Category: owenjarus - Part 9

Jordan’s Bronze Age Site Khirbet ez-Zeiraqoun Surprises With Glyphs and Water System

Chances are you have never heard of Khirbet ez-Zeiraqoun, also known as Khirbet ez-Zeraqon. Its a 25 hectare fortified town in Northern Jordan that was occupied during a period known as the Early Bronze III (2700 BC -2300 BC).

This time period was a high water mark for many great civilizations. The royal burials at Ur, the construction of the Pyramids at Giza and the rise of the twin cities of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa in the Indus Valley all these things happened in this narrow stretch of time.

Khirbet ez-Zeiraqoun was excavated in the 1980s and 90s, and the analysis of this site continues today. However, unlike the great finds mentioned above, this site has received little publicity. While there are scholarly articles you will be hard-pressed to find anything in the popular realm.

This is surprising to me since this town has some amazing construction projects of its own. The people created a network of underground tunnels running as deep as 100 meters below ground. They did it to get their water and its a mystery as to how they were able to do it without the system collapsing in on itself.

I went down 100 meters of rope, I went down 70 meters on one shaft, then it levelled off, and then there were branches cutting off in different directions. – Tim Harrison

A few weeks ago the excavator of the site, Professor Moawiyah Ibrahim of Yarmouk University, was in Toronto and gave a presentation at the University of Toronto campus. I attended the presentation and interviewed him afterwards. He also generously granted us permission to publish the pictures that he brought with him.

Professor Ibrahim also serves in a diplomatic role. He is Jordan’s representative to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. The committee is tasked with helping to protect heritage sites around the world.

Also at the presentation was Professor Tim Harrison. He was a team member at the time of the excavationsandpersonally descended into the ancient tunnel network on a rope.

Crossroads of the Ancient World

As you can see from the map Khirbet ez-Zeiraqoun is up in the north of Jordan. Its position, straddling the ancient stateslocated inEgypt, Syria and Mesopotamia, gave it a unique vantage point when it came to trade. Professor Ibrahim told me that he believes that the people of this town traded olive oil, and possibly wine, with all three areas. These contacts also led to the creation of some unusual glyptic symbols that Ill return to later in the article.

But, while Khirbet ez-Zeiraqoun had some unique trading advantages, the people seemed to be greatly worried about their security. The town is surrounded by a fortification wall that was more than five meters wide at some points.

This wall was ringed with projecting towers, which were 17 meters tall and five meters wide. The only section of the town that was left unprotected was the eastern section. This part faced a steep valley slope, one that no ancient army could hope to climb.

The Underground Tunnel Network

Perhaps the towns most awesome achievement was its underground tunnel network.It was used for something of vital importance in Jordan water.

The team has found three entrances to this network. Professor Tim Harrison has a unique perspective on this network. As a student he descended into it, on a rope, nearly 25 years ago.

I dont really think they were wells as such – they were tunnels that (were) carved as a network, he said. I went down 100 meters of rope, I went down 70 meters on one shaft, then it levelled off, and then there were branches cutting off in different directions.

Professor Ibrahim told me that there was a staircase that would have taken people down into the system. The tunnels were cut into the bedrock and went all the way down to the water table.

Its a, highly sophisticated water system, he said. The people of Zeiraqoun have to secure (their) water supply in critical times. Droughts, invaders, water shortage these threats would have provided encouragement to create such an elaborate system.

Harrison said that he believes there were hundreds of meters of tunnel in ancient times. You could enter in one entrance and pop out of another.

The sophistication of the system has led some scholars to suggest that it was built in much later times. I dont see any reason for that, Ibrahim said, as the bulk of the finds at the site date to the 2700 2300 BC.

I asked Ibrahim how the people were able to build this network without it collapsing in on itself. He replied that he did not know, maybe it did!

People living nearby, in recent times, were aware of this network. Professor Ibrahim said that people in a nearby village, told me that 40 or 50 years ago they were using these shafts to (get) water.

Glyptics

Another important mystery that scholars are investigating is the meaning of the 130 glyptics that were uncovered during excavation.

Writing existed at this time in Mesopotamia, Syria and Egypt. There has, however, not been a single written document found in Jordan. The glyptics found at Khirbet ez-Zeiraqoun show patterns, rituals being enacted and artistic scenes.A few pictures of these glyphs were released and I’m showing one of them here.

Ibrahim says that they dont convey a formal written language. Some of these artefacts were likely imported from Syria, but there might be some which were locally made.

So far scholars have detected influences from Egypt, Syria and Mesopotamia another indication of the widespread contacts these people had.

Khirbet ez-Zeiraqoun is not the only place in Jordan that these glyphs have been found. However Professor Ibrahim said that the finds at this site make up half of the total number in the region.

The Rulers

Archaeologists have identified one building in particular that seems to be a palace or administrative centre. As you can see from the picture here, it is not wildly impressive. Its basically a hallway with rectangular rooms on the side.

Professor Ibrahim used the term city-state to describe what the government would have been like. The town was controlled, probably by a central government that had control over neighbouring settlements.

This would have been necessary to organize the towns defences and build the impressive network of underground tunnels.

Like the more famous entities in Greece, the rulers of Khirbet ez-Zeiraqoun would have controlled the surrounding area (including the all-important agricultural land).

Whether the government was headed by a king, or had a more informal system, is hard to say. Ibrahim pointed out that city states, in the Middle East,are presentuntil modern times. You still have, until recently, some of these city states in the gulf region, something like Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain practically city states.

What Were They Worshipping?

Its difficult to say for sure what the religion of these people was like. Archaeologists have only the temple remains from the site to work with, along with textual records from Mesopotamia and Syria.

A temple complex was found in an elevated part of the settlement (known as the upper town). They appear to have been rectilinear buildings, with round altars – that were clustered together.

An artefact found in another area of the town (pictured here) depicts a person standing beside an altar, with an offering.

I would say that the main deities were the moon god (something like Sin) and the sun god, which are well attested in Mesopotamia as well, said Professor Ibrahim.

Professor Harrison said that the temples found at Khirbet ez-Zeiraqoun have a lot in common with those built in later periods.

I see these temples as being part of a religious architectural tradition that continues down into the middle bronze age and into the later bronze and even into the early Iron Age. The early Iron Age starts around 1200 BC.

He said that he cant say what exactly they were worshipping although something like the god Baal is a possibility.

An Ancient Ghost Town

At some point, ca. 2300 BC, the site turns into a ghost town. All the major buildings were not functioning anymore, there was just a seasonal settlement, said Ibrahim.

Khirbet ez-Zeiraqoun is far from alone. Around this time the Egyptian state starts to decline and eventually collapses, ushering in the First Intermediate Period.

To the north the site of Ebla, in Syria, is destroyed. To the east the Akkadian Empire rises around 2300 BC, but collapses in 2083 BC.

To the far east the Indus Valley Civilization goes into decline and collapses as well. The population of Harappa was cut in half while Mohenjo-daro was abandoned all together.

Climate change on a large scale, and the political effects of it, is an increasingly popular explanation for the widespread calamity. One group of scientists took deep sea cores from the Gulf of Oman.

Our results document a very abrupt increase in eolian dust and Mesopotamian aridity, they said in their abstract, publishedin the year 2000.

I asked Professor Ibrahim whether the town was ever attacked by a large military force. He said that its possible but archaeologists cannot prove it.

After this collapse Zeiraqoun never re-emerged in a significant way. There were some artefacts that date to after the early Bronze Age, but the site wasnt settled permanently.

Without written records, or the ability to better interpret their glyptics, we are not going to be able to hear what it was like for the people to see their town become abandoned.

Leaving their stronghold for the uncertain future of nomadic life, or a new settlement, must have been difficult. Especially when you consider that Zeiraqoun was hundreds of years old.

But, for now at least, were going to have to let the ruins and the artefacts do the talking.

Eat Your Breakfast! Archaeologist Finds a Cave Full of Stone Age Cereal

Newsis breaking of a new discovery made by a Canadian archaeologist based in Calgary. Professor Julio Mercader, of the University of Calgary, has found evidence in a Mozambique cave thatHomo Sapienswere eating wild grains as early as100,000 years ago. The discoveryisreported today in the journal Science.

It’s being touted as theearliest direct evidence of humans using pre-domesticated cereals anywhere in the world, ina university press release.

Scientists have longbelieved that grains played little role in the Stone Age diet. Thisbelief isfueledbythe fact that its difficult to process grain using the tools of the time.

The cave thatMercader excavated had a layer that was usedby people from 105,000 years ago to 42,000 years ago.In it there was a vastnumberof tools.

Mercader took a sample of 70 from this assemblage.In particular he picked out the tools that could best be used to prepare Stone Age cereal, suggesting that stone age man was starting the day with porridge long before the Ready-Brek adverts came out.

These include cobble-sized core implements that have the right size and weight to be used as grinders of vegetable material: Cores and core scrapers make up more than one-third of the entire assemblage. Special pieces include a rhyolite grinder/core axe, a ground cobble, and a faceted quartz mortar, he said in his journal article.

Sure enough his work paid off, he recovered 2369 grains in all.

About 20% lack any starch residue (12 tools) but 80% have some, he said, adding, the average number of grains on lithics is 270 times larger than that in the sites free-standing sediments.

Grain city!

Hefound that most of the grain in question is an ancient variety of wild sorghum. A modern version of this wild plant grows nearby.

The conclusion:

“Middle Stone Age groups routinely brought starchy plants to their cave sites and that starch granules got attached to and preserved on stone tools.”

Mozambican data show that Middle Stone Age groups routinely brought starchy plants to their cave sites and that starch granules got attached to and preserved on stone tools.

So there we have it. What surprises me about this isnt that humans were eating grains 100,000 years ago (its a sticky business trying to date when humans first consumed grain),but the sheer amount of cereal that was found.

It certainly does blow a hole in the idea that grain wasnt significant during this period. It would be interesting to know why these people used grain to the degree that they did.

The long stretch of time of these tools (60,000 years!) suggests that it wasnt some one-time event precipitated by a famine. It seems to be constant.

But why just in this area? Why dont we have evidence on this all across the archaeological record? Are there more examples waiting to be found?

So many questions which (as is usually the case) only more archaeological work will answer.

Mission Impossible? Bargaining resumes in strike hurting Afghan exhibit

The exhibit Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul has been on at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, in Ottawa Canada, since October 24. For that entire time nearly 400 workers (including education staff and tour guides) have been on strike.

The news only gets worse.

As Heritage Key has previously reported talks broke down nearly two weeks ago with the union believing a settlement to be impossible. The union wants the museum to agree to binding arbitration. So far the museum has said no.

People who want to see the exhibit have had to cross picket lines to do so and the attendance numbers so far have not been pretty.

It attracted only 7,711 in its first three weeks, whereas the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, in Toronto, attracted more than 18,000 in its first nine days.

Ouch and ouch!

As I am writing this there is news breaking (at 9 pm no less) that the two sides have decided to head back to the bargaining table with a federally appointed mediator. The museum is owned by the federal government and it was cabinet minister Rona Ambrose, the Minister of Labour, who has made the announcement.

“I am pleased that the parties are returning to the negotiating table. Every effort is being made to assist them in reaching a settlement as soon as possible, she said.

It should be emphasized that this is a return to negotiation, NOT binding arbitration.

There has been no reaction from either side about this development yet but that is to be expected given the late time that it was announced.

Government under fire in Parliament over strike

The governing party in Canada (The Conservatives) has been taking a pounding in question period, with opposition MPs demanding the government push harder for a settlement. MP Maria Minna rose in the house and fired thisquestion offto Ambrose yesterday.

I know that the Canadian Labour Congress has spoken to the minister, asking her to put both sides in a room and deal with them. Is the minister prepared to do that?

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated in a letter to the minister, if the Museum of Civilization and the War Museum agree to binding arbitration, the museum workers’ strike will be over, she said.

In the CN strike the minister pressured the union to accept binding arbitration. This strike has gone on far too long and with Christmas coming, the workers want to go back to work.

She continued, I know that the Canadian Labour Congress has spoken to the minister, asking her to put both sides in a room and deal with them. Is the minister prepared to do that?

Ambrose replied

Mr. Speaker, it is always a difficult decision when workers decide to go on strike, but this is a legal strike and it is the decision of the union, she said.

The union overwhelmingly rejected the latest offer of the employer. Obviously, arbitration is not an option because we need both parties to agree to it. We will continue to urge both of them to come back to the table as soon as possible.

So there we have it.

No binding arbitration, but at least they are talking again. Like all museum lovers I hope for an agreement but Im not getting my hopes up just yet.

It’s a Fake! New Exhibit on Forgeries to Launch in Toronto

A new exhibit that will look at forgery in ancient and modern art is going to be hitting the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) this January.

The museum released details about it in a press release today. Its called Fakes & Forgeries Yesterday and Today and it runs from January 9 to April 4, 2010.

There are going to be four sections that will examine the ancient world:

Egyptian Antiquities will examine why the west is so interested in Egypt and how this led to so many fake Egyptian antiquities being created. Among the examples is an authentic relief of the pharaoh Mentuhotep (ca. 2040-1963 BC). Other examples will be afake of a pharaoh, a fake of the goddess Sakhmet and an authentic depiction of Neith (Late Period).

Mystery in Mexico takes a look at the Zapotec culture, which flourished in Mexico from 500 BC to modern times. In the early 20th century a flood of these artefacts came on the art market some of which turned out to be fakes. The forgers were very sly. They used ancient techniques to create the knock-offs. Their techniques were so good that many museums bought them, including the ROM. The museum will display four (authentic) urns that date from 200 500 AD. They will also display two of these fakes.

Chinese Mysteries showcases fake and authentic examples of Ancient Chinese artefacts, including a Western Han mirror and a Han dynasty Jade. It will also explore a tricky question that occasionally faces curators. That is what to do about recent imitations of ancient art where it is not known if the intent is to deceive other people.

Women from Ancient Greece examines a type of Ancient Greece terracotta figurines known from the Greek town of Tanagra (which flourished from 330 to 200 BC). These Tanagra figures show fashionable women in relaxed poses. They were often buried with the dead. In 1871 many of these tombs were uncoveredandbefore longseveral thousandof themended up being looted. When it got harder to find these figurines they were mass produced as fakes.

The exhibit will also examine more modern fakes, such as how fraudsters fake mining claims, howfossils can be altered and how computer softwareis pirated (yes, Microsoft is one of the exhibit sponsors).

Also, just a few hours agoIinterviewed exhibit curator Paul Denis.

We talked about a range of subject including:

-The emergence of ancient Greek coins as a new hot area for fraudsters.
-Why the internet is an awful place to acquire artefacts
-How curators (with a little scientific help) pick out fakes.

He also shared some interesting news of the hundreds of Zapotec artefacts the museum has, about 50 percent (yes 50 percent) are forgeries. Paul Denis explained how the museum got duped on such a grand scale.

Egyptomania! Why the World Went Mummy-mental and King Tut-Crazy

With the current King Tut exhibition on show in Toronto at the moment (check out our preview here) the city has been gripped by Egyptomania. Everybody’s talking about the Boy King, and the buzz permeates the whole city.

But what is Egyptomania, and how did it start?

Simply put Egyptomania is a fascination with ancient Egypt – its culture, artefacts, architecture, religion and language.

The term tends to refer to activities that took place in the 19th and 20th centuries, but a careful look at history will reveal that the phenomenon dates from earlier times.

Mummy Parties

The first Egyptomaniacs were gung-ho mummimaniacs, and would have been found at mummy un-wrappings, held in

Mummies were unrolled (unwrapped) at frivolous social events in front of invited audiences. Most of these unwrappings had little scientific value

Mummies were unrolled (unwrapped) at frivolous social events in front of invited audiences. Most of these unwrappings had little scientific value,Western Europe as early as the 16th century. These unscientific events saw invited guests crowd into a house and unwrap a mummy to see what they would find.

Mummies were unrolled (unwrapped) at frivolous social events in front of invited audiences. Most of these unwrappings had little scientific value, said Rosalie David her 2008 book, Egyptian Mummies and Modern Science.

Not exactly a good start between Ancient Egypt and the west!

Egypt also had an impact on culture during this period. William Shakespeares work Antony and Cleopatra dramatizes the romance that helped bring about the Roman occupation of Egypt. Mummimania was also fuelled by the odd belief in Europe that mummies held medicinal powers (they’d obviously never come across the curse of the pharoah). King Francois I of France (reigned 1515-1547) travelled with a bag of crushed mummy powder to ward off illness.

But Egyptomania really got a shot in the arm at the end of the 18th century again not necessarily for thegood.

At this time the Ottoman Empire, the controller of Egypt, was in decline. The sick man of Europe was losing its ability to control its vast territory.

This paved the way for Napoleon Bonaparte to invadeEgypt at the end of the 18th century. Although he held onto the country for only three years, this was long enough for a French team of scholars to explore the country, make drawings of what they found, and discover the all-important Rosetta Stone.

Their work was published in a series of volumes called Description de l’gypte between 1809 and 1822. Through stunningdrawings and detailed information they brought home the wonders of Ancient Egypt to the audiences of Europe.

The next 100 years would be filled with European and American Egyptian activity.

The Egyptian language was deciphered, allowing for great advances in study. Museums across the western world from London UK to Vancouver Canada had an insatiable demand for Egyptian Antiquities.

Some artefacts were brought out through careful scientific excavation – done by people such as Flinders Petrie.Others were brought out of Egypt by amateurs like Giovanni Belzoni. Many antiquities were stolen and in one notable case in the 1830s Howard Vyse (a British colonal) and John Perring, explored the Great Pyramids using dynamite. Not the most sensitive technique!

Its difficult to say why Egypt caught the imagination of Europe and America so suddenly. There seemed to be a number of events that happened at the same time that allowed Egyptomania to flourish.

The decline of the Ottoman Empire made Egypt ripe for entry by westerners.
The enlightenment provided a climate which fostered a desire for knowledge of ancient cultures.
Improvements in sailing technology during the Renaissance made it easier to get to Egypt and bring artefacts out.

Blame the Curse of King Tut

The discovery of King Tuts tomb by Howard Carter added fuel to the Egyptomania fire. Newspapers carried front-page stories about the discovery. Speculation that a curse of King Tut (watch our video on how to avoid the curse in this enlightening video featuring Dr Zahi Hawass) had felled members of the team added a layer of paranormal intrigue. The press went ballistic over the story of the curse, which gripped newspaper-readers throughout the western world.

‘Tutting’ a form of dance based (very loosely) on Egyptian art, took off in the 1970s, with comedian Steve Martin performing his own rendition on Saturday Night Live. In that same decade Tuts treasures toured North America, setting attendance records and etching the boy king firmly into popular culture.

**Toronto Dance Crew “For the Funk of It” Tut at an AGO press conference in September.**

King Tuts treasures are now on the road again in North America, attracting enormous crowds, and prompting the need for a new word – Tutmania. The funds the exhibitions are earning will help the Egyptians preserve and study archaeological sites in Egypt. Nearly 200 reporters turned upat themedia preview for the Toronto show, and local papers are filled with stories about the boy king.

Tut has also become something of a symbol for modern-day Egypt. Dr. Zahi Hawass said recently, shortly after a visit to Egypt by US President Barack Obama, that:

“There are two important ambassadors that will help relations between Egypt and the U.S.: One is King Tut, and the other is President Barack Obama.”

Egyptology is now a honed science. The days of using dynamite to excavate the Great Pyramids are long over. Excavations in Egypt are scientific, closely monitored, events. Objects no longer leave the country unless the Egyptian government approves ending the plundering that was endemic in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The publics interest in Egyptology has not waned. Egyptian language, history and archaeology are taught at universities around the world. A recent three day Egyptian symposium, in Toronto, attracted scholars from as far afield as Australia, Uruguay and Spain.

Hundreds of years after the start of crude Renaissance mummy un-wrappings, by Europeans with a thirst for knowledge, Egyptomania in the western world is alive and well.

4 Lessons For Barack Obama From Ancient Afghanistan

The news is awash with Barack Obamas plan to surge roughly 30,000 US troops into the country on a short-term basis.

Some consider it a necessary measure to protect American security, while others think hes leading the United States into the next Vietnam.

It’s an important debate. He might have just made the most important foreign policy decision of his presidency.

Ever since the news broke I havebeen thinking about what lessons ancient history has to teach us about making a choice like this.

In ancient times much of Afghanistan was known as “Bactria” and played a significant role in the Persian and Hellenistic empires. The country has a turbulent history – and one that has a few lessons to teach foreign forces.

Lesson 1: The Persians are the Only Ones who can Hold Afghanistan

Of all the ancient empires that were foreign to Afghanistan, the Persians were the most successful at holding onto the country. They controlled most of the territory from at least asfar back asCyrus the Great (6th century BC) up until the Persianswere overrun by Alexander the Great in331 B.C.

Their rule was cruel at times.One passageI read in theCambridge Ancient History is ratherchilling.In the area of Turkmenistan,inDecember 522 BC,The Persians (under Darius I)claimed to havekilled 55,000 of the inhabitants in a battle. “This was done by me in Bactria,” said Darius I in an inscription.

Bactria, along withother Persianterritories, was also forced topaytribute. “What I commanded, whetherby day or night, this they did,”said Darius.

Despite their occasional brutality the Persiansappear to have held onto the territory forabout 200 years, something which noforeign empire, inancient times, would come close to repeating.

Today modern day Iran shares a border, and a lot of animosity, with modern day Afghanistan. I daresay thats something to consider when making any decisions.

Lesson 2: Western Powers Never Hold Afghanistan for Long

The military record of westernpowers in Afghanistan, during ancient times, was less than stellar. Alexander controlled Bactria for only a brief time before he died.

His generals feuded among themselves and Alexanders empire was eventually chopped up among these squabbling warlords

After that, one of his generals, Seleucus, gained control of the eastern half of Alexanders realm and founded the Seleucid Empire. Within 50 years, however, people in the Afghanistan area had declared independence and the Seleucids were tossed out.

The most notable policy move of Alexander and the Seleucids was exporting Greek culture and Greek people, eastward, into the Bactrian area. This is something that would influence that area of the world for hundreds of years to come.

The Bactrian Kingdom that took over from the Seleucids had a strong Greek component. Some of their treasures can be seen in the exhibit Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul.

Lesson 3: Plan Ahead

Alexander the Great conquered Iraq, Iran, Syria and parts of Afghanistan (an accomplishment that would make George W. Bush drool) but he couldnt hold onto these conquests for more than a few years. Why? Theres one reason in particular.

He had no ready successor!

When he died his empire had no heir apparent. His generals feuded among themselves and Alexanders empire was eventually chopped up among these squabbling warlords. Among these diadochi (successors) Ptolemy I got Egypt and Seleucus I got the eastern half.

Lesson 4: Man Your Front Lines

As I wrote last summer – when the Roman Emperor Trajan led his troops into Iraq he threw the empire into a debacle that his successor, Hadrian, had to clean up. Yes,Trajan succeeded in conquering the Parthians, but he had no way to control them.

After Trajan died Hadrian was forced to pull out of these ill-conceived conquests and stablize the eastern frontier.

And that was Iraq, the Romans never got into Afghanistan.

This same exercise was essentially repeated in Scotland after it became apparent that the Antonine Wall could not be held unless the Romans committed troops to the area that they did not have.

The Romans may not have managed to control the Middle East, but their influence permeated elsewhere throughout the world. Western civilization has so much in common with Ancient Rome. Our culture, religion, writing and even politics (ie- the Senate) are heavily influenced by this ancient civ. Maybe lesson 5 could be that attack can be cultural rather than military, although I doubt that Obama follow that piece of advice!

Cypriot archaeology day hits Toronto this Sunday

Cyprus that great crossroads of the ancient world is going to be the focus of a special event happening this Sunday at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto Canada.

Five archaeologists will give talks about their research and how it is changing our understanding of the island. Heritage Key will be at the event and will publish reports.

Cyprus was truly a crossroads of the ancient world. Greeks, Phoenicians, Egyptians, Romans and the Sea People all left their mark on the island. They did it by way of trade, migration, settlement and conquest.

Just a month ago Heritage Key reported that cypro-minoan an ancient and un-deciphered language, which was used on the island 3,000 years ago was found in Dark Age Tayinat a site in south-eastern Turkey! It was likely left by a group of Aegean migrants who may have passed by Cyprus on their way to Tayinat.

Now, Tayinat willnot be discussed at this event but a lot of other research will.

A few things I want to highlight:

– Dr. Joanna Smith, of Princeton University, has just released a book that examines the importance of the Cypriot port of Kition from 1300 BC onwards. It was located on the south-east coast of the island and flourished at a time of great change in the ancient world.

It saw the onset of the Dark Age period,discussed in the Tayinat article, as well as an expansion of the seagoing Phoenician culture. Its strategic position made it a good place for ancient commerce.

Her talk is titled Cyprus, the Phoenicians and Kition, so we can expect to hear more about her work.

-Dr. Lindy Crewe, of Manchester University Museum, has been doing work at the site of Kissonerga Skalia on the west side of the island. This site dates from the Early ~~and~~ Middle Cypriot Bronze Age (2400-1650 BC). Its the only site on the west site of the island that dates to this time-frame.

Her talk is titled Traditions and innovations: Cypriot Middle Bronze Age Identities. Its an ambiguous title and there are no abstracts for any of the talks. But I think its safe to say that we will be hearing a fair bit about Kissonerga Skalia.

-Another speaker who is travelling a long way to speak in Toronto is Dr. Despo Pilides of the Department of Antiquities, Cyprus. Dr. Pilides conducted excavation at the Hill of Agios Georgios, Nicosia.

The site was occupied from the Archaic period (early 1st millennium BC) through Medieval times.It is noted for the sheer number of burials found 186 (!) according to a recent conference paper.

Pilides talk is titled, Excavations at the Hill of Agios Georgios, Nicosia so it sounds like a broadrange of the team’s finds will be discussed.

-If you want toorientyourself, before the talks start, the ROM has a 300 piece gallery of Cypriot artefacts. The artefacts on display range in time from 2200 to 30 BC. One section of the gallery is called Cyprus and Commerce andhighlights the role of copper in Cyprus history. It includes a bronze relief sculpture of a man carrying a large copper ingot a very rare find according to the museum.

The gallery also features sections on limestone Cypriot sculptures, pottery, Cyprusin the timeofAlexander the Great and the Hellenization of the island that occurred around 1200 BC.

Not a bad way to get your mind focussed before a day of talks!

The schedule is posted below.

All lectures take place at the ROM theatre. Its free with a museum admission or ROM membership.

1:10 pm – Tracking Early Colonists in Cyprus – Dr. Sarah Stewart, Trent University
1:50 pm – Traditions and innovations: Cypriot Middle Bronze Age Identities – Dr. Lindy Crewe, Manchester University Museum
2:30 pm – When did the Greeks first come to Cyprus? – Dr. Dimitri Nakassis, University of Toronto
3:10 pm – Coffee break
3:40 pm – Cyprus, the Phoenicians and Kition – Dr. Joanna Smith, Princeton University
4:20 pm – Excavations at the Hill of Agios Georgios, Nicosia – Dr. Despo Pilides, Department of Antiquities, Cyprus

Afghan treasures still being picketed: Talks break down in Canadian Museum strike

It looks as if picket lines will be up for awhile yet at the Ottawa showing of Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul.

The blockbuster exhibition has been at the Canadian Museum of Civilization since October 23. There has been a strike on at the museum for that entire time. Nearly 400 workers, including educational staff and tour guides, have been manning picket lines.

News is just breaking that the latest attempt to reach a negotiated settlement has failed. The union now believes that a negotiated settlement is impossible.

PSAC advised the Minister of Labour after the vote that it believes that a negotiated settlement with the CCMC is impossible, and requested her direct intervention to resolve the dispute without further delay, said the union in a media release.

That direct intervention could take the form of arbitration, which the union has already voted to allow.

The release also says that a dispute over the contracting out of workers is the major roadblock dividing the two sides. Wages and protection for employees working on contract are two other major issues.

This breakdown of talks comes a week after both sides told Heritage Key, in separate interviews, that they are optimistic of reaching a negotiated settlement.

The strike appears to have hurt attendance at the exhibit.

As of November 15 only 7,711 people have crossed picket lines to see the exhibit. To put that number in perspective the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, at the Royal Ontario Museum, attracted more than 18,000 visitors in its first nine days alone.

“It is important to note that November is a slower month in terms of visitors ship. It is like that every year. Regardless of that fact, as I told you yesterday, the exhibition is very popular and so far, thousands of people have come to see it and we expect many more. It is in fact the most popular exhibition right now,” said museum vice-president Chantal Schryer in an email sent a week ago.

As Heritage Keys Helen Atkinson writes the Afghanistan people risked life and limb to protect these treasures. She also has an interview with exhibit curator Dr. Fredrik Hiebert.

Where can you find King Tut Objects That are not on Display in Toronto?

As I write this piece, we are only hours away from the opening of King Tut and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, at the Art Gallery of Ontario, in Toronto Canada. I was at the media preview on Friday and wrote an in-depth article on what to expect.

For me the Toronto show was the first time in my life that I saw Tuts treasures in person. Its a very remarkable experience to see them withmyown eyes andonethat Im never going to forget.

I thought I would take the opportunity to point out a few of Tutankhamun’s treasures which, for various reasons, are not part of the show.

You can see ALL the items, listed below, at King Tut Virtual. In fact, I found that taking a stroll through this virtual world, after seeing the exhibit, was a good way to round out the experience.

The Silver Trumpet

This very fragile silver trumpet was embellished with gold. It was wrapped in reeds when it was found. According to NPR it has only been played twicesince the tomb was discovered the last time being 1939. In both instances a modern day mouthpiece was used. It is currently being housed in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

King Tuts Golden Death Mask

With the exception of the pyramids, this artefact is probably the most well-known symbol of ancient Egypt. It no longer travels outside of the country (along with Tuts coffins) and itis currently housed in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Sandro Vannini has taken some exceptional photographs of the mask and here at Heritage Key you can see a 360 degree slideshow of Tutankhamun’s death mask.

The Alabaster Perfume Vase

This particular jar is kept in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. It was dedicated to King Tut and his queen. It has a long slender neck with a vulture on top. The cool alabaster (calcite) material would have aided in keeping the perfume fresh. The figures on each side symbolize the union of Upper and Lower Egypt. Sandro Vannini’s great photographs of this artefact can be seen here.

Ceremonial Dagger and Sheath

This ceremonial weapon is currently being displayed at the San Francisco King Tut exhibit. Itwas meant forshow, not battle. Although its made with iron, the blade is decorated with granulated gold (a soft metal) and the end of the handle is made with coloured glass and semi-precious stones. Its golden sheath has a rope pattern on the front. This pattern continues onto the reverse and ends with an engraving of a jackals head.

Small Container in the Shape of a Double Cartouche

These double gold containers rest on a silver platform. Near the border of the platform the symbols for life and dominion were incised. The god Heh (a god that represents infinity) is depicted on the object. She is kneeling on a basket and grasping a palm brand. This object is located at the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. See it in detail in this slideshow.

King Tuts Coffins

The three coffins, that held King Tuts body, no longer leave Egypt. Tut’s corpse doesn’t travel outside of Egypt either. Stephen Byrne has a detailed article on the design of the coffins. The third, and final, coffin is the most famous and is made out of solid gold. They are currently in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. These coffins, along with Tutankhamuns funerary mask and other treasures, will be housed in the GEM museum when it opens in 2013.

Have you visited King Tut at the AGO? How did you like the exhibition? And do you agree with us that a visit to King Tut Virtual afterwards, to study the Boy King’s death mask and other treasures is a nice addition to your experience? Is the ‘King Tut and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs’ a once-in-a-lifetime experience, or will you return to get another dose of King Tut’s treasures? If you want more information on Pharoah Tutankhamun, visit our handy overview page for in-depth articles and the latest news.

More Politics for Treasures of Afghanistan, but Ottawa Hopeful of End to Strike

UPDATE – Chantal Schryer just emailed me. She says that, as of November 15 (three weeks into the exhibit) 7,711 people have seen the show.

In an email she said.

“It is important to note that November is a slower month in terms of visitors ship.It is like that every year. Regardless of that fact, as I told you yesterday, the exhibition is very popular and so far, thousands of people have come to see it and we expect many more. It is in fact the most popular exhibition right now.”

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As Heritage Key reported yesterday, it has been nearlyone month since Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul, opened at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, in Ottawa Canada.

For that entire period of time there has been a strike at the museum -with nearly 400 workers (including tour guides and educational staff) manning the picket lines. Anyone who wants to visit the museum has to cross this line in order to get in.

Just hours ago Heritage Key interviewed museumspokesperson (and vice-president for public affairs)Chantal Schryer and union president Daniel Poulin. They both confirmed thatthe two sides will go back to the negotiating tableon Friday(Nov. 20) – the first time since the exhibit opened. Both of them seem determined to hammer out a deal.

We are very hopeful that if the two parties are willing to compromise a little bit that we can come (out) of the negotiations with a fair and equitable agreement for the two parties, Schryer told Heritage Key.

Poulin was also optimistic that a deal can be reached.

Were hopeful that things will move along and we should have this squared away as soon as possible, he said. Cautioning thattheunionwill, “have to seewhat the museum has to offer.”

Im very hopeful that things are going to go well tomorrow, said Poulin. He said that there are three broad areas, in particular, that need to be addressed.

Protection for workers, at the museum, who are working on contract.
Bringing wages up to a level with other museums in the Ottawa area.
The museum needs to agree to provisions that will limit their ability to contract out jobs.

The Strikes Impact on the Exhibit

Although she didn’t know exactly how many people had visited the exhibition so far, Chantal Schryer said that the exhibit is doing very well, despite the strike, saying that there has been a lot of interest for that specific exhibition.

We also asked whether the Afghanistan government will lose any money on account of this strike. Schryer said that she doesnt have information about that agreement. Frankly Owen I dont have those details, she said.

Regardless of the number of visitors that we get here it doesnt change anything for the Afghanistan government.

But Schryer did say that the Afghanistan government is not getting a fee for each visitor who comes in. Regardless of the number of visitors that we get here it doesnt change anything for the Afghanistan government.

The money for Afghanistan is important as the country needs every dime it can get to protect its cultural sites.

I also asked whether the museums reputation has been damaged on account of this strike and whetherthis situationwill impede its ability to land big international exhibits. She said that this is not the case. The, museum has a fabulous reputation and will continue to have a fabulous reputation, she said. The CMC has always been a partner of choice with other museums.

She also declined to comment on why the two parties have not met since the exhibit opened, nearly a month ago.
I want to focus on the fact that we are back at the negotiating table tomorrow.

So, there it is -we are not going to know how the exhibit is doing until the traffic numbers are released. Also, unless the details of the agreement are released, we are not going to know for sure that the Afghanistan government is not paying a price for this strike.

To check out coverage of the exhibit’s stop in New York(which did not see a strike) check out Helen Atkinson’s piece here. Also Helen did an interview with curator Fredrik Hiebert about the incredible story behind the treasures.