From dmeadows@idirect.com Sun Mar 11 05:59:43 2001 Received: from mxu1.u.washington.edu (mxu1.u.washington.edu [140.142.32.8]) by lists.u.washington.edu (8.11.2+UW01.01/8.11.2+UW01.02) with ESMTP id f2BDxgL28502 for ; Sun, 11 Mar 2001 05:59:42 -0800 Received: from phobos.idirect.com (phobos.idirect.com [207.136.80.181]) by mxu1.u.washington.edu (8.9.3+UW00.02/8.9.3+UW99.09) with ESMTP id FAA13351 for ; Sun, 11 Mar 2001 05:59:42 -0800 Received: from hk9k801.idirect.com (on-ham-a53-01-137.look.ca [216.154.51.137]) by phobos.idirect.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id IAA28312; Sun, 11 Mar 2001 08:58:26 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <5.0.2.1.0.20010311085934.02a38ec0@idirect.com> X-Sender: dmeadows@idirect.com X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 5.0.2 Date: Sun, 11 Mar 2001 09:01:15 -0500 To: classics@u.washington.edu, ancien-l@listserv.louisville.edu, rome-arch@egroups.com, greek-arch@egroups.com, Roman_History_Books@egroups.com, PreModernWorldHistory@egroups.com, From: David Meadows Subject: In the latest Explorator Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed What follows is an abbreviated version of Explorator, the free weekly email newsletter devoted to matters archaeological and ancient, tailored to the focus of this list. If you would like to subscribe to the full version, with archaeological news from around the world and in various time periods, send a blank email message to: mailto:explorator-subscribe@yahoogroups.com ------------------------------------------------------ OLD WORLD NEWS Discovery.com has an interesting item on the earliest known author who wrote in Sumerian: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20010305/goddess.html There's a new theory as to what inspired the pyramids of Egypt: http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/03/11/stifgnmid01001.html One I missed: Egypt is going to rebuild the colossal statue of Ramses II which inspired Shelley's Ozymandias: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=lvvzS7bt&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/3/1/wegy01.html A brief item in Ananova reports on the discovery of a 2500 B.P. chariot in Scotland: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_234604.html The Greek theatre at Syracuse has apparently been freed from Mafia control: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4147396,00.html http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12895&m=A09&aa=2&eidos=S The technology used to read the Vindolanda tablets has crossed over to medical research: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4148104,00.html A Greek farmer has been charged in relation to his attempt to sell a statue of Cybele: http://www.eKathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=73536 Someone has stolen a hand from a relief in the British Museum (didn't someone do the same at an Italian museum last year? Sounds like a collector-vandal): http://www.nando.com/noframes/story/0,2107,500462055-500704513-503850871-0,00.html http://www.bergen.com/morenews/hand11200103118.htm .... and the BM has also lost part of the Epikourios Apollo frieze (this might actually be the same as the above): http://www.hri.org/news/greek/mpab/2001/01-03-10.mpab.html#06 ON THE NEWSSTANDS Although the site still has plenty of dead links, Discovering Archaeology has finally put up some new online content, including a nice piece on "Herodotus and the Cannibals", the history of Ukraine, and ancient fish traps (the latter two can be accessed via the bar on the right of the page when you get there): http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/ CLASSICIST'S CORNER In addition to the followups list below in regards to the Taleban's destruction of monuments, eKatherimini reports that Greece is/was pondering purchasing some of the monuments: http://www.eKathimerini.com/news/content.asp?id=73537 Folks might be interested in a review of *Loveplay*, a satirical bit of theatre with some classical content: http://www.independent.co.uk/enjoyment/Theatre/Theatre/Reviews/2001-03/loveplay070301.shtml One I missed: a Latin teacher is the Foreign Language Association of Georgia's Teacher of the Year: http://augustachronicle.com/stories/020501/met_155-5704.000.shtml The Connecticut Post has a piece on the increasingly popularity of the Latin mass: http://www.connpost.com/S-ASP-Bin/ReformatSQLIndex.ASP?puid=6773&spuid=6773&Indx=711505&Article=ON&id=46074976&ro=7 In the wake of Gladiator, a number of older sword and sandal classics are being rereleased: http://www.herald.ns.ca/cgi-bin/home/displaystory?2001/03/11+118.raw+Entertainment+2001/03/11 FOLLOWUPS Plenty of followups to the Taliban-blowing-up-ancient-monuments thing (please check out the petition which follows this section): http://www.canoe.ca/CalgaryNews/908n1.html http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/afghan-statues-islami.html http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/11/world/11AFGH.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1210000/1210927.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1212000/1212728.stm http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/world/dailynews/afghanistan010302_buddha.html http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.print_unique?e=C&f=12893&m=A06&aa=1&eidos=S http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/world/asia/A18996-2001Mar3.html http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Afghanistan-Buddha.html http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/04/world/04AFGH.html http://www.academicpress.com/inscight/03052001/grapha.htm http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/03/0305_statues.html http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/03/0309_buddhastatues.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/World/Asia_China/2001-03/taliban100301.shtml .... and letters to the editors of the Telegraph and Guardian make an interesting point: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4150007,00.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=003100565149417&rtmo=pssU1lpe&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/3/6/fbtue4.html AT ABOUT.COM Latin Guide Janet Burns has penned (inputted?) a piece on Commodus: http://latin.about.com/library/weekly/aa030401a.htm Ancient History Guide N.S. Gill has a useful feature on the language of geometry: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa030601a.htm PETITION [editor's note: this petition has been appearing on various lists this week and, quite frankly, it has the same problem all internet/email petitions have: it creates a lot of unnecessary (and probably overwhelming) duplication and relies on certain folks to remember to send their portion in to the proper people. On the plus side, though, it's legit (I checked) and since this newsletter reaches so many folks, I'm going to suggest that you simply send your signature (and title, if useful) to *me* (mailto:dmeadows@idirect.com) and I'll compile the list and send it to UNESCO] The following petition is being circulated by UNESCO's Bureau of Public Information. For background information, see http://www.unesco.org/opi2/afghan-crisis/ UNESCO International Petition to Safeguard Afghanistan Cultural Heritage We, the undersigned, plead for an immediate end to the Taliban edict to demolish Afghanistan's cultural heritage. We further urge the Taliban spiritual leader Mullah Mohammed Omar to enter into dialogue with the international community -including the Arab and Islamic governments that overwhelmingly have condemned these actions - in order to explore proposals to safeguard this irreplaceable cultural heritage from further, senseless destruction. The edict of the 26th of February 2001 to destroy pre- Islamic and Buddhist objects-including the world's largest standing Buddha statues at Bamiyan-runs counter to all the basic principles of respect, tolerance and the wisdom upon which Islam is based, and is a breach of the Taliban pledge made in 1999. We plead with Taliban authorities to stop this irreversible assault on two millennia of Afghanistan's artistic and cultural achievements, treasured not only as the spiritual birthright of Buddhists everywhere but also as a universal cultural heritage for people of all faiths and nationalities. -Please sign and also forward this e-mail to friends, family, news groups, mailing lists etc. -To avoid adding ">>>" onto the chain, please preferably cut & paste the entire petition and list of names into a new message prior to re-sending. -The 100th, 200th, 300th etc. name to sign is requested to also forward the updated list of signatures back to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization at e-mail: "unesco.press@unesco.org". .