July 6, 2008

The Deterioration and Destruction of Ancient Sites:

“Decay is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence.” (Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, 563-483 B.C.)

• Pompeii in Ruins! The Italian government has declared a state of emergency at the Pompeii archaeological site to try to rescue one of the world's most important cultural treasures from decades of neglect. Archaeologists and art historians have long complained about the poor upkeep of Pompeii, dogged by lack of investment, mismanagement, litter and looting. Bogus tour guides, illegal parking attendants and stray dogs also plague visitors.

• Greek theatres threatened by chewing gum and high heels! Chewing gum, high heels, booming amplifiers and other modern plagues are seriously damaging Greece’s 2,500-year-old outdoor theatres and should be banned, according to the country’s powerful archaeological establishment.

• More on Greece: Greek Ruins in Ruins! Extra staff have been dispatched to guard the great cultural gems of Greece as the government in Athens tries to deflect growing criticism of its handling of national treasures. Amid unprecedented protests from tour guides, travel companies and tourists irritated by conditions at prime archaeological sites, the ruling conservatives last week rushed hundreds of additional personnel to staff museums and open-air antiquities. "The situation at museums and sites around the country is bad," the culture minister, Michalis Liapis, conceded in parliament last week. "It has to be corrected."

• Are archaeologists complicit in the destruction of local heritage? That's the charge leveled in the continuing controversy surrounding the route of the M3 motorway near Tara Hill in Ireland.

• Oh Mummy! A 2,278 year old mummy of an Egyptian priestess is falling apart for lack of proper care in a Jaipur, India museum.

• Archaeologists are in a race against time as global warming and increasingly sophisticated looters destroy Scythian burial mounds.

• Microbes Destroying Ancient Ruins: In various places around the globe, from Ankor Wat to Easter Island to the Acropolis, microscopic organisms are accelerating the deterioration of monuments and historic landmarks. Scientists and conservators have only recently begun to understand the role that common bacteria and fungi play in destroying cultural sites and how — if at all — they can be stopped. This growing recognition is inspiring new techniques to combat microbial damage.

Rare amber gaming pieces

... dating to the time of the Vikings have been put on permanent display in a Swedish museum after being excavated by a team led by the University of Chester’s Dr Howard Williams. Working in partnership with archaeologist, Dr Martin Rundkvist, Dr Williams and the dig team excavated a boat-grave dating back to the 9th century AD at Skamby in Ostergotland, in South Sweden.

More on the excavation: Just SW of the mid-ship was a cluster of 23 well-preserved amber gaming pieces, some located on top of collapsed stones. The gaming set had thus probably originally been placed on top of the grave’s roof. Beneath the gaming piece cluster, a group of iron rivets and nails was found on the bottom of the cut. They may represent a box or a game board, although they formed no observable pattern and there was no sign of the L-shaped mounts typical for Viking Period game boards. Small curved fragments of iron rods here may be from rivets, nails or a simple strap buckle. A little spherical stone was also found here.

See also Antiquity article (2005) for general information.