The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum

Data mining courtesy of: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Explorator/messages

Egypt
Smuggling is still a major concern in Egypt:
http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=55328

A virtual 3d tour of Giza:
http://phys.org/news/2012-05-internet-virtual-giza-3d.html

The Google Doodle tribute to Howard Carter gained some news attention:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/05/120509-howard-carter-google-doodle-tutankhamun-tomb-king-tut-science/

Iran
The British Library is digitizing some Persian manuscripts:
http://www.iranheritage.org/BL_Project/default.htm

Iraq
Feature on the Royal Lion Hunt reliefs in the BM:
http://www.northcoastjournal.com/outdoors/2012/05/10/early-animal-rights-artist/

Israel
Assorted controversial spins being put on finds at Khirbet Qeiyafa:
http://phys.org/news/2012-05-archaeologist-evidence-cult-judah-king.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120508103803.htm
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/archaeological-find-stirs-debate-on-david-s-kingdom-1.429087

… and some reaction:
http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/the-keys-to-the-kingdom-1.360222

Plans to dig Abel Beth Maacah:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/05/09/prweb9483985.DTL

An update on recent finds from Judea and Samaria:
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Early+History+-+Archaeology/Archeological_news_Judea_Samaria_May_2012.htm

Feature on the dig at Tel Kedesh:
http://www.archaeology.org/1205/features/tel_kedesh_mound_upper_galilee_israel.html

Feature on the Aleppo Codex:
http://www.timesofisrael.com/revealed-the-true-story-of-judaisms-most-precious-book/

A possible sixth century church site in Jerusalem:
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/1.429195

The IAA doesn’t want to return things to Oded Golan:
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdContributors/Article.aspx?id=269669

Not quite sure where to put this one … evidence of Freemasons in Jerusalem:
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=4105

Vandals have damaged the Monk’s Mill site in northern Israel:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/155491#.T6-ndlJr19s

A somewhat strange damaging-a-burial-site case in Tzippori:
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/owner-of-israeli-bed-and-breakfast-under-fire-for-damaging-rabbi-s-burial-site-1.428592

The West Bank separation fence apparently threatens some (still in use) Roman irrigation works:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/12/MNFL1OGNIH.DTL

The Israel Museum has a major exhibition of electrum coins:
http://artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=55230

Qatar
Neolithic finds from Qatar:
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=503582&
version=1&template_id=57&parent_id=56

Saudi Arabia
More on evidence of former rivers in the Great Nafud desert of Saudi Arabia:
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/05/10/213313.html

Syria
The Qatna dig has a new website:
http://www.qatna.de/

Turkey
Evidence of a ‘lost language’ from Ziyaret Tepe:
http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/archaeologists-discover-lost-language/

Data mining courtesy of: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Explorator/messages

Egypt
They’re pumping water out from beneath the Sphinx:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/42950/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/Antiquities-Authority-starts-pumping-out-drainage-.aspx

Some artifacts purloined last year during (?) the uprising have been recovered:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/42364/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/Police-recover-pharaonic-artefacts-stolen-in-wake-.aspx

Iran
Plans to reread/assess the Bistoun inscriptions:
http://www.tehrantimes.com/arts-and-culture/98233-intl-experts-to-reread-bisotun-inscriptions

Iraq
Latest on efforts to preserve the walls of Babylon:
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2012/0525/A-race-to-shore-up-the-ancient-walls-of-Babylon

Israel
A trove of ancient jewellery from Megiddo (with a focus on one earring):
http://artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=55618

Coverage of a bulla which might be the earliest mention of Bethlehem:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18182507

Vandalism at an archaeological site in Yavne:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/240662#.T8IrHFKwVhw

Article on marriage and citizenship in First Period Judah:
http://www.jhsonline.org/JHS/Articles/article_168.pdf

LandMinds interview with Aharon Demsky about literacy in Ancient Israel:
http://www.foundationstone.org/LandMinds10/page32/page32.html