Security guards at the Selsela mountain quarries in Aswan, Egypt, interrupted four people trying to steal a relief panel depicting Merenptah, the fourth ruler of the 19^thDynasty, and Mayet, the goddess of justice. The damage done to the sculptural panel by the diggers will be repaired.

American writer Jason Felch wants to make information about stolen antiquities available to the public online in WikiLoot. “It’s all raw, unprocessed data. Researchers can use it, but we also hope the public can use it to find out a bit more about what is on display at their local museum,” he explained. Antiquities smuggling is an international network valued at ten billion dollars a year.

Have you planned a summer trip to visit world-class archaeological sites? The government of Greece and international travel agencies are attempting to attract last-minute guests. Tourism to Greece, which contributes 15 percent of the country’s economy, has dropped this year in the wake of political and economic crises. Unemployment has reached 21 percent. “We are trying to save what can be saved,” said Yannis Retsos, head of the hoteliers’ association.

The government of China has announced that the Great Wall is more than twice as long as had been previously thought. The new measurements were taken during a survey begun in 2007. Earlier estimates had been based upon historical records. Only 8.2 percent of the original wall remains intact, however.

National Geographic Daily News has posted photographs of a large, 1,000-year-old tomb in Peru, at the site of Pachacamac. Belgian archaeologists uncovered the mummies of some 80 Ychsma adults that had been wrapped in textiles and surrounded by the burials of infants. The adults had been placed in the fetal position. It is not clear if the infants had been sacrificed.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Thursday, June 7, 2012. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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