Girton College, Cambridge, opened its newly refurbished small museum, the Lawrence Room, last weekend.

The completion of this significant project means that the College’s wide range of important artefacts and antiquities are now on show in their full glory, in state-of-the-art display cases, and with fully-supporting information.

The new display highlights the ways in which the collection has grown in the years since the foundation of the College.

There are three major collections, namely Anglo-Saxon, Egyptian and Mediterranean, which include significant, and in some cases unique, pieces such as Hermione Grammatike (pictured), a named portrait mummy from the Fayum region of Egypt, dating back to Roman times.

Girton has acquired many of these interesting exhibits from its benefactors and supporters. However, the Anglo-Saxon material came from a cemetery excavated on the College site in 1881.

As part of this project, a complete, illustrated electronic catalogue of the collections is being developed, which will eventually be available on the Internet.

The refurbishment will help to preserve the Lawrence Room’s collections for the benefit of future generations, and its reorganisation and electronic catalogue will enhance access for teaching and research.

The Lawrence Room appeal was launched in 2007 to raise funds for the housing, conservation, cataloguing and display of these collections.

Generous donations have enabled the acquisition of new display cabinets and, as a consequence, some of the Anglo-Saxon and Roman material from the 1881 dig on the Girton site has returned to the College from the Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology, where it had been held on loan since its discovery.

Mistress of the College, Professor Dame Marilyn Strathern, said: “Many Old Girtonians and outside experts have given generously of their time and skill in aiding this significant undertaking. We are confident that the Lawrence Room will prove to be an outstanding resource for teaching and research.”

Posted: July 15th, 2008 under Uncategorized.
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OPINION: There was lively debate on the M3 motorway at the recent World Archaeological Congress in Dublin but also disturbing developments about the congress itself, writes Maggie Ronayne .

The World Archaeological Congress (WAC) was founded in 1986 when archaeologists decided to implement the UN-sanctioned cultural boycott of apartheid South Africa.

Yet at the congress that concluded in Dublin on July 4th, there was an attempt to co-opt the profession to serve development by multinationals. The presence of the US military shocked many, as did sponsorship by Rio Tinto, the mining and exploration company.

The programme for the Dublin congress intended to ignore Tara and the M3, the biggest controversy in Irish archaeology since Wood Quay in 1979 - not surprising given that the National Roads Authority (NRA) was one of its sponsors. I pressed for debate and campaigners urged me on.

A Tara panel, scene of stormy presentations from various sides, did eventually occur. A good precedent was set: campaigners participated and proposed resolutions. Voting on resolutions opposing cultural destruction by the M3 was too close to call more than once and they were forwarded to the WAC’s assembly for discussion. On July 11th, the WAC issued a press release on Tara and the M3 which said: “We do not question the validity of the planning process undertaken in Ireland.”

Many of us clearly do.

My article in Public Archaeology about road development in Ireland and corruption in development planning processes was widely circulated. Most archaeologists are now employed by private companies on temporary, short-term contracts. As in other countries, this has gone in tandem with increasingly bureaucratic, corporate control of universities and pressure on academics to orient our teaching to prioritise the needs of industry.

Crucial questions of professional ethics and standards, particularly our accountability to the community, are sidelined. Colleagues in the private sector give regular reports of bad practice and cutting corners on roads projects, including the M3. I quoted an archaeologist who directed test-trenching on the M3 route: “A number of times, I was told to change an interpretation which served to lessen the potential or numbers of sites.”

Reports from this fieldwork informed the Minister for the Environment’s decision on salvage excavation licences for the M3.

The article provoked international debate and an outpouring via e-mail and phone; people seemed to need to get out of their system what they had swallowed for years.

Field colleagues contacted me to confirm they also had experienced bad practices on the road projects but, for the most part, those on precarious, temporary contracts don’t come forward; they fear being sacked, blacklisted or bullied out of their profession.

There is lip service to heritage but the Government tends to protect the roads industry while archaeologists are used to destroy archaeology - not only physical remains but also our profession’s core principles.

There are new structures in place that invite us to contravene basic standards and enable bad practice. For example, a developer’s archaeologists oversee those doing the testing for potential archaeology on a road route; they have sight of, and admit they may comment on or edit, test-trenching reports. Notwithstanding the best intentions of the NRA’s archaeologists, the developer employs them and there is a built-in conflict of interest. This needs changing.

Much is made of whether archaeology could stop projects like the M3. My experience working with communities in campaigns against cultural destruction in various countries is that archaeology alone rarely stops developers.

Problems with archaeology on the M3 should surely be investigated but by a people’s inquiry (facilitated by academia perhaps) also looking at reported land speculation and toll profits, failure to consider cheaper and more effective public transport or energy provision, the circumstances surrounding the sale of national resources to the private sector, attempts to divide local communities and failure to properly consult and inform them, involvement of multinationals with links to corrupt development elsewhere or profiteering in war zones, and an investigation of all the professional structures and the often strange planning decisions that permit disputed developments.

These are issues that communities all over Ireland and worldwide struggle with as they fight for their lives, livelihoods, land and culture. The M3 construction and indeed other disputed developments such as Shell’s pipeline and refinery in Mayo, must stop while this inquiry happens; we have won the battle to halt far bigger developments - it is never too late.

The Tara debate was the talk of the congress; many international colleagues expressed shock at the remarks of Brian Duffy, the State’s chief archaeologist: “I don’t care where the money comes from if it pays for good archaeological work.”

Many felt that the partisan nature of the State sector indicated that few field colleagues in the private sector would consider reporting instances of bad practice. Following the debate on Tara and several similar cases from other countries, WAC’s final plenary passed the following resolution: “Noting the increasing role of the private sector/cultural resource management in the profession, the World Archaeological Congress expresses serious concern at the potential for erosion of standards and professional ethics. The congress calls for explicit inclusion of these concerns in its Code of Ethics. The congress calls on all colleagues to support those field archaeologists working in the private sector, who are striving to maintain professional standards in difficult conditions.”

There have been recent reports on the reversal of privatisation in New Zealand, reflecting a growing trend. There is a similar feeling in archaeology that independent regulation of this sector is needed with some advocating a return to archaeology as a wholly public sector service. Others besides me think that Ireland might provide a model.

As recession hits and the corporations seek others who will do the work for less, who will defend our standards and values based on the autonomy of professions? What will remain of our cultural roots, so vital to sustaining this island’s communities?

Those defending our heritage are not opposing development; rather, we support communities pressing for development which meets their needs.

One thing is sure: embedding ourselves with destroyers of culture and communities, with its brown envelope culture, supports neither professions, nor communities, nor cultural heritage nor this island’s future. Ireland and the wider world are in a “state of chassis” once again, and it is time to speak out.

• Maggie Ronayne is a lecturer in archaeology at NUI Galway

© 2008 The Irish Times

Posted: July 15th, 2008 under Uncategorized.
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Mexicana Airlines has initiated operations on the Mexico City–Calgary and Mexico City-Edmonton routes, with a view to strengthening its presence on the international market in general and the Canadian market in
particular, where it now flies to five cities, including Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.

Four flights a week will be available on the Mexico City-Calgary route, while flights on
the Mexico City-Edmonton route will run three times a week, offering passengers daily
services to the Canadian province of Alberta.

These services will be operated using modern Airbus A319 aircraft with a capacity of
108 seats in Coach Class and 12 in the carrier’s award-winning Clase Ejecutiva
business class. Passengers en route from Alberta will now be able to catch convenient
connecting flights from the Mexico City International Airport to beach destinations and
colonial cities in Mexico, or to cities served by the carrier in Central and South America
and the rest of the world via its commercial alliances, opening up a whole new world of
possibilities for both business and leisure passengers and putting the world-class
services of Mexicana Airlines at their disposal.

- Mexicana’s announcement of this new flight to Calgary is the culmination of three
years of close cooperation with Travel Alberta and other partners from Alberta, who
have been developing strategies to promote Alberta as the preferred destination of
Mexicans,” said Travel Alberta Executive Director Derek Coke-Kerr.

- We are forging ahead and consolidating our position as the main international airline
operating out of Mexico. These new flights confirm Mexicana’s commitment to the
North American market, where Canada is a major bastion for our company,” said
Mexicana Customer Services and Corporate Communications Sr. Vice President
Adolfo Crespo.

According to information furnished by the airline, more than 24,000 passengers a year
are expected to travel on these routes, which translates into an occupation level of
63%, comprised of Mexicans visiting Canada for business or leisure and residents of
Alberta eager to enjoy Mexico’s warm weather and sample its exotic cuisine.

In the first quarter of 2008, Mexicana transported almost one million passengers
between Mexico and the United States and Canada, positioning it as the Mexican
carrier with the greatest volume of passengers on these markets, almost three times
more than its closest domestic competitor, according to data from Mexico’s civil
aviation authorities (DGAC).

Mexicana has steadily been consolidating its presence on North American markets, offering passengers the quality, comprehensive services the
airline is renowned for.

About Mexico

Mexico is situated to the north of the American continent, bordering with the United States to the north; with Guatemala and Belize to the south; with the Gulf of Mexico to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Covering almost 2 million square kilometers, the country is divided into the North, Central, Gulf and South; Pacific Ocean; Yucatán Peninsula and Caribbean Sea; Baja California Peninsula and Sea of Cortés regions.

Its 31 states and Federal District are home to a huge variety of tourist attractions, while BajaCalifornia, Colima, Oaxaca, Tabasco, Baja California Sur, Jalisco, Quintana Roo, Tamaulipas,Campeche, Michoacán, Sinaloa, Veracruz, Chiapas, Nayarit, Sonora and Yucatán boast beautiful beaches.

Mexico is a country of enormous cultural wealth, with more than 200,000 listed archaeological sites dating back to Pre-Hispanic times, 4,000 of which are popular among tourists. A total of 26 monuments, historic cities, archaeological sites and natural wonders have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, making Mexico the country with the most World Heritage Sites on the American continent and among the top six countries in the world.

The Spanish Conquest left a legacy of colonial cities, monuments, convents, churches,
missions and religious sanctuaries in its wake. Many impressive works of architecture,
encompassing exuberant Mexican-style baroque to Neo-classic sobriety, survive today, while vestiges of the past can also be appreciated at the numerous first-class museums throughout the country and at its picturesque towns, where tradition lives on in the form of time-honored fairs and festivals. Mexico’s waterfalls, forests, beaches and caves pay tribute to its natural wealth and diversity, along with the mines and haciendas that once powered its economy.

Another reason visitors come here is to sample our traditional cuisine, a source of pride
synonymous with Mexican culture, rich in flavor, color and aroma.

About Mexicana

As the first airline in Mexico and one of the first in the world, Mexicana has almost 90 years of experience under its wings. The carrier serves around 50 destinations in Mexico, North America, Central and South America and operates more flights between Mexico and the United States than any other non-U.S. carrier. Its fleet of 62 aircraft is comprised of 30 Airbus A320s, 20 A319s, ten A318s and two Boeing 767s, which make approximately 300 flights a day, transporting some 9 million passengers a year.

In addition to boasting the best maintenance base in Latin America, Mexicana has won a series of top industry awards, including the World Travel Award 2007 for Best Business Class in Mexico and Latin America (for the third year running), Best Airline (for the tenth year running) and Best Web Page (for the first time). The carrier has also been certified as a Clean Industry and is classed as a Socially Responsible Company. Its subsidiary Click was launched in 2005 and currently operates 25 routes with a fleet of 19 Fokker 100s equipped with state-of-the-art technology.

Posted: July 15th, 2008 under Uncategorized.
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By Ajit Patowary
GUWAHATI, July 14 – The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the State’s Directorate of Archaeology have decided to go for joint excavation of a virgin area of the Ambari archaeological site in the city during the current year. Director of Archaeology Dr Hemendranath Dutta said that this was being planned for an in-depth in-situ study of the cultural layers of the site. Although a part of the site was excavated between 1968-69 and 2003-04 in phases and an interim report was also published on it, there is a need to go for more excavation to know its potential more.

Superintending Archaeologist of the ASI, Guwahati Circle Dr SK Manjul said that the study of pottery sequences of the site is very important to know the cultural development of the entire NE region, since Ambari is a cultural centre that had early contacts with people of faraway places.

From this angle, Dr Manjul said the study of cultural heritage of NE people in the context of Ambari site is very important. Hence, a fresh insight into the evidences of Ambari site is inevitable, which will help in tracing out the lost cultural links of the NE people with other areas, said the ASI Superintending Archaeologist.

The discovery of the Ambari archaeological site was amazing. Construction workers engaged for laying the foundation of the Guwahati office building of the Reserve Bank of India in 1968-69 unknowingly started laying their hands on the relics of an urban civilization of the bygone days. This created quite a sensation in the whole of the country and the then President of India Dr Zakir Hussain visited the site on April 25,1969.

The exposed brick structural evidence of Ambari and their layout and planning made it clear that the site was an urban cultural centre of artistic activity. People engaged in creative art were dwelling in the brick-built chambers which seem to have had a thatched roof, as indicated by the exposed post-holes in the site. The exposed brick structural foundation may be ascribed to circa 800 to 1100 AD, said Dr Dutta.

Posted: July 15th, 2008 under Uncategorized.
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THE World Archaeological Congress (WAC) has urged the Government to ensure that no large commercial or residential development is allowed along the route of the controversial M3 motorway.

And the forum, made up of practising archaeologists, has said that excavations carried out along the motorway route in Co Meath — which runs near the hill of Tara — were performed to the “highest professional standards”.

Last week it was claimed that archaeologists were told to alter their reports to minimise the importance of ancient sites found during excavations, a claim denied by the National Roads Authority (NRA). Yesterday the WAC said it would carry out a report to “sift out” any “misinformation” in relation to the controversial road project.

In a statement issued yesterday, following a week-long gathering at UCD, the organisation said it was opposed to any further development along the stretch of motorway in the Tara/Skryne Valley, and called on the Government to develop protection measures for the site.

“Tara has significance far beyond Ireland itself,” President of the WAC, Professor Claire Smith said.

“Its iconic significance derives from its unique cultural character . . . The WAC strongly encourages the Irish Government to instigate formal protection measures for this area and to consider nominating Tara for inscription as a World Heritage Site.

“Prior to the holding of the sixth World Archaeological Congress we sent two senior representatives to look at the issue of the motorway.

“They found that all the archaeological work has been done to the highest professional standards.”

A stakeholders’ meeting held to discuss the motorway heard “competing and often contradictory claims”, and the WAC had decided to commission a report on the Tara discussions so that lessons could be learned.

Posted: July 15th, 2008 under Uncategorized.
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NEW YORK — Archaeologists have found 250-year-old artifacts of a colonial settlement at the Rutgers Stadium expansion site, according to a published report.

In Piscataway, archaeologists have unearthed the foundations of the Rising Sun Tavern and multiple residences, scattered plates, tools, pottery and other items dating to the early to mid-18th century, The Star Ledger reports. These are remnants of the once-bustling Raritan Landing settlement, located close to Raritan River and where the stadium’s entrance plaza will be constructed.

Rutgers University has spent $200,000 through stadium expansion funds on the excavation, and items from the dig will be displayed in the township.

Across from the tavern archaeologists also found a house dating to about 1720 and a possible business or residence on the side of River Road at the southeast edge of the stadium, the newspaper said. Archaeologists found the location of the tavern and residences through maps, newspaper advertisements, drawings, deeds and other primary sources.

The excavation has not interfered with stadium expansion, a $102 million project, said Elizabeth Reeves, an assistant facilities planner working on the project, The Star Ledger reports. The first phase of construction is scheduled to be complete by the Scarlet Knights’ first home football game Sept. 1.

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Posted: July 15th, 2008 under Uncategorized.
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Somewhere in a hub of creativity (the pub), two of TV’s most feted talents were poring over the bare bones of an idea buried (sensibly) at the bottom of a drawer years ago.

Eventually Ashley Pharoah and Matthew Graham - creators of Life On Mars - would formulate the exciting (albeit imaginary) concept “Indiana Jones meets CSI” or, given the BBC’s budget, Sea Of Souls meets Time Team. Hurrah!

Actually Bonekickers ended up more like Waking The Dead meets Rentaghost.

Our four heroes are predictably eccentric, maverick archaeologists committed to The Truth.

Hugh Bonneville enjoys himself tremendously (the polite way of saying he over-acts horribly) as breast-obsessed historian Gregory “Dolly” Parton.

Julie Graham plays Gillian Magwilde, the type of troubled obsessive who can be found kneeling over a trench, whispering: “Give up your secrets.”

Then there’s Adrian Lester, an actor who once played Hamlet and now reduced to shouting: “This is rewriting-the-books stuff!”

Rather than CSI, the team seem to have chosen as their inspiration the gang in Scooby Doo - forever asking questions (”why would anyone want to fake a ship’s voyage 200 years later?”) that spell the plot out to anyone (me) who can’t follow it.

In episode one, they marched in like the Bones Police, declaring that obviously the presence of one 14th century Middle Eastern coin meant they were going to seal off a park in Somerset and dig it up.

Personally, I was with the disgruntled builders. “What if there’s nothing down there?”

“There’s always something down there,” Gillian declared. “We have a medieval riddle to solve so we start digging!”

A series of flashbacks showed a dozen extras dressed up as the Crusaders - not, sadly, the 70s jazz-funk band, but blokes in chainmail whose horses rise up on their hind legs.

Their findings suggested (gasp!) the Crusaders had been ambushed by Saracens.

“That’s patently crazy!” insisted Adrian Lester, and he should know. There was evidence too of the Knights Templar (don’t ask). “That’s just nuts!” Adrian reiterated.

“In the middle of the English bloody countryside!” joined in Julie. “That doesn’t make any sense at all.”

Next they found a piece of cedar. From the Holy Land. Dated 32AD. Soaked in blood. Mmm. Evidence that 2,000 years ago, someone had “been lacerated with a nail and bled into this wood.”

Who?! Who could it be?!

The team gathered around a picture of Jesus being crucified and stared at it meaningfully. “Do you in all seriousness believe you have found part of the cross of Jesus Christ?” scoffed their boss, speaking for us all.

They did! They had! And in their very first episode, too! How lucky can you get?!

Clearly this wasn’t enough so we spiralled into a demented sub-plot about a sinister right-wing Christian, the spit of Peter Mandelson.

He had a small gang of vigilantes (very small: two, one of whom was Joe from EastEnders) dressed up as St George and running round slaying Muslims.

Luckily, the archaeologists stopped them from turning Britain into a hotbed of religious tension by setting fire to their leader during a sword fight. Less impressively, the archaeologists razed a set of sacred crosses in the process.

In tonight’s episode, they rewrite the history of George Washington and help a senator on his way to becoming the first black president.

So well done, Ashley and Matthew. From one of the best programmes of all time to one of the worst.

A series of flashbacks showed a dozen extras dressed up as The Crusaders - not, sadly, the 70s jazz-funk band

Posted: July 15th, 2008 under Uncategorized.
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WO medieval carved ivory panels separated centuries ago have finally been reunited at the Museum of Wales in Cardiff.

The flat plates, which measure 10.9cm x 7.1cm per panel, and are just 7mm thick, attach at the hinge to form a diptych, used for private prayer in the 1300s.

The panels – one from Cardiff, the other from Liverpool – have been brought back together after extensive research by curator of medieval and later archaeology Dr Mark Redknap. They will be on public display from today during the museum’s National Archaeology Week celebrations.

The right panel was discovered during the demolition of an old well house at Llandaff in 1836 and was acquired by Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales in 1901.

It was more than 100 years later that Dr Redknap realised he had found the panel’s exact match.

“As I looked through a catalogue of ivories in preparation for the Origins exhibition at the museum, I noticed the decorative details, dimensions, condition and hinge positions of our Llandaff piece corresponded very closely with a left hand ivory panel pictured in the publication,” he said.

“It was one of those ‘eureka’ moments. I couldn’t wait to get into work the next day to confirm my suspicions.”

The right panel of the diptych, which was made in Paris in approximately 1340, portrays Christ on the cross, flanked by Mary and John as a young man. The left panel, which shows the Virgin and child flanked by Peter and Paul, was at the Walker Art Gallery, National Museums Liverpool.

Robin Emmerson of National Museums Liverpool said: “We are thrilled by Dr Redknap’s discovery and delighted to be able to reunite the two halves of this ivory carving.”

Diptychs and triptychs – two and three-panel images respectively – were intended to engage the medieval viewer in meditation of Christ’s life and suffering.

Dr Redknap added: “A diptych would have been the focus for private prayer. It would have been used for devotion and contemplation of the life of Christ. People would have kneeled in front of it.

“Today, we’re familiar with the neo-classical, clean look but originally diptychs were painted and gilded.

“Made from precious material such as elephant ivory, they came in different sizes and many were of very high quality and required skilled carving.”

Posted: July 15th, 2008 under Uncategorized.
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London, July 15 (ANI): An archaeological team has discovered the site of the ancient hippodrome race course in Olympia in Greece, where the emperor Nero competed for Olympian laurels 1,600 years ago.

According to a report in Alpha Galileo, the area, east of the sanctuary of Olympia, had not been the subject of archaeological investigation before, although the ancient written sources show that this must have been the site of the largest construction, in area terms, built to host competitions.

According to Pausanias, a travel writer of the ancient world, the hippodrome lay south of the now researched and reconstructed stadium, and must now be several meters below the current level.

The hippodrome was discovered in Olympia by a research team that included Professor Norbert Muller, Dr Christian Wacker, and, Dr Reinhard Senff, researchers from Germany.

Prior to this, the hippodrome had only been known from written sources. Archaeologists had failed to locate its actual site.

To date, it had been assumed that nothing of the hippodrome had survived, as the area described by Pausanias to the east of the sanctuary of Olympia has been flooded by the Alfeios River since ancient times and has become covered with silt.

In modern plans and descriptions, it is usually stated quite simply that nothing remains of the hippodrome due to flooding in medieval times.

This served as an additional incentive for the German researchers: Using modern geophysical methods, they systematically searched the area for the first time.

The experts Armin Grubert (Mainz) and Christian Hubner (Freiburg), who specialize in the use of geomagnetic and georadar techniques, were able to map soil disturbances such as water courses, ditches, and walls.

Conspicuous, rectilinear structures were discovered along a stretch of almost 1200 meters. The researchers believe this to be the racecourse, which ran parallel to the stadium.

The investigation of the area, has produced the first concrete indications of the location of the racecourse and its geographical dimensions.

According to sports historian Professor Norbert Muller, who is an authority on Olympia, The project could become a new attraction for the sports world, similar to the excavation of the ancient Olympic stadium 50 years ago. (ANI)

Posted: July 15th, 2008 under Uncategorized.
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PLEASANT TOWNSHIP — The Kankakee Valley Historical Society is inviting armchair archaeologists to participate in the summer excavation at the Collier Lodge from the comfort of their computer stations.

Don’t worry about burning gas that costs more than $4 a gallon or paying the society’s annual membership dues to sign up at the site near Baum’s Bridge on the Kankakee River. Would-be Indiana Joneses can go to www.kankakeevalley

historicalsociety.com and click on “2008 Dig Picture Gallery,” according to KVHS president John Hodson.

“We’re finding old bottles and other things that we just don’t know what they are,” Hodson said Monday as the dig began its second week under the supervision of associate professor Mark Schurr, anthropology department chairman at the University of Notre Dame.

Other objects include one that looks like a metal collar with straps attached and some kind of hand-sized weapon or tool that resembles an arrow with the end of a peg stuck in it.

Hodson said he’s going to post photos of this and other large finds on the KVHS Web site in hopes that one of the thousands of hits on the picture page will be from someone who can help identify one of the specimens.

Daily signup sheets tallied 37 volunteers and eight observers, with new people continuing to show up eager to work.

Dylan Retherford, 9, came with his father, William, an information technology resources manager in Noblesville, to spend his birthday exercising his interest in archaeology.

“He likes Egypt and mummies,” William Retherford said. “We found this on the Internet. It was the only thing that let someone his age participate.”

“I found this piece of (ceramic) pipe,” said Dylan, sifting through fresh dirt at one of the work tables

Posted: July 15th, 2008 under Uncategorized.
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