Excerpts from my weekly newsletter … some of which I’ve blogged already, some of which I hope to blog today, and some of which I’ll probably forget to blog:

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Thanks to Arthur Shippee, Dave Sowdon, David Critchley,
Diana Wright, Donna Hurst, Edward Rockstein, Rick Heli,
Hernan Astudillo, John Hall, Kurt Theis, John McMahon, Barnea Selavan,
Joseph Lauer, Trevor Ogden, Mike Ruggeri, Richard Campbell,
and Ross W. Sargent for headses upses this week (as always
hoping I have left no one out).
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ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
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A temple of Ptolemy Philadelphus at Thmuis:

http://www.unreportedheritagenews.com/2010/12/2300-year-old-temple-discovered-at\
.html

A sealed jar from Qumran:

http://www.unreportedheritagenews.com/2010/12/whats-inside-sealed-jar-discovered\
-at.html
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ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (AND CLASSICS)
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Another purported Gladiator ‘burial’ from York … not sure about this one:

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Gladiator-clue-to-city39s-Roman.6656316.jp
http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/8729001.York_gladiator_skeleton_find_points_to_R\
oman_amphitheatre_site/
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/12/11/russell-crowe-meets-his-matc\
h-with-the-york-gladiator-115875-22775477/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1337555/Workmen-discover-body-huge-gladi\
ator-stabbed-times-thrown-rubbish.html
http://www.culture24.org.uk/art314353

Rethinking Naukratis:

http://www.aftau.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=13429
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101206101252.htm
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-12/afot-wgf120610.php
http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1961357/warring_greeks_find_peace_in_ancien\
t_egypt/index.html?source=r_science
http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-12-warring-greeks-peace-ancient-egypt.html

Another opinion piece (sort of) on Pompeii:

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/12/10/pompeii.left.to.crumble/index.htm\
l

Some interesting artifacts now on display from a Roman Villa near
Aberystwyth:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/midwales/hi/people_and_places/newsid_9268000/9268853\
.stm

A Roman burial ground from Jesser al-Shohor (Syria):

http://www.sana.sy/eng/35/2010/12/08/322828.htm

Some engineer with time on his hands has recreated the Antikythera Mechanism
with
Lego:

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/nstv/2010/12/worlds-oldest-computer-recreated-\
in-lego.html(video)
http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/apple_engineer_recreates_antikythera_mech\
anism_with_legos/
http://blogs.nature.com/news/thegreatbeyond/2010/12/ancient_greek_computer_rebui\
lt.html
http://www.livescience.com/history/etc/101210-lego-antikythera-mechanism-mind-bl\
owing.html
http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=antikythera-mechanism-an-ecli\
pse-pr-2010-12-09
http://www.pcworld.com/article/213249/ancient_greek_computer_gets_rebuilt_using_\
lego.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-20025268-501465.html
http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/10/apple-engineer-uses-lego-to-rebuild-ancient-g\
reek-mechanism-wil/?icid=engadget-iphone-url
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/12/10/apple-engineer-re-creates-greek-computer-with-leg\
os/
http://www.slashgear.com/engineer-builds-working-reproduction-of-greek-antikythe\
ra-mechanism-from-lego-10118776/
http://www.boingboing.net/2010/12/09/how-the-antikythera.html
http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2010/12/lego-antikythera-mechanism/
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-20025264-71.html

cf: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSzQ9H6kwCM
http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/nstv/2010/12/worlds-oldest-computer-recreated-\
in-lego.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2010/dec/10/1
http://twistedphysics.typepad.com/cocktail_party_physics/2010/12/the-unbearable-\
lightness-of-lego.html
http://blog.smallmammal.com/post/2156532687/behind-the-scenes-lego-antikythera-m\
echanism

There’s a new Institute of Hellenistic Studies at UWaterloo:

http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/828241

Nice feature on Archimedes:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=archimedes-coins-eureka

There’s only two high schools left in Iowas where you can learn Latin,
apparently:

http://thegazette.com/2010/12/08/xavier-high-school-one-of-two-iowa-schools-stil\
l-teaching-latin/

A Classicist nominated to be on the National Council on the Humanities:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/dec/08/city-college-chancellor-gets-pres\
idential/

Nice curse tablet from Lebanon:

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20101209a7.html

There was a story early in the week that Greece was willing to give up
claims to ownership of the
Elgin/Parthenon Marbles:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-06/greece-offers-to-forgo-elgin-marbles-ow\
nership-claim-times-says.html

… but it turned out not to be true:

http://www.ana-mpa.gr/anaweb/user/showplain?maindoc=9378685&maindocimg=7689690&s\
ervice=10
http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100018_07/12/2010_121676

Nice photos of the Temple of Venus and Rome reopening:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/11/temple-of-venus-and-rome-_n_782491.html\
#s180650

Classics on the rise in UK schools:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/906272e6-fe60-11df-845b-00144feab49a.html#axzz17dO3gdZ\
J

Feature on the Seven Wonders:

http://abcnews.go.com/International/original-wonders-world/story?id=12368219

Review of Schiff’s and Goldsworthy’s Cleopatra books:

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/cleopatra-a-life-b\
y-stacy-schiffbr-antony-and-cleopatra-by-adrian-goldsworthy-2155416.html

… and just Schiff:

http://www.cbc.ca/books/2010/12/cleopatra-the-woman-behind-the-myth.html
http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2010/1207/Cleopatra-the-true-st\
ory
http://arts.nationalpost.com/2010/12/10/book-review-cleopatra/
http://www.canada.com/just+another+pretty+face/3958375/story.html
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/cleopatra-skilled-political-opera\
tor-not-sex-goddess/article1833266/

Review of Bettany Hughes, *The Hemlock Cup*:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2010/1211/1224285240338.html

… and you can listen to an interviewish thing with her on the BBC for the
next few days:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00wh306

Horses supposedly used by Roman emperors are being recognized as a distinct
breed:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/equestrianism/8168647/Roman-emperor\
s-horses-to-be-recognised-as-distinct-breed.html

cf:

https://rogueclassicism.com/2010/12/04/roman-imperial-horses/

Latest reviews from Scholia:

http://www.classics.ukzn.ac.za/reviews/

Latest reviews from BMCR:

http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/recent.html
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OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
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Interesting item on Jesus’ great-grandmother:

http://news.discovery.com/history/jesus-great-grandmother.html
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TOURISTY THINGS
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Split:

http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2010/12/10/life/nh3354503.txt
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CRIME BEAT
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Italy is trying to get a stolen Pylos helmet back from Germany:

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/357152,greek-helmet-german-court.html
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1604619.php/German-co\
urt-rejects-Rome-s-demand-for-stolen-Greek-helmet
http://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/helm-des-anstosses/3589164.html

A major smuggling ring was busted in Spain:

http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=381239&CategoryId=12395
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Spanish+smash+gang+that+looted+antiquities/396295\
0/story.html
http://www.lepoint.fr/culture/espagne-un-reseau-de-pilleurs-de-sites-archeologiq\
ues-demantele-10-12-2010-1273898_3.php

Another bust in Bulgaria:

http://www.novinite.com/newsletter/print.php?id=122882

A major ancient coin theft from a museum in Germany:

http://www.coinsweekly.com/en/page/4?&id=348
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NUMISMATICA
================================================================
Analyzing ancient coins to retrace trade routes and the like:

http://www.canada.com/life/Canadian+scientists+using+ancient+coins+trading+route\
s/3941054/story.html
http://www.timescolonist.com/news/canada/Canadian+scientists+using+ancient+coins\
+trading+routes/3941054/story.html
http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/282454–ancient-coins-buy-mcmaster-res\
earchers-a-look-at-the-past
http://www.montrealgazette.com/Canadian+scientists+using+ancient+coins+trading+r\
outes/3941054/story.html
http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-12-ancient-coins-modern-society.html
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/SciTech/20101210/researchers-coins-historic-connection\
s-101212/

Trying to figure out what the purpose of the Frome Hoard was:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/dec/12/roman-coins-frome-metal-detector
===============================================================
EXHIBITIONS, AUCTIONS, AND MUSEUM-RELATED
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The Getty is sending the Morgantina Aphrodite back to Sicily:

http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=43175
http://www.austin360.com/watercooler/getty-museums-statue-transfer-ends-italy-di\
spute-1102941.html
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h5PatnPko88FVS6NyPvh3nLeuIXg?d\
ocId=14d963aacc854b138b54cba4a6f40527
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=12326210
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-getty-sicily-20101207,0,4289829.\
story

… and the Morgantina silver hoard is back home too:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/06/arts/design/06silver.html

Johns Hopkins has a new museum for its archaeological collection:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-gilman-museum-opens-20101205,0,3\
4594.story

Big bucks for a bust of Antinous at Sotheby’s this week:

http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=43216
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/12/08/new.york.bust.auction/
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6B70V120101208
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Useful Addresses
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