Three figurines of the goddess Aphrodite, or Venus, were unearthed at the site of Susita in the southern Golan Heights. “The figurines we found were made in a mold in rather large numbers. They would be offered to the goddess in a temple by supplicants, or kept above one’s bed,” said Arthur Segal of the University of Haifa.

Tempers flare as plans to build a President’s House memorial at Philadelphia’s Independence Mall develop. Some charge that design changes “made in secret” by an architect are inaccurate reflections of the house and its slave quarters. “We are not building a reconstruction of the President’s House. The power is that it is on the site and there are architectural remains. But the [human] stories are what give it power,” responded park superintendent Cynthia MacLeod.  

Here’s another article on the indictment of a Colorado couple for violating federal laws protecting American Indian antiquities. Yesterday, they surrendered their private collection of artifacts.  

Scientists working at mass grave of World War I soldiers in Fromelles, France, respond to the accusations that their work has been poorly done. “Giving people back their relatives is one of the most rewarding things you can do,” said archaeologist Ambika Flavel.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Thursday, August 20, 2009. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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