaroli:
,3605,708652,00.html
The 'Tome Raider' has been arrested:
A new 'code of conduct' will hopefully prevent British Museums from
acquiring stolen antiquities:
;$sessionid$R4RKXDIAAAYRDQFIQMGCFF4AVCBQUIV0?xml=/news/2002/05/02/nart02.xml
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AT ABOUT.COM
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Just in time for Mothers Day, Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill features
"The Top Seven Famous Greek Mothers":
Archaeology Guide Kris Hirst's latest is on a couple of online digs:
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REVIEWS
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Alexander Stille, *The Future of the Past*:
Lysistrata(i):
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EXHIBITIONS
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The Royal Academy is hosting an exhibition of Buddhas and this
week there's some serious coverage:
,3605,691163,00.html
,8542,687439,00.html
1884-1930: From the Christian Collection to the Byzantine Museum (Athens):
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CLASSICIST'S CORNER
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The New York Times has an interesting piece on a VR treatment of
the Colosseum by some folks at UCLA:
Some interesting comparative material here (Roman religion):
AthensNews has a touristy thing on what to do after you've paid
a visit to Mycenae:
James Whitley is the new director of the British School at
Athens:
An interesting twist on the Elgin Marbles saga:
On the origins of the name Hannibal:
Plenty of ClassCon in an appeal to save the Bodleian's graffiti:
British Museum cuts might affect your next visit there:
Has the U.S. become an empire?:
Is there a dig at classics professors in this?:
Dot Wordsworth:
Radio Finland's Nuntii Latini
U.S. Weather in Latin:
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OBITUARIES
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Gordon Willey:
Diana Buitron-Oliver:
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FOLLOWUPS
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Cleaning Acropolis Marbles:
Columbus Ship (genuine followup!):
Peruvian Mummies:
,1280,-1695936,00.html
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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
ancient world (broadly construed: practically anything relating
to archaeology or history prior to about 1700 or so is fair
game) and every Sunday they are delivered to your mailbox free of
charge!
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