Adrian Murdoch continues his series:

• Emperors of Rome: Tiberius

Some gleanings from today’s newsletter … as always, some repeats, some alternate versions, some things I hope I’ll get to blog:
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ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
================================================================
Finds from various periods at Medinet al-Far (Syria):

http://www.english.globalarabnetwork.com/201101058547/Related-news-from-Syria/ar\
chaeologists-head-statue-mosque-walls-islamic-coins-discovered-in-syria.html

All sorts of translation/transcription problems with this Byzantine (?)
mosaic (?) find from
Kfamboda, Hama (Syria):

http://www.english.globalarabnetwork.com/201101068555/Related-news-from-Syria/ar\
chaeologists-unearthed-byzantine-mosaic-painting-in-syria.html

Marble ‘pillars’ from Gaza:

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=347876
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ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (AND CLASSICS)
================================================================
Brief item on some Roman and Byzantine tombs being found at Sweida (Syria):

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2011/01/03/Ancient-tomb-sites-uncovered-in-Syria\
/UPI-34231294079010/
http://www.english.globalarabnetwork.com/201101028499/Travel/archaeologists-byza\
ntine-and-roman-tombs-unearthed-in-south-of-syria.html

Evidence of a Roman legionary settlement of some sort from Balaklava:

http://www.thenews.pl/international/artykul146739_polish-archeologists-discover-\
roman-fort-in-ukraine.html

An update of sorts from one of the digs in Paphos:

http://www.cyprus-mail.com/features/house-expected-reveal-hidden-secrets-ancient\
-city/20110109

Possible Roman burial from Epsom:

http://www.epsomguardian.co.uk/news/8774591.Bones_found_by_workmen/

A large complex from the Roman period found during excavations at Vlou
(Cyprus):

http://www.cyprus-mail.com/history/large-ancient-dwelling-uncovered-anogyra/2011\
0107
http://www.mcw.gov.cy/mcw/da/da.nsf/All/CB740A26E2D59C534225780A003818BB?OpenDoc\
ument

Feature on the Villa dei Quintili:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2011/0103/1224286668742.html

The Romeyka dialect seems to be a survival of Pontic Greek:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/history/jason-and-the-argot-land-where-g\
reeks-ancient-language-survives-2174669.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-not-such-a\
-dead-language-2174681.html
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2011/01/04/Modern-dialect-linked-to-ancient-Gree\
k/UPI-58711294187312/
http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100010_05/01/2011_122140
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-01-endangered-language-window-video.html

Identifying the owner of a New Testament papyrus that dates to the time of
Constantine:

http://www.unreportedheritagenews.com/2011/01/flax-merchant-from-egypt-owner-of-\
4th.html

Reviewing the year in archaeology in Bulgaria:

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=123905

Claims of finding Alexander’s tomb … in Illinois (really is Elmer
material):

http://www.carmitimes.com/area_news/x1728384742/Does-Alexander-the-Great-rest-in\
-southern-Illinois

… and claims about Achilles’ grave are likely in the same category:

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-231953-mythological-warrior-achilles-to-have-his\
-trojan-horse-back.html

Interesting theory that the vallum that runs along Hadrian’s Wall was
originally intended
to be a road:

http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk/news/news-at-a-glance/archaeologist-claims-vallum\
-was-abandoned-roman-road-1.795685?referrerPath=/courant-news-and-sport-1.257779
cf:
http://structuralarchaeology.blogspot.com/2010/11/40-reverse-engineering-vallum.\
html

Nice hype for Kathryn Gutzwiller’s mosaic paper at the APA:

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-01-mosaics-pieces-popular-ancient.html
http://www.uc.edu/profiles/profile.asp?id=12911

… and Kathleen Lynch’s sympotic evolution paper at the AIA:

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-01-toast-history-years-wine-drinking-cups.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110103110327.htm
http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=ancient-greek-symposium\
-featured-dr-11-01-03
http://www.uc.edu/news/NR.aspx?id=12888

Ross Kilpatrick sees some Horace (and Petrarch) allusions in the Mona Lisa:

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-01-professor-hidden-literary-mona-lisa.html
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/127134/professor-uncovers-hidden-literary-re\
ferences.html
http://www.sify.com/news/professor-uncovers-hidden-literary-references-in-mona-l\
isa-news-international-lbhsahgeihf.html
http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/stories/hidden-literary-code-found-in-\
da-vincis-masterpiece
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110106153123.htm
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Entertainment/20110107/professor-probes-mona-lisa-secr\
ets-110109/

What Umit Dhuga is up to:

http://www.calvin.edu/news/detail.html?id=f5ed48de-e671-46ef-b376-c1074da9dfdb

Cartledge and Romm continue to talk about Alexander:

http://blogs.forbes.com/booked/2011/01/03/two-great-historians-talk-alexander-th\
e-great-part-4/

A new ‘preservation plan’ for Rome:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/culture/2011-01/05/c_13676620.htm

Some Cleopatra movie gossip/observations:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jan/09/cleopatra-paul-greengrass-angelina-j\
olie

An interview with Stephen Dando-Collins about his *Legions of Rome*:

http://www.newstatesman.com/books/2011/01/roman-legions-interview

… and one with Philip Matyszak about his *Legionary: The Roman Soldier’s
(Unofficial) Manual*:

http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2009/05/31/an_interview_with_philip_maty\
szak_on_legionary/

The Antikythera Mechanism is the APOD:

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110109.html

A Sri Lankan Classicist is also a national hero:

http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/01/03/fea01.asp

Folks might be interested in checking out Adrian Murdoch’s podcasts on Roman
emperors which will be appearing every Monday:

http://adrianmurdoch.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/01/emperors-of-rome-augustus.htm\
l
================================================================
CRIME BEAT
================================================================
Marion True talks about her trial:

http://theartnewspaper.com/articles/%E2%80%9CNeither+condemned+nor+vindicated%E2\
%80%9D/22163
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/trial-over-former-getty-curator-spe\
aks-out/
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/01/getty-antiquities-marion-\
true-speaks-out-about-her-five-year-43-session-trial-in-italy.html

… while Paolo Ferri talks about the problems of making a case when it
involves clandestine
digging:

http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/%E2%80%9CClandestine+excavation+is+a+cri\
me+that+is+hard+to+prove%E2%80%9D/22164

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NUMISMATICA
================================================================
A huge hoard of coins (actually two of them) from the excavations at
‘Pistillus’ workshop’ in Autun:

http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=43979
================================================================
OBITUARIES
================================================================
Andrew Berube:

http://www.nj.com/bayonne/index.ssf/2011/01/beloved_teacher_at_bayonnes_ho.html

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Seen on the Classicists list (please direct any queries to the folks mentioned in the item and not to rogueclassicism):

Dear all,
A new e-journal called "Electra" is about to be launched by the Centre for
the Study of Myth and Religion in Greek and Roman Antiquity, founded by
the Department of Philology of the University of Patras, Greece.
(http://electra.lis.upatras.gr/)
In general, Electra shall welcome articles focusing on Ancient Greek and
Roman Mythology and Religion from a philological, historical,
anthropological, archaeological, linguistic or philosophical point of view.
Particularly, for the first issue (to be published online by the end of
spring 2011) we are looking for papers focusing specifically on the
Atreids myth (approached from any aspect).
Anyone interested should submit their papers until 30th April 2011.