Isis sent me this story when it first broke a couple of days ago, but I had hoped it would go away. But - it has not - so, Isis, here is the story, the latest version from the BBC. Lots of to-do about a "new ancestor of humans" - only, she probably is not. Unless it can be shown that this female who is "dated" to between 48,000 to 32,000 years ago has her mitochondrial DNA present in today's humans, she cannot be an ancestor. Amazingly, from a sliver of a finger bone artists have managed to come up with a very human-looking representation of what this ancient female looked like! Modern reconstructive forensic science! The miracles never cease! This is better even than Eve being created out of one of Adam's ribs!
DNA identifies new ancient human dubbed 'X-woman'
By Paul Rincon
Science reporter, BBC News
Thursday, 25 March 2010
As I understand the current results, there is no evidence that the "X woman" contributed anything to the line of modern humans. So - she is not an ancestor. By scientific definition, she cannot be. Notice, however, the use of the loaded term "woman" rather than using the more generic term "female." "Woman" definitely connotes a human being - which the female could not be, since she shares no mitochondrial DNA with modern females according to current DNA test results. So - let's see what the "further testing" that is planned reveals. What will be reported in the popular press if further tests turn out to point to something other than a "modern human" connection? Anyone want to place a bet?
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The More Things Seem to Change, the More They Stay the Same...
Redux.
I know there are millions of people, in the USA and in Europe (which presents itself as more sophisticated and urbane than us "cowboys" in the wild wild West), who think that women have achieved absolute equality with men. Unfortunately, the title of the following article gives a bad name to the absolutely blameless Neanderthal humans.
Ukrainian women berate 'Neanderthal' PM for sexist remarks
Mykola Azarov enrages feminist groups by suggesting women are unsuitable for high political office
Luke Harding in Moscow
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 24 March 2010 19.50 GMT
Ukraine's new pro-Russia prime minister, Mykola Azarov, has enraged feminist groups by suggesting that women are unsuitable for high political office and incapable of carrying out reforms.
Women's groups in Ukraine have angrily reported Azarov – who presides over an all-male cabinet – to the country's ombudsman following his remarks last week. They accuse him of gender discrimination and holding Neanderthal views.
Speaking on Friday, Azarov said Ukraine's economic problems were too difficult for any woman to handle.
"Some say our government is too large; others that there are no women," he said. "There's no one to look at during cabinet sessions: they're all boring faces. With all respect to women, conducting reforms is not women's business."
Ukraine's new woman-free government was capable of working 16 hours a day with "no breaks and weekends", Azarov boasted.
The prime minister's gaffe echoes comments made recently by the man who appointed him – Ukraine's new president, Viktor Yanukovych. During February's election campaign, Yanukovych declared that his female opponent, Yulia Tymoshenko, should "go to the kitchen".
Today, Azarov's political enemies denounced him as an unreconstructed dinosaur. They said his derisory remark, snubbing half of the country's 46 million population, underlined just how out of touch he is with ordinary Ukrainians.
March 22, 2010, 6:09 pm
Using Quotas to Raise the Glass Ceiling
By THE EDITORS (The New York Times)
In 2002, Norway enacted a law requiring that 40 percent of all board members at state-owned and publicly listed companies be women by 2008.
Since then, Spain and the Netherlands have passed similar laws. Now Belgium, Britain, Germany, France and Sweden are considering legislative measures involving female quotas. And although Germany is also debating such a law, Deutsche Telekom, which is based in Bonn, announced last week that it would voluntarily introduce a quota aiming to fill 30 percent of upper and middle management jobs with women by the end of 2015.
Do quotas work? Would they work in the U.S.? Does the U.S. need them? Viewpoints by:
Marit Hoel, Center for Corporate Diversity, Oslo
Amy Dittmar, University of Michigan
Peter Baldwin, author, “The Narcissism of Minor Differences”
Sharon Meers, former managing director at Goldman Sachs
Linda Hirshman, author, “Get to Work”
I know there are millions of people, in the USA and in Europe (which presents itself as more sophisticated and urbane than us "cowboys" in the wild wild West), who think that women have achieved absolute equality with men. Unfortunately, the title of the following article gives a bad name to the absolutely blameless Neanderthal humans.
Ukrainian women berate 'Neanderthal' PM for sexist remarks
Mykola Azarov enrages feminist groups by suggesting women are unsuitable for high political office
Luke Harding in Moscow
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 24 March 2010 19.50 GMT
Ukraine's new pro-Russia prime minister, Mykola Azarov, has enraged feminist groups by suggesting that women are unsuitable for high political office and incapable of carrying out reforms.
Women's groups in Ukraine have angrily reported Azarov – who presides over an all-male cabinet – to the country's ombudsman following his remarks last week. They accuse him of gender discrimination and holding Neanderthal views.
Speaking on Friday, Azarov said Ukraine's economic problems were too difficult for any woman to handle.
"Some say our government is too large; others that there are no women," he said. "There's no one to look at during cabinet sessions: they're all boring faces. With all respect to women, conducting reforms is not women's business."
Ukraine's new woman-free government was capable of working 16 hours a day with "no breaks and weekends", Azarov boasted.
The prime minister's gaffe echoes comments made recently by the man who appointed him – Ukraine's new president, Viktor Yanukovych. During February's election campaign, Yanukovych declared that his female opponent, Yulia Tymoshenko, should "go to the kitchen".
Today, Azarov's political enemies denounced him as an unreconstructed dinosaur. They said his derisory remark, snubbing half of the country's 46 million population, underlined just how out of touch he is with ordinary Ukrainians.
**********************************************************************
Against this current backdrop, I put forth for your consideration:March 22, 2010, 6:09 pm
Using Quotas to Raise the Glass Ceiling
By THE EDITORS (The New York Times)
In 2002, Norway enacted a law requiring that 40 percent of all board members at state-owned and publicly listed companies be women by 2008.
Since then, Spain and the Netherlands have passed similar laws. Now Belgium, Britain, Germany, France and Sweden are considering legislative measures involving female quotas. And although Germany is also debating such a law, Deutsche Telekom, which is based in Bonn, announced last week that it would voluntarily introduce a quota aiming to fill 30 percent of upper and middle management jobs with women by the end of 2015.
Do quotas work? Would they work in the U.S.? Does the U.S. need them? Viewpoints by:
Marit Hoel, Center for Corporate Diversity, Oslo
Amy Dittmar, University of Michigan
Peter Baldwin, author, “The Narcissism of Minor Differences”
Sharon Meers, former managing director at Goldman Sachs
Linda Hirshman, author, “Get to Work”
Staffordshire Hoard Saved for Local Museums by Grant Funds
From the Guardian.co.uk
Anglo-Saxon Staffordshire hoard saved by £1.3m heritage grant
The Staffordshire hoard of Anglo-Saxon treasure found last year will receive a £1.3m Heritage Memorial Fund grant to allow it to remain in Midlands museums
Maev Kennedy guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 23 March 2010 15.45 GMT Article history
A grant of £1,285,000 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) will keep the glittering treasures of the Staffordshire hoard, the most spectacular heap of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found, in the region where an amateur metal detector found it last summer after it spent 1,300 years buried in a nondescript field.
The grant goes to Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent museums, which will share the treasure, having raised the £3.3m necessary to pay Terry Herbert, who found the gold, and farmer Fred Johnson, the owner of the field where it was discovered.
Unusually for the fund, when the trustees met today there was no argument about the extraordinary quality of the hoard, or the merits of making the grant. Dame Jenny Abramsky, chair of the NHMF, said: "The Staffordshire hoard is an extraordinary heritage treasure. It is exactly the sort of thing the National Heritage Memorial Fund was set up to save, stepping in as the 'fund of last resort' when our national heritage is at risk, as a fitting memorial to those who have given their lives in the service of our nation. We're delighted, in our 30th anniversary year, to be able to make sure it stays just where it belongs, providing rare insights into one of the more mysterious periods of our history." Image: A glass chequerboard stud with a gold and garnet surround. Photograph: PR.
"Frankly they'd have been demented not to give the money," David Starkey, the historian who led the £3.3m appeal, said, welcoming the announcement. He has labelled the 1,500 pieces of jewel-studded gold, which appear to have been wrenched violently off their original metal, leather and wooden mounts, "gangland bling".
"This is by far the most important archaeological discovery in Britain since the second world war, and beyond that this is a find – of the most extraordinary beauty, brilliance and technical sophistication – which has really caught the imagination of the public."
The culture minister, Margaret Hodge, said: "Thanks to this grant, these superb items will be able to stay – and be enjoyed – where they belong: in the Midlands where they were discovered."
The British Museum, which would once inevitably have been seen as the natural home for a find of international importance, gave its blessing and practical support to the campaign. The total includes thousands of small donations from members of the public, some sent from as far as Australia, and a £300,000 grant from the Art Fund charity, which launched the appeal. The museums, backed by their local authorities, put in £100,000 each.
Stephen Deuchar, director of the Art Fund, said: "We have been absolutely bowled over by the enthusiasm and fascination the Staffordshire hoard has sparked amongst the British public, as well as visitors from abroad. It is wonderful news that the NHMF has enabled the target of £3.285m to be reached ahead of schedule, and I hope that this will give the West Midlands a head start with the next stage in fundraising for the conservation, research and display of the treasure."
When the find was announced in September the news went round the world. The gold was found by Terry Herbert, a passionate amateur metal detector whose best previous find was a broken piece of medieval horse harness, on farmer Fred Johnson's land near Lichfield in July. When Herbert had covered his dining room table with gold, and was becoming thoroughly alarmed at the scale of his find, he called in the experts. The archaeologists and forensic scientists who hit the field – under the cover story from the local police that they were investigating a murder – found most of the pieces just below the surface, and some tangled in clumps of grass which had grown up through the delicate filigree gold: eventually they retrieved 2.5kg of silver and 5kg of gold. One gold-and-garnet Anglo-Saxon sword pommel would be regarded as a find of international importance: there were scores in the hoard, along with unique and enigmatic objects still baffling the archaeologists such as the wriggling gold serpents, and a biblical inscription on a strap of gold folded in half like a shirt collar.
Starkey said: "These are pieces from the period which we were brought up to call the dark ages, and they prove that it was no such thing. When the Normans invaded in 1066, they may have been better organised chaps – but it wasn't that they were the civilised ones invading a primitive backwater, they came because they were desperate to get their hands on the wealth of Harold's England."
Local pride and interest in the treasure is intense. The exhibitions at the Birmingham city museum, immediately after the find was announced in September, and at the Potteries museum in Stoke-on-Trent last month when the hoard returned for the first time to Staffordshire, broke records at both museums with crowds queueing for hours to see the treasures.
More than 52,000 people visited the Stoke museum in three weeks, donating more than £152,000 to the appeal, including a single anonymous donation of £50,000 on the eve of the exhibition.
Many of the pieces are still caked in mud, and some still tangled with blades of grass. While careful conservation work continues, scholars will be poring over the treasures for decades to come.
"There could be blood on them as well. These pieces still have a lot to tell us," said Deb Klemperer, the archaeologist and curator at the Potteries, who was reduced to tears at their beauty when she first saw the gold last summer.
Starkey said the gold, and its new homes in Birmingham and the Potteries, will redraw the map of Anglo-Saxon England.
"These pieces change our understanding not just of history but of geography, swinging the axis away from Kent and Wessex and Northumbria, which we are fairly knowledgeable about, to the highly important but very little understood kingdom of Mercia, of which we know so little."
And he added the collection would have a positive impact on the Midlands of today. "They will put new heart and hope into a region which has suffered terribly through de-industrialisation, with the loss of thousands of metal working jobs, and literally the shattering of the Potteries."
In Stoke Hazel Lyth, city council cabinet member for economic development and culture, said they were thrilled at the grant, "a fantastic gesture that will cap a phenomenal fundraising campaign", but warned that the fundraising goes on.
"Acquiring these unparalleled treasures is essential, but it is just the beginning. We still very much need the public's support in helping us to unlock the secrets of this amazing collection. It will cost a further £1.7m to develop a Mercian trail which will take in Lichfield and Tamworth to link up the ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom. We need to interpret and research the hoard, so that we can discover where it came from, why it was put in Staffordshire soil, and find the answers to many other questions."
Although the major exhibition has closed, some of the pieces remain on display at Stoke, Birmingham, and at the British Museum in London.
Anglo-Saxon Staffordshire hoard saved by £1.3m heritage grant
The Staffordshire hoard of Anglo-Saxon treasure found last year will receive a £1.3m Heritage Memorial Fund grant to allow it to remain in Midlands museums
Maev Kennedy guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 23 March 2010 15.45 GMT Article history
The grant goes to Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent museums, which will share the treasure, having raised the £3.3m necessary to pay Terry Herbert, who found the gold, and farmer Fred Johnson, the owner of the field where it was discovered.
Unusually for the fund, when the trustees met today there was no argument about the extraordinary quality of the hoard, or the merits of making the grant. Dame Jenny Abramsky, chair of the NHMF, said: "The Staffordshire hoard is an extraordinary heritage treasure. It is exactly the sort of thing the National Heritage Memorial Fund was set up to save, stepping in as the 'fund of last resort' when our national heritage is at risk, as a fitting memorial to those who have given their lives in the service of our nation. We're delighted, in our 30th anniversary year, to be able to make sure it stays just where it belongs, providing rare insights into one of the more mysterious periods of our history." Image: A glass chequerboard stud with a gold and garnet surround. Photograph: PR.
"Frankly they'd have been demented not to give the money," David Starkey, the historian who led the £3.3m appeal, said, welcoming the announcement. He has labelled the 1,500 pieces of jewel-studded gold, which appear to have been wrenched violently off their original metal, leather and wooden mounts, "gangland bling".
"This is by far the most important archaeological discovery in Britain since the second world war, and beyond that this is a find – of the most extraordinary beauty, brilliance and technical sophistication – which has really caught the imagination of the public."
The culture minister, Margaret Hodge, said: "Thanks to this grant, these superb items will be able to stay – and be enjoyed – where they belong: in the Midlands where they were discovered."
The British Museum, which would once inevitably have been seen as the natural home for a find of international importance, gave its blessing and practical support to the campaign. The total includes thousands of small donations from members of the public, some sent from as far as Australia, and a £300,000 grant from the Art Fund charity, which launched the appeal. The museums, backed by their local authorities, put in £100,000 each.
Stephen Deuchar, director of the Art Fund, said: "We have been absolutely bowled over by the enthusiasm and fascination the Staffordshire hoard has sparked amongst the British public, as well as visitors from abroad. It is wonderful news that the NHMF has enabled the target of £3.285m to be reached ahead of schedule, and I hope that this will give the West Midlands a head start with the next stage in fundraising for the conservation, research and display of the treasure."
When the find was announced in September the news went round the world. The gold was found by Terry Herbert, a passionate amateur metal detector whose best previous find was a broken piece of medieval horse harness, on farmer Fred Johnson's land near Lichfield in July. When Herbert had covered his dining room table with gold, and was becoming thoroughly alarmed at the scale of his find, he called in the experts. The archaeologists and forensic scientists who hit the field – under the cover story from the local police that they were investigating a murder – found most of the pieces just below the surface, and some tangled in clumps of grass which had grown up through the delicate filigree gold: eventually they retrieved 2.5kg of silver and 5kg of gold. One gold-and-garnet Anglo-Saxon sword pommel would be regarded as a find of international importance: there were scores in the hoard, along with unique and enigmatic objects still baffling the archaeologists such as the wriggling gold serpents, and a biblical inscription on a strap of gold folded in half like a shirt collar.
Starkey said: "These are pieces from the period which we were brought up to call the dark ages, and they prove that it was no such thing. When the Normans invaded in 1066, they may have been better organised chaps – but it wasn't that they were the civilised ones invading a primitive backwater, they came because they were desperate to get their hands on the wealth of Harold's England."
Local pride and interest in the treasure is intense. The exhibitions at the Birmingham city museum, immediately after the find was announced in September, and at the Potteries museum in Stoke-on-Trent last month when the hoard returned for the first time to Staffordshire, broke records at both museums with crowds queueing for hours to see the treasures.
More than 52,000 people visited the Stoke museum in three weeks, donating more than £152,000 to the appeal, including a single anonymous donation of £50,000 on the eve of the exhibition.
Many of the pieces are still caked in mud, and some still tangled with blades of grass. While careful conservation work continues, scholars will be poring over the treasures for decades to come.
"There could be blood on them as well. These pieces still have a lot to tell us," said Deb Klemperer, the archaeologist and curator at the Potteries, who was reduced to tears at their beauty when she first saw the gold last summer.
Starkey said the gold, and its new homes in Birmingham and the Potteries, will redraw the map of Anglo-Saxon England.
"These pieces change our understanding not just of history but of geography, swinging the axis away from Kent and Wessex and Northumbria, which we are fairly knowledgeable about, to the highly important but very little understood kingdom of Mercia, of which we know so little."
And he added the collection would have a positive impact on the Midlands of today. "They will put new heart and hope into a region which has suffered terribly through de-industrialisation, with the loss of thousands of metal working jobs, and literally the shattering of the Potteries."
In Stoke Hazel Lyth, city council cabinet member for economic development and culture, said they were thrilled at the grant, "a fantastic gesture that will cap a phenomenal fundraising campaign", but warned that the fundraising goes on.
"Acquiring these unparalleled treasures is essential, but it is just the beginning. We still very much need the public's support in helping us to unlock the secrets of this amazing collection. It will cost a further £1.7m to develop a Mercian trail which will take in Lichfield and Tamworth to link up the ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom. We need to interpret and research the hoard, so that we can discover where it came from, why it was put in Staffordshire soil, and find the answers to many other questions."
Although the major exhibition has closed, some of the pieces remain on display at Stoke, Birmingham, and at the British Museum in London.
State University of NY at Buffalo Receives Gift of Fabulous Collection
Cravens gives world-class archaeological and ethnographic collection to UB
'Cravens World' public opening set for March 28
Release Date: March 23, 2010
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Annette Cravens, MSW '68, has donated her multimillion dollar collection of archaeological and ethnographic objects -- dating as far back as 4,500 BC -- to the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences.
The collection has been curated into a world-class permanent installation that will be a resource for the entire UB community. The Cravens collection creates a watershed moment for the university, boosting its profile as a center for world cultural heritage research and extends the vibrant role UB Anderson Gallery plays in the education of students, both at the university and elementary and high-school levels.
The public is invited to the premiere opening of the exhibit, "Cravens World: The Human Aesthetic" at the UB Anderson Gallery on March 28 from 1-5 p.m.
The 1,100-piece collection -- which has nearly doubled the university's collection -- was amassed by Cravens during her more than 40 years of engagement around the globe, often with her husband. She also provided funding so that the collection will be accessible to UB students, Buffalo Public Schools students, scholars and the community.
Phase one of the Cravens project is complete, which includes two rooms for the collection. The largest and by far most impressive room is "Cravens World," where objects from around the world are displayed in transparent, acrylic cubes shaped into a life-size globe that seemingly reaches to the sky. In this display, 126 objects can be experienced from 360-degree views, which are organized into six thematic groups.
"We came up with the idea of the globe to reflect Annette's world travels, and her unique way of viewing objects and of seamlessly moving from culture to culture without borders or bias," says Peter Biehl, associate professor of anthropology at UB and director of the project. Wall cabinets and drawers in the room house another 451 objects organized by geographic location. These objects will serve as teaching tools for students to learn about other cultures.
"Outreach to schoolchildren from kindergarten to high school will be an integral part of the project, and is a piece of which we are proud," Biehl adds. "Not only does this further the mission of UB in educating and reaching out to the Buffalo community, it speaks to Annette's tireless work to support Buffalo's intellectual life via arts, theater and the university."
An interactive touch screen will allow visitors to access information on the objects, and gain information about the cultures, countries, people and artists who created them.
Having a collection of this stature "makes UB a center of excellence in regards to material culture studies and research," Biehl says. "Students have the benefit of access to a collection that can be used to teach them to study, draw, research and curate objects. The experience they will have in regards to the Cravens' collection is invaluable."
The oldest objects in the exhibit are from Asia, Mesopotamia, South America and Europe. Cravens donated her collection so that students, residents and visitors will have a chance to experience diverse cultural traditions. She believes that firsthand contact with these artifacts provides a tangible connection to the aesthetic sensibilities of other people and creates a critical dynamic that can teach others to see and spark appreciation, inspiration and understanding.
"The collection complements and reinforces the mission of UB Anderson Gallery to serve as a unique academic center for interdisciplinary research focusing on learning from objects," says Sandra H. Olsen, PhD, director of the UB Art Galleries.
"It has also positively and dramatically altered the character of the university's collection. Formerly focused on European and American modern and contemporary art, the Cravens collection extends the reach of the visual arts at UB Anderson Gallery from modern to ancient times. The collection represents a significant expansion of the university's collection, nearly doubling its size and exponentially broadening its contents. The unique installation of the objects in the collection advances immeasurably the UB Anderson Gallery's mission of accessing its unique academic resources as broadly as possible."
In addition to the Cravens World open installation, modern works of art from the Cravens collection are installed in the Anderson Gallery. Prints, paintings and sculptures invite guests to consider aesthetics shared by modern works and cultural objects in the Cravens World exhibition.
In fall 2010, phase two of the Cravens' collection project will begin, with construction of a seminar room, research laboratory and a repository and study room for the collection's archives. Biehl will teach a seminar, and UB students will focus on objects from Europe and the Near East. Similar courses using objects from other continents will follow over the next three years. At the end of the fall 2010 semester, students will collectively curate a public exhibition of Cravens collection objects. The collection will also open opportunities for internships in museum studies, anthropology, classics, art history, oral history, education and library science.
The Cravens Collection Project is funded by the UB College of Arts and Sciences with generous support from Annette Cravens. It includes the assessment, research and management of the donated collection of archaeological and ethnographic objects; archives of written documents, oral histories, photos and artwork from around the world; reconstruction of two rooms in the UB Anderson Gallery and outreach activities. The project also includes the creation of a virtual museum interfaced with an online multimedia database, as well as the production of an educational video game.
As well as Biehl and Olsen, other UB faculty who collaborated on this project include Mehrdad Hadighi, professor and chair, School of Architecture and Planning, responsible for the Cravens World design; Stephen Dyson, Park Professor of Classics; Samuel Paley, professor of classics; Douglass Perrelli, adjunct professor and director, archaeological survey, Department of Anthropology; Phillips Stevens Jr., associate professor of anthropology; Roy Roussel, professor and acting chair, media study; Alexander Reid, associate professor of English; Michael Frisch, professor of American studies; Sarah Robert, assistant professor of education; and R. Nils Olsen, professor of law. Robert, Frisch and Sandra Olsen are contributing to the project "Open Knowledge and Digital Archives: Digitization, Curation and Dissemination of the Cravens Collection." Reid, Roussel, Robert and Martin Danahay and Kevin Kee from Brock University have contributed time, creativity and expertise to the project "Serious Play and the Cravens Collection: Designing an Educational Video Game for the Outreach Program of the Cravens Collection." Both projects have received funding from the Digital Humanities Initiative at Buffalo (DHIB).
Annette Cravens continues a family philanthropic tradition at UB that began more than 75 years ago. Her father, Dr. Edgar McGuire, succeeded Dr. Roswell Park as professor of surgery and medicine at the university until his death in 1931. A few years later, Annette's mother, Mildred, married Thomas B. Lockwood, who built the original Lockwood Library on the UB South Campus and later gave his collection of rare books to the university.
In 1984 she contributed the original renderings of Lockwood Library to the university. She and her children worked with university administrators to establish a lecture series in the poetry collection in memory of her mother. She also donated a medical instruments collection to UB -- dating from the early Roman period to the late 19th century -- in memory of her father. In 2007 the UB Alumni Association gave Cravens its highest award, the Capen Award, for her contributions to the university.
The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, the largest and most comprehensive campus in the State University of New York. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.
'Cravens World' public opening set for March 28
Release Date: March 23, 2010
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Annette Cravens, MSW '68, has donated her multimillion dollar collection of archaeological and ethnographic objects -- dating as far back as 4,500 BC -- to the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences.
The collection has been curated into a world-class permanent installation that will be a resource for the entire UB community. The Cravens collection creates a watershed moment for the university, boosting its profile as a center for world cultural heritage research and extends the vibrant role UB Anderson Gallery plays in the education of students, both at the university and elementary and high-school levels.
The public is invited to the premiere opening of the exhibit, "Cravens World: The Human Aesthetic" at the UB Anderson Gallery on March 28 from 1-5 p.m.
The 1,100-piece collection -- which has nearly doubled the university's collection -- was amassed by Cravens during her more than 40 years of engagement around the globe, often with her husband. She also provided funding so that the collection will be accessible to UB students, Buffalo Public Schools students, scholars and the community.
Phase one of the Cravens project is complete, which includes two rooms for the collection. The largest and by far most impressive room is "Cravens World," where objects from around the world are displayed in transparent, acrylic cubes shaped into a life-size globe that seemingly reaches to the sky. In this display, 126 objects can be experienced from 360-degree views, which are organized into six thematic groups.
"We came up with the idea of the globe to reflect Annette's world travels, and her unique way of viewing objects and of seamlessly moving from culture to culture without borders or bias," says Peter Biehl, associate professor of anthropology at UB and director of the project. Wall cabinets and drawers in the room house another 451 objects organized by geographic location. These objects will serve as teaching tools for students to learn about other cultures.
"Outreach to schoolchildren from kindergarten to high school will be an integral part of the project, and is a piece of which we are proud," Biehl adds. "Not only does this further the mission of UB in educating and reaching out to the Buffalo community, it speaks to Annette's tireless work to support Buffalo's intellectual life via arts, theater and the university."
An interactive touch screen will allow visitors to access information on the objects, and gain information about the cultures, countries, people and artists who created them.
Having a collection of this stature "makes UB a center of excellence in regards to material culture studies and research," Biehl says. "Students have the benefit of access to a collection that can be used to teach them to study, draw, research and curate objects. The experience they will have in regards to the Cravens' collection is invaluable."
The oldest objects in the exhibit are from Asia, Mesopotamia, South America and Europe. Cravens donated her collection so that students, residents and visitors will have a chance to experience diverse cultural traditions. She believes that firsthand contact with these artifacts provides a tangible connection to the aesthetic sensibilities of other people and creates a critical dynamic that can teach others to see and spark appreciation, inspiration and understanding.
"The collection complements and reinforces the mission of UB Anderson Gallery to serve as a unique academic center for interdisciplinary research focusing on learning from objects," says Sandra H. Olsen, PhD, director of the UB Art Galleries.
"It has also positively and dramatically altered the character of the university's collection. Formerly focused on European and American modern and contemporary art, the Cravens collection extends the reach of the visual arts at UB Anderson Gallery from modern to ancient times. The collection represents a significant expansion of the university's collection, nearly doubling its size and exponentially broadening its contents. The unique installation of the objects in the collection advances immeasurably the UB Anderson Gallery's mission of accessing its unique academic resources as broadly as possible."
In addition to the Cravens World open installation, modern works of art from the Cravens collection are installed in the Anderson Gallery. Prints, paintings and sculptures invite guests to consider aesthetics shared by modern works and cultural objects in the Cravens World exhibition.
In fall 2010, phase two of the Cravens' collection project will begin, with construction of a seminar room, research laboratory and a repository and study room for the collection's archives. Biehl will teach a seminar, and UB students will focus on objects from Europe and the Near East. Similar courses using objects from other continents will follow over the next three years. At the end of the fall 2010 semester, students will collectively curate a public exhibition of Cravens collection objects. The collection will also open opportunities for internships in museum studies, anthropology, classics, art history, oral history, education and library science.
The Cravens Collection Project is funded by the UB College of Arts and Sciences with generous support from Annette Cravens. It includes the assessment, research and management of the donated collection of archaeological and ethnographic objects; archives of written documents, oral histories, photos and artwork from around the world; reconstruction of two rooms in the UB Anderson Gallery and outreach activities. The project also includes the creation of a virtual museum interfaced with an online multimedia database, as well as the production of an educational video game.
As well as Biehl and Olsen, other UB faculty who collaborated on this project include Mehrdad Hadighi, professor and chair, School of Architecture and Planning, responsible for the Cravens World design; Stephen Dyson, Park Professor of Classics; Samuel Paley, professor of classics; Douglass Perrelli, adjunct professor and director, archaeological survey, Department of Anthropology; Phillips Stevens Jr., associate professor of anthropology; Roy Roussel, professor and acting chair, media study; Alexander Reid, associate professor of English; Michael Frisch, professor of American studies; Sarah Robert, assistant professor of education; and R. Nils Olsen, professor of law. Robert, Frisch and Sandra Olsen are contributing to the project "Open Knowledge and Digital Archives: Digitization, Curation and Dissemination of the Cravens Collection." Reid, Roussel, Robert and Martin Danahay and Kevin Kee from Brock University have contributed time, creativity and expertise to the project "Serious Play and the Cravens Collection: Designing an Educational Video Game for the Outreach Program of the Cravens Collection." Both projects have received funding from the Digital Humanities Initiative at Buffalo (DHIB).
Annette Cravens continues a family philanthropic tradition at UB that began more than 75 years ago. Her father, Dr. Edgar McGuire, succeeded Dr. Roswell Park as professor of surgery and medicine at the university until his death in 1931. A few years later, Annette's mother, Mildred, married Thomas B. Lockwood, who built the original Lockwood Library on the UB South Campus and later gave his collection of rare books to the university.
In 1984 she contributed the original renderings of Lockwood Library to the university. She and her children worked with university administrators to establish a lecture series in the poetry collection in memory of her mother. She also donated a medical instruments collection to UB -- dating from the early Roman period to the late 19th century -- in memory of her father. In 2007 the UB Alumni Association gave Cravens its highest award, the Capen Award, for her contributions to the university.
The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, the largest and most comprehensive campus in the State University of New York. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.
Han Dynasty City Discovered
From the Economic Times of India
Ruins of 2,000-year-old city found in China
24 Mar 2010, 1307 hrs IST, IANS
BEIJING: Archaeologists in China have found the ruins of a 2,000-year-old city dating back to the Eastern Han Dynasty, a report said Wednesday.
The site, located near Fujiacun village in Fengcheng city in Jiangxi province, covers about 18,000 square metres and is surrounded by a moat, Xinhua news agency reported.
About 30 metres of the wall surrounding the ancient city was still standing on its west and pieces of broken tiles were found scattered on the ground, it said.
Villagers said they had seen stone implements at the site in the past, but none was found during a field trip by archaeologists. The researchers said the implements might have been collected by some private collector.
The archaeologists believe the ruins would provide new clues for research on the city structure of the Eastern Han Dynasty, which ruled the eastern part of the country during 24-220 AD.
***************************************************************
"The researchers said the implements might have been collected by some private collector."
Yeah, right. Wholesale looting by the locals! LOL! Well, I can't say as I blame them, the way they get screwed by corrupt officials at all levels of government. What do they care about their own ancient heritage? If they are even aware that their country has one that is worth preserving,
Ruins of 2,000-year-old city found in China
24 Mar 2010, 1307 hrs IST, IANS
BEIJING: Archaeologists in China have found the ruins of a 2,000-year-old city dating back to the Eastern Han Dynasty, a report said Wednesday.
The site, located near Fujiacun village in Fengcheng city in Jiangxi province, covers about 18,000 square metres and is surrounded by a moat, Xinhua news agency reported.
About 30 metres of the wall surrounding the ancient city was still standing on its west and pieces of broken tiles were found scattered on the ground, it said.
Villagers said they had seen stone implements at the site in the past, but none was found during a field trip by archaeologists. The researchers said the implements might have been collected by some private collector.
The archaeologists believe the ruins would provide new clues for research on the city structure of the Eastern Han Dynasty, which ruled the eastern part of the country during 24-220 AD.
***************************************************************
"The researchers said the implements might have been collected by some private collector."
Yeah, right. Wholesale looting by the locals! LOL! Well, I can't say as I blame them, the way they get screwed by corrupt officials at all levels of government. What do they care about their own ancient heritage? If they are even aware that their country has one that is worth preserving,
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The More Things Seem to Change, the More They Stay the Same...
...don't you think it's strange. Girl, put your records on, play me your favorite song, your gonna find yourself someday... Corinne Bailey Rae
I assume in honor of International Women's Day a week or two ago, there have been several articles cropping up recently about women - both ancient and modern. I know I run the risk of each of these articles not getting the attention each deserves by grouping them together this evening - but these two seem to fit together, so here goes:
On the streets of Alexandria, Egypt, a mob led by Peter the Lector brutally murdered Hypatia, one of the last great thinkers of ancient Alexandria.
Mary Evans Picture Library / Alamy
History & Archaeology
Hypatia, Ancient Alexandria’s Great Female Scholar
An avowed paganist in a time of religious strife, Hypatia was also one of the first women to study math, astronomy and philosophy
By Sarah Zielinski
Smithsonian.com, March 15, 2010
I will not go into detail about the horrific way that Hypatia was killed by a mob of men incited by a so-called Christian. Suffice to say that in our collective memories of her great accomplishments, she has achieved eternal life and glory.
From The New York Times
Bias Called Persistent Hurdle for Women in Sciences
By TAMAR LEWIN
Published: March 21, 2010
A report on the underrepresentation of women in science and math by the American Association of University Women, to be released Monday, found that although women have made gains, stereotypes and cultural biases still impede their success. . . .
Five years ago, Lawrence H. Summers, then the president of Harvard, sparked a firestorm when he suggested that “there are issues of intrinsic aptitude, and particularly of the variability of aptitude” reinforced by “lesser factors involving socialization and continuing discrimination.” . . .
The association’s report acknowledges differences in male and female brains. But Ms. Hill said, “None of the research convincingly links those differences to specific skills, so we don’t know what they mean in terms of mathematical abilities.”
At the top level of math abilities, where boys are overrepresented, the report found that the gender gap is rapidly shrinking. Among mathematically precocious youth — sixth and seventh graders who score more than 700 on the math SAT — 30 years ago boys outnumbered girls 13 to 1, but only about 3 to 1 now.
“That’s not biology at play, it doesn’t change so fast,” Ms. Hill said. “Even if there are biological factors in boys outnumbering girls, they’re clearly not the whole story. There’s a real danger in assuming that innate differences are important in determining who will succeed, so we looked at the cultural factors, to see what evidence there is on the nurture side of nature or nurture.”
The report found ample evidence of continuing cultural bias. . . .
More tomorrow night. Right now, I've got to put my records on and do some serious boogeying for aerobic fitness, muscle toning and (hopefully) weight loss. Found two new favorites to add to my mix: Praful ("Sigh") and Spencer Day ("You'll Come Back to Me").
I assume in honor of International Women's Day a week or two ago, there have been several articles cropping up recently about women - both ancient and modern. I know I run the risk of each of these articles not getting the attention each deserves by grouping them together this evening - but these two seem to fit together, so here goes:
On the streets of Alexandria, Egypt, a mob led by Peter the Lector brutally murdered Hypatia, one of the last great thinkers of ancient Alexandria.
Mary Evans Picture Library / Alamy
History & Archaeology
Hypatia, Ancient Alexandria’s Great Female Scholar
An avowed paganist in a time of religious strife, Hypatia was also one of the first women to study math, astronomy and philosophy
By Sarah Zielinski
Smithsonian.com, March 15, 2010
I will not go into detail about the horrific way that Hypatia was killed by a mob of men incited by a so-called Christian. Suffice to say that in our collective memories of her great accomplishments, she has achieved eternal life and glory.
From The New York Times
Bias Called Persistent Hurdle for Women in Sciences
By TAMAR LEWIN
Published: March 21, 2010
A report on the underrepresentation of women in science and math by the American Association of University Women, to be released Monday, found that although women have made gains, stereotypes and cultural biases still impede their success. . . .
Five years ago, Lawrence H. Summers, then the president of Harvard, sparked a firestorm when he suggested that “there are issues of intrinsic aptitude, and particularly of the variability of aptitude” reinforced by “lesser factors involving socialization and continuing discrimination.” . . .
The association’s report acknowledges differences in male and female brains. But Ms. Hill said, “None of the research convincingly links those differences to specific skills, so we don’t know what they mean in terms of mathematical abilities.”
At the top level of math abilities, where boys are overrepresented, the report found that the gender gap is rapidly shrinking. Among mathematically precocious youth — sixth and seventh graders who score more than 700 on the math SAT — 30 years ago boys outnumbered girls 13 to 1, but only about 3 to 1 now.
“That’s not biology at play, it doesn’t change so fast,” Ms. Hill said. “Even if there are biological factors in boys outnumbering girls, they’re clearly not the whole story. There’s a real danger in assuming that innate differences are important in determining who will succeed, so we looked at the cultural factors, to see what evidence there is on the nurture side of nature or nurture.”
The report found ample evidence of continuing cultural bias. . . .
More tomorrow night. Right now, I've got to put my records on and do some serious boogeying for aerobic fitness, muscle toning and (hopefully) weight loss. Found two new favorites to add to my mix: Praful ("Sigh") and Spencer Day ("You'll Come Back to Me").
21st Century Dating Technique that Does NO Harm to Objects
Ohmygoddess! This is truly exciting to this archaeology geek (geekess?)
Press Release
Public release date: 23-Mar-2010
Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
415-978-3504 (Meeting, March 21-25)
202-872-6042 (After March 25)
American Chemical Society
New method could revolutionize dating of ancient treasures
SAN FRANCISCO, March 23, 2010 — Scientists today described development of a new method to determine the age of ancient mummies, old artwork, and other relics without causing damage to these treasures of global cultural heritage. Reporting at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), they said it could allow scientific analysis of hundreds of artifacts that until now were off limits because museums and private collectors did not want the objects damaged.
"This technique stands to revolutionize radiocarbon dating," said Marvin Rowe, Ph.D., who led the research team. "It expands the possibility for analyzing extensive museum collections that have previously been off limits because of their rarity or intrinsic value and the destructive nature of the current method of radiocarbon dating. In theory, it could even be used to date the Shroud of Turin."
Rowe explained that the new method is a form of radiocarbon dating, the archaeologist's standard tool to estimate the age of an object by measuring its content of naturally-occurring radioactive carbon. A professor emeritus at Texas A&M University College Station, Rowe teaches at a branch of the university in Qatar. Traditional carbon dating involves removing and burning small samples of the object. Although it sometimes requires taking minute samples of an object, even that damage may be unacceptable for some artifacts. The new method does not involve removing a sample of the object.
Conventional carbon dating estimates the age of an artifact based on its content of carbon-14 (C-14), a naturally occurring, radioactive form of carbon. Comparing the C-14 levels in the object to levels of C-14 expected in the atmosphere for a particular historic period allows scientists to estimate the age of an artifact. Both the conventional and new carbon dating methods can determine the age of objects as far back as 45,000 to 50,000 years, Rowe said.
In conventional dating methods, scientists remove a small sample from an object, such as a cloth or bone fragment. Then they treat the sample with a strong acid and a strong base and finally burn the sample in a small glass chamber to produce carbon dioxide gas to analyze its C-14 content.
Rowe's new method, called "non-destructive carbon dating," eliminates sampling, the destructive acid-base washes, and burning. In the new method, scientists place an entire artifact in a special chamber with a plasma, an electrically charged gas similar to gases used in big-screen plasma television displays. The gas slowly and gently oxidizes the surface of the object to produce carbon dioxide for C-14 analysis without damaging the surface, he said.
Rowe and his colleagues used the technique to analyze the ages of about 20 different organic substances, including wood, charcoal, leather, rabbit hair, a bone with mummified flesh attached, and a 1,350-year-old Egyptian weaving. The results match those of conventional carbon dating techniques, they say.
The chamber could be sized to accommodate large objects, such as works of art and even the Shroud of Turin, which some believe to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ, Rowe said. He acknowledged, however, that it would take a significant amount of data to convince museum directors, art conservators, and others that the new method causes no damage to such priceless objects
The scientists are currently refining the technique. Rowe hopes to use it, for instance, to analyze objects such as a small ivory figurine called the "Venus of Brassempouy," thought to be about 25,000 years old and one of the earliest known depictions of a human face. The figurine is small enough to fit into the chamber used for analysis.
Funding for this project is provided by the National Science Foundation, the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, and Texas A&M University.
The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 161,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.
Press Release
Public release date: 23-Mar-2010
Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
415-978-3504 (Meeting, March 21-25)
202-872-6042 (After March 25)
American Chemical Society
New method could revolutionize dating of ancient treasures
SAN FRANCISCO, March 23, 2010 — Scientists today described development of a new method to determine the age of ancient mummies, old artwork, and other relics without causing damage to these treasures of global cultural heritage. Reporting at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), they said it could allow scientific analysis of hundreds of artifacts that until now were off limits because museums and private collectors did not want the objects damaged.
"This technique stands to revolutionize radiocarbon dating," said Marvin Rowe, Ph.D., who led the research team. "It expands the possibility for analyzing extensive museum collections that have previously been off limits because of their rarity or intrinsic value and the destructive nature of the current method of radiocarbon dating. In theory, it could even be used to date the Shroud of Turin."
Rowe explained that the new method is a form of radiocarbon dating, the archaeologist's standard tool to estimate the age of an object by measuring its content of naturally-occurring radioactive carbon. A professor emeritus at Texas A&M University College Station, Rowe teaches at a branch of the university in Qatar. Traditional carbon dating involves removing and burning small samples of the object. Although it sometimes requires taking minute samples of an object, even that damage may be unacceptable for some artifacts. The new method does not involve removing a sample of the object.
Conventional carbon dating estimates the age of an artifact based on its content of carbon-14 (C-14), a naturally occurring, radioactive form of carbon. Comparing the C-14 levels in the object to levels of C-14 expected in the atmosphere for a particular historic period allows scientists to estimate the age of an artifact. Both the conventional and new carbon dating methods can determine the age of objects as far back as 45,000 to 50,000 years, Rowe said.
In conventional dating methods, scientists remove a small sample from an object, such as a cloth or bone fragment. Then they treat the sample with a strong acid and a strong base and finally burn the sample in a small glass chamber to produce carbon dioxide gas to analyze its C-14 content.
Rowe's new method, called "non-destructive carbon dating," eliminates sampling, the destructive acid-base washes, and burning. In the new method, scientists place an entire artifact in a special chamber with a plasma, an electrically charged gas similar to gases used in big-screen plasma television displays. The gas slowly and gently oxidizes the surface of the object to produce carbon dioxide for C-14 analysis without damaging the surface, he said.
Rowe and his colleagues used the technique to analyze the ages of about 20 different organic substances, including wood, charcoal, leather, rabbit hair, a bone with mummified flesh attached, and a 1,350-year-old Egyptian weaving. The results match those of conventional carbon dating techniques, they say.
The chamber could be sized to accommodate large objects, such as works of art and even the Shroud of Turin, which some believe to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ, Rowe said. He acknowledged, however, that it would take a significant amount of data to convince museum directors, art conservators, and others that the new method causes no damage to such priceless objects
The scientists are currently refining the technique. Rowe hopes to use it, for instance, to analyze objects such as a small ivory figurine called the "Venus of Brassempouy," thought to be about 25,000 years old and one of the earliest known depictions of a human face. The figurine is small enough to fit into the chamber used for analysis.
###
Funding for this project is provided by the National Science Foundation, the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, and Texas A&M University.
The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 161,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.
Is This the Oldest Wall in the World?
Wow! VERY interesting find in Greece! From Yahoo News.
23,000 year old stone wall found at entrance to cave in Greece
Mon Mar 22, 12:48 pm ET
ATHENS (AFP) – The oldest stone wall in Greece, which has stood at the entrance of a cave in Thessaly for the last 23,000 years, has been discovered by palaeontologists, the ministry of culture said Monday. Image: An undated handout photo provided by the Greek Culture Ministry shows an prehistorical stone wall. The ministry said Greek experts discovered the oldest stony wall of the country, blocking the entrance of a cavern for 23,000 years in Thessalia, in the north. (AFP/GCM-HO)
The age of the find, determined by an optical dating test, singles it out as "probably one of the oldest in the world", according to a ministry press release.
"The dating matches the coldest period of the most recent ice age, indicating that the cavern's paleolithic inhabitants built it to protect themselves from the cold", said the ministry.
The wall blocked two-thirds of the entrance to the cave, located close to Kalambaka, itself near the popular tourist area and monastic centre of Meteora in central Greece. Greek palaeontologists have been excavating the site for the last 25 years.
23,000 year old stone wall found at entrance to cave in Greece
Mon Mar 22, 12:48 pm ET
The age of the find, determined by an optical dating test, singles it out as "probably one of the oldest in the world", according to a ministry press release.
"The dating matches the coldest period of the most recent ice age, indicating that the cavern's paleolithic inhabitants built it to protect themselves from the cold", said the ministry.
The wall blocked two-thirds of the entrance to the cave, located close to Kalambaka, itself near the popular tourist area and monastic centre of Meteora in central Greece. Greek palaeontologists have been excavating the site for the last 25 years.
**************************************************************************
Guess this cave must have been used for a long period of time for occupancy during the last Ice Age. Wow. The people who live today don't have anything on the people who lived in that cave back then. They had the smarts to wall off most of the entrance against the elements - and they built that curtain wall strong enough to last all this time. Will any of our "mighty" skyscrapers built during the last 100 years survive 23000 years into the future?
Monday, March 22, 2010
FIDE Women's Grand Prix Series
Four Women's Grand Prix Events in 2010 (continuing from 2009):
April 25 - May 8, 2010 Nalchik (where?) - somewhere in Russia. This is obviously the Russian government's attempt to convince locals and the uninformed world in general that Nalchik is perfectly safe for ladies. Darlings, I'm not convinced - but - whatever.
This is the line-up:
NAME TITLE COUNTRY
Koneru, Humpy GM IND (second highest rated female in the world)
Yifan, Hou GM CHN (third highest rated female in the world)
Cramling, Pia GM SVE (just won 2010 European Women's Individual Chess Championship)
Dzagnidze, Nana GM GEO
Xue, Zhao GM CHN
Kosintseva, Tatiana IM RUS
Chen, Zhu GM QTR (former Women's World Chess Champion)
Danielian, Elina IM ARM
Batkhuyag, Munguntuul WGM MGL
Yildiz, Betul WIM TRK
Mrktchian, Lilit IM ARM
Kovanova, Baira WGM RUS
The 4th Grand Prix will take place in Jermuk, Armenia, on 23rd June - 6th July 2010
The 5th Grand Prix will take place in Ulanbaatar, Mongolia, on 29 July - 12 August 2010
The 6th Grand Prix will take place in Santiago, Chile, on 27th October - 9th November 2010
The first Grand Prix was in Istanbul 5th-20th March 2009 and was won by Humpy Koneru. The 2nd Grand Prix was in Nanjing, China, 27th Sept - 9th October 2009 and was won by Xu Yuhua.
Not a single Women's Grand Prix in North America. I don't understand this. We've got money here - we've got experienced organizers. Yes, I know the USCF is bankrupt, but the Chess Club and Scholastic Chess Center of St. Louis (Missouri) has big money backers. What about Continental Chess stepping up and putting together some big money sponsorship? Surely after 30 plus years of being in business it could put it's contacts to use to advance women's chess. What about someone approaching one of the cosmetic companies or P&G about major sponsorship of some of the best female chessplayers in the world - many of whom are very lovely ladies. Brains and Beauty - there could be an entire ad campaign put together starting with some hot blitz chess spots on You Tube.
Hell, I'm no marketer. But why is it Mongolia can host a Grand Prix event - okay, like what is the Gross National Product of Mongolia? And the United States of America cannot?
April 25 - May 8, 2010 Nalchik (where?) - somewhere in Russia. This is obviously the Russian government's attempt to convince locals and the uninformed world in general that Nalchik is perfectly safe for ladies. Darlings, I'm not convinced - but - whatever.
This is the line-up:
NAME TITLE COUNTRY
Koneru, Humpy GM IND (second highest rated female in the world)
Yifan, Hou GM CHN (third highest rated female in the world)
Cramling, Pia GM SVE (just won 2010 European Women's Individual Chess Championship)
Dzagnidze, Nana GM GEO
Xue, Zhao GM CHN
Kosintseva, Tatiana IM RUS
Chen, Zhu GM QTR (former Women's World Chess Champion)
Danielian, Elina IM ARM
Batkhuyag, Munguntuul WGM MGL
Yildiz, Betul WIM TRK
Mrktchian, Lilit IM ARM
Kovanova, Baira WGM RUS
The 4th Grand Prix will take place in Jermuk, Armenia, on 23rd June - 6th July 2010
The 5th Grand Prix will take place in Ulanbaatar, Mongolia, on 29 July - 12 August 2010
The 6th Grand Prix will take place in Santiago, Chile, on 27th October - 9th November 2010
The first Grand Prix was in Istanbul 5th-20th March 2009 and was won by Humpy Koneru. The 2nd Grand Prix was in Nanjing, China, 27th Sept - 9th October 2009 and was won by Xu Yuhua.
Not a single Women's Grand Prix in North America. I don't understand this. We've got money here - we've got experienced organizers. Yes, I know the USCF is bankrupt, but the Chess Club and Scholastic Chess Center of St. Louis (Missouri) has big money backers. What about Continental Chess stepping up and putting together some big money sponsorship? Surely after 30 plus years of being in business it could put it's contacts to use to advance women's chess. What about someone approaching one of the cosmetic companies or P&G about major sponsorship of some of the best female chessplayers in the world - many of whom are very lovely ladies. Brains and Beauty - there could be an entire ad campaign put together starting with some hot blitz chess spots on You Tube.
Hell, I'm no marketer. But why is it Mongolia can host a Grand Prix event - okay, like what is the Gross National Product of Mongolia? And the United States of America cannot?
Bulgarian Under-20 Championships
Ani Krumova took the girls title on tie-break from Maria Vladimirova after both finished on 6.5/9. Here are the final standings for the women:
ch-BUL U20 Girls Sofia (BUL), 8-14 iii 2010
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
1. Krumova, Ani BUL 1905 * 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 1 1 1 6½ 2088
2. Vladimirova, Maria BUL 2038 0 * 1 ½ 0 1 1 1 1 1 6½ 2073
3. Galunova, Tsveta BUL 1984 ½ 0 * 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 6 2038
4. Stefanova, Milena BUL 1991 ½ ½ 0 * 0 1 ½ 1 1 1 5½ 1993
5. Sirkova, Darena BUL 2084 1 1 ½ 1 * 0 0 ½ 0 1 5 1945
6. Todorova, Kalina BUL 1786 ½ 0 0 0 1 * 1 ½ 1 1 5 1978
7. Naydenova, Yordanka BUL 1926 0 0 ½ ½ 1 0 * 1 1 ½ 4½ 1920
8. Tsekova, Viktoria BUL 1860 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 * 1 1 3 1802
9. Ivanova, Simoneta BUL 1816 0 0 ½ 0 1 0 0 0 * ½ 2 1712
10. Venkova, Polina BUL 1818 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ * 1 1581
ch-BUL U20 Girls Sofia (BUL), 8-14 iii 2010
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
1. Krumova, Ani BUL 1905 * 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 1 1 1 6½ 2088
2. Vladimirova, Maria BUL 2038 0 * 1 ½ 0 1 1 1 1 1 6½ 2073
3. Galunova, Tsveta BUL 1984 ½ 0 * 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 6 2038
4. Stefanova, Milena BUL 1991 ½ ½ 0 * 0 1 ½ 1 1 1 5½ 1993
5. Sirkova, Darena BUL 2084 1 1 ½ 1 * 0 0 ½ 0 1 5 1945
6. Todorova, Kalina BUL 1786 ½ 0 0 0 1 * 1 ½ 1 1 5 1978
7. Naydenova, Yordanka BUL 1926 0 0 ½ ½ 1 0 * 1 1 ½ 4½ 1920
8. Tsekova, Viktoria BUL 1860 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 * 1 1 3 1802
9. Ivanova, Simoneta BUL 1816 0 0 ½ 0 1 0 0 0 * ½ 2 1712
10. Venkova, Polina BUL 1818 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ * 1 1581
Lotus Temple Excavated in Bangladesh
From The Daily Star
March 21, 2010
Lotus Temple excavated
Emran Hossain
In Wari-Bateshwar of Narsingdi, archaeologists have recently excavated a 1,400-year-old Lotus Temple, the first proof of flourishing of Buddhism in the region.
The brick-built temple constructed around seventh or eighth century--as evidenced by its structure and the size and shapes of the bricks and other finds excavated at Mandirvita at Dhupirtek of Shibpur in the district--suggests existence of a Buddha Vihara there, they said.
"This is the first ever proof that Buddhism flourished and was practised in Wari-Bateshwar region of Madhupur tract," said Prof Sufi Mostafizur Rahman, who is leading the excavation team comprised of researchers from archaeological research centre Oitihya Onneswan, teachers and students of archaeology department of Jahangirnagar University.
According to a copper plaque found in 1885 at Ashrafpur, 7km from Mandirvita, King Devakhadga had donated land to four Viharas and Viharikas in the area.
"If we take the plaque into account, Dhupirtek might be one of these four sites," said Mostafizur Rahman.
The temple also indicates different phases of ancient settlement in the region dating back to 450 BC.
In 2001, examination of charcoal samples confirmed the existence of human habitation and industry in Wari-Bateshwar around 450 BC. Archaeologists think the civilisation lasted for 500 years.
The archaeology team had excavated a small portion of the temple last year. The recent excavation has unearthed the perfectly square brick-built structure.
The excavators' claim of the structure to be a Buddhist Lotus Temple was confirmed when they found an eight-petal lotus made of dressed red bricks embedded on an altar.
In Buddhism, the lotus--padma--is a very important symbol of many aspects of the path to enlightenment--complete purification of the body, speech and mind, and the blossoming of wholesome deeds in liberation.
The Buddha is often depicted as sitting on a fully blossomed lotus.
The red lotus signifies the original nature and purity of the heart.
Remnants of seven more brick-built lotuses were also found during the excavation.
A 70cm circumambulation path (pradakshinpatha) was also found around the temple.
The lotus embedded brick-built altar is above the southern wall of the temple, which was used as the main temple at an earlier time, showing that the altar was built later.
The team of archaeologists is now working to determine how long the temple survived in each phase and why it was destroyed and rebuilt.
"We want to preserve the temple as we find it, using the same materials used for its construction, showing the phases of change the temple underwent," said deputy team leader Mizanur Rahman. "Unfortunately, we are under financial constraints but our work requires more research and excavation.”
March 21, 2010
Lotus Temple excavated
Emran Hossain
The brick-built temple constructed around seventh or eighth century--as evidenced by its structure and the size and shapes of the bricks and other finds excavated at Mandirvita at Dhupirtek of Shibpur in the district--suggests existence of a Buddha Vihara there, they said.
"This is the first ever proof that Buddhism flourished and was practised in Wari-Bateshwar region of Madhupur tract," said Prof Sufi Mostafizur Rahman, who is leading the excavation team comprised of researchers from archaeological research centre Oitihya Onneswan, teachers and students of archaeology department of Jahangirnagar University.
According to a copper plaque found in 1885 at Ashrafpur, 7km from Mandirvita, King Devakhadga had donated land to four Viharas and Viharikas in the area.
"If we take the plaque into account, Dhupirtek might be one of these four sites," said Mostafizur Rahman.
The temple also indicates different phases of ancient settlement in the region dating back to 450 BC.
In 2001, examination of charcoal samples confirmed the existence of human habitation and industry in Wari-Bateshwar around 450 BC. Archaeologists think the civilisation lasted for 500 years.
The archaeology team had excavated a small portion of the temple last year. The recent excavation has unearthed the perfectly square brick-built structure.
The excavators' claim of the structure to be a Buddhist Lotus Temple was confirmed when they found an eight-petal lotus made of dressed red bricks embedded on an altar.
In Buddhism, the lotus--padma--is a very important symbol of many aspects of the path to enlightenment--complete purification of the body, speech and mind, and the blossoming of wholesome deeds in liberation.
The Buddha is often depicted as sitting on a fully blossomed lotus.
The red lotus signifies the original nature and purity of the heart.
Remnants of seven more brick-built lotuses were also found during the excavation.
A 70cm circumambulation path (pradakshinpatha) was also found around the temple.
The lotus embedded brick-built altar is above the southern wall of the temple, which was used as the main temple at an earlier time, showing that the altar was built later.
The team of archaeologists is now working to determine how long the temple survived in each phase and why it was destroyed and rebuilt.
"We want to preserve the temple as we find it, using the same materials used for its construction, showing the phases of change the temple underwent," said deputy team leader Mizanur Rahman. "Unfortunately, we are under financial constraints but our work requires more research and excavation.”
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Gujarat Forged Trade with Harappans
I'm glad to see this kind of research coming out of India. For too long, the Harappan civilization has been under-explored by its own descendants!
From The Times of India
Gujarat exported jewellery to Harappan cities
Parth Shastri , TNN, Mar 22, 2010, 03.39am IST
AHMEDABAD: A large quantity of seals and beads used in making jewellery during the Harappan civilisation were recently found at Kanmer near Bhachau. The archaeology experts in the state were elated as the discovery proved that Kutch region those days had a production capacity and also a trade link with other parts of India and world, like Himalayan regions and parts of Pakistan, where similar beads have been found.
Studies taken up by state and central archaeology institutes have also shown a trade route covering central Asia, Himalayan areas and Gujarat.
A research paper on the economy of Harappan civilisation and development of smaller centres published in a British journal this month shows how the civilisation spread from Gujarat plains to Himalayan regions and parts of Pakistan in Indus-Saraswati river valley. The research was carried out jointly by YS Rawat, director of State Department of Archaeology; DP Agarwal of Lok Vigyan Kendra, Almora; JS Kharakwal, department of archaeology, Rajasthan Vidhyapeeth, Udaipur; and T Osada, Institute of Humanity and Nature, Kyoto, Japan.
The paper also tries to define the specific regions producing items of trade. According to the researchers, the flourishing ports gave a huge boost to the region's development.
"Since the very beginning of Harappan civilisation, procurement and distribution of natural resources was a focal point of the people. Due to geographical distances, it led to development of small and medium-sized towns on the route that took shape of accepted trade highways," said Rawat.
"The Harappan elite needed ornaments made of gold, silver, agate, chalcedony, steatite, copper, shell, lapis lazuli and sodalite, many of which were taken from Gujarat to areas in northern Himalayan region. The requirements led to development of sites like Makran, Surkotada, Bagasara, Dholavira, Kuntasi, Kanmer and Shikarpur in Gujarat," said Rawat.
According to archaeology experts, various artefacts found in Himalayan and sub-Himalayan regions such as Manda (Jammu), Kotla Nihang and Ropar (Punjab), and Kashipur in Kumaon region are believed to have been manufactured in Gujarat.
"Most importantly, jewellery made of semi-precious stones, clay capsules and shells were the main items of trade from Gujarat. Agate also formed a large part of export from this state," said Rawat.
In Gujarat, sites like Kanmer yielded a large amount of bead-making material as more than 20,000 steatite beads were found at an excavation site in the area, indicating their industrial importance.
"Several small sites in Gujarat like Surkotada, Desalpur, Gola Dhoro, Kuntasi, Rajpipla, Kanmer and Shikarpur have disproportionately large fortifications compared to their settlement size. Such massive expenditure of energy and material on fortifications could be justified for economic protection," said Rawat.
From The Times of India
Gujarat exported jewellery to Harappan cities
Parth Shastri , TNN, Mar 22, 2010, 03.39am IST
AHMEDABAD: A large quantity of seals and beads used in making jewellery during the Harappan civilisation were recently found at Kanmer near Bhachau. The archaeology experts in the state were elated as the discovery proved that Kutch region those days had a production capacity and also a trade link with other parts of India and world, like Himalayan regions and parts of Pakistan, where similar beads have been found.
Studies taken up by state and central archaeology institutes have also shown a trade route covering central Asia, Himalayan areas and Gujarat.
A research paper on the economy of Harappan civilisation and development of smaller centres published in a British journal this month shows how the civilisation spread from Gujarat plains to Himalayan regions and parts of Pakistan in Indus-Saraswati river valley. The research was carried out jointly by YS Rawat, director of State Department of Archaeology; DP Agarwal of Lok Vigyan Kendra, Almora; JS Kharakwal, department of archaeology, Rajasthan Vidhyapeeth, Udaipur; and T Osada, Institute of Humanity and Nature, Kyoto, Japan.
The paper also tries to define the specific regions producing items of trade. According to the researchers, the flourishing ports gave a huge boost to the region's development.
"Since the very beginning of Harappan civilisation, procurement and distribution of natural resources was a focal point of the people. Due to geographical distances, it led to development of small and medium-sized towns on the route that took shape of accepted trade highways," said Rawat.
"The Harappan elite needed ornaments made of gold, silver, agate, chalcedony, steatite, copper, shell, lapis lazuli and sodalite, many of which were taken from Gujarat to areas in northern Himalayan region. The requirements led to development of sites like Makran, Surkotada, Bagasara, Dholavira, Kuntasi, Kanmer and Shikarpur in Gujarat," said Rawat.
According to archaeology experts, various artefacts found in Himalayan and sub-Himalayan regions such as Manda (Jammu), Kotla Nihang and Ropar (Punjab), and Kashipur in Kumaon region are believed to have been manufactured in Gujarat.
"Most importantly, jewellery made of semi-precious stones, clay capsules and shells were the main items of trade from Gujarat. Agate also formed a large part of export from this state," said Rawat.
In Gujarat, sites like Kanmer yielded a large amount of bead-making material as more than 20,000 steatite beads were found at an excavation site in the area, indicating their industrial importance.
"Several small sites in Gujarat like Surkotada, Desalpur, Gola Dhoro, Kuntasi, Rajpipla, Kanmer and Shikarpur have disproportionately large fortifications compared to their settlement size. Such massive expenditure of energy and material on fortifications could be justified for economic protection," said Rawat.
The Mold Gold Cape
I learned about this ancient Bronze Age object today. It was purchased by and is now kept at the British Museum:
The Mold gold cape
Mold, Flintshire, North Wales, Bronze Age, about 1900-1600 BC
Workmen quarrying for stone in an ancient burial mound in 1833 found this unique ceremonial gold cape, which remains unparalleled to this day. The mound lay in a field named Bryn yr Ellyllon (the Fairies' or Goblins' Hill).
At the centre of the mound was a stone-lined grave with the crushed gold cape around the fragmentary remains of a skeleton. Strips of bronze and numbers of amber beads were recovered, but only one of the beads reached the British Museum.
The cape would have been unsuitable for everyday wear because it would have severely restricted upper arm movement. Instead it would have served ceremonial roles, and may have denoted religious authority.
The cape is one of the finest examples of prehistoric sheet-gold working and is quite unique in form and design. It was laboriously beaten out of a single ingot of gold, then embellished with intense decoration of ribs and bosses to mimic multiple strings of beads amid folds of cloth.
Perforations along the upper and lower edges indicate that it was once attached to a lining, perhaps of leather, which has decayed. The bronze strips may have served to strengthen the adornment further.
The fragile cape broke up during recovery and the pieces were dispersed among various people. Although the British Museum acquired the greater proportion in 1836, small fragments have come to light over the years and have been reunited.
Later detailed study and restoration revealed the full form of the cape, which at one time had been interpreted as a peytrel (chest ornament) for a horse. It also became apparent that a second, smaller object in matching embossed style was present in the grave.
From the dailypost.co.uk
North Wales MP wants Welsh historic cape back
Mar 16 2010
ONE of the most important bronze-age discoveries in Europe must be returned to the people of Wales, the government has been told.
The 3,400-year-old Mold Gold Cape was uncovered by a gang from the local workhouse in 1833 and was sold to the British Museum three years later.
But Plaid Cymru’s Parliamentary leader Elfyn Llwyd has argued it is time to hand back the precious find because it is part of the Welsh "collective memory" and likened it to the battle over the Elgin Marbles.
In Westminster Hall the Meirionnydd Nant Conwy MP told culture minister Margaret Hodge: "We talk about the Elgin Marbles and so on, but an artefact from North Wales – a famous early Welsh gold cape – is in the British Museum and will not be released back to Wales.
"Such artefacts are part of our collective national memory. They are important, and should be returned."
The cape is considered one of the most significant archaeological discoveries in Europe and is currently being featured in the BBC series The History Of The World In 100 Objects.
Workmen digging for stone in a mound at Bryn yr Ellyllon, Mold, found the cape with a skeleton that later disappeared. The local vicar recorded the find but it was the tenant of the land on which the cape was uncovered who kept the largest part of the cape and later sold it to the museum in London.
It was eventually restored and was found to be too small to fit the body of a grown king or warrior as previously thought – it most likely belonged to a slim woman or child.
During the debate in the Commons’ second chamber the culture minister insisted she "profoundly disagreed with the underlying premise that culture is to be enjoyed only by the nation most closely identified with it".
Ms Hodge added: "Our national museums are centres of excellence and scholarship and part of a wider international web of information sharing.
"It is not about promoting nationalism; the focus is on promoting an understanding of our shared past so that we can better deal with the present and tackle the problems of the future.
"Furthermore, if beautiful artefacts are created, they should be enjoyed as widely as possible, not just in one nation.
"They do not enhance the lives of just one community, but of all of us in all our communities.
"The advent of digitisation enables us to share more widely the wonderful treasures that we are privileged to enjoy in our great national museums.
"The British Museum was one of the first institutions in this country to be named "British", but its objective is to have collections representing the whole world under its roof, so as to enable everyone to enjoy its experiences which, of course, are free of charge."
Mr Llwyd said: "If they persist in taking all our treasures then obviously no one will come. Imperialism has gone, it is time for the Gold Cape to be repatriated."
The Mold gold cape
Mold, Flintshire, North Wales, Bronze Age, about 1900-1600 BC
At the centre of the mound was a stone-lined grave with the crushed gold cape around the fragmentary remains of a skeleton. Strips of bronze and numbers of amber beads were recovered, but only one of the beads reached the British Museum.
The cape would have been unsuitable for everyday wear because it would have severely restricted upper arm movement. Instead it would have served ceremonial roles, and may have denoted religious authority.
The cape is one of the finest examples of prehistoric sheet-gold working and is quite unique in form and design. It was laboriously beaten out of a single ingot of gold, then embellished with intense decoration of ribs and bosses to mimic multiple strings of beads amid folds of cloth.
Perforations along the upper and lower edges indicate that it was once attached to a lining, perhaps of leather, which has decayed. The bronze strips may have served to strengthen the adornment further.
The fragile cape broke up during recovery and the pieces were dispersed among various people. Although the British Museum acquired the greater proportion in 1836, small fragments have come to light over the years and have been reunited.
Later detailed study and restoration revealed the full form of the cape, which at one time had been interpreted as a peytrel (chest ornament) for a horse. It also became apparent that a second, smaller object in matching embossed style was present in the grave.
************************************************************************
Interestingly, the British Museum shows the cape being worn by a man. But evidently it is too small for a man, and may have, instead, been worn by a woman or possibly a child. A child? So says this article - reporting on a move by at least one politician in Wales to repatriate the Cape back to Wales! Hey - I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried!From the dailypost.co.uk
North Wales MP wants Welsh historic cape back
Mar 16 2010
ONE of the most important bronze-age discoveries in Europe must be returned to the people of Wales, the government has been told.
The 3,400-year-old Mold Gold Cape was uncovered by a gang from the local workhouse in 1833 and was sold to the British Museum three years later.
But Plaid Cymru’s Parliamentary leader Elfyn Llwyd has argued it is time to hand back the precious find because it is part of the Welsh "collective memory" and likened it to the battle over the Elgin Marbles.
In Westminster Hall the Meirionnydd Nant Conwy MP told culture minister Margaret Hodge: "We talk about the Elgin Marbles and so on, but an artefact from North Wales – a famous early Welsh gold cape – is in the British Museum and will not be released back to Wales.
"Such artefacts are part of our collective national memory. They are important, and should be returned."
The cape is considered one of the most significant archaeological discoveries in Europe and is currently being featured in the BBC series The History Of The World In 100 Objects.
Workmen digging for stone in a mound at Bryn yr Ellyllon, Mold, found the cape with a skeleton that later disappeared. The local vicar recorded the find but it was the tenant of the land on which the cape was uncovered who kept the largest part of the cape and later sold it to the museum in London.
It was eventually restored and was found to be too small to fit the body of a grown king or warrior as previously thought – it most likely belonged to a slim woman or child.
During the debate in the Commons’ second chamber the culture minister insisted she "profoundly disagreed with the underlying premise that culture is to be enjoyed only by the nation most closely identified with it".
Ms Hodge added: "Our national museums are centres of excellence and scholarship and part of a wider international web of information sharing.
"It is not about promoting nationalism; the focus is on promoting an understanding of our shared past so that we can better deal with the present and tackle the problems of the future.
"Furthermore, if beautiful artefacts are created, they should be enjoyed as widely as possible, not just in one nation.
"They do not enhance the lives of just one community, but of all of us in all our communities.
"The advent of digitisation enables us to share more widely the wonderful treasures that we are privileged to enjoy in our great national museums.
"The British Museum was one of the first institutions in this country to be named "British", but its objective is to have collections representing the whole world under its roof, so as to enable everyone to enjoy its experiences which, of course, are free of charge."
Mr Llwyd said: "If they persist in taking all our treasures then obviously no one will come. Imperialism has gone, it is time for the Gold Cape to be repatriated."
The Forgotten Boy
Absolutely fascinating recap of the story of the boy mummy from KV 35. By the way - a note to 'Sis - this article suggests some answers to the reasons why some other pharaohs' funerary furniture and belongings ended up in Tutenkhamun's tomb. It's so sad, this little boy without a name.
From the "Egyptians" blog by Timothy Reid, on March 13, 2010:
In the recent two year study of eighteenth dynasty royal mummies it seems that this boy from a side chamber in valley of kings tomb KV 35 was not included.
There are artifacts from the tomb Kv 35 which belong to a son of Amenhotep II named Webensenu as a result of the mummies found in the tomb there are four candidates to be that prince including this boy or another mummy found attached to a funerary boat belonging to Amenhotep II or either of two skeletons.
Some have speculated that the mummy on the boat was the founder of the twentieth dynasty Sethnakht because of a reused coffin once manufactured for that king was present in the tomb at the time of discovery. Unfortunately the mummy was destroyed more than a hundred years ago when the boat was stolen.
Reports on that badly damaged mummy says that it was glued to the boat by resin used in the mummies mummification that would mean that the mummy was fairly fresh when unwrapped and thrown on Amenhotep's boat in ancient times.
The founder of the twentieth dynasty the pharaoh Sethnakht has been suggested as a candidate dying in approximately 1186 bc would have lain in his tomb or at least a tomb for one hundred years before the recycling of the valley of kings by Herihor and Pinudgem I and others. Is this enough time for the resins on Sethnakht's mummy to have set?
Tutankhamen's mummy was covered in buckets of resin if the same had been true for Sethnakht would a century be enough time to set? I suspect in the dry climate of the valley of kings that this may well be enough time.
Whatever happened the mummy was still gooey enough that when torn open in the tomb of Amenhotep II the mummy stuck to the boat. This seems unlikely scenario to me and I would prefer this mummy to be another person perhaps prince Webensenu already buried in Amenhotep II's tomb before the reburial committee of the twenty first dynasty priests arrived.
However that to me would mean that Kv 35 had probably been robbed by the end of the eighteenth dynasty perhaps during the Amarna period with the princes badly damaged mummy thrown on the boat then.
This may remove Sethnakht from ever having been in Kv 35 but he may be represented by one of the unidentified skeletons though I would expect that if Sethnakht was in the tomb that his mummy would have been found in the side chamber with the other new kingdom pharaohs.
So who's the boy found lying between two Amarna period mummies now identified as queen Tiye and the other woman being Tutankhamen's mother? The naked boy may have done some moving around in Kv 35 as one of his toes was found in another side chamber of the tomb.
Rest of article.
From the "Egyptians" blog by Timothy Reid, on March 13, 2010:
There are artifacts from the tomb Kv 35 which belong to a son of Amenhotep II named Webensenu as a result of the mummies found in the tomb there are four candidates to be that prince including this boy or another mummy found attached to a funerary boat belonging to Amenhotep II or either of two skeletons.
Some have speculated that the mummy on the boat was the founder of the twentieth dynasty Sethnakht because of a reused coffin once manufactured for that king was present in the tomb at the time of discovery. Unfortunately the mummy was destroyed more than a hundred years ago when the boat was stolen.
Reports on that badly damaged mummy says that it was glued to the boat by resin used in the mummies mummification that would mean that the mummy was fairly fresh when unwrapped and thrown on Amenhotep's boat in ancient times.
The founder of the twentieth dynasty the pharaoh Sethnakht has been suggested as a candidate dying in approximately 1186 bc would have lain in his tomb or at least a tomb for one hundred years before the recycling of the valley of kings by Herihor and Pinudgem I and others. Is this enough time for the resins on Sethnakht's mummy to have set?
Tutankhamen's mummy was covered in buckets of resin if the same had been true for Sethnakht would a century be enough time to set? I suspect in the dry climate of the valley of kings that this may well be enough time.
Whatever happened the mummy was still gooey enough that when torn open in the tomb of Amenhotep II the mummy stuck to the boat. This seems unlikely scenario to me and I would prefer this mummy to be another person perhaps prince Webensenu already buried in Amenhotep II's tomb before the reburial committee of the twenty first dynasty priests arrived.
However that to me would mean that Kv 35 had probably been robbed by the end of the eighteenth dynasty perhaps during the Amarna period with the princes badly damaged mummy thrown on the boat then.
This may remove Sethnakht from ever having been in Kv 35 but he may be represented by one of the unidentified skeletons though I would expect that if Sethnakht was in the tomb that his mummy would have been found in the side chamber with the other new kingdom pharaohs.
So who's the boy found lying between two Amarna period mummies now identified as queen Tiye and the other woman being Tutankhamen's mother? The naked boy may have done some moving around in Kv 35 as one of his toes was found in another side chamber of the tomb.
Rest of article.
Restoring a Sense of Community and Connection
I'm not a fan, per se, of David Brooks, and this is not a political blog (although I do on occasion express political opinions), but I found his op-ed column today (published on March 18, 2010) -- not sure how to describe it -- hopeful, maybe? That there is a way out of the current morass and malaise that has had a stranglehold on my beloved country (USA) since the Karl Rove manifesto replaced the last vestiges of conscience in American politics, the resulting contamination of which trickled down to society in general, to the good of no one except the utterly cynical who make money out of celebrating people who routinely cheat, lie and steal, make a mockery of all civil and religious mores, and push the image that women are all just really 'ho's' who will eagerly spread their legs for a fortune, or a mere 15 minutes of infamy.
Here is what Brooks wrote (The New York Times):
Op-Ed Columnist
The Broken Society
By DAVID BROOKS
Published: March 18, 2010
The United States is becoming a broken society. The public has contempt for the political class. Public debt is piling up at an astonishing and unrelenting pace. Middle-class wages have lagged. Unemployment will remain high. It will take years to fully recover from the financial crisis.
This confluence of crises has produced a surge in vehement libertarianism. People are disgusted with Washington. The Tea Party movement rallies against big government, big business and the ruling class in general. Even beyond their ranks, there is a corrosive cynicism about public action.
But there is another way to respond to these problems that is more communitarian and less libertarian. This alternative has been explored most fully by the British writer Phillip Blond.
He grew up in working-class Liverpool. “I lived in the city when it was being eviscerated,” he told The New Statesman. “It was a beautiful city, one of the few in Britain to have a genuinely indigenous culture. And that whole way of life was destroyed.” Industry died. Political power was centralized in London.
Blond argues that over the past generation we have witnessed two revolutions, both of which liberated the individual and decimated local associations. First, there was a revolution from the left: a cultural revolution that displaced traditional manners and mores; a legal revolution that emphasized individual rights instead of responsibilities; a welfare revolution in which social workers displaced mutual aid societies and self-organized associations.
Then there was the market revolution from the right. In the age of deregulation, giant chains like Wal-Mart decimated local shop owners. Global financial markets took over small banks, so that the local knowledge of a town banker was replaced by a manic herd of traders thousands of miles away. Unions withered.
The two revolutions talked the language of individual freedom, but they perversely ended up creating greater centralization. They created an atomized, segmented society and then the state had to come in and attempt to repair the damage.
The free-market revolution didn’t create the pluralistic decentralized economy. It created a centralized financial monoculture, which requires a gigantic government to audit its activities. The effort to liberate individuals from repressive social constraints didn’t produce a flowering of freedom; it weakened families, increased out-of-wedlock births and turned neighbors into strangers. In Britain, you get a country with rising crime, and, as a result, four million security cameras.
In a much-discussed essay in Prospect magazine in February 2009, Blond wrote, “Look at the society we have become: We are a bi-polar nation, a bureaucratic, centralised state that presides dysfunctionally over an increasingly fragmented, disempowered and isolated citizenry.” In a separate essay, he added, “The welfare state and the market state are now two defunct and mutually supporting failures.”
The task today, he argued in a recent speech, is to revive the sector that the two revolutions have mutually decimated: “The project of radical transformative conservatism is nothing less than the restoration and creation of human association, and the elevation of society and the people who form it to their proper central and sovereign station.”
Economically, Blond lays out three big areas of reform: remoralize the market, relocalize the economy and recapitalize the poor. This would mean passing zoning legislation to give small shopkeepers a shot against the retail giants, reducing barriers to entry for new businesses, revitalizing local banks, encouraging employee share ownership, setting up local capital funds so community associations could invest in local enterprises, rewarding savings, cutting regulations that socialize risk and privatize profit, and reducing the subsidies that flow from big government and big business.
To create a civil state, Blond would reduce the power of senior government officials and widen the discretion of front-line civil servants, the people actually working in neighborhoods. He would decentralize power, giving more budget authority to the smallest units of government. He would funnel more services through charities. He would increase investments in infrastructure, so that more places could be vibrant economic hubs. He would rebuild the “village college” so that universities would be more intertwined with the towns around them.
Essentially, Blond would take a political culture that has been oriented around individual choice and replace it with one oriented around relationships and associations. His ideas have made a big splash in Britain over the past year. His think tank, ResPublica, is influential with the Conservative Party. His book, “Red Tory,” is coming out soon. He’s on a small U.S. speaking tour, appearing at Georgetown’s Tocqueville Forum Friday and at Villanova on Monday.
Britain is always going to be more hospitable to communitarian politics than the more libertarian U.S. But people are social creatures here, too. American society has been atomized by the twin revolutions here, too. This country, too, needs a fresh political wind. America, too, is suffering a devastating crisis of authority. The only way to restore trust is from the local community on up.
More communitarian and less libertarian. I believe we as a nation need to foresake the principles of patriarchal religion and thought paradigms and embrace a return to an older way, when it was incumbent for survival of people to depend upon and help each other, to support in ways emotional and spiritual, as well as practical (providing food, shelter, clothing, money, physical care). Those ways too, respected the earth and its bounty as something precious, as well as necessary, for our individual and group survival. Somewhere along the line, those old ways that are still amongst us and still survive here and there, those ways have gotten lost in the sheer uncivility and viciousness of the current fights going on between the so-called libertarians and what passes for civil authority these days.
This is not a battle of ideologies of "right" and "left" - it is something more fundamental. And I greatly fear that unless we can direct the conversation back to where it needs to be - to people helping people and finding common ground to expand on rather than new ways to divide us from each other further and further - the gulfs will become too great to span. We as a nation will collapse into decline - perhaps permanently. I ask you - do you really want a country as souless as China becoming the world's pre-eminent power? I pray daily that I do not live to see it, because I fear it is coming.
Here is what Brooks wrote (The New York Times):
Op-Ed Columnist
The Broken Society
By DAVID BROOKS
Published: March 18, 2010
The United States is becoming a broken society. The public has contempt for the political class. Public debt is piling up at an astonishing and unrelenting pace. Middle-class wages have lagged. Unemployment will remain high. It will take years to fully recover from the financial crisis.
This confluence of crises has produced a surge in vehement libertarianism. People are disgusted with Washington. The Tea Party movement rallies against big government, big business and the ruling class in general. Even beyond their ranks, there is a corrosive cynicism about public action.
But there is another way to respond to these problems that is more communitarian and less libertarian. This alternative has been explored most fully by the British writer Phillip Blond.
He grew up in working-class Liverpool. “I lived in the city when it was being eviscerated,” he told The New Statesman. “It was a beautiful city, one of the few in Britain to have a genuinely indigenous culture. And that whole way of life was destroyed.” Industry died. Political power was centralized in London.
Blond argues that over the past generation we have witnessed two revolutions, both of which liberated the individual and decimated local associations. First, there was a revolution from the left: a cultural revolution that displaced traditional manners and mores; a legal revolution that emphasized individual rights instead of responsibilities; a welfare revolution in which social workers displaced mutual aid societies and self-organized associations.
Then there was the market revolution from the right. In the age of deregulation, giant chains like Wal-Mart decimated local shop owners. Global financial markets took over small banks, so that the local knowledge of a town banker was replaced by a manic herd of traders thousands of miles away. Unions withered.
The two revolutions talked the language of individual freedom, but they perversely ended up creating greater centralization. They created an atomized, segmented society and then the state had to come in and attempt to repair the damage.
The free-market revolution didn’t create the pluralistic decentralized economy. It created a centralized financial monoculture, which requires a gigantic government to audit its activities. The effort to liberate individuals from repressive social constraints didn’t produce a flowering of freedom; it weakened families, increased out-of-wedlock births and turned neighbors into strangers. In Britain, you get a country with rising crime, and, as a result, four million security cameras.
In a much-discussed essay in Prospect magazine in February 2009, Blond wrote, “Look at the society we have become: We are a bi-polar nation, a bureaucratic, centralised state that presides dysfunctionally over an increasingly fragmented, disempowered and isolated citizenry.” In a separate essay, he added, “The welfare state and the market state are now two defunct and mutually supporting failures.”
The task today, he argued in a recent speech, is to revive the sector that the two revolutions have mutually decimated: “The project of radical transformative conservatism is nothing less than the restoration and creation of human association, and the elevation of society and the people who form it to their proper central and sovereign station.”
Economically, Blond lays out three big areas of reform: remoralize the market, relocalize the economy and recapitalize the poor. This would mean passing zoning legislation to give small shopkeepers a shot against the retail giants, reducing barriers to entry for new businesses, revitalizing local banks, encouraging employee share ownership, setting up local capital funds so community associations could invest in local enterprises, rewarding savings, cutting regulations that socialize risk and privatize profit, and reducing the subsidies that flow from big government and big business.
To create a civil state, Blond would reduce the power of senior government officials and widen the discretion of front-line civil servants, the people actually working in neighborhoods. He would decentralize power, giving more budget authority to the smallest units of government. He would funnel more services through charities. He would increase investments in infrastructure, so that more places could be vibrant economic hubs. He would rebuild the “village college” so that universities would be more intertwined with the towns around them.
Essentially, Blond would take a political culture that has been oriented around individual choice and replace it with one oriented around relationships and associations. His ideas have made a big splash in Britain over the past year. His think tank, ResPublica, is influential with the Conservative Party. His book, “Red Tory,” is coming out soon. He’s on a small U.S. speaking tour, appearing at Georgetown’s Tocqueville Forum Friday and at Villanova on Monday.
Britain is always going to be more hospitable to communitarian politics than the more libertarian U.S. But people are social creatures here, too. American society has been atomized by the twin revolutions here, too. This country, too, needs a fresh political wind. America, too, is suffering a devastating crisis of authority. The only way to restore trust is from the local community on up.
More communitarian and less libertarian. I believe we as a nation need to foresake the principles of patriarchal religion and thought paradigms and embrace a return to an older way, when it was incumbent for survival of people to depend upon and help each other, to support in ways emotional and spiritual, as well as practical (providing food, shelter, clothing, money, physical care). Those ways too, respected the earth and its bounty as something precious, as well as necessary, for our individual and group survival. Somewhere along the line, those old ways that are still amongst us and still survive here and there, those ways have gotten lost in the sheer uncivility and viciousness of the current fights going on between the so-called libertarians and what passes for civil authority these days.
This is not a battle of ideologies of "right" and "left" - it is something more fundamental. And I greatly fear that unless we can direct the conversation back to where it needs to be - to people helping people and finding common ground to expand on rather than new ways to divide us from each other further and further - the gulfs will become too great to span. We as a nation will collapse into decline - perhaps permanently. I ask you - do you really want a country as souless as China becoming the world's pre-eminent power? I pray daily that I do not live to see it, because I fear it is coming.
I Saw...
a red fox tonight on my deck, shortly after 11:00 p.m. I went downstairs to get a glass of wine and as I usually do, I took a peek under the curtain covering the patio door that overlooks the deck. Then I clicked on the light. Lo and behold, there was this red fox! Whoa! I got a real good look at it while it seemed to take a couple of seconds (3 or 4, at least) to realize that it was not highlighted in my floodlight! It turned and looked toward the light at the same time I clicked on the lock to open the door - forgetting I'd put the bar in the track, so I could only open the door about 2 inches wide. Now just what I meant by opening the door - duh - what a stupid thing to do, hey?
In any event, that click noise from unlocking the patio door and my futzing around with the curtain at the glass was enough to scare the fox away. Sure was a beautiful animal - looked young and healthy, not mangy or rabid. On my deck eating left-over peanuts (of all things!) and some stale cheese corn I threw out there for the crows earlier in the day. Ohmygoddess. So now, evidently, I'm feeding a fox as well as skunks, possums, squirrels and racoons.
Does it mean anything in particular if one sees a red fox unexpectedly at close quarters? My area is a suburb of Milwaukee, but pretty urbanized - an entrance to the expressway is just a couple of blocks away, not to mention the major arterial of 76th Street seven blocks to the east. On the other hand, power towers are relatively close (a couple of blocks away to the north) and there is a wide clearance for them, a sort of no-man's land that is filled with grass and wild flowers during the spring and summer, when it isn't chopped down; and, as the crow flies, I'm only a couple of miles from a major county park to the south. Still - it was a shock to see a RED FOX ON MY DECK!
I'm thinking this means something. I just don't know what.
In any event, that click noise from unlocking the patio door and my futzing around with the curtain at the glass was enough to scare the fox away. Sure was a beautiful animal - looked young and healthy, not mangy or rabid. On my deck eating left-over peanuts (of all things!) and some stale cheese corn I threw out there for the crows earlier in the day. Ohmygoddess. So now, evidently, I'm feeding a fox as well as skunks, possums, squirrels and racoons.
Does it mean anything in particular if one sees a red fox unexpectedly at close quarters? My area is a suburb of Milwaukee, but pretty urbanized - an entrance to the expressway is just a couple of blocks away, not to mention the major arterial of 76th Street seven blocks to the east. On the other hand, power towers are relatively close (a couple of blocks away to the north) and there is a wide clearance for them, a sort of no-man's land that is filled with grass and wild flowers during the spring and summer, when it isn't chopped down; and, as the crow flies, I'm only a couple of miles from a major county park to the south. Still - it was a shock to see a RED FOX ON MY DECK!
I'm thinking this means something. I just don't know what.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Is There a Common Link Between These Ancient Blue Hues?
I've no idea. I'm not suggesting that the recipe for either blue travelled from Old World to New World or vice versa. I'm wondering is there an underlying chemical conection or similarity in the composition of the minerals in the clay and/or rocks that the Maya used to produce their cobalt blue color and the minerals in the rocks the ancient Egytians used to produce their cobalt blue color?
Mar 16, 2010
Archaeologists: Maya Blue pigment recipe moved around
An archaeologist reports the ingredients of "Maya Blue" pigment beloved by Central America's ancients may have been widely mined, not traded as previously suggested.
In the Journal of Archeological Science report, Leslie Cecil of Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, reports on "palygorskite" minerals, the chief ingredient in the bright and long-lasting pigment, found at the archaeological site of Ixlú in the Petén region of Guatemala. Maya Blue was widely used by the classic Maya of Central America to decorate buildings and wares, making the cobalt color a signature of the pyramid-building culture. (Image: Photo by Lori Polette. Elsevier. JAS)
Rather than emerging from one of seven mines already discovered in Mexico, the mineral traces back to a nearby site in Guatemala, a first sign that the color's recipe was traded widely outside the Yucatan, and that the ritual burning required to manufacture the pigment also was used by Maya further south as well.
"Geochemical analyses demonstrate that the Ixlú pigment has the traditional Maya Blue structure, but it was manufactured from clays in central Petén, Guatemala," says the study. "If Maya Blue was being used in the southern Maya lowlands as it was in the northern Maya lowlands, then it should not seem too shocking that some southern lowland Maya (perhaps ritual specialists) may have learned the technology and specialized knowledge behind the manufacture of Maya Blue."
By Dan Vergano
(History: Scientists Figure Out Secret of Maya's Blue Paint, February 27, 2008)
In Search of Key Blue Ingredient in Ancient Egyptian Pottery
ScienceDaily (Mar. 19, 2010) — Jennifer Smith, PhD, associate professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, was belly crawling her way to the end of a long, narrow tunnel carved in the rock at a desert oasis by Egyptians who lived in the time of the pharaohs.
"I was crawling along when suddenly I felt stabbed in the chest," she says. "I looked down and saw that I was pressing against the broken end of a long bone. That freaked me out because at first I thought I was crawling over bodies, but I looked up and saw a sheep skull not too far away, so I calmed down. At least the bones weren't human."
What was she doing in the tunnel?
The answer: seeking an uncontaminated sample of a mineral that might have been the key ingredient in the blue used to decorate "blue painted pottery" popular among the Egyptian elite during the New Kingdom (1550 to 1079 BCE).
Colleague Colin A. Hope, an expert in blue painted pottery, had asked if she wouldn't help him pin down the source of the blue pigment by sampling and analyzing material fromt he mine.
Hope and Smith, together with Paul Kucera, a doctoral student at Monash University who first identified the mines, describe the pottery, the mines and the mineral in a chapter of Beyond the Horizon, a festschrift for the Egyptologist Barry A. Kemp,
'Generic geologist'
In the wastes of the eastern Sahara, nestled against the limestone escarpment that separates the desert from the Nile Valley, lies the Dakhleh Oasis. This fortunate spot, where deep water is able to reach the surface along fractures and faults under its own pressure, has been continuously inhabited for a very long time -- perhaps as long as 400,000 years.
During that period there were roughly four glacial cycles and, although Egypt itself was ice-free, the local climate oscillated from hyperarid to semi-arid as the Earth's orbital position drove changes in the location of the tropical rainfall belts.
Smith studies the impact of these climate fluctuations on ancient oasis dwellers.
But Smith is also the "generic geologist" as she puts it, for the Dakhleh Oasis Project, a long-term study of the oasis that covers the entire stretch of Dakhleh history, from the Neolithic through the Pharaonic, Roman, Islamic and modern settlements, and employs -- off and on -- more than 50 specialists.
"The dig house is open from November until March," Smith says.
As generic geologist, Smith was asked to help with a material-sourcing puzzle that she says was "way outside her period." During the 2007 season, Colin A. Hope, PhD, associate professor and director of the Center for Archaeology and Ancient History at Monash University in Australia, asked her whether a mineral found at the oasis could have been used to color the blue painted pottery.
It was a small question but an intriguing one.
Blue painted pottery
Most Egyptian pottery is undecorated, but during the New Kingdom, the period when Egypt is at the zenith of its power, a variety of pottery was elegantly decorated in a distinctive pale blue.
The pottery has been found at many sites in Egypt, and also in the Middle East and in Sudan.
The largest deposits, however, were found at New Kingdom sites in Egypt, including Malqata (the palace complex of Amenhotep III), Amarna (the remains of the city built by the Akenaten, the famous pharaoh who moved the capital from Thebes and established his own religion), the cemetary at Deir el-Medineh (the village where artisans who worked on the tombs in the Valley of the Kings during the New Kingdom lived), and the Great Temple of Amun (patron of kingship during the New Kingdom).
"Walking over some sites, it is only a matter of minutes before several shards of blue painted pottery or cobalt blue glass or faience can be collected," Hope, who has written extensively about the pottery, says.
Given the restricted use to which the pigment was put and the archeological sites where remnants were found, Hope believes it was probably available only to artisans associated with major royal residences.
The pale blue is distinguishable at a glance from the brilliant blues and blue-greens of the faience glazes common from the 3000 BC onward. Faience, probably most familiar in the form of the small statue of a hippo nicknamed William that is now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, was made by adding ground copper to ground quartz to create what ceramists today call Egyptian paste.
But it is difficult to create durable patterns with copper pigment on pottery, says Hope. "Copper-based pigments must be applied in thick layers and were added after firing, so they tended to flake off when an object was handled. Instead of copper, the colorant used on most of the blue painted pottery is cobalt, which was fired onto the pots.
Where did the cobalt-bearing mineral come from? Analysis of the paint showed that the cobalt was accompanied by trace amounts of zinc, nickel and manganese, a mixture of elements distinctive enough to serve as a chemical fingerprint.
The mines of Dakhleh
At the height of its power, the Egyptian administration of the Nile Valley sponsored mineral exploitation of the Valley and surrounding desert regions. As early as 1980, it was suggested that the cobalt might have come from the desert oases at Dakhleh and Kharga.
In the lower foothills of the oasis escarpment at the western end of Dakhleh, four mine shafts were meticulously hand-cut into the rock. Steps carved along the shafts allowed a safe descent. The shafts provided access to horizontal galleries, some as long as 15 meters, that followed horizontal veins of the mineral alum.
A few centimeters thick, the alum veins are fibrous, pale gray to pink in color and slightly astringent.
Alum is both the term for a specific compound and for a class of compounds, all of which contain two negatively charged sulfate groups and two chemical elements or groups bearing a positive charge. The specific compound is hydrated aluminum potassium sulfate but many other elements or groups can substitute for the aluminum and potassium, and cobalt is one of these.
Alum was probably exploited for a variety of purposes in ancient times, some having nothing to do with color. The Egyptians, for example, used alum both to whiten skins during tanning and to prepare cloth to absorb dye.
Alum is still used today in styptic pencils to stem bleeding and in recipes for pickling cucumbers. More recently, it has been in vogue as a "crystal deodorant" that is sold as more natural than older deodorant products.
Was the Dakhleh Oasis alum used as a general-purpose astringent, or did it have the same chemical fingerprint as the blue paint on the pottery?
Analyzing the alum
To find out, Smith needed to sample the alum and analyze its composition. "I wanted to get relatively unaltered samples," she says, "which is why I was crawling to the end of a gallery. The galleries were small enough you couldn't really crawl on your hand and knees: you had to belly crawl."
Smith brought the samples she collected back to Washington University where she ran them through a variety of sophisticated analytical instruments. "When we characterize a natural mineral," she says, "we want to know two things: its chemical composition and then how the elements that make it up are arranged, or its crystal structure."
In the case of the Dakhleh alum, the crystal structure was of little use because it would have been destroyed in preparing the paint. Only the composition could connect the alum to the pottery.
Smith's results showed that the alum did contain cobalt, although they weren't particularly rich in this element. The cobalt, however, was accompanied by trace amounts of manganese, nickel and zinc, the same mixture of elements found in the blue paint.
Surprised by the low concentration of cobalt, Smith wondered if the ancient artisans hadn't found a way to concentrate it on site. One sample she collected, a crust at the edge of a partially flooded mine shaft, had a higher cobalt content than the others. Because sulphate dissolves easily and the mines were much more likely to have been flooded in the past, she wondered whether the cobalt was mined not by chipping it out of the rock but instead by ladling water out of the mines and collecting the sediment left over when the water evaporated.
"But this is wild arm waving given the amount of data," Smith says.
This small exercise in archeological problem solving left her with a deep respect for the long-vanished miners.
"I look at all these different veins of sulfate and I don't know which are useful for which purposes without doing analyses, but they must have had ways of telling from observable properties which ones to mine. That's impressive," she says.
Chemical Science Magazine (online)
Instant insight: True blue chemistry
23 November 2006
Heinz Berke, professor of inorganic chemistry at the University of Zürich, Switzerland, looks at the use of manmade blue and purple pigments by ancient civilizations
Colours are an intrinsic part of human life. They produce aesthetic stimulation and they fascinate. They are the means of expression in art and they form part of human culture.
In prehistoric times, only the so-called earth colours, colours provided by the surface soil, could be used as pigments. Blue is not an earth colour and so was not available to prehistoric humans as a pigment, nor is it provided by nature as a stable dye.
Necessity, as the mother of invention, stimulated several ancient civilizations to develop artificial blue and purple materials by chemical synthesis. Egyptian Blue (CaCuSi4O10), the first synthetic pigment, was used in ancient Egypt in the Mediterranean area, Mesopotamia and Persia from around 3000 BC until the end of the Roman Empire. Han Blue (BaCuSi4O10) and Han Purple (BaCuSi2O6) appeared in a relatively small area of northwestern China from around 800 BC until the end of the Han Period in 220 AD. Maya Blue, a chemical intercalation compound of indigo (C16H10N2O2) and the white clay palygorskite (a magnesium aluminosilcate mineral), was used in Central America to paint houses and decorate artifacts from around 400 BC. [I believe Maya Blue predates 400 BCE]
Advances in ancient pottery techniques, for making compact blue objects, and glazing techniques, such as polychromic tile glazing, were closely related to the development of blue pigments. Blue and purple had thus made man's life more pleasant and had become highly esteemed in ancient times.
In recent years, archaeology has profited greatly from progress in science. Advances in microanalytical techniques have allowed historical assignments to be made on the basis of hard scientific facts. The application of scientific techniques and methods to archaeology is called archaeometry.
The archaeometry of ancient pigments has gained support from x-ray analytical methods, Raman spectroscopy and electron microscopy. Many questions about how ancient pigments were made can now be answered. For instance, the mysterious finding of significant amounts of lead in all the samples of Han Blue and Han Purple that have so far been analysed - it is now known that lead additives were used to accelerate the decomposition of the barium mineral starting materials. Such detailed conclusions could only be reached on the basis of laborious scientific analyses applying modern scientific methodologies.
A possible technology transfer from Egypt to China is suggested by the chemical relationship of the Egyptian and Chinese pigments. For any transfer of knowledge and techniques, the areas of distribution of these pigments must have overlapped, but knowledge about the use of Egyptian Blue in Central Asia is still limited, so this question remains open. [I don't agree with the underlying assumptions. We know there was trade - scattered and intermittent, but evidence exists for it nonetheless, over several thousand years - so it is quite possible the ancient peoples in the northwest area of China decided to develope their own blue pigment based on examples on Egyptian ware that came their way over the years.]
All the pigments described have one thing in common: they were all created by human inventive talent, which is strongest when there are situations of deficiency - even if the invention does not serve vital needs. In the case of blue pigments, chemistry was used as an opportunity. Chemistry was not only an opportunity for the people in ancient times and at the age of industrialisation, but still is an opportunity for the people of today. Seizing opportunities with chemistry means, according to the notable German chemist Justus von Liebig, to use 'silent force' and reach 'copious abundance'.
Read Heinz Berke's review on 'The invention of blue and purple pigments in ancient times' in issue 1, 2007 of Chem. Soc. Rev.
References
The invention of blue and purple pigments in ancient times
H Berke, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2007
DOI: 10.1039/b606268g
NOTE: When I followed the DOI link (above) I found the following synopsis of Berke's article:
Heinz Berke
This tutorial review examines manmade blue and purple pigments appearing in antiquity. They were obtained by chemical synthesis from mineral starting materials and refer to chemical compounds: Egyptian Blue (CaCuSi4O10), Han Blue (BaCuSi4O10) and Han Purple (BaCuSi2O6), Maya Blue (x·indigo·(Mg,Al)4Si8(O,OH,H2O)24) and Ultramarine Blue (Na,Ca)8(AlSiO12)(S, SO4,Cl). [What is this Ultramarine Blue - what culture did it come from? Is it common to all? I ask because when I first saw the graphic for the example of Maya Blue in the first article in this post, I thought it was "marine blue."] The Egyptian and Chinese copper-based pigments are assumed to have been developed independently and are presumably an outcome of the historical developments in glazing techniques. A technology transfer from Egypt into China cannot be fully excluded but, based on the facts acquired up to now, looks less probable. [Really?]
Mar 16, 2010
Archaeologists: Maya Blue pigment recipe moved around
An archaeologist reports the ingredients of "Maya Blue" pigment beloved by Central America's ancients may have been widely mined, not traded as previously suggested.
Rather than emerging from one of seven mines already discovered in Mexico, the mineral traces back to a nearby site in Guatemala, a first sign that the color's recipe was traded widely outside the Yucatan, and that the ritual burning required to manufacture the pigment also was used by Maya further south as well.
"Geochemical analyses demonstrate that the Ixlú pigment has the traditional Maya Blue structure, but it was manufactured from clays in central Petén, Guatemala," says the study. "If Maya Blue was being used in the southern Maya lowlands as it was in the northern Maya lowlands, then it should not seem too shocking that some southern lowland Maya (perhaps ritual specialists) may have learned the technology and specialized knowledge behind the manufacture of Maya Blue."
By Dan Vergano
(History: Scientists Figure Out Secret of Maya's Blue Paint, February 27, 2008)
In Search of Key Blue Ingredient in Ancient Egyptian Pottery
ScienceDaily (Mar. 19, 2010) — Jennifer Smith, PhD, associate professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, was belly crawling her way to the end of a long, narrow tunnel carved in the rock at a desert oasis by Egyptians who lived in the time of the pharaohs.
What was she doing in the tunnel?
The answer: seeking an uncontaminated sample of a mineral that might have been the key ingredient in the blue used to decorate "blue painted pottery" popular among the Egyptian elite during the New Kingdom (1550 to 1079 BCE).
Colleague Colin A. Hope, an expert in blue painted pottery, had asked if she wouldn't help him pin down the source of the blue pigment by sampling and analyzing material fromt he mine.
Hope and Smith, together with Paul Kucera, a doctoral student at Monash University who first identified the mines, describe the pottery, the mines and the mineral in a chapter of Beyond the Horizon, a festschrift for the Egyptologist Barry A. Kemp,
'Generic geologist'
In the wastes of the eastern Sahara, nestled against the limestone escarpment that separates the desert from the Nile Valley, lies the Dakhleh Oasis. This fortunate spot, where deep water is able to reach the surface along fractures and faults under its own pressure, has been continuously inhabited for a very long time -- perhaps as long as 400,000 years.
During that period there were roughly four glacial cycles and, although Egypt itself was ice-free, the local climate oscillated from hyperarid to semi-arid as the Earth's orbital position drove changes in the location of the tropical rainfall belts.
Smith studies the impact of these climate fluctuations on ancient oasis dwellers.
But Smith is also the "generic geologist" as she puts it, for the Dakhleh Oasis Project, a long-term study of the oasis that covers the entire stretch of Dakhleh history, from the Neolithic through the Pharaonic, Roman, Islamic and modern settlements, and employs -- off and on -- more than 50 specialists.
"The dig house is open from November until March," Smith says.
As generic geologist, Smith was asked to help with a material-sourcing puzzle that she says was "way outside her period." During the 2007 season, Colin A. Hope, PhD, associate professor and director of the Center for Archaeology and Ancient History at Monash University in Australia, asked her whether a mineral found at the oasis could have been used to color the blue painted pottery.
It was a small question but an intriguing one.
Blue painted pottery
Most Egyptian pottery is undecorated, but during the New Kingdom, the period when Egypt is at the zenith of its power, a variety of pottery was elegantly decorated in a distinctive pale blue.
The pottery has been found at many sites in Egypt, and also in the Middle East and in Sudan.
The largest deposits, however, were found at New Kingdom sites in Egypt, including Malqata (the palace complex of Amenhotep III), Amarna (the remains of the city built by the Akenaten, the famous pharaoh who moved the capital from Thebes and established his own religion), the cemetary at Deir el-Medineh (the village where artisans who worked on the tombs in the Valley of the Kings during the New Kingdom lived), and the Great Temple of Amun (patron of kingship during the New Kingdom).
"Walking over some sites, it is only a matter of minutes before several shards of blue painted pottery or cobalt blue glass or faience can be collected," Hope, who has written extensively about the pottery, says.
Given the restricted use to which the pigment was put and the archeological sites where remnants were found, Hope believes it was probably available only to artisans associated with major royal residences.
The pale blue is distinguishable at a glance from the brilliant blues and blue-greens of the faience glazes common from the 3000 BC onward. Faience, probably most familiar in the form of the small statue of a hippo nicknamed William that is now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, was made by adding ground copper to ground quartz to create what ceramists today call Egyptian paste.
But it is difficult to create durable patterns with copper pigment on pottery, says Hope. "Copper-based pigments must be applied in thick layers and were added after firing, so they tended to flake off when an object was handled. Instead of copper, the colorant used on most of the blue painted pottery is cobalt, which was fired onto the pots.
Where did the cobalt-bearing mineral come from? Analysis of the paint showed that the cobalt was accompanied by trace amounts of zinc, nickel and manganese, a mixture of elements distinctive enough to serve as a chemical fingerprint.
The mines of Dakhleh
At the height of its power, the Egyptian administration of the Nile Valley sponsored mineral exploitation of the Valley and surrounding desert regions. As early as 1980, it was suggested that the cobalt might have come from the desert oases at Dakhleh and Kharga.
In the lower foothills of the oasis escarpment at the western end of Dakhleh, four mine shafts were meticulously hand-cut into the rock. Steps carved along the shafts allowed a safe descent. The shafts provided access to horizontal galleries, some as long as 15 meters, that followed horizontal veins of the mineral alum.
A few centimeters thick, the alum veins are fibrous, pale gray to pink in color and slightly astringent.
Alum is both the term for a specific compound and for a class of compounds, all of which contain two negatively charged sulfate groups and two chemical elements or groups bearing a positive charge. The specific compound is hydrated aluminum potassium sulfate but many other elements or groups can substitute for the aluminum and potassium, and cobalt is one of these.
Alum was probably exploited for a variety of purposes in ancient times, some having nothing to do with color. The Egyptians, for example, used alum both to whiten skins during tanning and to prepare cloth to absorb dye.
Alum is still used today in styptic pencils to stem bleeding and in recipes for pickling cucumbers. More recently, it has been in vogue as a "crystal deodorant" that is sold as more natural than older deodorant products.
Was the Dakhleh Oasis alum used as a general-purpose astringent, or did it have the same chemical fingerprint as the blue paint on the pottery?
Analyzing the alum
To find out, Smith needed to sample the alum and analyze its composition. "I wanted to get relatively unaltered samples," she says, "which is why I was crawling to the end of a gallery. The galleries were small enough you couldn't really crawl on your hand and knees: you had to belly crawl."
Smith brought the samples she collected back to Washington University where she ran them through a variety of sophisticated analytical instruments. "When we characterize a natural mineral," she says, "we want to know two things: its chemical composition and then how the elements that make it up are arranged, or its crystal structure."
In the case of the Dakhleh alum, the crystal structure was of little use because it would have been destroyed in preparing the paint. Only the composition could connect the alum to the pottery.
Smith's results showed that the alum did contain cobalt, although they weren't particularly rich in this element. The cobalt, however, was accompanied by trace amounts of manganese, nickel and zinc, the same mixture of elements found in the blue paint.
Surprised by the low concentration of cobalt, Smith wondered if the ancient artisans hadn't found a way to concentrate it on site. One sample she collected, a crust at the edge of a partially flooded mine shaft, had a higher cobalt content than the others. Because sulphate dissolves easily and the mines were much more likely to have been flooded in the past, she wondered whether the cobalt was mined not by chipping it out of the rock but instead by ladling water out of the mines and collecting the sediment left over when the water evaporated.
"But this is wild arm waving given the amount of data," Smith says.
This small exercise in archeological problem solving left her with a deep respect for the long-vanished miners.
"I look at all these different veins of sulfate and I don't know which are useful for which purposes without doing analyses, but they must have had ways of telling from observable properties which ones to mine. That's impressive," she says.
**************************************************************************
I found this article that contains chemical formulae for the various blue compounds found in the ancient world - fascinating stuff. Note the comment about the similarity between the ancient Egyptian and ancient Chinese formulae for blue.Chemical Science Magazine (online)
Instant insight: True blue chemistry
23 November 2006
Heinz Berke, professor of inorganic chemistry at the University of Zürich, Switzerland, looks at the use of manmade blue and purple pigments by ancient civilizations
Colours are an intrinsic part of human life. They produce aesthetic stimulation and they fascinate. They are the means of expression in art and they form part of human culture.
In prehistoric times, only the so-called earth colours, colours provided by the surface soil, could be used as pigments. Blue is not an earth colour and so was not available to prehistoric humans as a pigment, nor is it provided by nature as a stable dye.
Necessity, as the mother of invention, stimulated several ancient civilizations to develop artificial blue and purple materials by chemical synthesis. Egyptian Blue (CaCuSi4O10), the first synthetic pigment, was used in ancient Egypt in the Mediterranean area, Mesopotamia and Persia from around 3000 BC until the end of the Roman Empire. Han Blue (BaCuSi4O10) and Han Purple (BaCuSi2O6) appeared in a relatively small area of northwestern China from around 800 BC until the end of the Han Period in 220 AD. Maya Blue, a chemical intercalation compound of indigo (C16H10N2O2) and the white clay palygorskite (a magnesium aluminosilcate mineral), was used in Central America to paint houses and decorate artifacts from around 400 BC. [I believe Maya Blue predates 400 BCE]
Advances in ancient pottery techniques, for making compact blue objects, and glazing techniques, such as polychromic tile glazing, were closely related to the development of blue pigments. Blue and purple had thus made man's life more pleasant and had become highly esteemed in ancient times.
In recent years, archaeology has profited greatly from progress in science. Advances in microanalytical techniques have allowed historical assignments to be made on the basis of hard scientific facts. The application of scientific techniques and methods to archaeology is called archaeometry.
The archaeometry of ancient pigments has gained support from x-ray analytical methods, Raman spectroscopy and electron microscopy. Many questions about how ancient pigments were made can now be answered. For instance, the mysterious finding of significant amounts of lead in all the samples of Han Blue and Han Purple that have so far been analysed - it is now known that lead additives were used to accelerate the decomposition of the barium mineral starting materials. Such detailed conclusions could only be reached on the basis of laborious scientific analyses applying modern scientific methodologies.
A possible technology transfer from Egypt to China is suggested by the chemical relationship of the Egyptian and Chinese pigments. For any transfer of knowledge and techniques, the areas of distribution of these pigments must have overlapped, but knowledge about the use of Egyptian Blue in Central Asia is still limited, so this question remains open. [I don't agree with the underlying assumptions. We know there was trade - scattered and intermittent, but evidence exists for it nonetheless, over several thousand years - so it is quite possible the ancient peoples in the northwest area of China decided to develope their own blue pigment based on examples on Egyptian ware that came their way over the years.]
All the pigments described have one thing in common: they were all created by human inventive talent, which is strongest when there are situations of deficiency - even if the invention does not serve vital needs. In the case of blue pigments, chemistry was used as an opportunity. Chemistry was not only an opportunity for the people in ancient times and at the age of industrialisation, but still is an opportunity for the people of today. Seizing opportunities with chemistry means, according to the notable German chemist Justus von Liebig, to use 'silent force' and reach 'copious abundance'.
Read Heinz Berke's review on 'The invention of blue and purple pigments in ancient times' in issue 1, 2007 of Chem. Soc. Rev.
References
The invention of blue and purple pigments in ancient times
H Berke, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2007
DOI: 10.1039/b606268g
NOTE: When I followed the DOI link (above) I found the following synopsis of Berke's article:
Heinz Berke
This tutorial review examines manmade blue and purple pigments appearing in antiquity. They were obtained by chemical synthesis from mineral starting materials and refer to chemical compounds: Egyptian Blue (CaCuSi4O10), Han Blue (BaCuSi4O10) and Han Purple (BaCuSi2O6), Maya Blue (x·indigo·(Mg,Al)4Si8(O,OH,H2O)24) and Ultramarine Blue (Na,Ca)8(AlSiO12)(S, SO4,Cl). [What is this Ultramarine Blue - what culture did it come from? Is it common to all? I ask because when I first saw the graphic for the example of Maya Blue in the first article in this post, I thought it was "marine blue."] The Egyptian and Chinese copper-based pigments are assumed to have been developed independently and are presumably an outcome of the historical developments in glazing techniques. A technology transfer from Egypt into China cannot be fully excluded but, based on the facts acquired up to now, looks less probable. [Really?]
Hales Corners Challenge XI!
It's coming soon! I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by, darlings! I encourage everyone within reasonable traveling distance of Milwaukee, Wisconsin to come to the Hales Corners Challenge XI - it's a great event and very player-friendly. It's a tough schedule but it's all in one day too - you can travel in for the Saturday event, stay over and trek back home on Sunday. TEN Grand Prix points.
There is a new location this year - players, please take note and don't show up at the wrong hotel!
Goddesschess is once again sponsoring special prizes for the chess femmes but we're introducing a new prize structure - we're trying to encourage more chess femmes to play in the Open event. The more chess femmes who play in the Open, the higher the prize amounts and the greater the number of prizes and their tamounts will be. So ladies, it's up to you. For Challenge XII, the number of prizes and their amounts for chess femmes will be increased too - or decreased - depending on the number of you who come out and play in the Open in Challenge XI. Come on chess femmes, get your feet wet - the water is just fine.
Particulars:
Online version
Two Sections – Open & Reserve (Under 1600)
FORMAT: Four Round Swiss System - Four Games in One Day
USCF Rated
TIME LIMIT: Game in One Hour (60 minutes per player)
ENTRY FEE: $35 – Open; $25 – Reserve
(both sections $5 more after April 14, 2010)
Comp Entry Fee for USCF 2200+: Entry fee subtracted from any prizes won
SITE REGISTRATION: 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
ROUNDS: 10 am -- 1 pm -- 3:30 pm -- 6 pm
Pairings by WinTD---No Computer Entries---No Smoking
PRIZES
OPEN & RESERVE
1st—$325* 1st—$100
2nd—$175* 2nd—$75
A—$100 D—$50
B & Below—$75 E & Below—$40
* guaranteed
Goddesschess Prizes for Females: Up to $245 for Best Results by female chess players
For Female Players in the Open Section:
1 woman - no cash prize
2 women - one prize of $45
3 women - two prizes of $45 and $40
4 women - three prizes of $50, $45, $40
5 or more women - four prizes of $55, $50, $45, $40
Top finishing female - paid entry for Challenge XII when registration confirmed
For Female Players in the Reserve Section:
1st --$30
2nd --$25
Top finishing female - paid entry for Challenge XII when registration confirmed
Best Game Prize—Starting Out: Chess Tactics & Checkmates (DVD) by Chris Ward
Tournament Director: Robin Grochowski
Assistant Tournament Directors: Tom Fogec & Allen Becker
NEW SITE: Crowne Plaza Milwaukee Airport Hotel—6401 S. 13th Street—414-764-5300
I94 to College Avenue East exit, College to 13th (one block), turn right on 13th to hotel (two blocks on right)
ENTRIES TO: Allen Becker—6105 Thorncrest Drive—Greendale, WI 53129 allenbecker@wi.rr.com
QUESTIONS TO: Robin Grochowski—414-744-4872 (home) or 414-861-2745 (cell)
USCF I.D. Required -- Bring your own clocks – Sets and Boards Provided
Half point bye available in Round 1, 2 or 3 if requested prior to round 1; not available in Round 4.
There is a new location this year - players, please take note and don't show up at the wrong hotel!
Goddesschess is once again sponsoring special prizes for the chess femmes but we're introducing a new prize structure - we're trying to encourage more chess femmes to play in the Open event. The more chess femmes who play in the Open, the higher the prize amounts and the greater the number of prizes and their tamounts will be. So ladies, it's up to you. For Challenge XII, the number of prizes and their amounts for chess femmes will be increased too - or decreased - depending on the number of you who come out and play in the Open in Challenge XI. Come on chess femmes, get your feet wet - the water is just fine.
Particulars:
Online version
Hales Corners Challenge XI
Sponsored by The Southwest Chess Club
http://home.roadrunner.com/~swcc/
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Two Sections – Open & Reserve (Under 1600)
FORMAT: Four Round Swiss System - Four Games in One Day
USCF Rated
TIME LIMIT: Game in One Hour (60 minutes per player)
ENTRY FEE: $35 – Open; $25 – Reserve
(both sections $5 more after April 14, 2010)
Comp Entry Fee for USCF 2200+: Entry fee subtracted from any prizes won
SITE REGISTRATION: 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
ROUNDS: 10 am -- 1 pm -- 3:30 pm -- 6 pm
Pairings by WinTD---No Computer Entries---No Smoking
PRIZES
OPEN & RESERVE
1st—$325* 1st—$100
2nd—$175* 2nd—$75
A—$100 D—$50
B & Below—$75 E & Below—$40
* guaranteed
Goddesschess Prizes for Females: Up to $245 for Best Results by female chess players
For Female Players in the Open Section:
1 woman - no cash prize
2 women - one prize of $45
3 women - two prizes of $45 and $40
4 women - three prizes of $50, $45, $40
5 or more women - four prizes of $55, $50, $45, $40
Top finishing female - paid entry for Challenge XII when registration confirmed
For Female Players in the Reserve Section:
1st --$30
2nd --$25
Top finishing female - paid entry for Challenge XII when registration confirmed
Best Game Prize—Starting Out: Chess Tactics & Checkmates (DVD) by Chris Ward
Tournament Director: Robin Grochowski
Assistant Tournament Directors: Tom Fogec & Allen Becker
NEW SITE: Crowne Plaza Milwaukee Airport Hotel—6401 S. 13th Street—414-764-5300
I94 to College Avenue East exit, College to 13th (one block), turn right on 13th to hotel (two blocks on right)
ENTRIES TO: Allen Becker—6105 Thorncrest Drive—Greendale, WI 53129 allenbecker@wi.rr.com
QUESTIONS TO: Robin Grochowski—414-744-4872 (home) or 414-861-2745 (cell)
USCF I.D. Required -- Bring your own clocks – Sets and Boards Provided
Half point bye available in Round 1, 2 or 3 if requested prior to round 1; not available in Round 4.
Isis Interregnum
Isis has sent me links to several interesting stories this past week - sorry I did not post them last night, I got too involved in watching "Who Do You Think You Are?" and "Kitchen Nightmares." I just love Gordon Ramsey - minus the vulgarity :)
This first story is absolutely unbelievable - except that it is, unfortunately, true. Once again Islam demonstrates that it never progressed beyond the Dark Ages - has probably regressed! Disgusting and sad at the same time - killing someone for "telling a fortune" - geez. Talk about a religion with an inferiority complex. If Allah is the Almighty God, He's not going to be afraid of whatever it is that fortune tellers predict because His Truth will ultimately prevail. Of course, if Allah is a phoney-baloney god, it's no wonder the Mullahs are upset with the t.v. guy.
TV presenter gets death sentence for 'sorcery
'By Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN
March 19, 2010 10:30 a.m. EDT
(CNN) -- Amnesty International is calling on Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah to stop the execution of a Lebanese man sentenced to death for "sorcery."
In a statement released Thursday, the international rights group condemned the verdict and demanded the immediate release of Ali Hussain Sibat, former host of a popular call-in show that aired on Sheherazade, a Beirut based satellite TV channel.
According to his lawyer, Sibat, who is 48 and has five children, would predict the future on his show and give out advice to his audience.
The attorney, May El Khansa, who is in Lebanon, tells CNN her client was arrested by Saudi Arabia's religious police (known as the Mutawa'een) and charged with sorcery while visiting the country in May 2008. Sibat was in Saudi Arabia to perform the Islamic religious pilgrimage known as Umra.
Sibat was then put on trial. In November 2009, a court in the Saudi city of Medina found Sibat guilty and sentenced him to death.
According to El Khansa, Sibat appealed the verdict. The case was taken up by the Court of Appeal in the Saudi city of Mecca on the grounds that the initial verdict was "premature."
El Khansa tells CNN that the Mecca appeals court then sent the case back to the original court for reconsideration, stipulating that all charges made against Sibat needed to be verified and that he should be given a chance to repent.
On March 10, judges in Medina upheld their initial verdict, meaning Sibat is once again sentenced to be executed.
"The Medina court refused the sentence of the appeals court," said El Khansa, adding her client will appeal the verdict once more.
The case has been covered extensively by local media. According to Arab News, an English language Saudi daily newspaper, after the most recent verdict was issued, the judges in Medina issued a statement expressing that Sibat deserved to be executed for having continually practiced black magic on his show, adding that this sentence would deter others from practicing sorcery. Arab News reports that the case will now return to the appeals court in Mecca.
CNN has not been able to reach Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Justice for comment.
A new King Tut exhibit at the Met --
Tutankhamun's Funeral - A New King Tut Exhibition at New York's Met
Submitted by Ann on Thu, 03/18/2010 - 11:14
In 1908, more than a decade before the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, American retired lawyer and archaeologist Theodore Davis made a remarkable discovery. While excavating in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, he unearthed about a dozen large storage jars. Their contents included broken pottery, bags of natron, bags of sawdust, floral collars, and pieces of linen with markings from years 6 and 8 during the reign of a then little-known pharaoh named Tutankhamun. The significance of the find was not immediately understood, and the objects entered the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art as a mystery. It was only several years later, after further excavations and study, that the Museum’s Herbert E. Winlock was able to identify them: the small cache contained the remains from the embalming and funeral of King Tut. These objects now get their own exhibition - Tutankhamun's Funeral - which runs at New York's Met until November 6th.
Wild Horses! No - not the Rolling Stones' song covered by Susan Boyle and countless other singers -- the real deal - mustangs. Turns out babies aren't the only ones who respond to rhythms:
Wild Horses Respond to Native American Drumming
Analysis by Jennifer Viegas | Thu Mar 18, 2010 01:44 PM ET
... One sunny afternoon, when they had finished their tasks, the students and a few elders within their group brought a tribal drum to the site, much to the surprise of the instructors and staff.
"It seemed to just be a spontaneous happening," Starr told me.
The students sat around the instrument and began to chant and drum.
"When this happened, the horses followed the drums and, mesmerized, made a semi-circle around the students," Starr said. "Most of the kids were so involved in the drumming that they didn't notice, even though the horses had gathered just 12 to 20 feet away. It was so moving that many of us watching were crying." ...
This first story is absolutely unbelievable - except that it is, unfortunately, true. Once again Islam demonstrates that it never progressed beyond the Dark Ages - has probably regressed! Disgusting and sad at the same time - killing someone for "telling a fortune" - geez. Talk about a religion with an inferiority complex. If Allah is the Almighty God, He's not going to be afraid of whatever it is that fortune tellers predict because His Truth will ultimately prevail. Of course, if Allah is a phoney-baloney god, it's no wonder the Mullahs are upset with the t.v. guy.
TV presenter gets death sentence for 'sorcery
'By Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN
March 19, 2010 10:30 a.m. EDT
(CNN) -- Amnesty International is calling on Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah to stop the execution of a Lebanese man sentenced to death for "sorcery."
In a statement released Thursday, the international rights group condemned the verdict and demanded the immediate release of Ali Hussain Sibat, former host of a popular call-in show that aired on Sheherazade, a Beirut based satellite TV channel.
According to his lawyer, Sibat, who is 48 and has five children, would predict the future on his show and give out advice to his audience.
The attorney, May El Khansa, who is in Lebanon, tells CNN her client was arrested by Saudi Arabia's religious police (known as the Mutawa'een) and charged with sorcery while visiting the country in May 2008. Sibat was in Saudi Arabia to perform the Islamic religious pilgrimage known as Umra.
Sibat was then put on trial. In November 2009, a court in the Saudi city of Medina found Sibat guilty and sentenced him to death.
According to El Khansa, Sibat appealed the verdict. The case was taken up by the Court of Appeal in the Saudi city of Mecca on the grounds that the initial verdict was "premature."
El Khansa tells CNN that the Mecca appeals court then sent the case back to the original court for reconsideration, stipulating that all charges made against Sibat needed to be verified and that he should be given a chance to repent.
On March 10, judges in Medina upheld their initial verdict, meaning Sibat is once again sentenced to be executed.
"The Medina court refused the sentence of the appeals court," said El Khansa, adding her client will appeal the verdict once more.
The case has been covered extensively by local media. According to Arab News, an English language Saudi daily newspaper, after the most recent verdict was issued, the judges in Medina issued a statement expressing that Sibat deserved to be executed for having continually practiced black magic on his show, adding that this sentence would deter others from practicing sorcery. Arab News reports that the case will now return to the appeals court in Mecca.
CNN has not been able to reach Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Justice for comment.
A new King Tut exhibit at the Met --
Tutankhamun's Funeral - A New King Tut Exhibition at New York's Met
Submitted by Ann on Thu, 03/18/2010 - 11:14
In 1908, more than a decade before the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, American retired lawyer and archaeologist Theodore Davis made a remarkable discovery. While excavating in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, he unearthed about a dozen large storage jars. Their contents included broken pottery, bags of natron, bags of sawdust, floral collars, and pieces of linen with markings from years 6 and 8 during the reign of a then little-known pharaoh named Tutankhamun. The significance of the find was not immediately understood, and the objects entered the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art as a mystery. It was only several years later, after further excavations and study, that the Museum’s Herbert E. Winlock was able to identify them: the small cache contained the remains from the embalming and funeral of King Tut. These objects now get their own exhibition - Tutankhamun's Funeral - which runs at New York's Met until November 6th.
Wild Horses! No - not the Rolling Stones' song covered by Susan Boyle and countless other singers -- the real deal - mustangs. Turns out babies aren't the only ones who respond to rhythms:
Wild Horses Respond to Native American Drumming
Analysis by Jennifer Viegas | Thu Mar 18, 2010 01:44 PM ET
... One sunny afternoon, when they had finished their tasks, the students and a few elders within their group brought a tribal drum to the site, much to the surprise of the instructors and staff.
The students sat around the instrument and began to chant and drum.
"When this happened, the horses followed the drums and, mesmerized, made a semi-circle around the students," Starr said. "Most of the kids were so involved in the drumming that they didn't notice, even though the horses had gathered just 12 to 20 feet away. It was so moving that many of us watching were crying." ...
Chess Divas Simul for Haiti Relief
Sorry for the short notice - I just learned about this right now (literally) at the USCF website:
Chess Diva Show Invites All Blitz Comers to Support Haiti Relief
March 18, 2010
Barbara and Lauren Goodkind of "Chess Diva" are taking on all blitz comers from March 20-21st in Palo Alto. Proceeds will benefit UNICEF for Haiti. Lauren told CLO that she was also happy to see so many other chessplayers raising money for Haiti and that "anyone can make a positive difference." See details of their event below.
Nationally ranked chess players Barbara and Lauren Goodkind, producers of the award winning local access TV show “Chess Diva,” will play 5-minute blitz games against the public. Non chess players will find it entertaining to watch! Parents, bring your kids!
•Dates: Saturday and Sunday, March 20th and 21st.
•Times: 10:00 to 4:30 on both days
•Location: Lytton Plaza at 202 University Ave, Palo Alto (next to Pizza My Heart)•Suggested Donation: $5 per 5-minute blitz game
•Good Cause: All proceeds will go to UNICEF for Haiti.
Read more about how chessplayers helped raise money for Haiti in CLO stories about Kapil Chandran's benefit simul, Ashkay Malhotra's 150 Games for Haiti Relief, FM Mike Klein's exhibition, expert Luke Harmon-Vellotti's exhibition, The Chess Without Borders Fundraiser and Daaim Shabazz's call for help. Daaim has also posted information on a fundraising effort for Sabine Bonnet and will contribute an upcoming article about the crisis and how it relates to the chess community in Chess Life Magazine.
Chess Diva Show Invites All Blitz Comers to Support Haiti Relief
March 18, 2010
Barbara and Lauren Goodkind of "Chess Diva" are taking on all blitz comers from March 20-21st in Palo Alto. Proceeds will benefit UNICEF for Haiti. Lauren told CLO that she was also happy to see so many other chessplayers raising money for Haiti and that "anyone can make a positive difference." See details of their event below.
Nationally ranked chess players Barbara and Lauren Goodkind, producers of the award winning local access TV show “Chess Diva,” will play 5-minute blitz games against the public. Non chess players will find it entertaining to watch! Parents, bring your kids!
•Dates: Saturday and Sunday, March 20th and 21st.
•Times: 10:00 to 4:30 on both days
•Location: Lytton Plaza at 202 University Ave, Palo Alto (next to Pizza My Heart)•Suggested Donation: $5 per 5-minute blitz game
•Good Cause: All proceeds will go to UNICEF for Haiti.
Read more about how chessplayers helped raise money for Haiti in CLO stories about Kapil Chandran's benefit simul, Ashkay Malhotra's 150 Games for Haiti Relief, FM Mike Klein's exhibition, expert Luke Harmon-Vellotti's exhibition, The Chess Without Borders Fundraiser and Daaim Shabazz's call for help. Daaim has also posted information on a fundraising effort for Sabine Bonnet and will contribute an upcoming article about the crisis and how it relates to the chess community in Chess Life Magazine.
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