Archaeologist at Large

Raiders of the Faux Ark

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 18:58:33 GMT

Great article on fringe archaeology

Extract below

Noah's Ark. The Ark of the Covenant. The Garden of Eden. Sodom and Gomorrah. The Exodus. The Lost Tomb of Jesus. All have been "found" in the last 10 years, including one within the past six months. The discoverers: a former SWAT team member; an investigator of ghosts, telepathy, and parapsychology; a filmmaker who calls himself "The Naked Archeologist"; and others, none of whom has any professional training in archeology.

We are living in a time of exciting discoveries in biblical archeology. We are also living in a time of widespread biblical fraud, dubious science, and crackpot theorizing. Some of the highest-profile discoveries of the past several years are shadowed by accusations of forgery, such as the James Ossuary, which may or may not be the burial box of Jesus' brother, as well as other supposed Bible-era findings such as the Jehoash Tablet and a small ivory pomegranate said to be from the time of Solomon. Every year "scientific" expeditions embark to look for Noah's Ark, raising untold amounts of money from gullible believers who eagerly listen to tales spun by sincere amateurs or rapacious con men; it is not always easy to tell the two apart.

More @ http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/fauxark/

Blogging Archaeology and the Archaeology of Blogging

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 18:53:22 GMT

Interesting article @

http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/blogs/

Happy New Year 2008

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 18:34:11 GMT

All the best to all my readers

Nigel

www.Pastpreservers.com

The pharaohs get a face-lift

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 22:23:17 GMT

I was writing a archaeological news review of 2007, when I came across teh following article

It presents a different perspective on the recent events in the Egyptian city of Luxor.

"I was tempted to think that nothing ever changes in Luxor. Temples and tombs survive; boats sail on the Nile; the fellahin, Egypt’s farmers, still irrigate their crops with rainwater from Ethiopia and Uganda; and the sun, the valley and nearby desert remain the defining facts of life, just as they were in the paintings in the pharaohs’ tombs. But I was wrong. Luxor is being transformed.

The city is cut into two distinctive halves by the Nile, which is broad and beautiful here. At the time of the pharaohs, the east bank was busy, a place for the living, while the west side was as quiet as the occupants of the tombs hidden in its Theban hills. And that’s the way it is today: the city, the airport, the train station and two big temples on one side; the tombs and temples, the Theban hills, some villages and farmland on the other.

Yet, in the couple of years since Dr Samir Farag became governor, Luxor has gone through enormous change. On the eastern side of the river, he has renovated the train station, demolished the restaurants and souvenir stalls that blocked the view of Luxor and Karnak temples, and rebuilt the souk. He is enlarging the airport and moving all “floating hotels” several miles upstream; he has opened a Nubian cultural centre, a branch of Cairo’s Mubarak Public Library . . . and all this is just the beginning. No wonder some inhabitants are quaking at the thought of what is to come"

Read it all at http://travel.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/travel/destinations/egypt/article2036141.ece

Outcry as British Council quits Europe to woo Muslim world

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 22:15:20 GMT

I was a recent beneficary of this policy as the British Council in Cairo decided to sell off some books from their library, which has now been re-branded a learning centre persumebly because it does not have enough books to now qualify as a library!

The books were sold off at a rediculously cheap price of 1 pound for a hardback and 50p for a softback! I spent 50 pounds sterling and got a thousand pounds woth of books! A bonus for my Cairo library but a loss for the citizens of Cairo

Egyptians in Egyptology

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 11:19:37 GMT

An important development in cultural history during recent years has been the recognition of the long exclusion of Egyptians from their nation’s ancient past. For most of the two centuries or so that Egyptology has been a recognized field, ancient Egypt has been considered the intellectual property of the West. University syllabi presented ancient Egypt as one of the foundations of Western civilization, but one with little pertinence to the subsequent history of Egypt or the Middle East. Western collectors plundered the material riches of the ancient land for decades following Napoleon's epochal Egyptian expedition in 1798-1801, filling the galleries of European museums and adorning the shelves and walls of foreign homes, and doing so without compunction.

More @ http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2007/876/cu2.htm

Egypt in Rose Parade

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 09:55:17 GMT

http://www.wrmea.com/archives/December_2007/0712065.html

THE CAIRO-LOS Angeles Friendship Committee will sponsor Egypt’s first float entry in the world-renowned Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, CA on New Year’s Day 2008.

Prize-winning designer Paul Rodriguez has created the concept for the 55-foot float. It will soar 27 feet high and feature an enthroned pharaoh and his consort looking onto an arrangement of sacred lotuses, and Horus, the falcon deity. The only object not covered with flowers will be Egypt’s premier archaeologist, Dr. Zahi Hawass, who will be waving to the bystanders.

Past Preserversprofile in Daily Star Egypt

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 19:09:06 GMT

A profile of my company Past Preservers appears in todays Daily Star Egypt

find it @ http://www.thedailynewsegypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=9869

Happy Reading!

Lack of Posts

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 20:46:16 GMT

Sorry, Sorry

All I can say in my defence is that I have been focusing on developing my business Past Preservers

Please check out our updated website @ www.pastpreservers.com

and my company blog @ http://pastpreservers.blogspot.com/

More updates soon

I promise

Nigel

Treasure Hunters vs. Archaeology: Saving History for the Public

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 23:04:01 GMT

Glorifying treasure hunters and denigrating archaeologists is a poor apology for the destruction of our underwater heritage.

In a June 8 New York Times Op-Ed piece, Robert Kurson, author of the popular book Shadow Divers, attacks archaeologists as pirates, calling us a "new breed of raiders." By contrast, he praises treasure hunters: "Without them...many of these wrecks would stay lost forever. Without the lure of a big and romantic payoff, no one would even look." Moreover, Kurson paints archaeologists as ivory-tower academics and the treasure hunters as larger-than-life men-of-action: "it's a good bet that a grizzled, lifelong salvage diver has better real-life, tight-squeeze shipwreck experience than an archaeologist who writes up guidelines for this work from his office near the student union." This is a response from a grizzled lifelong archaeologist who has plenty of real-life, tight-squeeze experiences, as do many of my colleagues

Thought provoking article, continue reading @ http://www.huliq.com/29373/treasure-hunters-archaeology-saving-history-for-the-public

Touts fight push for hassle-free Egypt tourism

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 21:08:54 GMT

Interesting article

IT IS early morning and the alleyways of Nazlet al-Saman, the mini-suburb of horse and camel stables below the Giza plateau, look like the Wild West.

The sunlight, which is just beginning to cut through Cairo's haze, creates searchlights in the dust kicked up by hundreds of horses and camels being ridden, often at breakneck pace, by young, whooping Arab tourists.

Quietly and patiently, Saeed Abu Saleeb leads his three horses through the pandemonium, avoiding the four-wheeled-motorbikes and the honking Hummers.

Mr Abu Saleeb is an Egyptian tout, one of a small army of notorious, largely loathed, hawkers who scrape together a living offering rides around the pyramids for about $4 an hour.

To most people, he is an annoyance — he routinely gets the finger and a curt order to "f--- off". To his wife and three children he is the source of a meagre family income. To the Egyptian economy, he is one little cog in a giant machine of tips, bribes and kickbacks — the infamous baksheesh — that makes the nation tick.

More @ http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/touts-fight-push-for-hasslefree-egypt-tourism/2007/08/03/1185648146974.html

First A380 flight to be sold for charity - (Travel Daily News)

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 09:25:47 GMT

Good for them

Singapore Airlines – the first airline in the world to fly the new Airbus A380 – is preparing for the first commercial flight of the new double-decker jumbo jet, from Singapore to Sydney and return which will take place in October 2007. And in an unprecedented move, all proceeds from the sale of tickets on the first flight will be donated to charities.
In response to requests from people all over the world to be passengers on the first flight, Singapore Airlines will auction the seats on global online marketplace, eBay. Bids will be invited for seats on this history-making flight, and winning bidders will know that every dollar they pay will go to worthwhile charities. All customers will receive a personalised ceremonial certificate confirming they were part of the first-ever commercial A380 flight.
Singapore Airlines Chief Executive Officer, Chew Choon Seng, said the Airline wants to acknowledge the widespread interest in the entry into commercial service of this all-new airplane, and to use the opportunity to benefit worthwhile charities. “The first commercial A380 flight will be a moment in aviation history. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, on an aircraft that will mark a new chapter in air travel. And while we will celebrate the event, we also wish to remember the people who are less fortunate and can be assisted by the charities to which all the proceeds will go,” Mr Chew said.

YAM March 2003 - Collateral Damage

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 16:41:15 GMT

Collateral Damage
As a "fine arts officer" in World War II, Yale art professor Deane Keller helped to rescue Italian masterworks from the ravages of war. His efforts are documented in a remarkable collection of photographs in Sterling Memorial Library.

March 2003
by Catherine Roach '02

When the Allies invaded Italy in the summer of 1943, Yale art professor Deane Keller '23 was among the troops scrambling ashore in Naples. In civilian life, Keller taught painting and created portraits of Yale worthies that adorn dining halls to this day. As a young artist fresh from the Yale School of Fine Arts, Keller won the prestigious Prix de Rome, an award that sent him to study in Italy between 1923 and 1926. But 20 years later, he landed in Italy on a different mission. The artworks that Keller had emulated as a student suddenly became his to preserve. As a fine arts officer assigned to the U.S. Fifth Army, Keller was responsible for protecting Italian cultural treasures against the threats of combat and looting.

Interesting article

The stately wrecks of England | Art & Architecture | Guardian Unlimited Arts

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 14:04:06 GMT

Save England's Heritage

The stately Wrecks of England

English Heritage's 'basket cases' need huge amounts of money to repair them, but cannot recoup the cost
Maev Kennedy
Wednesday July 25, 2007
The Guardian

The 'cathedral-like' Joseph Bazalgette-designed Crossness Pumping Station in Bexley. Photograph: Alamy

The 16 stately wrecks of England were unveiled yesterday; the most important, most expensive and most intractable buildings at risk in the country.

"These are our basket cases," English Heritage's chief executive, Simon Thurley, admitted yesterday.

These are England's 16 most expensive historic wrecks. The total cost of repairs is probably more than £127m, but more serious is the £65m conservation deficit - the shortfall between the cost of the work and the commercial value of the building once restored.

£25m deficit
Chatterley Whitfield Colliery, Staffs
Redundant 19th and 20th century colliery, including 20 scheduled or listed structures, poor condition.

£5m deficit
No 1 Shed, RAF Cardington, Beds
Sole surviving airship hangar in Europe, Grade II*, very bad condition

Ditherington Flax Mill, Shrewsbury
18th century, first iron-framed building in the world and a complex of later mill buildings, Grade I, poor condition

Soho Foundry, Smethwick, West Mids
1795 foundry, landmark in industrial revolution, Grade II*, poor condition

£4m deficit
Birnbeck Pier, Weston-super-Mare
1862 pier, Grade II*, now disused apart from lifeboat station, very bad condition

£3m deficit
Crossness Pumping Station, Bexley
Joseph Bazalgette-designed sewage works, Grade I, poor condition

£2.5m deficit
Royal Insurance Building, Liverpool
1903 office block, Grade II*, poor condition

£2m deficit
Abbey Mills Pumping Station, E London
Bazalgette-designed, Grade II*, fair condition

Gunnersbury Park House, W London
Former Rothschild country house, Grade II*, fair condition

Tynemouth Station, Tyne & Wear
1882 railway station, Grade II*, bad condition

Old Quarr Abbey, Isle of Wight
Remains of 12th century Cistercian abbey, scheduled ancient monument, poor condition

Astley Castle, Warks
13th century moated manor house, Grade II*, very bad condition

£1.5m deficit
Bank Hall, Chorley, Lancs
17th century country house, Grade II*, very bad condition

£1m deficit
Western Heights Fortifications, Dover
Government-owned 19th century fortifications above harbour, scheduled ancient monument, poor condition

Mausoleum, Castle Howard, N Yorks
18th century, Hawksmoor-designed tomb, Grade I, poor condition

Wicker Arch and Viaduct, S Yorks
1848 railway viaduct, decayed, Grade II*, poor condition

Save one now get involved

Talking about Egypt: Nefertiti and the Lost Dynasty

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 18:35:31 GMT

Zahi's on the hunt

Quote

Egypt: Nefertiti and the Lost Dynasty

It is one of Egypts enduring mysteries. What happened to Nefertiti and her husband, the pharaoh Akhenaten, the likely father of King Tut?

CPRE - 'Make England A National Park', says new CPRE President Bill Bryson

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 18:18:54 GMT

Bill Bryson does it again

Isn't he amazing

some quotes from the article:-

Something I have often wondered is why we don’t make the whole of England a National Park. In what way, after all, are the Yorkshire Dales superior to the Durham Dales? Why is the New Forest worthy of exalted status but glorious Dorset unworthy?

It is preposterous really to say that some parts are better or more important than others. It’s all lovely. And there’s not much of it. Of the surface area of the Earth, only a tiny fragment – 0.0174069 per cent, or so I gather – can call itself Great Britain. The fragment that is England is even tinier. So it’s rare and dangerously finite and every bit of it should be cherished.

I agree

Selling Egypt and the real estate boom

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 11:05:03 GMT

What is happening in Egypt?

In the sizzling July temperatures, something unmeteorological and very sinister is provoking Cairo's heat sensation.آ

Those behind it give it happy terms like Egypt's growing economy and real estate boom. After acquiring large swaths of cheap, mostly desert land from the state, Arab and Egyptian real estate companies are now reselling their purchases at staggering prices to the citizens of this country or at least some of them.

More @ http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=8339

The rights to loot the Titanic

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 06:09:32 GMT

A sad day, this simply means more blunder

Premier Exhibitions, Inc. through its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively the "Company") today announced it has acquired Ownership Rights to the personal property on board the doomed ocean liner RMS Titanic from Liverpool and London Steamship Protection and Indemnity Association Limited (Liverpool and London).

At the time of Titanic's ill-fated maiden voyage, Liverpool and London was the insurer of the personal property on board the ship. By virtue of the settlements it reached with the Titanic passengers and their families soon after the tragedy, Liverpool and London acquired via subrogation ownership rights to the personal property, which remained on the vessel. With the acquisition of these rights, the Company now has the lawful claim to ownership.

In 1994, a United States Federal Court declared RMS Titanic, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, as the Salvor-in-Possession of the Titanic. Thirteen years later, the Company remains Salvor-in-Possession and as such is the only company permitted by law to recover objects from the wreck site. The Company has conducted seven research and recovery expeditions and has recovered approximately 5,500 objects.

This new acquisition provides the Company the Ownership Rights to the important personal property still resting at the wreck site.

If you can stomach it read more @ http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/CLW07918072007-1.htm

UK World Heritage to be protected

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 08:28:16 GMT

Public inquiries able to block insensitive building
· Unesco warns of sites hit by unsightly development

David Hencke, Westminster correspondent
The Guardian

Britain's 24 world heritage sites are to be "buffered" from unsightly skyscrapers and intrusive home improvements such as stone cladding and satellite dishes, Tessa Jowell, the culture secretary, will announce tomorrow.

The new laws will create "buffer zones" around the country's most treasured sites to prevent their being degraded by nearby high-rise buildings. More stringent powers will be given to public inquiries to block insensitive development, and the move will make it easier for controversial building schemes to be "called in" by ministers to protect world heritage sites

Story continues @ http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,2026541,00.html

The Queen and reality TV!

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 08:10:01 GMT

Is the Queen the new Sharon Osborne?

Most reality TV distorts the facts, and now we've turned our monarch into Sha

Most reality TV distorts the facts, and now we've turned our monarch into Sharon Osbourne

Sarfraz Manzoor
The Guardian

The clamour that has engulfed the BBC after last week's misleading sequence featuring the Queen has focused on the damage suffered to the corporation. In an effort to convince the public that it still retains its integrity, the BBC has engaged in another round of self-flagellation: the director general has sent a stern email to employees warning of the dangers of losing the trust of the audience and an inquiry has been mounted into the affair. True, the bosses bear some responsibility, but the underlying reasons lie in how television has changed in the past decade.

Having worked on both sides of the camera as well as in the boardroom, I have concluded that most television is like an impatient child - noisy, easily bored and desperately seeking attention. This need to be noticed is driven by a desire for ratings, which prompts programme-makers to do everything and anything to lure viewers to stay tuned. You can see it everywhere, in eye-wateringly blunt programme titles, current affairs programmes which promise more than they deliver and the use of celebrities or dramatised reconstructions. The manic fear that the fickle viewer might turn over is largely driven by a sense that if a programme is not talked about, it has somehow failed.ron Osbourne

Sarfraz Manzoor
Tuesday July 17, 2007
The Guardian

continues @ http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,,2128191,00.html

Photo Album: Babellouk Life

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 18:08:28 GMT

Babellouk Life

Waleed @ Xmas

The Gang

Esam

My adopted Cat

Waleed & Embebi

Waleed with Yani

The Gang 2

Photo Album: My Cairo Apartment

Sat, 13 Jan 2007 21:49:03 GMT

My Cairo Apartment

Neighbours in Lobby

Living Room

Living Room 2

Living Room 3

Looking out from bedroom

Main Hall

Dining Room

Sun Room

Study

Main Hall from front door

More Photos...

Photo Album: Moving the King!

Sat, 02 Sep 2006 09:24:00 GMT

Moving the King!

Wrapped

Brush Up

Home!

Moving 1

Moving 2

People

Moving 3

The great man

we love you

Crowds

More Photos...

Photo Album: My Life & Work in Egypt

Sun, 09 Apr 2006 11:04:24 GMT

My Life & Work in Egypt

NJH

Valley of the Kings

The flag of Egypt

Egypt Showing Luxor

Dr Week's Boat

Surveying

Harrods Sale?

Surveying2

Visitor 1

Visitor 2

Photo Album: Egyptomania

Sun, 09 Apr 2006 11:01:18 GMT

Egyptomania

Cemetry

City of London

Canary Wharf

Oxford Street

Photo Album: Castlerigg Stone Circle, Cumbria

Sun, 09 Apr 2006 10:50:12 GMT

Castlerigg Stone Circle, Cumbria

C11

More Photos...

Photo Album: KV63

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 07:49:33 GMT

KV63

Dr Zahi

Shaft

Dr Zahi 2

Inside

The team

Shaft view

Working

Otto

Dr Zahi's visit

Dr Zahi 2

More Photos...

Photo Album: Friends & Family

Fri, 18 Nov 2005 22:51:43 GMT

Friends & Family

Sheri & Malak

Dr Mohammad

Carol & Rob

Cathy Heinemann

jenny

joe

Habeebee

Emad

JSB

Ramadan

More Photos...

Photo Album: London, the city I love

Tue, 16 Aug 2005 21:05:44 GMT

London, the city I love

UCL!

I miss the rain

I love the dome

Thames

London eye

Buses

My favourite

Tower bridge

The Thames

St Pauls

More Photos...

Photo Album: Jordan Trip 2005

Thu, 11 Aug 2005 10:15:16 GMT

Jordan Trip 2005

Petra 1

Petra 2

Petra 3

Petra 4

Petra 5

Petra 6

Petra 7

Petra 8

Pertra 9

Photo Album: Hotels in Egypt

Sun, 17 Jul 2005 13:10:03 GMT

Hotels in Egypt

Red Sea 1

Red Sea 2

Red Sea 3

Red Sea 4

Red Sea5

Red Sea 7

Red Sea 6

Red Sea 8

Photo Album: Days out & about in Cairo

Sun, 17 Jul 2005 13:05:20 GMT

Days out & about in Cairo

Lunch in Maadi

Cathy@ Giza

On the way to the park

Making friends

Local curiosity

Al-Alzhar Park

Al-Alzhar 2

In the park

Park's restaurant

Al-Alzhar Park 3

More Photos...

Photo Album: Cairo Apartment Before Pictures

Wed, 08 Jun 2005 14:39:15 GMT

Cairo Apartment Before Pictures

Dining Room Floor

Dining Room

Entrance Hall

Hall Ceiling

Hall to kitchen

Living Room

Livng Room 2

Sun Room

Sun room being sanded

Dining Room Hole!

Photo Album: My First Cairo Flat

Sun, 05 Jun 2005 08:16:43 GMT

My First Cairo Flat

Hall

Bedroom

Living Room

Said, the Bar Man

First Party, Andrew & Mark

Cathy & Malek

The Gang

Cathy, in normal party mode

Andrew & Said