Was the Nazi Gold Really Discovered?

At the start of World War II, Germany was in a deep financial depression. Its currency was worth nothing. In order to fund its war effort, the Nazi regime routinely looted gold from occupied countries. During the course of the war, the regime stole at least $400 million in gold from occupied nations and at least $140 million in gold from individuals, particularly those imprisoned in concentration camps. They were meticulous, raiding Jewish homes, safety deposit boxes and even removing gold dental fillings from people's teeth.
Most of the stolen gold was stored in Germany's Reichsbank, the bank of the Third Reich. But after a 1945 bombing raid, the Nazis moved the gold to a safer location. Much of it was taken to a potassium mine about 200 miles from Berlin. When Germany was overtaken and the Allied forces took over, laborers from this mine told American soldiers that they had watched as Nazi troops moved gold and art into hidden caves within the mine. At the end of the war, hundreds of millions in gold and silver bars, paper currency and art was recovered at the mine. However, not all of the loot was found, and there could be millions more in stolen gold that's left in and around Germany.
A recent discovery has renewed world interest in the quest. Have treasure hunters really discovered the famed Nazi gold stash? Some say they have. Some even say they've found the Amber Room.

The Hunt for Nazi Treasure
The legendary Reichsbank treasure is said to be worth millions of dollars. In 2000, German treasure hunters believed they'd found the hiding place (deep in the German Alps) where the rest of the gold was stashed. But the harshness of the terrain made it impossible for them to find the buried loot, and they eventually gave up.
But in February 2008, the search took on new life when treasure hunters converged on the German hamlet Deutschkatharinenberg. The mayor of a nearby town called Deutschneudorf, Heinz-Peter Haustein, has been looking for the gold there for a decade. When a man named Christian Hanisch turned up, the search became something of a frenzy. He seemed to have evidence that confirmed what Haustein believed: the gold was in Deutschkatharinenberg.
Hanisch's father was in the German air force during WWII, and Hanisch had apparently found an old journal of his father's that indicated the location of the missing gold. He joined forces with Haustein, and they gathered a full treasure-hunting team to go looking for the man-made mountain cavern that supposedly holds the loot. They claim they've not only found the gold, but also the legendary Amber Room.
The Amber Room was a chamber in the U.S.S.R.'s Catherine Palace, near St. Petersburg. The room's walls were covered in amber-colored, solid gold paneling. The panels were stolen by the Nazis during the war, and were last seen in an art exhibition in Germany in 1945. After that, they disappeared. A few of the panels have since been recovered, but most have never been found.
Haustein's team claims to have found pieces of the Amber Room. They say they've confirmed with an electromagnetic metal detector that the gold lies somewhere beneath the surface of the East German mountainside, probably about 60 feet (20 meters) down. They estimate a find of about 2 tons of gold, and they believe this discovery includes the Amber Room. They seem to be basing this belief on the idea that if there's that much gold down there, it must include the gold from the Amber Room, which is a significant piece of the Nazi treasure.
But the dig has so far been unsuccessful and the hunters can't seem to find the cavern. As of late February 2008, they have retained the services of a geophysicist to help them figure out exactly where to dig.
Even with the help of a geophysicist, Haustein's team doesn't expect to get into the chamber any time soon. They believe the stash might be booby-trapped, and they want explosives engineers to check out the situation before they dig any further.
In the midst of all this treasure hunting, the question arises: If they find Nazi gold, do they get to keep it? When wartime loot is recovered, to whom do the spoils go?

The Legal Side of Recovered Treasure
Many experts don't believe the Amber Room is buried in Deutschkatharinenberg. Some think the panels were lost at sea, or destroyed by Allied bombs in the final days of the war. Nonetheless, if the cultural treasure does turn up, it's unclear who will have ownership rights. Haustein says the Amber Room panels would belong to Russia, but that any other gold -- the non cultural-artifact type -- would legally belong to Germany
Others might disagree. Counties have been making an effort to return stolen gold (or its monetary equivalent) to the individuals and nations from whom it was taken. This effort was meager at first, but it picked up toward the end of the twentieth century when the world took a renewed interest in restitution. Forty-two countries showed up at the London Conference on Nazi Gold in 1997 to form a joint effort to uncover stolen gold and return it to its rightful owners. Ten countries still lay claim to more than $60 million in lost gold (about 5.5 metric tons). At the conference, many of those countries agreed to relinquish their claims on some of this gold and contribute it instead to various humanitarian groups, especially those benefiting Holocaust survivors, from whom the Nazi regime appropriated bank accounts, gold and everything else of value.
It's fairly clear, at least, where the Amber Room gold will end up if it's ever found. The Geneva Conventions outlaws the wartime looting or destruction of cultural artifacts and requires that anything of cultural significance be returned after the war if it's taken. So it's likely the Amber Room would be returned to Russia.
However, the treasure hunters in Deutschkatharinenberg have more pressing issues to deal with. As of Feb. 28, 2008, Haustein has reportedly kicked Hanisch out of Deutschneudorf. The two treasure hunters argued about where to dig and whether to suspend the search until scientists and engineers arrived to assess the situation. Hanisch now says he does not believe the treasure hunters have found the Amber Room at all. He says it's just plain-old gold.

UNESCO Teams Up With TripAdvisor to Protect World Heritage Sites

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has teamed up with TripAdvisor, the largest global online travel community, to mobilize support to preserve natural and cultural sites inscribed on its World Heritage List.
“Because of TripAdvisor’s excellent reach to their member community, we can, together, raise awareness of World Heritage as well as receive member feedback about sites,” said Francesco Bandarin, Director of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre.
“This certainly helps us flag site issues and provides useful information on how World Heritage travellers engage with the sites and their communities. We are looking forward to partnering with TripAdvisor on this initiative,” he added in a news release announcing the two-year initiative.
TripAdvisor founder and Chief Executive Officer Stephen Kaufer pledged to donate up to $1.5 million over the next two years to help UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre monitor the conservation of the 890 natural and cultural sites inscribed on the World Heritage List.
The Centre also provides technical and administrative support for States that have ratified the 1972 World Heritage Convention, enabling them to translate its provisions into action.
“We’re calling on the world’s largest travel community to help preserve the places around the world that we all love,” said Mr. Kaufer.
“In support of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre, we will give not only dollars but also the collective wisdom and support of TripAdvisor’s millions of travellers, and their trusted insights. We’re eager to build global awareness about World Heritage sites, and about sustainable and responsible travel.”
More than 25 million online visitors use its TripAdvisor’s websites every month to find and share travel information.---www.un.org

Strange Ways Different People Discovered Treasures

Some people take out loans or apply to get grant money, others stumble upon money. Treasures can be found in the strangest of places, in the oddest of ways. Here are some of the unlikely but true stories of discovered treasures:

1) From my cold, dead, and lucky hands
A retired man in Connecticut named Donald Peters (79) bought two lottery tickets at a 7-Eleven, just hours before dying of a heart attack. A few weeks after his death, his wife Charlotte (78) was going through his things, and came across the tickets. Charlotte brought them to the shop, only to find out that she just won $10 million! According to the Peters’ son, Brian, their father would certainly have appreciated the irony of the event. “He’d be very mad, he just passed away and she won a lot of money.”

2) Money down the crapper
In January of 2009, an Arizona plumber named Mike Roberts, found a 7-carat diamond, worth $70,000. It seems the ring had been flushed down the toilet at the “Black Bear Diner” in Phoenix.

3) Contract killer
Apparently, bathrooms can be pretty useful spots to hide your money, as contractor Bob Kitts from Cleveland, Ohio discovered. Kitts found $182,000 of Depression-era money hidden in a bathroom wall. He told the homeowner about the money; arguments broke out quickly on how to repartition the findings. This led to a legal battle between the homeowner and the contractor, and eventually between the found money’s family descendants who had been traced back from the return address on the envelope the money was found in. The contractor would have done well to keep his mouth shut.

4) A Hole: Lotta Gold
Jeff Bidelman, a Johnstown Rare Collectibles owner, was helping a family clean out the house their relative had abandoned over twenty years ago. As he was dragging a bag of old coins downstairs, he noticed a hole in an upstairs wall. When the first floor got torn down, a mounting pile of gold coins worth about $200,000 was found. Apparently, they had been thrown down the hole Bidelman had noticed earlier.

5) Old Money
Full-time plumber and part-time fossil hunter, Greg Riecke, was on one of his expeditions near the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District in Perris, California, when he discovered a nearly intact Mastodon tusk (one of the rarest fossils on the planet), dating anywhere from 16,000 to 2 million years old!

6) Tired of poverty
Three Mount Comfort state highway workers found $100,000 in an abandoned tire as they were picking up litter. Unfortunately, drug-sniffing dogs found the scent of drugs on the bills. Their lucky find had to be turned in to the Indiana state police.---www.cosmoloan.com

Rare Anchor of a Pirate Ship Shown in Greenville

A rare piece of North Carolina's early history was pulled from the Beaufort Inlet this week and displayed in Greenville.
An anchor believed to be from Blackbeard's flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, was taken from the water by researchers with the QAR Project, a state-funded research expedition that will eventually bring up 700,000 individual artifacts.
The anchor was displayed at the QAR Conservation Lab on the East Carolina University West Research Campus on Thursday afternoon.
Historians say that the infamous pirate and his ship ran aground in 1718 in Beaufort Inlet. The wreckage, which was first found in 1996, is located about a mile from Fort Macon in 25 feet of water.
As more artifacts are recovered researchers are more and more confident that the wreckage is what remains of Blackbeard's ship.
“This is the oldest shipwreck we have worked on in North Carolina,” Mark Wilde-Ramsing, QAR project manager, said. “It is associated with Blackbeard and every artifact is important for understanding what was going on at the time.”
The 160-pound anchor is one of the largest pieces recovered from the ship so far, but researchers will eventually bring up very large pieces, including cannons weighing about one ton each, Wilde-Ramsing said.
The five-pronged anchor was not the primary anchor for the Queen Anne's Revenge, it would have been too small. The Queen Anne's Revenge was a 100-foot ship that could carry 200 people.
Wilde-Ramsing said the anchor was probably for a smaller vessel that was associated with Blackbeard's flagship.
Researchers brought up the anchor because it had broken loose from the ground and they worried that is could be lost if not recovered now.
Years of dredging in the inlet exposed the wreckage and loosed many items that are at risk of being washed away. The wreckage was previously covered with sand for hundreds of years, Wilde-Ramsing said.
He said it will be more than seven years before all of the items associated with the ship are brought out of the water.
It will take about six months to get the anchor cleaned and then it will be placed in a special bath for two years before it can be displayed in a museum. Most of the items from the shipwreck will wind up at the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, Wilde-Ramsing said.
“Archeologists work with real things and to literally have items that were used 300 years ago is a great find for the public,” Wilde-Ramsing said. “I'm really proud that North Carolina has this wreck and is doing such a good job recovering it.”---www.reflector.com

Workers in India Discover 13th Century Silver Coins

Indian laborers recently accidentally found 62 silver coins which appeared to be from 13th century Delhi Sultanate period in the northern Uttar Pradesh state, the private Indo-Asian News Service said Thursday.
A group of 50 labourers digging a drain in Bareilly district, 250 kilometers from the state capital of Lucknow, came across the silver coins Tuesday, the report quoted a local official as saying.
The laborers did not reveal their finding and distributed the coins among themselves. However, some of the laborers were not satisfied with their share and told the authorities about the coins, said the report.
Authorities have taken over the coins and put them in a treasury. The area from where the coins were recovered has been cordoned off and no one is allowed to enter it, said the report.
The coins bear Arabic inscriptions and are dated equivalent to the period 1218-1229. A team of the Archeological Survey of India officials from Lucknow has been called to study the coins.
A great part of India was controlled by Delhi Sultanate Muslim rulers from 1206 to 1526.---news.xinhuanet.com

UK Archaeologists Dig Out Roman Amphitheatre

British archaeologists have unearthed a Roman amphitheatre overlooked by previous excavations at a site to the north of the Tiber that once served as the maritime gateway to imperial Rome.
During their three-year dig close to Rome's Fiumicino airport, the researchers also found a shipping canal, luxuriously decorated rooms and a colonnaded garden, suggesting the port was a regular way station for Roman emperors.
Portus, ancient Rome's Mediterranean harbour, now lies two miles inland because of sedimentation. But it was once a basin a little over a mile wide serving 350-tonne vessels unloading grain, silk and wild animals.
The £1m dig, led by the University of Southampton, assisted by Cambridge University and the British School at Rome, focused on the remains of a palace built between the port's main basin and a hexagonal inner harbour where goods were unloaded into 300-metre-long warehouses supported by 15-metre brick arches before being transferred by canal to the Tiber for transport to Rome.
While researchers had uncovered warehouses previously, the presence of a theatre was only hinted at by the archaeologist Rodolfo Lanciani during an 1860 excavation, the last big dig at the site.
This time, the British team, aided by the archaeology superintendent of Ostia, brought in magnetic sensors, ground radar and metal probes. "The current passes between the probes and we can see the resistance from buried remains," said Graeme Earl, one of the team leaders. The careful search disclosed the curved walls of the amphitheatre, dated by the project's director, Professor Simon Keay, to the 3rd century AD. "Its design, using luxurious materials and substantial colonnades, suggests it was used by a high-status official, possibly even the emperor himself … it could have been games or gladiatorial combat, wild beast baiting or the staging of mock sea battles. But we really do not know."
The ground scans revealed a garden, cisterns, a 250-metre by 60-metre room attached to the palace and a 90-metre-wide canal linked to nearby Ostia. Keay also found a head – using the more low-tech method of almost tripping over it. "The bulldozer was clearing topsoil and I saw to my horror a human face looking at me. It is one of the most spectacular finds to date," he said. The exquisite sculpture, which could depict Ulysses, "was the property of someone with a lot of culture and disposable income", said Keay.
The luxury fittings extend to fine blue and white marble in a lavatory. "There was probably running water beneath the marble toilets to prevent smells," said Rose Ferraby, an archaeologist. Holes in the front panel of the loo seat let users clean themselves with a brush, she added.
Built by Claudius in AD46, Portus was expanded by Trajan in the second century. The importance of grain shipments getting through to Rome became clear in AD62 when a storm sank 200 ships in the main harbour, prompting bread shortages and riots. "By that time Rome had long outgrown Italy's ability to feed it and the city owed its existence to the port," said Keay. "That makes Portus one of the most important archaeological sites in the world."---www.guardian.co.uk

Treasure Hunt in England Might Rewrite History

An amateur treasure hunter prowling English farmland with a metal detector stumbled upon the largest Anglo-Saxon treasure ever discovered, a massive collection of gold and silver crosses, sword decorations and other items, British archaeologists reported Thursday.
One expert said the treasure would revolutionize understanding of the Anglo-Saxons, a Germanic people who ruled England from the fifth century until the Norman conquest in 1066. Another said the find would rank among Britain's best-known historic treasures.
"This is just a fantastic find completely out of the blue," Roger Bland, who managed the cache's excavation, said in a statement. "It will make us rethink the Dark Ages."
Leslie Webster, the former curator of Anglo-Saxon archeology at the British Museum, said the amount of gold uncovered — about 11 pounds (5 kilograms) — suggested that early medieval England was a far wealthier place than previously believed.
She also said the crosses and other religious artifacts mixed in with the mainly military items might shed new light on the relationship between Christianity and warfare among the Anglo-Saxons.
The seventh-century hoard found by 55-year-old Terry Herbert in western England, consists of about 1,500 pieces of gold and silver, mostly weapons and other military artifacts, some inlaid with precious stones. Experts say the finely crafted pieces could have belonged to Anglo-Saxon royalty.
Herbert, from the town of Burntwood, found the gold on a friend's farm on July 5 and spent the next five days scouring the field for the rest of the hoard.
Herbert recovered the first items before professional archaelogists took over the excavation.
"Imagine you're at home and somebody keeps putting money through your letterbox, that was what it was like," Herbert said. "I was going to bed and in my sleep I was seeing gold items."
The hoard was officially declared treasure by a coroner, which means it will now be valued by a committee of experts and offered up for sale to a museum. Proceeds would be split 50-50 between Herbert and his farmer friend, who has not been identified. The find's exact location is being kept secret to deter looters.
Bland said he could not give a precise figure for the worth of the hoard, but he said the treasure hunter could be in line for a "seven-figure sum."
Herbert said the experience had been "more fun than winning the lottery," adding that one expert likened his discovery to finding Tutankhamen's tomb.
"I just flushed all over when he said that. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up," Herbert said.
The hoard is in storage at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Some of the items are due to go on display starting Friday.---pravda.ru

Treasure Discovered in Anglo-Saxon Cemetery

A GROUP of 58 items from a ploughed-out Anglo-Saxon cemetery were among the finds unearthed by Isle of Wight metal-detecting enthusiasts.

The majority of the artefacts were declared treasure by Island coroner, John Matthews.
He heard they came from the same West Wight Saxon graves where silver and gold jewellery was first discovered by metal-detecting enthusiast Stewart Thompson in 2004.

Mr Matthews also ruled as treasure this Anglo-Saxon silver hooked tag, pictured, dating back to the ninth or tenth century, found by Robert Fry while metal-detecting in May.---www.iwcp.co.uk

The Lost Ancient Treasures of Albania

Just 20 years ago, when communism was starting to crumble across Eastern Europe, the idea of isolated, totalitarian Albania embracing Western project management would have been fanciful.
But it has happened - at Butrint, a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Just 5km (three miles) from the vibrant Greek holiday island of Corfu, Butrint preserves the tranquil, classical atmosphere beloved of 19th Century tourists such as Lord Byron.
Ancient ruins are lapped by water and shrouded by foliage. Massive Hellenistic walls share the site with precise Roman structures, Byzantine mosaics and two Venetian castles. The local ferry is still a raft, the views are sublime and the sunsets magical.
How has Albania managed to safeguard Butrint, when so much of its recent history has been turbulent, with communist dictatorship giving way to freewheeling capitalism?
The answer lies in partnership between local, national and international bodies, and the careful nurturing of systems new to the country.
The creation of a national park, and modern legislation to control it, led to a protected zone, which is now backed by international bodies including the World Bank.
A UK-based charity, the Butrint Foundation, is working with Albanian officials to develop the heritage site in a way that is sustainable and attractive to tourists. Archaeology, conservation and museum management are all areas where Albania is benefiting from Western expertise.
Pioneering project
Diana Ndrenika, director of Albanian heritage, says the national park "is not only a story of success in its own right, but it has set the pace within the Albanian context of how such a resource should be run".
She says it has had a big impact on other sites in Albania and has become "the model, the standard to which everyone working in this sector refers".
The site occupies a low wooded hill, with vistas of the Ionian Sea to one side and the expanse of Lake Butrint to the other.
Its mythical foundation was by refugee Trojans, with archaeology indicating that Butrint has been occupied since at least the 8th Century BC.
It was a local tribal centre by the 4th Century BC, part of the Kingdom of Pyrrhus, the inveterate enemy of the Romans. Then it was a Roman colony founded by Emperor Augustus a few years after his great victory over Anthony and Cleopatra, which occurred at Actium, only a few miles to the south.
Butrint's later history was turbulent, amid power struggles between Byzantium and its Western enemies - Normans led by Robert Guiscard, Angevin French under their dour King Charles of Anjou, scheming Venetian politicians and the banner of Islam borne by the victorious Ottoman Empire. Since 1912 it has been part of independent Albania.
Continuing challenges
The collapse of communism in 1992 caused much damage. Then civil unrest in 1997 led to looting of the museum at Butrint, though many artefacts have now been returned thanks to international co-operation.
The breakdown of old organisational structures has inevitably brought problems as well as opportunities for Albania, impacting on Butrint. Development pressure, often illegal, remains an issue.
There remains much to do at the site itself. Car parking, given rising visitor numbers, is inadequate, toilet facilities need considerable improvement, conservation of both the natural and historic environment is an ongoing challenge, and rising water levels threaten mosaics and walls. But investment in the local community should help tackle these issues.
International donations are paying for the training of young Albanian professionals. Some are already working in other parts of the country. The projects include an archaeological training school at Butrint, run by Albanian archaeologists for both domestic and foreign students.---news.bbc.co.uk

Shipwreck from the Civil War Era Found, Again

Like a toy surprise in a box of Cracker Jacks - er, slightly water-logged Cracker Jacks, that is - a Civil War era shipwreck turned up among Hurricane Ike debris.
The discovery, thought to be previously uncharted, was made by crews last week scanning the bays around Galveston to chart debris.
While the find came as a kind of fun surprise to the contractors doing the work, State Marine Archeologist Steve Hoyt was pleased - but not terribly surprised.
"There have been nearly 2,000 ship wrecks (in Texas coastal waters), with a lot of those concentrated around the Galveston area," Hoyt said.
A surprising amount of Texas history is underwater.
With many immigrants arriving here by ship, along with the goods and supplies they needed for frontier life, traveling by water was common.
The bays of the Galveston area were particularly busy.
"Much of the history of Texas is maritime history," Hoyt said.
Hoyt added it's possible the shipwreck had been buried in mud and Ike's surge might have uncovered it. Or, it could just be that it had simply been overlooked until now.
The post-Ike sonar operation is likely the most extensive ever undertaken in the Galveston Bay area.
In the past, smaller areas have been surveyed for different projects, such as pipelines, to ensure that the work won't disturb any significant sites, Hoyt said.
"This is the first time I know there's been such widespread coverage," he added.
When the Texas Historic Commission finds out about a "new" historic ship wreck site, personnel begin to comb through a database of thousands of shipwrecks known to have occurred in the region.
"Most wrecks in the database, we don't know where they are - we only know of them through historic records," he said.
Hoyt wouldn't say what ships he thought the sonar scanners' find might be.
"We're looking at several," he said. "It wouldn't be appropriate to say till we have a better idea."
The next step for the Texas Historic Commission is to assess the site.
"We will get a crew together and try to dive on it," Hoyt said, adding that weather would play a role in scheduling the dive.
Diving in the bay will be challenging.
"Visibility is not good - it can be quite dangerous," he said. "You do get the occasional day when diving conditions are nice and you can get several feet of visibility."
Otherwise, divers will assess the site by "Braille work," Hoyt said, meaning they'll literally have to feel for it.
The wreck, thought to be from the Civil War era, could yield a treasure trove of historic artifacts.
An iron-hulled ship would withstand the long immersion better than one of wood, but even a wood ship would contain many iron or ceramic parts and fixtures that could have survived.
Door hinges, drawer pulls, engines, anchors, mast and rigging paraphernalia are typical items to be found.
"It's amazing how much can still be left on a large ship," Hoyt said, adding that even a small, wooden hull ship yielded more than 1 million artifacts.
The sonar crews will soon begin work in Sabine Lake.
Hoyt said there's no telling what might be found there.
"At Sabine Pass there were a number of wrecks, but once you get into the lake, there were fewer," he said.
The location of the wreck is undisclosed, in accordance with Texas administrative code. Hoyt said this is to protect the historic sites from plunder.---www.beaumontenterprise.com

Seven Ancient Cambodian Treasures Return Home

Thailand returned seven treasures from Cambodia's Golden Age to its neighbor as the countries pledged to prevent further smuggling of antiquities.
The statues from the 12th century Angkorian era, including six heads of the Hindu god Shiva, were handed to Cambodian officials during an official one-day visit by Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. Thai authorities seized them from smugglers in 1999.
Widespread looting of Cambodia's ancient temples has occurred in recent decades, with many items smuggled into Thailand for sale on the international antiques markets or to private collectors.---www.culturalheritagelaw.org

Roman Wall Painting Point to Tomb Site of Biblical King Herod

Israeli archaeologists excavating what they believe is the tomb of biblical King Herod said they have unearthed lavish Roman-style wall paintings of a kind previously unseen in the Middle East and signs of a regal two-story mausoleum, bolstering their conviction that the Jewish monarch was buried here.

Ehud Netzer, head of the team from Jerusalem's Hebrew University, which uncovered the site at the king's winter palace in the Judean desert in 2007, said his latest finds show work and funding fit for a king.

"What we found here, spread all around, are architectural fragments that enable us to restore a monument of 25 meters high, 75 feet high, very elegant, which fits Herod's taste and status," he told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday at the hillside dig in an Israeli-controlled part of the West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Herod is known for extensive building throughout the Holy Land.

Netzer said that since finding fragments of one ornately carved sarcophagus in 2007, he and his team have found two more, suggesting that the monumental tomb may have been a royal family vault.

"A mausoleum like the one which we have here was generally built by a king but not (necessarily) only for himself, many times for his children and his family, like the famous mausoleum of Augustus in Rome, of Hadrian in Rome," he said. It's not a surprise that we found here more than one sarcophagus.

Herod was the Jewish proxy ruler of the Holy Land under imperial Roman occupation from 37 B.C. and reigned for more than six decades.

The ruler is known to have had a taste for extravagance.


Netzer described the winter palace, built on a largely man-made hill 680 meters high, as a kind of country club, with a pool, baths, gardens fed by pools and aqueducts and a 650-seat theater.

"In Herod's private box at the auditorium, the diggers discovered delicate frescoes depicting windows opening on to painted landscapes, one of which showed what appeared to be a southern Italian farm," said Roi Porat, one of Netzer's assistants on the digs.

Just visible in the paintings, dating from between 15-10 B.C., are a dog, bushes and what looks like a country villa.

Site surveyor Rachel Chachy-Laureys said they were executed using techniques unknown in the Holy Land at the time and must have been done by artisans especially imported from Italy.

"There has been no other discovery of this type of painting in the Middle East, as far as we know, until now," she said.

Gidon Foerster, a professor of archaeology at the Hebrew University not connected with this dig, agreed that the art is unique here. The artists were most likely brought in from Italy to work on this, he said. This kind of art has never been found in Israel before. King Herod is said to have been buried there and this proves it as much as it can possibly be proved.

Herod's most famous construction project was expanding the Jewish Second Temple in Jerusalem, but the Herod of the Bible and of Christian tradition was a bloodthirsty megalomanic, who flew into a paranoid frenzy when he encountered the three wise men on the way to Bethlehem with gifts for the baby Jesus and telling of the birth of a new king of Israel.

"Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceedingly wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under..." (Matthew 2:16).

The account, however, does not appear in other Gospels, and experts are not convinced of its accuracy.

Historians do agree that toward the end of his reign, Herod slaughtered many political rivals and perceived plotters, among them one of his 10 wives and three of his sons.

The first century AD historian Josephus Flavius wrote that as the elderly Herod lay riddled with disease, he ordered the cream of the local Jewish aristocracy to be executed on his death, so that his passing would bring widespread mourning.

Josephus describes Herodium and Herod's lavish funeral there.

"After Herod's death in the first century B.C. Herodium became a stronghold for Jewish rebels fighting Roman occupation, and the site suffered significant battle damage before it was conquered and finally destroyed by Roman forces in A.D. 71, a year after they destroyed the Jerusalem temple."


The insurgents reviled the memory of Herod as a Roman puppet, and Netzer and his team believe that the violence with which the first stone casket was smashed suggests they knew it held his bones.

"That sarcophagus was found shattered all over the place, it seems it was taken from its place and was destroyed in a fit of rage," Porat said. "That, among other things, is what tells us it was the sarcophagus of Herod."

No human remains or inscriptions proving conclusively that the tomb was the king's have been found, but excavation work continues.---www.haaretz.com

Namibian Geologists Discover Ancient Treasure Ship

Namibia’s largest diamond miner, NamDeb, said its geologists have found the wreckage of an ancient ship laden with treasure, including six bronze cannons, thousands of Spanish and Portuguese gold coins and more than 50 elephant tusks.
NamDeb, owned 50-50 by the Namibian government and global diamond miner, De Beers, said it had discovered evidence of what might turn out to be the oldest sub-Saharan shipwreck.
The wreckage was discovered in the area behind a sea wall used to push back the Atlantic Ocean in order to search for diamonds in Namibia’s ’Sperrgebeit’ or Forbidden Zone’.
NamDeb said that the shipwreck could date back to the late 1400 or early 1500, making it a discovery of global significance.
Geologists identified the cannons as Spanish Breach-loaders of a type popular in the early 1500s.
The site yielded a wealth of objects, including six bronze cannons, several tonnes of copper, over 50 elephant tusks, pewter tableware, navigational instruments, weapons, personal items and thousands of Spanish and Portuguese gold coins.
"All mining operations were halted, the site secured and Dr. Dieter Noli, an archaeological expert in the Sperrgebeit, was brought into the project and identified the cannons as Spanish breach loaders of a type popular in the 1500s," NamDebs aid.
On April 1, Bob Burrell, NamDeb’s head of Mineral Resource Department, found some rounded copper ingots and the remains of three bronze cannons in the sand.
Most coins are of gold and all appear to have been mined in the late 1400s and 1500s. "This combined with all other evidence, raises the distinct possibility of the ship concerned having been a contemporary of those used by the likes of Diaz, Da Gama and Columbus - thus making the site of immense national and international importance," NamDeb said.
Diamonds have been mined along the south-western coast of Namibia and in its coastal waters for the last 100 years. Panapress.---afrik.com

Man Discovers Gold Nugget Estimated at $10,000

After seven years spent prospecting for gold as a hobby in the California desert, Terry Hughes of Moorpark hit the mother lode.
On Memorial Day, the former Marine and disabled Vietnam veteran scored a “one-in-a-million” find: an 8.7-ounce gold nugget worth an estimated $10,000.
“We’re all hoping to find the big one and Terry did,” said Patrick Keene, co-owner of Keene Engineering, reportedly one of the world’s largest suppliers of portable mining equipment.
A nugget that big — about the size of an egg — is “extremely rare,” Keene said.
Hughes purchased all his mining equipment from the Chatsworth company, and on Thursday morning he took his trophy nugget to Keene for an official weighing-in.
He would not reveal the exact location of where he found the nugget, although he said it was near Randsburg.
Although gold is currently bringing more than $1,000 an ounce, the nugget is “worth nothing,” Hughes said. “It’s all relative, about what it’s worth to me.”
And he has no plans to cash it in.
“It’s not the money value; it’s the treasure value,” he said.
Hughes, 62, was hit with the prospecting bug years ago while on an outing at Lake Isabella with his oldest son, who found a “dot of gold.”
“When you get your first gold, it gives you the gold fever,” said Hughes who retired seven years ago after 32 years with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.
He said his Memorial Day weekend venture started Friday when he headed for the desert near Randsburg. Others were also prospecting, but he was alone when his metal detector signaled a find.
“The last one had left about two hours before I found it,” Hughes said. “I thought I would make one last run with my metal detector.”
Previously, the largest nugget Hughes had unearthed was a 1-ounce, 7-pennyweight nugget found the week between Christmas and New Year’s. A pennyweight is about 1.5 grams.
That was “a huge find and this one is 100 times bigger,” he said.
Keene, 45, who has been prospecting for about 35 years, said Hughes’ nugget is a special find.
“From what I know, it’s the largest piece to come out of the desert in the last 20 years, at least,” he said. He has mined all over the world, and the largest nugget he’s found weighed 2 ounces, 7 pennyweight, he said.
A nugget’s estimated worth, Hughes said, is based on spot value of gold on the current market and its “collectors’ value.” He said he’s received collectors’ value estimates as high as $20,000 on his nugget.
According to the Web site for Gold Mart Inc., less than 2 percent of the world’s gold remains in the form of nuggets that may be found in rivers and streams, those filled with water as well as in dry riverbeds.
Gold in the United States is primarily found in California, Alaska and Oregon but is also unearthed in other southwestern states. Hot spots throughout the world include Australia, Africa, Russia, Bolivia and Canada.
Hughes has kept his prospecting to California and done mostly dry washing (digging, shoveling and sifting) to unearth his finds. In about 10 days, however, he plans to try his hand at underwater dredging and sluicing in the Yuba River in Northern California.
“There’s still a lot of gold out there waiting to be found,” he said. But for him it’s not about the money; it’s the adventure.
Hughes figures he has a couple thousand dollars invested in prospecting equipment; his latest acquisition is the dredging tools he’ll use on the Yuba River. Right now, though, his metal detector is in the spotlight.
He isn’t planning to return to mine the spot of his big find, comparing the exhilaration he felt Monday to being on an Easter egg hunt or a fishing trip.
He figures he’s not going to find another egg or catch another fish in the exact same spot.
“You move on,” he said. “You never, never know. Gold is where you find it.”---www.venturacountystar.com

Gold Pendant Discovered Using Metal Detector

A 15th century gold pendant that lain buried beneath Hertfordshire farmland since the time of Henry VIII until it was discovered by an amateur metal detector was offered for sale at Sotheby’s Old Master Sculpture and Works of Art auction in London on Thursday 9 July 2009.

The remarkable gold object that depicts the Holy Trinity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is no bigger than a postage stamp and caries an estimate of £150,000 – 250,000. The engraving is of superb quality and is comparable to mounts in two major international museums – the Victoria and Albert in London and The Cloisters in New York. It was discovered by an amateur metal detector just a few inches underground whilst walking in fields near her home. The detecting enthusiast had no idea of the value and importance of the piece when it was first uncovered.

Discussing the mount, Carolyn Miner, a Specialist in Sotheby’s Sculpture and Works of Art Department, said: “Finds such as this are extremely rare. It is remarkable that a gold pendant has survived intact and in such wonderful condition since the second half of the 15th century. The craftsmanship is staggeringly ornate for such a small piece and traces of the original enamel can even be seen in some of the grooves. I am absolutely thrilled for the lucky metal detector who has uncovered a piece of history.”---www.artdaily.org

Gold Coin Along with Other Ancient Artifacts Found near Ashwell Declared Treasure

A gold coin is among a collection of artifacts dating back to the Roman, Bronze, and Iron ages that have been declared treasure at a recent inquest at Hatfield Coroner's Court.

The items were discovered near Ashwell in 2003 and included the base of a figurine, bone fragments and, according to the Cambridge News.

It is possible that the objects were buried as part of an offering to a Celtic goddess, experts suggested.

However, this would be an unusual thing to do during the Roman period, said Gilbert Burleigh, an honorary member of the North Hertfordshire Archaeological Society.

He added: "Treasure hoards of this nature are very rare things."

The items were found near the site of the discovery of the original Ashwell Hoard, which was uncovered in 2002 and included a number of gold items that went on display at the British Museum's Weston Gallery of Roman Britain in 2007.---www.marketintelligence.gold.org

Gadgets for Treasure Hunters - Metal Detecting Sandal

These sandals use a copper coil in the right foot, connected by USB port to a base unit strapped to your leg, to find metal objects in the sand up to 0.6 metres away. In theory.
The Price: $US60
Does It Work?: Yes, but not really. Only objects placed directly to the midsole triggered the metal detector. You’ll know if you’ve found something by the tone, LED or, if it’s in vibrate mode, feeling the rumble. Most of the time, however…
Did I Find Treasure?: Nope. I didn’t find shit. The detector would beep when I put it against metal objects like keys within an inch, and even found the screws in my leg’s titanium rod, but no dice in the real world actually hunting for booty.
Did Anyone Make Fun Of You for Wearing Them?: Not to my face, but I was still ashamed of myself.
The Verdict: Forget about it.---www.gizmodo.com.au

Divers Can Now Observe the Scotland's Shipwrecks

HISTORIC shipwrecks that have been out of bounds to divers are to be opened up for the first time.
Currently it is illegal for scuba divers to visit eight protected sites – such as the HMS Campania in the Firth of Forth – without a licence from Historic Scotland.

However, under the Scottish Marine Bill, currently going through parliament, the r
estrictions will be lifted.

Divers have long argued that there should be greater freedom to visit wrecks on a "look but don't touch" basis.

Wrecks where restrictions would be lifted include the remains of a warship called The Swan in the Sound of Mull, which sank in 1653 and the Kennemerland in Out Skerries, Shetland – an armed merchant vessel belonging to the Dutch East India Company that sank in 1664, while loaded with a cargo of treasure and jewels.

The eight sites are currently designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973, which instated a blanket ban on visiting them without a licence.

However, the Scottish Marine Bill will see them turned into Historic Marine Protected Areas, and access will be permitted. If it is deemed necessary to restrict access, Historic Scotland could slap a Marine Conservation Order on the site. However, even then there would be some flexibility to allow visitors – such as divers who had special training at dive centres.

Philip Robertson, Historic Scotland's senior inspector of marine archaeology, said the new system would help encourage "responsible access to our underwater heritage".

He said: "For years we have worked closely with the diving community to monitor and protect wrecks and this Bill will make it easier for those diving to get access on a 'look but don't touch' basis".Shipwrecks that are classed as war graves by the Ministry of Defence, such as HMS Royal Oak in Scapa Flow, Orkney, will still be out of bounds. The MoD, rather than the Scottish Government, controls these sites.

Gary Lawson, who runs a dive centre in North Berwick, said he has wanted to visit HMS Campania for a long time.

"This is very good news," he said.

However, he believes divers should be able to visit all wreck sites, even those classed as war graves.

"It's almost like we are being branded as some scrap-collecting, stealing-lead-off-church-roof types of people.

"There's not a graveyard in the country that we couldn't go around and read the headstones and take photographs and yet they won't let us swim around these sites and pay our respects."

Environment secretary Richard Lochhead, speaking yesterday at Holyrood's Marine Bill Conference in Edinburgh, said: "The popularity of shipwreck driving in Orkney and the Sound of Mull means Scotland can already lay claim to the title of 'shipwreck diving capital of Europe'.

"Diving generates millions of pounds for our economy. And thanks to these new measures there is scope to open up a whole new world of hidden treasures for divers."---scotsman.com

Construction Stopped After Ancient Gold Coins Found

Construction of the Gautrain in Johannesburg has been halted for six months after workers found a large quantity of gold coins minted between 1892 and 1898 at the construction site in Rosebank. Excited historians believe the coins could be the missing Kruger millions.
Historians pointed out that they will need to further comb the area for any additional coins or other clues. Work on the Gautrain will be suspended from today.
The Gautrain has been praised for creating 63 000 jobs so far. As a result of this, Gauteng Local Government MEC Qedani Mahlangu said last month that the project has empowered citizens in terms of skills development and transfer, job creation and improving Gauteng's economic capacity.
Project CEO Jack van der Merwe also addressing the media on progress regarding the project's socio-economic development last month, gave assurance that the global economic meltdown will not affect the cost of the project. The Gautrain project is estimated to cost about R25 billion and Van der Merwe says to date they have spent about R15 billion.---www.sabcnews.com

Controversy Around Sunken Treasure

A U.S. diving company has vowed to contest a judge's suggestion that the treasure retrieved from a sunken Spanish ship be returned to Spain.

On June 3, 2009, a magistrate judge in Tampa, Fla., stated that the loot found on the Spanish warship Mercedes rightfully belongs to Spain and not Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc., the U.S. diving company that found the ship in the Strait of Gibraltar in 2007.

Reuters reported that while the judge's opinion is nonbinding, Odyssey Marine Exploration said it will contest the recommendation, which is part of extensive wrangling between the compoany and the governments of Spain and Peru.

The ship contained silver and gold coins worth about $500 million, according to Reuters.

In January 2008, The Associated Press stated that Spain said it had never “expressly abandoned any of its vessels lost at sea.”

James A. Goold, a lawyer for Spain, said in a Bloomberg article, “The decision recognizes that there is a vital interest for the United States and Spain and other nations to respect the resting place of sailors who died at sea.” Goold continued, “The Mercedes is the Spanish equivalent of the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor. How can anyone think it would be OK to strip the site of valuables?”

Odyssey Marine Exploration announced in May 2007 that it had discovered a shipwreck in the Atlantic. The boat contained some 500,000 silver coins.

The company shipped the artifacts to the United States from the British protectorate of Gibraltar, but according to a Voice of America clip, kept the exact location of the discovery a secret.

Spain filed a formal complaint with a U.S. federal court in Miami to recover the boat and its contents on the premise that warships remain the property of their flag country.

The sunken ship also sparked an insider-trading dispute with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Ernesto Tapanes, an oceanographer doing consulting aboard the Odyssey’s exploration vessel, violated an agreement that forbade him from trading the exploration company’s stock. But he still bought up Odyssey stock, dumping it once the shares had doubled in price after the announcement of the discovery.

According to the Telegraph, Spain's minister of culture said the Odyssey ruling is “hugely important” and “one that will set a precedent for future claims.” Odyssey is currently in talks with the British government about recovering the contents of the wrecked HMS Sussex, a warship that may have been hauling 10 tons of gold in 1694 when it sank off the Spanish coastline.

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ruled in its Draft Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage that any vessels, artifacts and human remains continuously under water for 100 years or more fall into the category of “underwater cultural heritage,” which cannot be “commercially exploited.” The full text of the convention is available as a PDF document.---www.findingdulcinea.com

Ceramic Shard Might Be the Oldest Hebrew Inscription

An Israeli archaeologist digging at a hilltop south of Jerusalem believes a ceramic shard found in the ruins of an ancient town bears the oldest Hebrew inscription ever discovered, a find that could provide an important glimpse into the culture and language of the Holy Land at the time of the Bible.

The five lines of faded characters written 3,000 years ago, and the ruins of the fortified settlement where they were found, are indications that a powerful Israelite kingdom existed at the time of the Old Testament's King David, says Yossi Garfinkel, the Hebrew University archaeologist in charge of the new dig at Hirbet Qeiyafa.

Other scholars are hesitant to embrace Garfinkel's interpretation of the finds, made public on Thursday. The discoveries are already being wielded in a vigorous and ongoing argument over whether the Bible's account of events and geography is meant to be taken literally.

Hirbet Qeiyafa sits near the city of Beit Shemesh in the Judean foothills, an area that was once the frontier between the hill-dwelling Israelites and their enemies, the coastal Philistines. The site overlooks the Elah Valley, said to be the scene of the slingshot showdown between David and the Philistine giant Goliath, and lies near the ruins of Goliath's hometown in the Philistine metropolis of Gath.

A teenage volunteer found the curved pottery shard, 15 centimeters by 15 centimeters, in July near the stairs and stone washtub of an excavated home. It was later discovered to bear five lines of characters known as proto-Canaanite, a precursor of the Hebrew alphabet.

Carbon-14 analysis of burnt olive pits found in the same layer of the site dated them to between 1,000 and 975 B.C., the same time as the Biblical golden age of David's rule in Jerusalem.

Scholars have identified other, smaller Hebrew fragments from the 10th century B.C., but the script, which Garfinkel suggests might be part of a letter, predates the next significant Hebrew inscription by between 100 and 200 years. History's best-known Hebrew texts, the Dead Sea scrolls, were penned on parchment beginning 850 years later.

The shard is now kept in a university safe while philologists translate it, a task expected to take months. But several words have already been tentatively identified, including ones meaning judge, slave and king.

The Israelites were not the only ones using proto-Canaanite characters, and other scholars suggest it is difficult - perhaps impossible - to conclude the text is Hebrew and not a related tongue spoken in the area at the time. Garfinkel bases his identification on a three-letter verb from the inscription meaning to do, a word he said existed only in Hebrew.

"That leads us to believe that this is Hebrew, and that this is the oldest Hebrew inscription that has been found," he said.

Other prominent Biblical archaeologists warned against jumping to conclusions.

Hebrew University archaeologist Amihai Mazar said the inscription was very important, as it is the longest proto-Canaanite text ever found. But he suggested that calling the text Hebrew might be going too far.

"It's proto-Canaanite," he said. "The differentiation between the scripts, and between the languages themselves in that period, remains unclear."

Some scholars and archeologists argue that the Bible's account of David's time inflates his importance and that of his kingdom, and is essentially myth, perhaps rooted in a shred of fact.

But if Garfinkel's claim is borne out, it would bolster the case for the Bible's accuracy by indicating the Israelites could record events as they happened, transmitting the history that was later written down in the Old Testament several hundred years later.

It also would mean that the settlement - a fortified town with a 10-meter-wide monumental gate, a central fortress and a wall running 700 meters in circumference - was probably inhabited by Israelites.

The finds have not yet established who the residents were, says Aren Maier, a Bar Ilan University archaeologist who is digging at nearby Gath. It will become more clear if, for example, evidence of the local diet is found, he said: "Excavations have shown that Philistines ate dogs and pigs, while Israelites did not."

"The nature of the ceramic shards found at the site suggest residents might have been neither Israelites nor Philistines but members of a third, forgotten people," he said.

"If the inscription is Hebrew, it would indicate a connection to the Israelites and make the text one of the most important texts, without a doubt, in the corpus of Hebrew inscriptions," Maier said. "But it has great importance whatever the language turns out to be," he added.

Saar Ganor, an Israel Antiquities Authority ranger, noticed the unusual scale of the walls while patrolling the area in 2003. Three years later he interested Garfinkel, and after a preliminary dig they began work in earnest this summer. They have excavated only 4 percent of the six-acre settlement so far.

Archaeology has turned up only scant finds from David's time in the early 10th century B.C., leading some scholars to suggest his kingdom may have been little more than a small chiefdom or that he might not have existed at all.

Garfinkel believes building fortifications like those at Hirbet Qeiyafa could not have been a local initiative: The walls would have required moving 200,000 tons of stone, a task too big for the 500 or so people who lived there. Instead, it would have required an organized kingdom like the one the Bible says David ruled.

Zionism has traditionally seen archaeology as a way of strengthening and explaining the Jewish claim to Israel, and regarded David's kingdom as the glorious ancestor of the new Jewish state. So finding evidence of his rule has importance beyond its interest to scholars.

The dig is partially funded by Foundation Stone, a Jewish educational organization, which hopes to bring volunteers to work there as a way of teaching them a national and historical lesson.

"When I stand here, I understand that I'm on the front lines of the battle between the Israelites and the Philistines," said Rabbi Barnea Levi Selavan, the group's director. "I open my Bible and read about David and Goliath, and I understand that I'm in the Biblical context."

While the site could be useful to scholars, archaeologist Israel Finkelstein of Tel Aviv University urged adhering to the strict boundaries of science.

Finkelstein, who has not visited the dig but attended a presentation of the findings, warned against what he said was a revival in the belief that what's written in the Bible is accurate like a newspaper. That style of archaeology was favored by 19th century European diggers who trolled the Holy Land for physical traces of Biblical stories, their motivation and methods more romantic than scientific.

"This can be seen as part of this phenomenon," Finkelstein said.---www.haaretz.com

British Researchers Unlock the Mystery of Ancient Town

Archaeologists from Britain's University of Nottingham and Greece's Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities of the Ministry of Culture are using digital equipment to unlock the mystery behind the ancient Greek town of Pavlopetri, thought to be the oldest submerged town in the world. Discovered and mapped by researchers of the Institute of Oceanography at Cambridge University in 1968, no other work has since been conducted at the site. This project could fuel underwater archaeology in the future.

The ruins of Pavlopetri, which lie in three to four metres of water just off the coast of Laconia in the Peloponnese, date from at least 2 800 BC. Buildings are still intact, and streets, courtyards, and chamber tombs exist as well. Experts believe the ruins belong to the Mycenaean period (circa 1680-1180 BC).

Dr Jon Henderson from the Underwater Archaeology Research Centre (UARC) at the University of Nottingham is the first archaeologist in 40 years to obtain special permission from the Greek Government to examine the submerged town. This project will help shed light on how the town was developed, when it was occupied, what it was used for, and why it disappeared under the sea.

'This site is of rare international archaeological importance. It is imperative that the fragile remains of this town are accurately recorded and preserved before they are lost forever,' explained Dr Henderson. 'A fundamental aim is to raise awareness of the importance of the site and ensure that it is ethically managed and presented to the public in a way which is sustainable and of benefit to both the development of tourism and the local community.'

The submerged buildings, courtyards, streets, tombs and graves are located close to an area frequented by tourists and campers. The researchers assert that both tourism and industry are having a negative impact on the ruins; tourists looking for souvenirs can be found snorkelling in the area, and boats cause damage as their anchors are dragged along the seabed.

Dr Henderson and his team, working together with Mr Elias Spondylis of the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities, are using equipment initially developed for the military and offshore oilfield market. Experts believe the equipment could transform underwater archaeological survey and recording.

The researchers will perform a millimetre-accurate digital underwater survey of the area using an acoustic scanner developed by a North American offshore engineering company. The equipment is able to generate photo-realistic, three-dimensional (3D) surveys of seabed features and underwater structures to sub-millimetre accuracy very quickly.

'The ability to survey submerged structures, from shipwrecks to sunken cities, quickly, accurately and more importantly, cost effectively, is a major obstacle to the future development of underwater archaeology,' Dr Henderson pointed out. 'I believe we now have a technique which effectively solves this problem.'

Dr Nicholas Flemming, the man who discovered the site in 1967, is on board. His team from Cambridge surveyed the area with hand tapes in 1968. Dr Chrysanthi Gallou of the University of Nottingham is currently carrying out a systematic assessment of the finds recovered back then.---europa.eu

Boy Finds Old Shekel Coin in Temple Mount Dirt in Jerusalem

A rare half shekel coin, first minted in 66 or 67 C.E., was discovered by 14 year-old Omri Ya'ari as volunteers sifted through mounds of dirt from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The coin is the first one found to originate from the Temple Mount.

For the fourth year, archaeologists and volunteers have been sifting through dirt dug by the Waqf, the Muslim authority in charge of the Temple Mount compound, in an unauthorized project in 1999. The dig caused extensive and irreversible archaeological damage to the ancient layers of the mountain. The Waqf transported the dug up dirt in trucks to another location, where it was taken to Emek Tzurim. 40,000 volunteers have so far participated in the sifting project, in search of archaeological artifacts, under the guidance of Dr. Gabriel Barkay and Yitzhak Zweig. The project is sponsored by Bar Ilan University and funded by the Ir David Foundation with the assistance of the National Parks Authority.

The half shekel coin was first minted during the Great Revolt against the Romans. The face of the coin is decorated with a branch of three pomegranates and ancient Hebrew letters reading "holy Jerusalem." On the flip side, the letters say "half shekel".

The coin that was found in the sifting project, though it was well preserved, showed some damage from a fire. Experts believe it was the same fire that destroyed the Second Temple in 70 C.E.

Dr. Gabriel Barkay explained that "the half shekel coin was used to pay the temple taxes... The coins were apparently minted at Temple Mount itself by the Temple authorities."

The half shekel tax is mentioned in the book of Exodus (Portion Ki Tisa), commanding every Jew to contribute half a shekel to the Temple every year for the purpose of purchasing public sacrifices.

Dr. Barkay added that "this is the first time a coin minted at the Temple Mount itself has been found, and therein lies its immense importance, because similar coins have been found in the past in the Jerusalem area and in the Old City's Jewish quarter, as well as Masada, but they are extremely rare in Jerusalem."

So far, some 3,500 ancient coins have been discovered in the Temple Mount dirt sifting, ranging from earliest minting of coins during the Persian era all the way up to the Ottoman era.

An additional important archaeological discovery in the sifting project was another well preserved coin, minted between 175 and 163 B.C.E. by Antiochus IV Epiphanes, against whom the Hasmoneans revolted. This revolt brought about the re-dedication of the Temple after Antiochus seized the Temple's treasures and conducted idol worship in it. The coin depicts a portrait of Antiochus the Seleucid King.---www.haaretz.com

Archeologists Study the Treasures of Wealthy Roman Citizens

The archaeological work around Portus tells us more about how the Romans lived and how important the port was. The Roman empire marched on its stomach and even after the huge artificial harbour of Portus was built – when the volume of freight had become too much for the original harbour at Ostia – ships would still have had to queue to get to the wharves and unload.
They carried basic foodstuffs such as grain, wine, oil and olives, the ubiquitous sauce made of rotted fish which was the ketchup of its day, and luxuries including exotic fruits and spices.
Although thousands of workers would have lived in the port, they might well have seen noble visitors pass by. Emperors kept a close eye on Portus, staying in a palace by the water: if the grain supply failed, there would be riots in Rome.
Luxuries coveted by Rome's increasingly wealthy citizens streamed through the port. Shipwrecks have revealed the scale of the trade: marble to face new imperial buildings, lead and bronze ingots, unguents and fragrances, silks and dyes, Baltic amber, linen and cotton from Egypt and India, gold, silver and gems, marble and bronze statues stripped from temples in Greece.
Other ships bore living cargo: exotic animals from Africa and India and slaves, all destined for rich households – or to provide one bloody afternoon's entertainment in the amphitheatre.---www.guardian.co.uk

Archaeology as Part of Human History

Archaeology, like many academic words, comes from Greek and means, more or less, ‘the study of old things’. So, it is really a part of the study of history. However, most historians use paper evidence, such as letters, documents, paintings and photographs, but archaeologists learn from the objects left behind by humans of long ago. Normally, these are the hard materials that don’t decompose or disappear very quickly - things like human bones and skeletons, objects made from stone and metal, and ceramics
Sometimes, archaeologists and historians work together. Take, for example, the study of the Romans, who dominated the Mediterranean area and much of Europe two thousand years ago. We know a lot about them from their writings, and some of their most famous writers are still quoted in English. We also know a lot about them from what they made, from their coins to their buildings. Archaeologists have worked on Roman remains as far apart as Hadrian’s Wall in the north of England and Leptis Magna in Libya.
Of course, for much of human history, there are no written documents at all. Who were the first humans, and where did they come from? This is a job for the archaeologists, who have found and dated the bones and objects left behind. From this evidence, they believe that humans first appeared in Africa and began moving to other parts of the world about 80,000 years ago. The movement of our ancestors across the planet has been mapped from their remains — humans went to Australia about 70,000 years ago, but have been in South America for just 15,000 years. The evidence of archaeology has helped to show the shared origin and history of us all.
It is very unusual to find anything more than the hard evidence of history — normally, the bacteria in the air eat away at soft organic material like bodies, clothes and things made of wood. Occasionally, things are different.
A mind-boggling discovery
In 1984, two men made an amazing discovery while working in a bog called Lindow Moss, near Manchester, in the north of England. A bog is a very wet area of earth, with a lot of plants growing in it. It can be like a very big and very thick vegetable soup — walk in the wrong place and you can sink and disappear forever. After hundreds of years, the dead plants can compress together and make ‘peat’, which is like soil, but is so rich in energy that it can be burned on a fire, like coal.
The men were cutting the peat when one of them saw something sticking out - a human foot. Naturally, the men called the police, who then found the rest of the body. Was it a case of murder? Possibly — but it was a death that occured nearly 2,000 years ago. The two men had found a body from the time of the Roman invasion of Celtic Britain. Despite being so old, this body had skin, muscles, hair and internal organs — the scientists who examined him were able to look inside the man’s stomach and find the food that he had eaten for his last meal.
Why was this man so well preserved? It was because he was in a very watery environment, safe from the bacteria that need oxygen to live. Also, the water in the bog was very acidic. The acid preserved the man’s skin in the way that animal skin is preserved for leather coats and shoes.
How did he die?
Understandably, archaeologists and other scientists wanted to know more about the person that they called Lindow Man. His hands and fingernails suggested that he hadn’t done heavy manual work in his life — he could have been a rich man or a priest. They found that he hadn’t died by accident. The forensic examination revealed that he had been hit on the head three times and his throat had been cut with a knife. Then a rope was tightened around his neck. As if that wasn’t enough, he was then thrown into the bog.
So, Lindow Man was killed using three different methods, when just one would have been sufficient. The archaeologists believe that he was sacrificed to three different Celtic gods, called Taranis, Esus and Teutates. Each god required a different form of death, for example, a sacrifice to Teutates required drowning, which is why he was found in the bog. Nobody can tell the complete story of Lindow Man. The Romans said that the Celts made sacrifices every May to make sure that there was enough food that year. Was he a typical ‘routine’ sacrificial victim?
An archaeologist called Anne Ross has suggested that Lindow Man was a special case. Why would an important man be sacrificed to three gods? Perhaps it was in response to the Roman invasion of Britain, which started in the year 43 AD, close to the time that Lindow Man died. He might have been killed to gain the help of the gods against the Romans. It didn’t work. The Romans stayed in Britain for 400 years and Lindow Man stayed in his bog for 2,000.
Lindow Man’s home is now the British Museum in London (although he is currently on long-term loan to a museum in Manchester). Whereas the bodies of the Egyptian kings and queens were intentionally preserved, Lindow Man is with us by accident. Whatever his origins, it is a fascinating experience to see him face to face. I recommend it.
Vocabulary
Five words/phrases from the text:
* decompose: to break down gradually by bacteria or fungi
* sink: to go down below the surface
* compress: to push something into less space
* preserved: kept from being changed or destroyed
* drowning: dying in water because you can’t breathe
Exercise one
Vocabulary gap fill. Now use the five words/phrases to fill the gaps in the sentences below:
The remains of a 2,000-year-old man were found near Manchester in the 1980s. The man may have died by ………[1] when his fellow Celts made his body ………[2] into a bog. The skin and internal organs of the man didn’t ………[3], because dead vegetation combined with the mud to ………[4] and form peat which ………[5] the body
Exercise two
Comprehension: true or false. Decide whether these sentences are TRUE or FALSE according to the text:
1. Which language does the word archaeology come from?
2. How many years have humans been in Australia?
3. What was Lindow Man’s ethnic group?
4. How many years has Lindow Man been buried?
5. What is the name of the museum that has the remains of Lindow Man?
Answers
Vocabulary
1. drowning; 2. sink;
3. decompose;
4. compress;
5. preserved
Comprehension
1. Greek; 2. 70,000;
3. Celtic; 4. 2,000;
5. British
www.expressindia.com

Archaeologists Unearth Jurassic Nest in Tamil Nadu

Geologists in Tamil Nadu have stumbled upon a Jurassic treasure trove buried in the sands of a river bed. Sheer luck led them to hundreds of fossilized dinosaur eggs, perhaps 65 million years old, underneath a stream in a tiny village in Ariyalur district.

Researchers from the Salem-based Periyar University found clusters of eggs of what they believe to be the most aggressive Carnosaur and the docile, leaf-eating Sauropod at Sendurai village.

While Carnosaurs were large predatory dinasaurs, Sauropods were long-necked, herbivores which grew to enormous heights and sizes.

That dinosaurs once roamed the area was known from the fossils found there on earlier expeditions. But this is the first time that hundreds of nests embedded with hundreds of clusters of dinosaur eggs have been unearthed in the district.

Located on the highway between Chennai and Tiruchi, the Ariyalur and the neighbouring Perambalur geological sites nestle in the northern plains of the Cauvery river. The place is a veritable museum of ancient organisms, dating back to 140 million years. Ever since a British couple -- the Wines -- collected 32 boxes of "strange stone objects" in 1843, the Ariyalur region has drawn geologists from across the world for its rich fossil presence and diversity.

Scientists have found the tiniest marine algae or the nano fossils besides the rare shell-like bivalve, gastropoda, telecypoda and brachiopoda in the geological sites spread across 950sqkm in Ariyalur and Perambalur districts.

"We found clusters and clusters of spherical eggs of dinosaurs. And each cluster contained eight eggs," says Dr M U Ramkumar, geology lecturer of the Periyar University. Each egg was about 13 to 20 cm in diameter and they were lying in sandy nests which were of the size of 1.25 metres.

In the 1860s, a British geologist first recorded the presence of bone remains of dinosaurs in Ariyalur. Over a century and a half later, the egg of a dinosaur was found in a cement factory of the state-owned Tamil Nadu Cements Ltd in 1990s. But officials realized that it was a dinosaur egg only 10 years later.

On a sultry afternoon on September 12 this year, Ramkumar and his research students went to Ariyalur to scour the rocks and sediments as part of a study funded by Indian and German scientific institutions. As they paused by a stream on a grazing land at Sendurai, they found spherical-shaped fossils peeping out of the sand beds. "We got really excited. As I have seen a dinosaur egg, I was sure these were dinosaur eggs," said Ramkumar.

A quick digging revealed clusters of eggs beneath seven layers of sand spread over two sqkm. The eggs may not have hatched due to the Deccan volcanic eruptions or seasonal flooding, surmise the team. "We suspect the extinction of dinosaurs was triggered by the Deccan volcano. Volcanic ashes cap the eggs," said one researcher.

"This is a very significant finding as never before have we found so many dinosaur eggs in the country. Besides the spherical size of the eggs covered with sand and volcanic ash provide significant insight into the possible reasons for extinction of the species," says Dr Jyotsana Rai, senior scientist, Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleobotany in Lucknow. Her team will collect samples of these eggs to determine its exact age.

Because a similar discovery in Jabalpur led to a plunder of the fossilized treasure, the researchers have requested the Ariyalur district administration to cordon off the site. Samples of the eggs will travel to Germany for further research. The vicinity of Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh is considered the richest dinosaur field in the country.---timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Archaeologists Find New Egyptian Pyramid

Archaeologists have discovered a five meters tall subsidiary pyramid of queen Sesheshet at Saqqara necropolis in Egypt.
Queen Sesheshet was the mother of King Teti I, the founder of the Sixth Dynasty.
According to a report in Al-Ahram Weekly, the discovery of the new pyramid not only brings the number of pyramids discovered in Egypt to 118, but it enriches archaeologists” knowledge of the Sixth Dynasty and its royal family members.
Sesheshet’’s pyramid, found seven metres beneath the sands of the Saqqara necropolis, is five metres in height, although originally it reached about 14 metres. The base is square and the sides of the pyramid slope at an angle of 51 degrees.
The entire monument was originally cased in fine white limestone from Tura, of which some remnants were also unearthed.
Ushabti (model servant) figurines dating from the third Intermediate Period were also found in the area, along with a New Kingdom chapel decorated with a scene of offerings being made to Osiris.
Also found were a group of Late Period coffins, a wooden statue of the god Anubis, amulets, and a symbolic vessel in the shape of a cartouche containing the remains of a green substance.
These objects will be transported to the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square where they will be restored and put on display.
According to Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), who led the excavation team, the finds show that the entire area of the Old Kingdom cemetery of Teti was reused from the New Kingdom through to the Roman Period.
Culture Minister Farouk Hosni described it as “a great discovery” and said he wished that within the next couple of weeks, excavators could find more of the funerary complex of the queen.
“Sesheshet’’s pyramid is the third subsidiary pyramid to be discovered within Teti’’s cemetery,” Hawass said.
He added that earlier excavations at the site had revealed the pyramid of King Teti’’s two wives, Khuit and Iput.
“This might be the most complete subsidiary pyramid ever found at Saqqara,” he said.
The archaeologists found that a shaft had been created in Sesheshet’’s pyramid to allow access to her burial chamber, so they do not expect to find Sesheshet’’s mummy when they reach the burial chamber within the coming two weeks.
However, they anticipate finding inscriptions about the queen, whose name, according to Hawass, was only known from being mentioned in a medical papyrus.---www.thaindian.com

Archaeologists Discover Rare Gold Coins in Jerusalem

Some Israeli archaeologists are having a particularly happy Hanukkah, thanks in part to a British volunteer who took time off from her job to work on a dig. The Israel Antiquities Authority reported a thrilling find - the discovery of 264 ancient gold coins in Jerusalem National Park.
The coins were minted during the early 7th century.
"This is one of the largest and most impressive coin hoards ever discovered in Jerusalem -- certainly the largest and most important of its period," said Doron Ben-Ami and Yana Tchekhanovets, who are directing the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Researchers discovered the coins at the beginning of the eight-day Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, which started at sunset on Sunday.
One of the customs of the holiday is to give "gelt," or coins, to children, and the archaeologists are referring to the find as "Hanukkah money."
Nadine Ross, a British archaeological volunteer, happened onto the coins during the dig just below the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem.
"To be honest, I just thought, 'Thank God I didn't throw it in the rubbish bucket,' " said Ross, who had taken four weeks off from her engineering job in England to work at the site. "I was just glad I sort of spotted it before I disturbed it too much."
The 1,400-year-old coins were found in the Giv'ati car park in the City of David in the walls around Jerusalem National Park, a site that has yielded other finds, including a well-preserved gold earring with pearls and precious stones.
They were in a collapsed building that dates back to the 7th century, the end of the Byzantine period. The coins bear a likeness of Heraclius, who was the Byzantine emperor from 610 to 641.
The authority said that while different coins had been minted during this emperor's reign, the coins found at the site represent "one well-known type."
In that style, the emperor is clad with military garb and is holding a cross in his right hand. On the other side is the sign of the cross.
Authorities said the excavation of the building where the hoard was discovered is in its early stages. They are attempting to learn about the building and its owner and the circumstances of its destruction.
"Since no pottery vessel was discovered adjacent to the hoard, we can assume that it was concealed inside a hidden niche in one of the walls of the building. It seems that with its collapse, the coins piled up there among the building debris," Ben-Ami and Tchekhanovets said.
The find is a a golden moment for Ross, who said "it is a pity that I can't take it home with me. But there you go."---www.cnn.com

Antique Furniture - Best Treasure

Antique furniture has a major advantage over other antique items like porcelain and painting: It can be used in everyday life and isn't just for appreciation.
What's more, no matter how trendily your home is decorated, a few pieces of antique furniture will inject it with unexpected radiance.
Panjiayuan, Beijing's most renowned antique market, is always swarming with tourists and is definitely not the right place to go.
Gaobeidian Antique Furniture Street
Located in Gaobeidian, on the outskirts of Chaoyang district, this street has been home to antique furniture businesses for more than two decades. It is now lined with more than 150 furniture shops and workshops.
Despite having narrow fronts, many shops are attached to warehouses, where antique furniture is available in many forms, from jewelry cases, chairs and couches, to beds, altar tables and niches for Buddhist statues.
The only pity is that some pieces are smothered in dust and are not displayed in an orderly way.
Many of shop owners come from the south, including Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Fujian provinces, so they sell southern-style furniture featuring delicate woodcarving and elegant shapes.
One shop owner, Chen from Jiangxi, has run a business there for years. Like other businessmen in the street, the three-story building is not only his shop but also his home, in which the family lives on the top floor and the rest is used for business.
"We open the shop everyday and stay late if customers come around at night," he explains.
According to Chen, his best sellers are second-class items costing around 1,000 yuan ($140), or small items for 200 yuan ($28). They are mainly made in ordinary wood, for example China fir and camphorwood.
Shopkeepers can usually tell the item's geographical origins and rough age but if they can't, you have to use your own judgment.
Gaobeidian's prices tend to be lower than those in Panjiayuan but you can often bargain 20 per cent off from the listed price. What's more, the further you go into the street, the cheaper the prices get.
One thing should be pointed out. Once the item is yours, especially if it is a woodcarving, you will need to clean it yourself. It's a painstaking job but it's great fun to see how the antique gradually reveals its original beauty.
The street also has some imitation antique furniture shops, offering more options for buyers.
One thing the street lacks, though, is a place to eat, drink or take a rest. I even find it difficult to buy a bottle of water.
Lujiaying Antique Market
While some collectors hardly ever visit Panjiayuan, it's different with the ever-popular Lujiaying.
Located in the southeastern outskirts, the market is known among insiders as the "Hebei warehouse".
In the 1980s, many Hebei natives gathered here to repair antique or old furniture before reselling it. As time passed by, it developed into one of the country's top distribution centers of antique furniture, much of it from Hebei, Shandong and Shanxi provinces.
Unlike Gaobeidian, Lujiaying Antique Market (LAM) mainly conducts wholesale business. It attracts not only city distributors, but also film and TV drama production units. The film Red Cliff, for instance, bought several set items here.
The price in LAM is even lower than Gaobeidian's but wandering around it will tax your stamina.
Although most shops have more than 100-sq-m floor area, some are still not big enough to display all their furniture so that much is piled up or left outside.
Summer is definitely not the right time to visit LAM - the warehouse has no air conditioning and is hot and stuffy.
Having said that, though, a beautiful woodcarving or jewelry case more than makes up for it.
Putiange Antique Furniture
Putiange is a well-known antique shop among expatriates living in Houshayu, northeastern Beijing in Shunyi district, but will soon be on the move to Yangzhen, a 40-minute drive from the city.
Its 6,000-sq-m warehouse is an eye-opening experience for antique furniture lovers. There seems to be an infinite variety on offer. What's more, each piece is clean and has a fine sheen.
"I don't think antique furniture should be covered with dust and spider's web to prove its age," says the owner, Liu Haihong. "The main attraction of a piece of antique furniture is its style and 'Bao Jiang' (literally, treated with TLC and still looking great after all these years)."
According to Liu, the furniture is collected from around China, for example Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Fujian and Shanghai. About 80 percent of her clients are foreigners.
Putiange features folk articles, such as kang tables (a kind of small short-legged table for use on a heatable bed), bookshelves and cabinets.
Putiange in Houshayu, Shunyi district, has many antique furniture pieces such as bamboo beds (left) and camphorwood cupboards (right).
"I believe they are all interesting pieces of artwork", says Liu.
"Even though they were from an ordinary farmer's home rather than from an official's family, the sizes and styles all followed certain roles, and every detail was tended to. They are the fruit of one person's painstaking work and worth collecting."
Tips:
1. You can get to Gaobeidian by metro line 2 and it should be no more than a 15-minute walk from Gaobeidian station. Besides, it is very difficult to get a taxi back, so some friendly shopkeepers will give you a lift to the nearest main road to catch one.
2. Autumn is the best time to visit Lujiaying. There is no cash machine around, so you'd better take some cash just in case you find something really interesting. The cheapest way to get there is to take metro line 10 to Jingsong station, then a taxi to Lujiaying.
3. As a beginner, it's better not to pay more than 1,000 yuan for one item. If you really like it, just take a photo and show it to some experts to see if it's worth the price.
4. Ask the owners how to clean and maintain the furniture after you buy it.---sina.com