Lorenzo Casamenti and his students at the Lorenzo de’ Medici restoration school have developed a treatment for the lichen attacking Easter Island’s Moai. “We have at long last discovered a solvent that destroys the lichen but not the statues,” he said.

The five-year forgery trial of Tel Aviv artifact collector Oded Golan and other defendants has ended. Golan is accused of manufacturing a limestone ossuary inscribed “James son of Joseph brother of Jesus” and a tablet linked to King Joash. Scientific experts have been unable to agree if the items are genuine. Judge Aharon Farkash is expected to take months to reach a verdict.  

Scholars from the University of York have investigated the origins of human emotions. “Compassion is perhaps the most fundamental human emotion. It binds us together and can inspire us but it is also fragile and elusive,” said team leader Penny Spikins.  

There’s more on the threat to Allianoi, due to be flooded by the reservoir of Turkey’s Yortanli Dam. “The government refuses to admit that Allianoi is an exceptional site and that the problem of water for farmers can be solved without wrecking our heritage,” claimed Güven Eken, head of Doga Dernegi, a conservation group.  

Meanwhile, the Hagia Sophia museum in Istanbul has been granted Italy’s Rotondi Award to the Saviors of Art for contributions to cultural heritage.  

Here’s an update on the effort to stop the corrosion of cannons and anchors from the ship thought to be the Queen Anne’s Revenge, sunk off the coast of Beaufort, North Carolina, in 1718.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Tuesday, October 5, 2010. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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