More on the Zaraysk Stone-Age Sculptures

What is this "mysterious object?" From BBC News Dig unearths Stone Age sculptures By Jason Palmer Science and technology reporter, BBC News Page last updated at 11:40 GMT, Tuesday, 2 December 2008 Rare artefacts from the late Stone Age have been uncovered in Russia. The site at Zaraysk, 150km south-east of Moscow, has yielded figurines and carvings on mammoth tusks. The finds also included a cone-shaped object whose function, the authors report in the journal Antiquity, "remains a puzzle". Such artistic artefacts have been found in the nearby regions of Kostenki and Avdeevo, but this is the first such discovery at Zaraysk. The Upper Palaeolithic is the latter part of the Old Stone Age, during which humans made the transition from functional tool-making to art and adornment. The new artefacts, discovered by Hizri Amirkhanov and Sergey Lev of the Russian Academy of Sciences, include a mammoth rib inscribed with what appear to be three mammoths, a small bone engraved with a cross-hatch pattern, and two human figurines presumed to be female. "The finds enrich the inventory of Upper Palaeolithic [portable] art and broaden the known distribution of specific types of art objects in the East European Upper Palaeolithic," Dr Lev told BBC News. "In terms of the splendour and variety of its art pieces, Zaraysk is on a par with such famous sites as Kostenki and Avdeevo." 'Unique picture' The figurines are a type of "Venus" statuette, examples of which have been found in locations ranging from the mountains of Spain as far east as Siberia. However, their cultural significance remains a point of debate among anthropologists. At Zaraysk, the two figurines were found carefully buried in storage pits. Underneath each was a round deposit of fine sand toward the south; toward the north, there was a deposit of red ochre - an iron-based pigment. Each of the figurines had been covered with the shoulder-blade of a mammoth. One is presumed to be finished and stands at a height of nearly 17cm (6.7in); the other is clearly unfinished and about half as big. However, both resemble examples of such statuettes found at the Avdeevo site to the south-west, suggesting cultural links between the two. "This collection of artefacts is spectacular in a number of ways, not only for the range of representations of both humanistic and animal but also for the range of materials that is used," says Jeffrey Brantingham, an anthropologist at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). "These finds are really incredibly rare, and they offer a unique picture into human Upper Palaeolithic life." Also among the finds was an object carved from mammoth ivory, shaped like a cone with its top removed. The cone is densely ornamented and has a hole running through its centre. The authors note that the object is unique among Palaeolithic artefacts. "The function of this decorated object remains a puzzle," they say.

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Remains a puzzle? Without having any size given in the article, I think it is a spindle-whorl! Of course, that does not fit into the "accepted" dating of when spinning flax, wool and cotton yarn was first invented (many thousands of years AFTER this object is dated) - therefore, this is a "mysterious object."

Could Women Save Chess?

Every day I visit a circuit of chess websites to check on the latest news. Chess fans already know that at the Dresden Chess Olympiad, the FIDE General Assembly approved changes to the current Grand Prix chess cycle in mid-cycle! This caused much consternation and frustration, and anger, but is FIDE doing business as usual. The one thing you can always rely upon is that you cannot ever ever ever rely upon FIDE to stick to a contract or keep its word. It took a few days for the truth to surface (despite some earlier hints about sponsorship problems at some chess news websites, nothing had been confirmed). Now it has been confirmed by a letter from FIDE itself. The reason for the change in the Grand Prix cycle - introducing a whole new event of 8 players which instantly reduces winning the Grand Prix and the World Cup to an "also ran" status instead of the two players (Grand Prix and World Cup) facing off against each other and the winner of the match facing off against the World Champion - is because of money. As is well known by now, the Doha sponsor of the Grand Prix event scheduled for December, 2008 withdrew, and FIDE stepped in hastily to organize the event in Elista, Khan Kirzan's home town (and presumably put up the prize money, too). Now a second Grand Prix sponsor has withdrawn (Montreux - sp?) - allegedly due to financial problems. Well, when a certain amount of prize money is to be put up for the players' purse IN ADDITION TO 20% ON TOP FOR FIDE AND 5% ON TOP FOR WORLD CHESS, one can only wonder what the hell is going on and marvel at the fact that ANY SPONSORS whatsoever were found for the Grand Prix! Okay - fast forward to tonight. I arrived home after a long had day at the office and visited Susan Polgar's blog to see that GM Magnus Carlsen has withdrawn from the remainder of the Grand Prix cycle. Geez! So then I visit Michael Greengard's "Daily Dirt" chess blog at Chess Ninja to see what the regulars are saying about this latest development (under the topic "FIDE not-so-Grand-Prix") - but the news was too new, not enough opportunity for people to post about it much when I visited earlier this evening. But the conversation was interesting, and in particular, this post reverberated: irv replied to comment from guest December 4, 2008 3:22 PM Reply Guest wrote: "Chess needs to give up the idea that such rich tournaments are sustainble." That's the bottom line. The sick, never-ending quest, chimeric quest for perfect play has led to the death of chess. The first ones to go were the chess clubs. Online chess is doing bad: a few years ago you could get a game on the spot at ICC or Playchess; nowadays, you have to wait a few minutes for a game to materialize. Let's face it: chess at the top has become excruciatingly painful to watch. Too mechanical. Too dry. Too boring; hell, I wouldn't ACCEPT 50 bucks to watch Svidler-Leko, for God's sake. Less money and more daring, if imperfect chess, is the solution. Let players relax a bit. Win a bit more, lose a bit more, enjoy a lot more. Force players to play to a decisive result. What's wrong with a top player making $15.000 in a couple of weeks (all expenses paid for by the organizer) of leisure chess at 2 hours per game, one game per day? If tournament organizers could get half a dozen of the top 20 players in the world (along with 6 up-and-coming tigers) to enter a tournament that can be run with $100.000, many sponsors could be found. Bring life back to chess. Is chess "dying?" Well, I don't know about that - but I do know one way it could be jazzed up with the right promotion and some money to back it - just like some very smart people backed internet and televised Poker a few years ago... I couldn't help myself - I responded - WOMEN! Women chessplayers! I mean, come on darlings! Irv thinks "more daring, imperfect chess" is a possible solution to the slow death of chess and that really describes the chess that about 90% of the female chess pros out there on the circuit play today. It has often been noted by chess "fans" (99.4% male) that "women's chess" is more exciting than a lot of the games played between the elite players (Judit Polgar notwithstanding). Women's chess games generally are not too dry, too mechanical, too boring. Women play "fighting chess" and will battle on and on and on, long past the point where a male player will concede a draw against another male player. Just a few days ago at USCF's website I read about an 111 move head-banger that GM Jesse Kraai played against a chess femme - WFM Bayaraa Zorigt, a player who barely registered on my awareness of chess femmes. The point is obvious. Who IS this woman who played a GM to 111 moves before finally succumbing (probably due to physical and mental fatigue)??? That is a woman chessplayer worthy of notice. He may be right - and I may be crazy. Win a bit more, lose a bit more, enjoy a lot more.

Stone Age "Venus" Figurines

Stone Age site reveals 'extraordinary' artworks From CNN.com/Technology December 3, 2008 By Richard Allen Greene CNN CNN) -- Archaeologists in Russia have discovered an "extraordinary" group of Stone Age artworks which appear to have been carefully buried in pits and covered with mammoth bones, the researchers announced this week in a newly published paper. Archaeologists uncovered these Stone Age figures buried in pits southeast of Moscow. At least some of the 21,000-22,000-year-old objects appear to have been regarded as magical, the scientists surmise. The collection includes the only example of engravings of images found to date at the site -- what appear to be three overlapping mammoths only a few centimeters long and carved onto the rib of a mammoth. "The main lines of the image are clear, not ragged; they were made by confident, unbroken movements," Hizri Amirkhanov and Sergey Lev write. The carving may have been part of a hunting ritual, Lev told CNN. The objects they describe in their new paper "show an extraordinary repertoire of incised carving on mammoth ivory plaques and carving in the round, including representations of women and large mammals, and geometric decoration on bone utensils," they write. They also uncovered two female figures, including one 16.6 centimeters tall with a head they call particularly accurate in shape. The figures, which Lev called Venus statuettes, had been carefully placed in pits and surrounded with colored sand, Lev said. The archaeologists uncovered the objects in 2005 at a site called Zaraysk, which was discovered in 1980. The site is about 100 miles southeast of Moscow. Researchers have been excavating the site since 1995, and have found a necklace made of teeth of the arctic fox and a carving of a bison made from mammoth ivory. Zaraysk is the northernmost known location for a style of Stone Age artwork called Kostenski-Avdeevo after two other locations where art of that type has been found. Lev said the Zaraysk site was on a par with Kostenski and Avdeevo "in terms of the splendor and variety of its art." The site dates from the Upper Paleolithic period, which began about 40,000 years ago and lasted until roughly 10,000 years ago. Amirkhanov and Lev's article, "New Finds of Art Objects from the Upper Palaeolithic Site of Zaraysk, Russia," is to be published in the December issue of the magazine Antiquities, a York, England-based journal that describes itself as a quarterly review of world archaeology. A version of their article appeared on the journal's website on Monday; the print version is due out soon, reviews editor Madeleine Hummler said. The researchers are associated with the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

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Here is a link to the online version of the article at Antiquity.

White-Skinned, Blonde-Haired "Cloud People"

A fascinating article about some recent discoveries in Peru: Ancient city discovered deep in Amazonian rainforest linked to the legendary white-skinned Cloud People of Peru By Daily Mail Reporter Last updated at 1:44 AM on 04th December 2008 A lost city discovered deep in the Amazon rainforest could unlock the secrets of a legendary tribe. Little is known about the Cloud People of Peru, an ancient, white-skinned civilisation wiped out by disease and war in the 16th century. But now archaeologists have uncovered a fortified citadel in a remote mountainous area of Peru known for its isolated natural beauty. It is thought this settlement may finally help historians unlock the secrets of the 'white warriors of the clouds'. The tribe had white skin and blonde hair - features which intrigue historians, as there is no known European ancestry in the region, where most inhabitants are darker skinned. The citadel is tucked away in one of the most far-flung areas of the Amazon. It sits at the edge of a chasm which the tribe may have used as a lookout to spy on enemies. The main encampment is made up of circular stone houses overgrown by jungle over 12 acres, according to archaeologist Benedict Goicochea Perez. Rock paintings cover some of the fortifications and next to the dwellings are platforms believed to have been used to grind seeds and plants for food and medicine. The Cloud People once commanded a vast kingdom stretching across the Andes to the fringes of Peru's northern Amazon jungle, before it was conquered by the Incas. Named because they lived in rainforests filled with cloud-like mist, the tribe later sided with the Spanish-colonialists to defeat the Incas. But they were killed by epidemics of European diseases, such as measles and smallpox. Much of their way of life, dating back to the ninth century, was also destroyed by pillaging, leaving little for archaeologists to examine. Remains have been found before but scientists have high hopes of the latest find, made by an expedition to the Jamalca district in Peru's Utcubamba province, about 500 miles north-east of the capital, Lima. Until recently, much of what was known about the lost civilisation was from Inca legends. Even the name they called themselves is unknown. The term Chachapoyas, or 'Cloud People', was given to them by the Incas. Their culture is best known for the Kuellap fortress on the top of a mountain in Utcubamba, which can only be compared in scale to the Incas' Machu Picchu retreat, built hundreds of years later. Two years ago, archaeologists found an underground burial vault inside a cave with five mummies, two intact with skin and hair. Chachapoyas chronicler Pedro Cieza de Leon wrote of the tribe: 'They are the whitest and most handsome of all the people that I have seen, and their wives were so beautiful that because of their gentleness, many of them deserved to be the Incas' wives and to also be taken to the Sun Temple. 'The women and their husbands always dressed in woollen clothes and in their heads they wear their llautos [a woollen turban], which are a sign they wear to be known everywhere.' The Chachapoyas' territory was located in the northern regions of the Andes in present-day Peru. It encompassed the triangular region formed by the confluence of the Maranon and Utcubamba rivers, in the zone of Bagua, up to the basin of the Abiseo river. The Maranon's size and the mountainous terrain meant the region was relatively isolated.

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Okay - a far out speculation - sounds as if this ancient kingdom was bounded by three rivers: shades of the biblical description of the Garden of Eden... And here I always thought the occasional article I read at alternative history sites about "white-skinned, fair-haired" people in South America was the result of someone toking a bit too much, the legend of Queztocoatl notwithstanding!

Interesting Chessboard

Story from the press.co.uk Can anyone explain this ‘chessboard’? 9:28am Wednesday 3rd December 2008 By Reader's letter » MY ATTENTION was recently drawn to what appears to be a chess or draughts board carved into the well trodden paving flags on the city wall near Victoria Bar. The black squares are indicated by a cross. It is quite neatly done and must have taken some time to inscribe. Despite being in a job where I have access to quite historically knowledgeable people, no one has been able to explain, with any confidence, why the board is there, or who put it there, or when? I am hoping that one of your readers will be able to supply the answers. Richard Aitken, Alness Drive, Acomb Park, York. Answers: Hieronymous, York says...10:06am Wed 3 Dec 08 I suppose the romantic answer to the question would be that a couple of bored soldiers scratched it on the walkway in order to pass the time on a long watch during a period of inactivity. However, it is in such remarkably unworn condition that I doubt it has been in it's present position for much more than the thirty years or so in which I've been aware of it. (Note how part of the design is superimposed on a section which has flaked off!) Perhaps it was found elswhere and repositioned. Alternatively, since the style of carving is pretty modern-looking, perhaps it's a piece of erudite Victorian graffiti! old_geezer, york says...12:37pm Wed 3 Dec 08 I was told it came from the condemned cell in the former prison, now Castle Museum. But why it was moved if so, no idea.

Nona Says: "No Diamonds on Trophy"

According to a news article at Kiev Post (Kyiv Post.com) no diamonds were stolen off of the Gaprindashvili Cup awarded to the Ukrainian chess teams for their combined performances at the 2008 Chess Olympiad at Dresden. Right from the mouth of the lady whose name is on the Cup, she says "no diamonds," only silver and gilt decorations. Chess prize missing a few pieces upon arrival [Not true - read the article - nothing was missing, but a piece was broken off - see photo - actually, it looks like the piece screws in, so perhaps it wasn't broken off at all, it just came lose!] Yesterday, 20:04 Yuliya Popova, Kyiv Post Staff Writer Chess Olympiad trophy won by combined Ukrainian team arrives in Boryspil airport damaged and short of most valuable features At the Chess Olympiad in Germany, the Ukrainian team edged other nations in combined men’s and women’s results. But German airlines may have put them in check. In Frankfurt, Lufthansa personnel made them sacrifice their knight – a precious cup personifying a female on a male horse – to the main luggage section Nov. 26. In Kyiv’s Boryspil International Airport, the Ukrainian Chess Federation received their trophy with a broken head and stripped of decorations. “Absolute negligence,” exclaimed vice president of the Ukrainian Chess Federation, Leonid Tymoshenko, who was transporting the prize. Boarding a flight in Frankfurt, he said that the Lufthansa staff made him check in the trophy due to its heavy appearance. “I told them that it’s a piece of art of global importance but nobody listened to me. I insisted to weigh it as it’s only three kilograms and 200 grams, twice less then was permitted,” complained Tymoshenko. “But they were stubborn and asked me if I wanted to fly or not.” Tymoshenko resigned the prize to the belly of an airplane, the last time he would see the trophy intact. As chess enthusiasts tried later to sort out what happened, Lufthansa employees in Kyiv avoided comment. Airport management blamed luggage handlers for the damage. Tymoshenko insisted on negligence. Boryspil has a bad record of baggage looting. Major air carriers in Ukraine reported more than 11,000 thefts in 2007. The general prosecutor’s office busted a police squad and six handlers for pilfering passenger bags in September. The damaged trophy was named after the first female grandmaster, Nona Gaprindashvili. The legendary chess player from Georgia found out about the incident from the Kyiv Post. “It’s impossible. They shouldn’t have put it with the rest of luggage, it’s unthinkable,” she exclaimed. Gaprindashvili dismissed speculations that the cup was decorated with diamonds. “It’s made of silver and gilded embellishments but it’s a lot more precious than other cups in the [chess] Olympiad.” Tymoshenko said that the cup was insured. Police launched a criminal investigation. The next Chess Olympiad is scheduled to take place in Russia in 2010. The “knight” is transferrable and will have to be repaired by then.

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So - why the report about missing diamonds from the trophy? Did Tymoshenko REALLY says that diamonds had been - I assumed pried - out of the trophy? Where did this report of missing diamonds originate, and why? Is this all traceable back to the initial Russian news report - blaming Georgians for the theft??? The way the incident now sounds, NOTHING WAS STOLEN, the trophy was BROKEN. Clarification - will it ever be forthcoming???

Southwest Chess Club of Hales Corners News

Forgot to post this last night: EVENTS AT SOUTHWEST CHESS CLUB THIS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4 : This Thursday Expert Paul Fricano will be giving a lecture entitled: "Positional Play - It's About Time". Any of you who have attended one of Paul's lectures know that he does an outstanding job of making chess concepts understandable. You will not want to miss this lecture. The lecture will start at 6 PM. Also the Holiday Holly High-Speed Swiss starts this Thursday with the first two rounds of this Game in 45 event. Sign-ups will be taken during the lecture. Sign up no later than 6:50 PM so that we can start promptly at 7 PM. The final two rounds of this event will be held on the following Thursday, December 11. Details below. If you think you will be late, contact me in advance at the number below or email me. Any calls or emails after 5 PM on Thursday will be too late. This event is at the Layton State Bank in Greendale (5850 Broad Street). Tom Fogec USCF Senior Tournament Director Southwest Chess Club 414-425-6742 tfogec@wi.rr.com Holiday Holly High-Speed Swiss: December 4 & 11 4-Round Swiss in One Section. Two games per night. Game/45 minutes. USCF (dual) Rated. EF: $5 members, $7 others. (One ½ Point Bye Available for any round (except round four) if requested at least 2-days prior to round). TD is Tom Fogec; ATD is Robin Grochowski

Who is Right About the Thera Eruption?

Compelling evidence from two different fields of study yield contradictory dates for the famous eruption of Thera, which destroyed the ancient Minoan civilization. One says 1613 BCE; one says sometime after 1530 BCE. Who is right? Could both be right - I mean, were there two eruptions that, over time, were combined in popular memory at the time into one eruption (the second, larger one resulting in the collapse of the Minoan civilization?) Or were previous "experts" (many were adventurers who could hardly be classified as archaeologists in the sense we use the term today) who dug up so much of Egypt in the 19th and early 20th centuries wrong about their timeline? The stakes about who is right - and who is wrong - are enormous. If the 1613 BCE date is right, much of Egyptian history needs to be adjusted by about 100 years - and that causes LOTS of problems in terms of dating some of the most famous (and not so famous) finds in Egypt and, indeed, because of spill-over in dating, in other ancient civilizations throughout the Mediterranean and beyond which are gauged by developments in Egypt! Thera volcano in 1613 BC December 3, 2008 Two olive branches buried by a Minoan-era eruption of the volcano on the island of Thera (modern-day Santorini) have enabled precise radiocarbon dating of the catastrophe to 1613 BC, with an error margin of plus or minus 10 years, according to two researchers who presented conclusions of their previously published research during an event on Tuesday at the Danish Archaeological Institute of Athens. Speaking at an event entitled "The Enigma of Dating the Minoan Eruption - Data from Santorini and Egypt", the study's authors, Dr. Walter Friedrich of the Danish University of Aarhus and Dr. Walter Kutschera of the Austrian University of Vienna, said data left by the branch of an olive tree with 72 annular growth rings was used for dating via the radiocarbon method, while a second olive branch -- found just nine metres away from the first -- was unearthed in July 2007 and has not yet been analysed. The researchers said both olive tree branches were found near a Bronze Age man-made wall, giving the impression that they were part of an olive grove situated near a settlement very close to the edge of Santorini's current world-famous Caldera. The two trees were found standing when unearthed, and apparently had been covered by the Theran pumice immediately after the volcano's eruption. According to the two scientists, other radiocarbon testing from archaeological locations on Santorini and the surrounding islands, as well as at Tel el-Dab'a in the Nile delta in Egypt, corroborate the dating based on the olive tree. On the other hand, as the two researchers pointed out, archaeological evidence linked with the Historical Dating of Ancient Egypt indicate that the Thera eruption must have occurred after the start of the New Kingdom in Egypt in 1530 BC. The two researchers said their find (olive tree) represents a serious contradiction between the results of the scientific method (radiocarbon dating) and scholarly work in the humanities (history-archaeology), with both sides holding strong arguments to support their conclusions. The radiocarbon dating places the cataclysmic eruption, blamed for heralding the end to the Minoan civilisation, a century earlier than previous scientific finds.

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Some Christian fundamentalist groups link the date of c. 1513 BCE - that is, the putative date of the great eruption of Thera that blew up 2/3rds of the island in its violence - with the Exodus from Egypt, with at least some of the "ten plagues" being explained by natural phenomenon associated with the cataclysmic eruption of Thera's volcano.

Love and Sex in the Renaissance

Probably no chess tonight - I'm chessed out - and shoveled out. More than a foot landed in my driveway due to drifting and blowing, despite the fact that "officially" we only got 3 inches. Ha! More snow due tomorrow night, up to 5 inches. So far, this December is turning out to be a near-carbon copy (as far as I remember) of a year ago, when we had near record-breaking snow fall, over 100 inches. I saw this exhibit advertised at the Met in New York - looks fascinating. I picked out threeinteresting objects from it. My take on the exhibit is decidedly different from the reviewer's article: Art Review 'Art and Love in Renaissance Italy' Eternal Objects of Desire November 20, 2008 The objects I zeroed on present goddesses and/or women (representing goddesses) in close association with dogs, in an erotic context. "Sex" is used to gloss over the underlying concepts of women's unique power to bear life and the monthly menstruation of blood during the fertile years - blood representing the life of the earth, the very rhythym of the interaction of the earth and the moon every 28 to 32 days. This association has been recorded in surviving relics as far back as 25,000 years ago. Unfortunately, the condition of women as equals of men, who each held unique places in the conception of the universe, was obliterated particularly with the advent of the "warrior god" religions (Jews, Christians and Muslims) which still, unfortunately (and with telling results) dominate the world today. As always, women and children continue to be the primary victims of the non-stop warfare carried on by males in these three religions against each other. The association of goddesses and dogs is extremely ancient, perhaps due to the possibility that it was women who first domesticated wolves who followed hunter/gatherer bands across the landscape. Canines were domesticated about 16,000 years ago, possibly even further back. There is also an association of the Triple Goddess, representing birth, fruition, death-rebirth with her companion dog as eater of the dead in preparation for rebirth of the soul of the deceased. This too, is a very ancient association. There is the association of the Goddess with the numbers 8 (in western chess, symbolized in the 8x8 board) and 9 (in Chinese chess the board is 2 sides of 8 by 4 squares divided by the Celestial River which is not played upon, and the "King" piece is confined to an area of 2x2 squares - which measures 3x3 "points" -- in Chinese chess the pieces are placed not upon the squares but upon the intersection of the squares, resulting in 9 x 8 total playing points, or 72). And there are the ancient Indian traditions of the Goddess number 4-3-2, which totals 9, and the eight-legged female spider who continuously weaves her web of the universe. Painting #1 is, I think, the most light-hearted of the lot. It is ”Venus with an Organist and a Dog,” detail, by Tiziano Vecellio, circa 1550. While the article points out the obvious phallic symbolism of the "upright organ pipes" (har!) and the "upright" trees in the verdent "nature tamed" background (implying, evidently, that the Goddess of Love could be tamed - what a joke!), Venus herself is playing with her doggy friend, seemingly ignoring the organist whilst coyly pressing one foot into the small of his back. Venus is definitely playing the Game! It wasn't for nothing, you know, that the ancient game players often used "dogs" as playing pieces. Notice the ornate red draperies and the blood-red (also known as royal purple) bed covering that Venus reclines upon. As for the organist, I think his body language and the expression on his face is self-explanatory. Object #2 is called a birthing platter, depicting the meeting of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba from the workshop of Francesco del Cossa, circa 1470-73. Ignore the then current clothing styles of the protagonists! Items of note are the outer-sanctum black and white checkerboard floor, upon which three dogs lounge, and the inner-sanctum red (there's that life blood again) and black checkerboard floor). The entire painting is set on a 3x3 grid (3x3 = that Goddess number 9) -- notice how the laticed-pergola under which Sheba and Solomon meet is aligned with the tall middle tower of the church, which is flanked by two lower domes (perhaps representative of feminine breasts - the tower being a phallic symbol). Notice what is in the center of the painting - a "grail" - i.e., chalice! "Da Vinci Code" fans will recognize the grail, er, chalice, as a female symbol for fertility - it's the classic delta shape - and the "stem" - well, I think you can figure it out. The #3 painting is the most ironic of all - it depicts a young naked virgin being pursued by a young man (the dude on the horse) whom she has rejected. He has his hunting dogs attack her in the midst of a wedding feast where she has sought aid. Irony, indeed, since the Goddess Artemis was always accompanied by her hunting dogs, whom she often set upon encroaching young men! The young naked girl represents beauty, youth, and virginity - the essential aspects of the first part of the Triple Goddess. The young dude on the horse ends up killing himself after the Virgin is killed by his dogs. The horse symbolism of potent masculinity run amok is rather obvious - continued to this day in the form of the "knight" upon the chessboard, by the way. I can well imagine what the horrified bride at the wedding feat must be thinking. However, the caption is perhaps most telling of all, and presents an irony upon irony since the article was written by a female art critic. Here is what she says: A panel by Botticelli’s workshop depicts a wedding feast interrupted by a young nude woman being attacked by dogs. In short, she rejected him and he committed suicide, two unforgivable sins. The bride and groom in both the painting and the room it decorates will know better. (Photo: Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid) Oh, really? The bridge and groom will know better? Run, bride, run!

Buy Someone You Love - Chess! - for Christmas

I thought this was cute, even if it was put together by an antiques website :) Collectibles and Memorabilia Are Selling As Unique, Interesting, and Affordable Christmas Gifts December 1, 2008 With the ailing economy, shoppers are putting much more effort in finding gifts that are more meaningful but low in cost. Christmas gifts are often bought last minute and not a lot of thought is put into them and they are often forgotten once the holiday is over. This year, with the ailing economy, shoppers are putting more effort in finding gifts that are more meaningful but low in cost. While this is not the best news for most stores the antique and collectibles stores are in the exciting situation of being able to put a little spark back into Christmas by offering truly unique and cherished gift ideas. How much would a husband or wife, or even a son or daughter, love to get autographed photos from their favorite sports team, band, or actor? Autographed items range in price from $15.00 to $1000.00 and it is easy to find an autograph dealer who offers a lifetime guarantee and certificate of authenticity. Which is important for both the Christmas shopper and the collectibles shop owners since neither wants to worry about authenticity. Another idea is a die cast car, plane, or boat. Most are reasonably priced and there is an amazing range of choices. Everything from Model A Fords to the Space Shuttle has been die cast. So shoppers can easily find the right vehicle for their loved ones whether they are a pilot, police officer, fireman, garbage man, or car nut. Porcelain dolls are always a big seller during the holidays and this year they should not be overlooked since their price has dropped. Porcelain dolls now range in price from around $20.00 to $200.00 and can be found in a variety of era clothing and sizes. Quite often they come with their own storage case and stand which is nice for both store owners and shoppers alike. Figurines are also very popular and come in a nice range of materials from plastic polymers to porcelain. They make a great gift for men, women, and children since they are available in a variety. There are figures of superheroes, musicians, actors, animals, fantasy creatures, and even erotica so most collectibles stores won’t have a problem fitting them into their inventory and shoppers will be thrilled with the variety. Chess sets make an excellent Christmas gift. Chess sets vary in price as well as design. The very simple beginner set can be found around $20.00 while the more elaborate sets might be as much as $500.00. They style of the pieces are just as varied as they range from the traditional design to ancient Egyptian, African animals, soldiers from every period of time and fantasy or science fiction. The pieces can be made of inexpensive plastic to gold plate. Chess is a marvelous game, it can be both science and art, and should be instituted in schools and colleges throughout this country as it is in other countries. Since it not only did not hinder studies at school but can even helpful as it played a part in development habits of logical thought. It has even helped children with behavioral problems like ADHD, Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, to improve their study and social skills. While most Christmas gifts get forgotten antiques, collectibles, and memorabilia may very well change that. Collectibles and memorabilia not only make great gifts but also can become family heirlooms, which is a very nice gift for storeowners and shoppers alike.

Translation, Please!

I saw this earlier today at Susan Polgar's blog and it showed up tonight in a news search. My reaction is still - huh? What is this article saying? The article was reported at Panorama.en - and is titled "Armenian Information Portal." Here is the article: 17:22 01/12/2008 AZERI CHESS PLAYERS UNDER PRESSURE Zeiynab Mamediarova, who is the best chess player of Azerbaijan, said that Azeri women chess players were under pressure as “enemious character” against Armenians is sowed among them. According to Azeri media, Mamediarova admitted that the most difficult meeting in Dresden was the one with Armenians when they have been crucially defeated by 4-0 points. “The only reason of that defeat was the pressure on us. Armenians did not have such feelings and they managed to get well prepared to the game. Any game with Armenia is much spoken in our country and everything is accepted not as it is to be,” she said. Source: Panorama.am

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Okay, first of all the article had her name spelled wrong: it's Zeinab Mamedjarova, although I understand the regional variations due to pronunciation - but the name as spelled in the article did not show up in a FIDE search of players. The reporter should have checked the data base of chess-results.com for information on how this player's name is spelled for FIDE purposes. Mamedjarova is rated 2351 and she is a WGM. Second, Mamedjarova is not the best player in Azerbaijan - she is the highest rated female player in Azerjaiban. Third, what is "enemious?" It is not an English word with which I am familiar. Well - whatever - what I want to really know is, who was actually sowing the "enemious character" among the players? Was it the Azerbaijan team, or was it the Armenian team? My interpretation of this article is that it was the Azerbaijan players who were overwhelmed by their "enemious character" against the Armenian players. In other words, they let their national political hatred toward the Armenians get the better of them, and totally psyched themselves out. Oh my. My feeling in this case is that the Azerbaijanis deserved to lose the match, but that's just based on personal belief. More of that Chess Goddess justice being sprinkled about, perhaps (as She did in the case of the Russians being blanked out of Team medals this Olympiad, after the Georgian Women's Team was "blanked out" of playing at the Women's World Chess Championships in Nalchik, Russia, in August, 2008). Fourth, I have no idea what this phrase in the final sentence means: "is accepted not as it is to be” - what??? Does this mean that because of the animosity between the countries, Azerbaijanis put more emphasis on victories in chess over Armenians, perhaps believing that the Azerbaijanis somehow have a moral right to victories over the Armenians and therefore, it should happen? (And if it doesn't happen, as it did not in the case of the Women's Teams in the Olympiad, what does that mean? That the Azerbaijan female chess players were somehow at fault?) Well, if that is so, then perhaps the Azerbaijanis should re-think their national animosity toward the Armenians, as the Chess Goddess definitely seems to be in favor of the Armenians and, as we know, She is Never Wrong. Fifth, the salient point of the article (for me) is this: the Armenians did not let any pressure (internal or external) get to them. They were well prepared for the match and they won - they played the best chess they could and did not allow any distractions to get in the way.

The 2008 UTD Invitational

USCF reported on this tournament specifically designed to provide opportunities to earn norms. Unfortunately, the only player who actually scored enough points (5/9) to earn a WIM norm in the IM section was deprived of the norm when it was determined that a last-minute substitution of a player did not qualify the section for norm opportunities. WFM Bayaraa Zorigt therefore goes home normless; talk about adding insult to injury - she lost a head-banger game as white against GM Jesse Krai in 111 moves. Not that it would have mattered anyway, except for her score. Report.

Bronze Age Necklace Discovered

December 1, 2008 Rare Bronze Age necklace is found A rare amber necklace believed to be about 4,000 years old has been uncovered in Greater Manchester. Archaeologists made the find while excavating a cist - a type of stone-lined grave - in Mellor, Stockport. It is the first time a necklace of this kind from the early Bronze Age has been found in north-west England. Experts from the University of Manchester Archaeological Unit said a amber necklace was one of the ultimate status symbols of the period. The necklace consists of dozens of pierced amber beads of various sizes, linked together on a length of fibre. It was discovered in the cist by experts from the university and local Mellor Archaeological Trust, who said the mystery was now how the material got to the north west. "Amber is very significant," said Vicky Nash, of the Mellor Archaeological Trust, who found the ancient item. "It's associated with burials in the prehistoric period but it's not readily available, the nearest source is in the Baltic [region]. "So to find that [necklace] in conjunction with a cist, it shows it was a burial of somebody particularly important at that time."

Pirates - and - Pirates of the Most Ferocious Kind

Given the press coverage about the Somalian pirates off the coast of Africa of late (I find it difficult to believe that the civilized world cannot deal with these criminals once and for all, for Goddessake!), here is a timely article giving a brief history of pirates. Female pirates - the article mentions two: Anne Bonny and Mary Read (there were more). Some fascinating information about these two female pirates can be found at:

• The Legend of Anne and Mary, by Krewe of Bonney Read
• Wikipedia entry on Anne Bonny (quite sensational)
• Ahoy Matey, That Pirate Has Breasts!, a bio of Anne Bonny by Deanna J. Jones
• Anne Bonny, from Geographica.com

• Life in a Man's World: Mary Read, by Deanna J. Jones
• Wikipedia entry on Mary Read
• Mary Read, Fearless Female Pirate, by Henry Ramsager
• Mistresses of the Sea: Female Pirates Mary Read and Anne Bonny

Waldseemueller: How Did He Know What He Knew?

I am fascinated by the subject of ancient maps. A few very old maps have proven to be quite accurate according to modern-day measurements and techniques. How did those map mapers of the Renaissance know what they knew? Did early explorers record much more accurate details then we give them credit for? Were much older maps - that no longer exist - copied, even though not accurately understood at the time? If so, who made these older maps - and when? The above isn't the best image of the Waldseemueller Map, but I like it because it it shaped in such a way to show that it should fit over a globe. Compare The Waldseemueller Map to the controversial map said to have been compiled during the voyages of General Zheng He of China dated to 1418. Gavin Menzies wrote an equally controversial book a few years ago about the General's voyages that took him around the world before any of the known European navigators made the trip. Of course, there are always the Phoenicians... The Waldseemueller Map of the world is now owned by the United States of America and is ensconced in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Here is the story from The Washington Post: 16th-Century Mapmaker's Intriguing Knowledge By David Brown Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, November 17, 2008; Page A07 How was it that a German priest writing in Latin and living in a French city far from the coast became the first person to tell the world that a vast ocean lay to the west of the American continents? That is one of the bigger mysteries in the history of the Renaissance. But it is not the only one involving Martin Waldseemueller, a map-making cleric whose own story is sufficiently obscure that his birth and death dates aren't known for certain. Waldseemueller appears to have also known something about the contours of South America's west coast years before Vasco Núñez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama and Ferdinand Magellan sailed around the bottom of the continent. History books record them as the first Europeans to bring back knowledge of the Pacific Ocean. The evidence of this knowledge is in Waldseemueller's world map of 1507, perhaps the most valuable of the 5 million maps owned by the Library of Congress. It was acquired for $10 million in 2003 and went on permanent display last year. The map -- in near-perfect condition and with no other known copies -- is the oldest document that applies the label "America" to the land mass between Africa and Asia. This was, of course, in honor of Amerigo Vespucci, a Florentine navigator who had sailed to the New World for the Portuguese. (His first name was Latinized to "Americus" and then feminized to "America.") The act of naming was apparently Waldseemueller's alone; there is no evidence that the term was in use at the time. New research by John W. Hessler of the Library of Congress has made the mystery of Waldseemueller's knowledge deeper and richer. But it hasn't answered the biggest question: How did he know? "There is some probability that Waldseemueller knew something that is no longer extant -- information that we don't have," Hessler said. The researcher, 48, brings a diverse set of skills to the task. He took Latin all through parochial school and college (at Villanova University) and reads the language fluently. He is an engineer by training and is equally fluent in the mathematics of cartography. In a new book called "The Naming of America," Hessler provides the first published translation of the map's text blocks. He has also done a modern translation of Waldseemueller's book, "Cosmographiae Introductio," printed in 1507 in St. Die, France, where the cartographer was canon of the cathedral. Although Waldseemueller gets most of the credit for the map and the book, he had a collaborator, an Alsatian named Matthias Ringmann, who died in 1511. In the largest block of text on the map, Waldseemueller writes that many things remained unknown to the ancients "in no slight degree; for instance, in the west, America, named after its discoverer, which is now known to be a fourth part of the world." In "Cosmographiae," he uses similar language: "The earth is now known to be divided into four parts. The first three parts are continents, but the fourth part is an island, because it has been found to be surrounded on all sides by sea." Hessler said he thinks the phrases "now known" and "has been found to be" are crucial. They suggest geographical knowledge that is confirmed and believed, at least in some circles. "The idea that this was a total guess is far-fetched," he said. The people who knew were most likely Portuguese explorers (or at least sailed under the Portuguese flag). It was valuable, and most likely secret, knowledge. How it got to a priest-cartographer working under the patronage of the duke of Lorraine is a good question. Equally intriguing is the shape of South America. Inscribed along the western edge of that land mass in the 1507 map are the words "terra ultra incognita" -- land most unknown. But the border is not drawn as one long, ignorantly straight line. Instead, it is a series of straight lines meeting at shallow angles, implying a mixture of knowledge and uncertainty. Using a technique called "polynomial warping," Hessler re-projected the image and compared Waldseemueller's continent with the real one. There are many differences, of course. But the correlation is about 75 percent, and at two important places -- near the equator and near the place in northern Chile where the coast veers sharply to the northwest -- the width of Waldseemueller's South America and the actual one are almost the same. Things were perhaps not as ultra incognita as he let on. That is not the end of the strangeness, however. In the large text block on the map, Waldseemueller requests "that those who are inexperienced and unacquainted with cosmography shall not condemn all this before they have learned what will surely be clearer to them later on, when they have come to understand it." It is a plea. He knows his map is asking a lot. In 1516, Waldseemueller published his second great map, called the Carta Marina. It shows South America no longer as an island. The continent disappears off the left of the page, implying it is attached to Asia, which is on the right edge. Hessler has provided the first English translations of the second map's text blocks. In one of them, Waldseemueller says: "We will seem to you reader, to have diligently presented and shown a representation of the world previously, which was filled with error, wonder and confusion. . . . Our previous representation pleased very few people, as we have lately come to understand." Was this a retraction? It sounds like it. Was a continental America heresy? Hessler said he has found no reason to think it was. So why would Waldseemueller change his new view of the world to an older one? That's just one more mystery of the mysterious map.

The Valencian "Holy Grail"

I had no idea that Valencia (Spain) laid claim to having the true Holy Grail. Is there even agreement among scholars about what the "Holy Grail" really is and whether it still might exist? This image of the Valencian Grail is from the BBC website on British History - it dates the chalice to the 8th century CE, and identifies it as part of the loot taken by Crusaders during the pillage of Byzantium in 1207 (so much for being true Christians, raping the city where the last true vestiages of original Christianity lay). Here's the story - fascinating stuff - and it's not even "The Da Vinci Code!" From Catholic.net Scholars Urge More Research on Holy Grail VALENCIA, Spain, NOV. 24, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Though no one knows if Valencia's grail is the true Last Supper chalice, a group of experts says it has tremendous cultural value due to its impact on history and literature. This was affirmed by members of the international congress "Valencia, City of the Holy Grail," focusing on the chalice traditionally associated with the institution of the Eucharist. The congress was held Nov. 7-9 at the Catholic University of Valencia and was organized by the Archdiocese of Valencia, the cathedral’s metropolitan chapter, the Catholic University of Valencia, the Spanish Center for Sindonology, the Royal Brotherhood, and the Holy Chalice Confraternity. Experts from several countries attended the congress. They gave presentations on the ways in which this relic has marked history and literature since its move from Rome to Spain by Lawrence the Martyr in the year 258, as held by tradition. The body of existing data points to the Valencia grail as the most probable authentic chalice of Christ. Unique Antonio Beltrán, professor of archaeology at the University of Zaragoza, noted that the cup is formed by a deep red agate, called "Oriental carnelian," with streaks in the form of flames. By its material he asserts that it must come from a workshop in Palestine, Syria or Egypt between the fourth century B.C. and the first century A.D. The subsequent additions, such as the precious stones and the frame, date from the 13th or 14th century. Jorge Manuel Rodríguez, president of the Spanish Center for Sindonology, explained that although films have always shown "a wooden Holy Grail, […] that material did not comply with the norms of purification of the Jews." Another element discussed by the scholars was the journey of the chalice from Rome to Valencia. The experts affirmed that if the chalice arrived in Rome from Jerusalem, it was most likely taken by the Apostle Peter himself. Jaime Sancho, president of the liturgy commission of the Archdiocese of Valencia, presented a datum that supports the theory that the first popes celebrated the Eucharist with the same chalice that Jesus used. Sancho explained that in the Roman Canon, which dates back to the second century, it says literally at the moment of consecration "and, taking this glorious chalice in his holy and venerable hands," instead of "the chalice." This and other proofs contributed by Sancho demonstrate the existence in Rome of a unique chalice. This was affirmed by José Vicente Martínez, professor of ancient history at the University of Valencia, and American researcher Janice Bennet, doctor in Spanish literature. They both spoke about Pope Sixtus II, martyred in Rome during Valerian’s persecution, entrusting the Holy Grail to Deacon Lawrence to protect it from the emperor. A manuscript by St. Donatus told of this event, said Bennet, as well as the fact that Lawrence was a native of Valencia, not Huesca, as traditionally believed. Several presenters gave historical proofs of the presence of the chalice in Spain over many centuries, from the study of various annals and paintings. German anthropologist Michael Hesemann stated that "as opposed to what many think, the grail legends did not begin with the Anglo-Saxon accounts of King Arthur, but in the rooted tradition that says that the chalice of the Last Supper was already in Spain in the Middle Ages." Faith and science The researchers were practically unanimous in supporting research on the chalice with modern scientific techniques to determine its origin, though they emphasized that its religious value does not depend on the resulting discoveries. Miguel Navarro, doctor in church history from Rome’s Gregorian University, stated that the chalice "is not a magical object, but consecrated by Jesus' use of it and by the faith that perceives it as such, which has great religious value, regardless of the fact that it cannot be proved with absolute scientific certainty that it is the Lord’s chalice." Relics, he added, are not "simple keepsakes, but something more valuable: palpable evidence of the reality of the human or historical event on which our faith is based, as salvation takes place in history, in the flesh." Moreover, Father Manuel Carreira, doctor of physical sciences, added that science and faith "are not opposed." However, he specified that "although science can give an explanation of all this, it cannot demonstrate anything literally about what happens in the Eucharist." Navarro added that the chalice "insofar as relic, is beyond and above science, because its primordial significance belongs to the realm of faith, which does not mean that we approach it in an anti-scientific or fundamentalist way." Rather, "we have the obligation to study it scientifically in its materiality." Benedict XVI used the chalice during the Mass with which he concluded the World Meeting of Families in Valencia in July, 2006. Pope John Paul II also used it in his visit to the city. © 2008 Zenit. All rights reserved. Terms of Use available at http://www.zenit.org/

Looks Like...

Uma Thurman... (photo of Uma Thurman from December, 2007, by Odd Andersen) From The Times November 26, 2008 Only known painting of Lucrezia Borgia discovered in Australian gallery Anne Barrowclough in Sydney A mysterious Renaissance portrait that has hung in an Australian art gallery for 43 years has been identified as potentially the only painting in existence of the infamous femme fatale Lucrezia Borgia Over four decades after the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) took possession of the oval painting, entitled Portrait of a Youth by an unknown artist, the gallery's director revealed the painting today as a work by the Renaissace artist Dosso Dossi. "What was previously a portrait of an unknown sitter by an unidentified artist now seems likely to be one of the most significant portraits surviving from the Renaissance, by one of the great Northern Italian painters", said Gerard Vaughan. He said the portrait could be worth "many millions." "Dosso Dossi is a very important painter but not known to the general public so it's an important discovery for the art world but the really important thing for the general public is that we have the only known portrait of the most famous and notorious woman in Renaissance history," he said. Bought by the NGV in 1965, the oval painting mystified experts who always believed it to be of a young male. [Say what? Darlings, I'm no expert, to be sure, but it sure looks like a femme to me!] But two years of scientific analysis and art history research in Italy, Australia and the US, carried out by the gallery's curator Carl Villis led him to conclude that it could only be of Lucrezia Borgia, painted by Giovanni di Niccolo de Luteri, better known as Dosso Dossi, a contemporary of Titian, Raphael and Michelangelo. Lucrezia Borgia was the Duchess of Ferrara from 1502 - 1519 but as the illegitimate daughter of the murderous Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, her name, as with all the Borgias, became synonymous with villainy. Mr. Villis said at first he thought it was "preposterous" that the subject of the painting could be Lucrezia Borgia. "It was the last thing I expected when I started out on the whole process," he told The Times. Analysis of the painting's pigments indicated that it was most probably painted by Dossi, he said. The clues to the subject of the portrait lay in the detail of the painting. The myrtle bush, highly symbolic in Renaissance painting, refers to the goddess Venus which indicated the figure was a woman, not a man as originally thought. An inscripton at the bottom of the portrait refers to virtue and beauty, another code for the female identity of the sitter. The dagger held by the figure, although unheard of in Renaissance portraits of women, symbolised the Roman heroine Lucrezia, renowned for plunging a dagger into her chest after being raped by the son of the King of Rome. While these were interesting but circumstantial pieces of evidence, Mr Villis said one of the deciding factors was the similarity between the portrait and a bronze portrait medal of Lucrezia Borgia, made in 1502 and which remains the only reliable likeness of her features. "It has been very exciting to unlock the secrets of this beautiful and enigmatic painting, which now has unique standing in view of the fame of its sitter and the strength of the artist," "When you align the details side by side, the facial features are very similar," he said. David Hulme, a Sydney art expert and valuer, decribed the find as "exciting and extraordinary." "It's probably worth millions," he said. The last work of Dossi's sold in London in 1999 for £900,000. There are other portraits which have been said to be of Lucrezia Borgia, but none have been accepted by scholars. A year ago, the NGV was hugely embarrassed after it was revealed that it had wrongly attributed a painting by an unknown Dutch painter to Vincent Van Gogh. While this portrait has not been authenticated by other art scholars, Mr Villis said he "has not met anyone who disagreed" with with his discovery. "We are putting it out there so people can consider the ideas behind it," he said.

Busy (and Profitable) Year for Treasure Hunters

Busy year for UK treasure hunters November 19, 2008 There has been a significant rise in the number of valuable artefacts found by amateur treasure hunters in Britain. The British Museum says the number of finds containing gold and silver rose by 12.6% to 749 in the last 12 months. The most valuable discovery was a rare Iron Age necklace found near Newark in Nottinghamshire and worth £350,000. Experts say the rise is due to the growing popularity of metal detectors and the legal obligation on treasure hunters to report their finds. Any finds of gold and silver more than 300 years old are legally treasure trove and must be declared and valued by the government's Treasure Valuation Committee. All such treasures ultimately belong to the Crown. Gold coins The new figures were revealed in the British Museum's annual report of treasure. It said the total number of finds was 1,257, which included objects from 2005 and 2006 that have now passed through the treasure process. In 2001, the report documented just 200 treasures. The prize find, the gold and silver Iron Age necklace or torc, is believed to be about 2,000 years old. It was unearthed by a man who was looking for parts of crashed World War II aircraft and is the most valuable single item to be discovered by a member of the public for more than a decade. Its discovery has forced historians and archaeologists to re-think the importance of the Trent Valley area. Culture minister Barbara Follett said: "The treasures of the past that are found in the fields, farms and fells across the United Kingdom are vital pieces in the jigsaw puzzle of our history." She also singled out former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman as an "obsessive treasure finder". Mr Wyman has a section dedicated to archaeology on his website. The oldest object found in the last year was a long, cigar-shaped piece of gold found by a man detecting near Winchester, Hampshire. It is believed to be Bronze Age, potentially dating from as far back as 1500BC. Among the other discoveries were a gold and garnet Anglo-Saxon "mount" artefact and a collection of more than 3,500 Roman coins. The Treasure Act in 1996 ruled that finders and landowners would be eligible for rewards for finds. Museums have since reported a 10-fold increase in items of treasure offered to them.

Ancient Georgian Treasures on Display

The Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge University, England, is hosting a one-of-a-kind display of 140 artifacts excavated from the ancient kingdom of Colchis (in modern-day Georgia), many never seen outside of museums in Georgia before. The exhibit is called "From the Land of the Golden Fleece: Tomb Treasures of Ancient Georgia." The exhibit ends soon, on January 4, 2009. Incredibly intricate and beautiful, reflecting the work of master crafstmen and cross-cultural influences, take a look at the images at the online display at the Fitzwilliam Museum. Here is a link showing some of the artifacts excavated from four 4th century BCE graves in and near the ancient city of Vani. This gold bead necklace is from Grave number 9, c. 330-300 BCE.

2008 World Seniors' Chess Championship

From TWIC, results of the Women's Senior CC, October 28 - November 9, 2008. Here is a link to the final cross-table for the Women's standings. The women's countries were not listed in the final cross-table at the official website, which is really stupid! I want to know where the players were from without having to check at FIDE player lists for each one individually. Photo from official website: WFM Tamara Vilerte, 2008 Women's Seniors CC winner. Top three Women's Senior CC finishers: 1 Vilerte,Tamara WFM 8 51.5 2 Strutinskaya,Galina WIM 7.5 52 3 Fomina,Tatyana WIM 7.5 45

Are Basque Relics Frauds?

Story from the Guardian.co.uk Oh no. (Calvary image from June, 2006) Finds that made Basques proud are fake, say experts Giles Tremlett in Madrid Monday November 24 2008 00.01 GMT It was hailed as an archeological discovery of global importance showing, among other things, the oldest representation of Christ on the cross and proof that ancient Egyptian influences had survived deep in Roman Spain. For traditional Basques the pictures, symbols and words found scraped onto pieces of third century pottery dug up near the town of Nanclares, in northern Spain, included miraculous evidence that their unique language of Euskara was far older than ever thought. Eighteen months ago the dig's director, Eliseo Gil, claimed that some finds at the Roman town known as Veleia were on par with those at Pompeii or Rome itself. Basque nationalists bristled with pride. This archeological jewel gave them a far greater claim to a distinctive, millennial and Christian culture than they had dreamed possible. Now a committee of experts has revealed those jewels to be fakes. "They are either a joke or a fraud," said Martín Almagro, a professor in prehistory from Madrid. "How has something like this been taken seriously for so long?" [Who are these experts? Are they Spanish? Are they Basque? Are they of other nationalities who do not have regional politics as their number one agenda???] The hunt is on for an archeological fraudster who defaced fragments of third century pottery with fake graffiti. [An assumption not yet proven]. The fraudster seems either to have buried the pieces or planted them in a laboratory where experts sifted through finds. [Really?] The fakes left the first people to see them swooning. The Calvary scene was hailed as both the nearest thing mankind had to a contemporary pictorial account of the crucifixion, and proof that Basques had been relatively early Christians. The words in Euskera, if genuine, would have predated by 700 years the previous earliest known written form of the language. The hieroglyphics caused speculation about the existence of third century Egyptologists [oh please - why use such a loaded word "Egyptologist" - why is it not possible that third century Egyptians who were Coptic Christians were in the area at the time? We know there was long-term trade between Egypt and Spain dating back thousands of years] who might have created the inscriptions to teach children. Now experts who have studied the pieces in depth say the fakes, some of which used modern glue [Was modern glue simply used to hold pieces of shards together? Why would this make the inscriptions a fraud?], should have rung warning bells immediately. References were found to non-existent gods [really? If these gods were not know before from prior references, how do these experts know they are non-existent?], 19th-century names [again, really? place names always present complications in archaeological digs but are often used to substantiate other evidence of antiquity] and even to the 17th-century philosopher Descartes [note that no quotes were provided to substantiate this claim]. Words in Euskara used impossible spellings. [Really? Who are these experts in this ancient language? Have they ever studied ancient spellings in English? The variety of spellings is amazing! Indeed, I believe that in English for instance, standardized spellings weren't established until the 20th century!] The hieroglyphs included references to Queen Nefertiti which would have been almost impossible to make prior to the 19th century. [Really? If the people who were doing the inscriptions had actual knowledge, then it wouldn't be so unusual; it's just us so-called modern westerners who didn't have knowledge of Queen Neftertiti until the 19th century; that doesn't mean other people prior to our time didn't know about her. That's a really arrogant assumption to make, tsk tsk.] The Calvary scene, meanwhile, included the inscription "RIP". "It is a formula that can only be applied to people who are dead," Almagro told El Correo newspaper. "To say that Jesus Christ is dead would be a heresy. I haven't seen anything quite so funny in the whole history of Christianity." [Well, I don't know about that; Christ actually did die on that cross, otherwise the whole premise of Christianity, i.e., that Christ rose from the dead 3 days after he died, would be a big lie! What else would people put in a Calvary scene representing where Christ died, but RIP?] Local authorities and sponsors from Basque public companies have poured hundreds of thousands of euros into excavations. Last week they closed the dig temporarily. Eliseo Gil did not return calls from the Guardian but sources said those in charge were not yet fully convinced that their finds were fake.

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Based on what is presented in this story, it seems to me that some "experts" are attacking that which would cast their prior academic conclusions into question. If you think that Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, you haven't seen anything to compare to a previously published academician's pet theories scorned! If these shards are the word of a fraudster, then it was a rather ignorant fraudster. If, as the story implies, it was someone who had access to the dig site and/or the storage facilities for artifacts recovered from the dig, it seems to imply that someone working on the dig is the guilty party. But who would be so stupid as to use modern references in an attempt to fool "experts?" And I still do not get the mention of the use of "modern glue" - just how does that prove that these certain inscribed shards are frauds?

Book Reveals Harsh Reality of Arabic Women

Story from The Korea Times/Arts and Living Section 11-28-2008 22:14 By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter Arabic modern literature has been rarely introduced into Korean publications due to the lack of common values and its exotic background. But "The Golden Chariot,'' which has been recently published in Korean translated directly from Arabic, is drawing attention as it focuses on the Arabic women's lives under a male-dominated society. Written by Salwa Bakr, one of Egypt's most respected novelists and short story writers, the book uses Arabic literary values weaving tales together into a contemporary "Arabian Nights.'' Bakr, also known as a feminist, who visited Korea to attend a Korea-Arab literature forum from Nov. 17 to 18, said that she wants to shed light on the male-dominated social system through literature. "Women's stories in my novel are not only for the Arabic society but also for other societies as almost every civilization has grown based on the male-oriented system in agrarian culture. Particularly, the male-dominated system is prevalent in Asian countries. So I think that can win sympathy from my novel,'' Bakr said. The novel revolves around 15 women in a prison in Egypt and the motives behind the crimes. An Alexandrian woman Aziza is serving a life sentence for the murder of her mother's husband. She killed the man who seduced her, after her mother's death when he took another woman as his new wife despite his promises to Aziza. In her cell, Aziza imagines a golden chariot to take her to heaven so that her wishes and dreams come true. But she decides to take other fellow prisoners who deserve a free ride to paradise. Aziza, who is described as a woman obsessed with such an illusion, listens to the stories of her fellow prisoners to select them to ride in the chariot. Her fellow prisoners were imprisoned for various crimes, including murder, theft, and drug-dealing. Um Ragab is behind bars as she resorted to pick pocketing to support her children. Hana killed her husband one night by leaving on the gas after suffering abuse from him for 45 years as a sexual slave and domestic help. Azima, depicted as a tall woman, became a naddaba (professional mourner), then a vocal performer for religious celebrations and finally a popular singer. She killed her abusive lover. Huda is the 16-year-old youngest prisoner; Zaynab Mansur is well educated; while Shafiqa had been a beggar. Um al-Khayr was a peasant likened to a Pharaonic goddess, and Gamalat assaulted her sister's would-be boyfriend. Various characters in the prison who have suffered from harsh reality pushing them to have no choice but to commit a crime are all to get on board Aziza's golden chariot to the heavens. The novel focuses on how the women came to the prisons and the salvation they need, symbolized by the golden chariot. But Aziza dies in the last chapter just as she prepares for the chariot's departure. As the novel's title suggests, the chariot does not ascend to the heavens. It means rather than salvation through a golden chariot to the heavens imagined by Aziza in prison, the author suggests real-life salvation comes from the social and political change begun by the women themselves. Bakr's is a sarcastic and cynical look at how women of different backgrounds ― some guilty and some innocent ― get together in prison. It is in line with her writing, which mostly depicts life at the grassroots of Egypt's culture, urging women to liberate themselves from poverty and inequality. Through The Golden Chariot, readers are able to see the injustices of a transitional Arabic society. At the same time, it offers a glimpse of their yearning and longing for a better life. The author also depicts the difficulty that these societies face as honest means rarely solve anything. Bakr has been concerned about repression in all spheres of Egyptian life and in particular the political sphere. However, she believes that both men and women can be liberated through the contribution of women's writing. She says that Arabic is a male-dominated language and that "women should create a language for themselves.'' She does not believe in conflict between men and women, but rather sees both genders as victims of traditional society.Born in Cairo in 1949, the daughter of a railway worker, Bakr took a degree in business management in 1972 at Ain Shams University and in literary criticism in 1976 before embarking on a career in journalism. Her short stories began to appear in the press during the 1970s and her work has been met with much critical acclaim.

Blue Eyed Mummy and Cannabis in Ancient Chinese Grave

I had no idea that most strains of cannabis today originated in China! Fascinating article - and more of those troublesome blue-eyed certainly Caucasian mummies (this one was most likely a shaman) showing up in the far northwest region of China. [Map - shows how close Turpan a/k/a Turfan is to Urumchi a/k/a Urumqi - see prior posts under Mummies of Urumchi: (1) (2)]. Story from The Canadia Press.com Researchers find oldest-ever stash of marijuana 1 day ago OTTAWA — Researchers say they have located the world's oldest stash of marijuana, in a tomb in a remote part of China. The cache of cannabis is about 2,700 years old and was clearly "cultivated for psychoactive purposes," rather than as fibre for clothing or as food, says a research paper in the Journal of Experimental Botany. The 789 grams of dried cannabis was buried alongside a light-haired, blue-eyed Caucasian man, likely a shaman of the Gushi culture, near Turpan in northwestern China. The extremely dry conditions and alkaline soil acted as preservatives, allowing a team of scientists to carefully analyze the stash, which still looked green though it had lost its distinctive odour. "To our knowledge, these investigations provide the oldest documentation of cannabis as a pharmacologically active agent," says the newly published paper, whose lead author was American neurologist Dr. Ethan B. Russo. Remnants of cannabis have been found in ancient Egypt and other sites, and the substance has been referred to by authors such as the Greek historian Herodotus. But the tomb stash is the oldest so far that could be thoroughly tested for its properties. The 18 researchers, most of them based in China, subjected the cannabis to a battery of tests, including carbon dating and genetic analysis. Scientists also tried to germinate 100 of the seeds found in the cache, without success. The marijuana was found to have a relatively high content of THC, the main active ingredient in cannabis, but the sample was too old to determine a precise percentage. Researchers also could not determine whether the cannabis was smoked or ingested, as there were no pipes or other clues in the tomb of the shaman, who was about 45 years old. The large cache was contained in a leather basket and in a wooden bowl, and was likely meant to be used by the shaman in the afterlife. "This materially is unequivocally cannabis, and no material has previously had this degree of analysis possible," Russo said in an interview from Missoula, Mont. "It was common practice in burials to provide materials needed for the afterlife. No hemp or seeds were provided for fabric or food. Rather, cannabis as medicine or for visionary purposes was supplied." The tomb also contained bridles, archery equipment and a harp, confirming the man's high social standing. Russo is a full-time consultant with GW Pharmaceuticals, which makes Sativex, a cannabis-based medicine approved in Canada for pain linked to multiple sclerosis and cancer. The company operates a cannabis-testing laboratory at a secret location in southern England to monitor crop quality for producing Sativex, and allowed Russo use of the facility for tests on 11 grams of the tomb cannabis. Researchers needed about 10 months to cut red tape barring the transfer of the cannabis to England from China, Russo said. The inter-disciplinary study was published this week by the British-based botany journal, which uses independent reviewers to ensure the accuracy and objectivity of all submitted papers. The substance has been found in two of the 500 Gushi tombs excavated so far in northwestern China, indicating that cannabis was either restricted for use by a few individuals or was administered as a medicine to others through shamans, Russo said. "It certainly does indicate that cannabis has been used by man for a variety of purposes for thousands of years." Russo, who had a neurology practice for 20 years, has previously published studies examining the history of cannabis. "I hope we can avoid some of the political liabilities of the issue," he said, referring to his latest paper. The region of China where the tomb is located, Xinjiang, is considered an original source of many cannabis strains worldwide. Copyright © 2008 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Shopping on Black Friday!

Ohmygoddess - I can't believe my sister and I actually went shopping today! We must be crazy! The mall was packed! We had a ball together. We're about the same size so we were able to comb the racks together for things in our size. I was on the hunt for new shoes and a few more mock turtlenecks or a sweater or two for myself. I bought two pairs of shoes, a new pair of cushy mittens, a new pair of brown slacks (my old ones wore out and I remembered I wanted a new pair), a scented Christmas candle and Christmas sweater for myself, and gifts for two people at the office that I got the most incredible deals on! Three wonderfully scented six-inch candles for one gift; and three highly decorated small wooden boxes for the other gift. The boxes cost $10 - unbelievable. The three scented candles cost me what one would normally cost and were around $10. My own scented candle was also on sale for 50% off and was under $5. I got the candles and the small decorated boxes at Pier 1 Imports; we also shopped at Boston Store and Kohls. My sister got a pair of shoes at Kohls, a top at Boston Store, and Christmas tree ornaments at Pier 1 Imports. We are both very happy - and exhausted! Since we had my sister's car (I do not drive or own a vehicle) I also took the opportunity to stock up on wine and liquor for the holidays and other large and/or bulky items that would otherwise have taken me several laborious trips home lugging a few items at a time. We started out shortly after 1:00 p.m. and were home by 4:30 p.m. I had enough time to toss some nuts and peanuts to the squirrels before the sun rushed below the horizon. The weather cooperated today, too. It was sunny and got above 40 this afternoon although the wind was brisk at times, causing some windchill. I finally pulled out the shovel and scraped down my driveway, and it was appreciably improved by the sun and relatively mild temperatures when we got back home from shopping. As much as 3 more inches of snow is forecast beginning this coming Sunday night so I wanted to get down to bare payment - the snow was not otherwise melting as quickly as I'd hoped and I didn't want more to shovel than necessary! I don't know about elsewhere in the country - judging from what I've seen on the news this evening there were crowds at stores all across the country today. Southridge Mall was packed - I do not believe I've ever seen it that crowded. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood, though, which made navigating the crowds much more pleasant. There were lot of kids in the crowds - full families were out - mom, dad and kids. Besides "door buster" specials Boston Store had 20% off coupons in the newspaper which both my sister and I clipped (I used 2 of them). I received $20 worth of Kohls dollars as a result of my purchases at Kohls - only stipulation is that they must be spent at Kohls before or on December 6. It just so happens that my friend Ann and I are meeting for lunch at our favorite Olive Garden next Saturday, December 6, and will go shopping after lunch (Southridge Mall is very close by). I need socks and underware (har! Isn't that always what Grandma bought you as a kid). So those Kohls dollars will not go to waste. Pier 1 Imports, which is not part of the mall but is on the same grounds, was also busy and they had fantastic deals on Christmas decorations and ornaments, scented candles, and lots of other items. The candle I bought for myself is called something like "cranberry balsam" and the scent is absolutely delicious and evocative of the holidays. It is a beauty cranberry-ruby red color that will go perfectly with the living room decor. My sister and I have already made plans to shop the post-holiday sales, lol!

The Saga of the Whipped Sweet Potatoes

For some years, I've made a whipped sweet potato dish that is requested for Thanksgiving dinner. This year, I decided to check for new recipes to see if I could find something better than the recipe I normally use. After a couple nights of checking around the internet, I did find some interesting recipes, but nothing really radically different than what I was already doing, with one important exception. I have now incorporated that new ingredient into my recipe and I thought it turned out very well! I'm not revealing the contents of this recipe, for state security reasons... One other interesting bit of information I picked up was to use a food processor (which I do not own) or a blender (which I do own) to do the bulk of the whipping-up work after the initial mash is finished. Ahhh, I thought to myself, this is a good idea. I had been using my old (more than 20 years old now) but faithful electric hand mixer which has the unfortunate tendency to spatter bits of food all over the walls and me at higher speeds. And so, after doing my initial mash and incorporation of some ingredients, I added the butter, mashed a bit, and then dumped the whole into my blender. Turned it on low. It was running but there was no movement in the chamber. Turned it up a few notches higher; still no movement in the chamber. I turned off the blender and added milk and stirred things up a bit. Turned the blender back on. Still no movement. I repeated this exercise several times before deciding that THIS IS NOT GOING TO WORK, STUPID WOMAN! And so, I meticulously scraped out every bit of non-whipped sweet potatoes and non-blended bits of butter back into a mixing bowl, pulled out the trusty old electric hand mixer, and set to it. Approximately one hour later (it takes a LOT of whipping and tasting and whipping and tasting to make my whipped sweet potatoes - sounds rather like a naughty movie, doesn't it, all that whipping and tasting), my dish was finished! Voila! Lesson learned: I need a food processor.

The Saga of Ka-Nefer-Nefer Continues

The Saint Louis Art Museum Ka-Nefer-Nefer Egyptian Mask Saga Continues Wed Nov 26, 2008 at 04:58:43 PM A recent Associated Press article reports that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is now looking into the provenance of the Ka-Nefer-Nefer mask, a 3,000-year-old Egyptian relic acquired in the late 1990s by the Saint Louis Art Museum. The mask, said to date back to the Nineteenth Dynasty (1293-1185 B.C.), was unearthed early in 1952 by an up-and-coming Egyptian archaeologist named Mohammed Zakaria Goneim. It is at the center of a long-running ownership dispute between the art museum and the Egyptian government. The set-to was the topic of an in-depth Riverfront Times story by Malcolm Gay, "Out of Egypt," published in February 2006. Wrote Gay:

Goneim announced to the world that he might have uncovered the untouched tomb of a previously unknown pharaoh named Sekhemkhet -- potentially the most significant find since Howard Carter unearthed the virgin tomb of Tutankhamen 30 years before. Among the many burials Goneim discovered atop the pyramid, one in particular caught his eye: the unmummified body of a woman, wrapped in a simple reed mat. Her remains, which dated to the Nineteenth Dynasty, were badly decomposed, but she wore an elaborate mask over her head and shoulders. Her face, covered by a thin sheet of blended copper and gold, peeked from beneath an intricate resin wig molded into plaits. The diadem that crowned her head was made of glass, as were her eyes and nipples. In each hand she held an amulet symbolizing strength and welfare; etched across her folded arms was a scene depicting the encounter between Osiris, the Egyptian god of the dead, and the woman's spiritual double in the afterlife, known as her ka. Goneim dubbed the woman Ka-Nefer-Nefer: the Twice-Beautiful Ka.

The AP story updates the fight being waged by Zahi Hawass, secretary general for Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, against the SLAM and its current director, Brent Benjamin. In the current story, Benjamin reiterates the argument he made to Gay in 2006 -- asserting that "[t]o date, we have not seen information that we believe is compelling enough to return the object." Counters Hawass, per the Associated Press: "This stupid man [Benjamin], he doesn't understand the rules here." Archaeologist Goneim, meanwhile, never achieved the worldwide fame his discovery had augured: In 1958 he was accused of looting artifacts, and though a friend and colleague came to the rescue with exculpatory evidence, he arrived too late. On January 12, 1959, Goneim threw himself into the Nile River and drowned.-Tom Finkel

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Hmmmm, she certainly sounds like an important person. Regular people weren't buried with elaborate gold death masks, wigs and acoutrements. Who was she? Is she a lost queen?