Underworld of the Pharaohs - Found

Who said archaeologists couldn’t be like Indian Jones?!

British explorer Andrew Collins* has found the ‘lost underworld of the pharaohs’. Apparently in his Indiana-esque travels, Collins stumbled upon an ‘enormous system of caves, chambers and tunnels' that lay hidden beneath the Pyramids of Giza!

Collins said the caves contain untouched archaeology, but are swarming with bats and venomous spiders. He also suggests you stay the hell away from the light and any diamond shaped floor tiles, oh removing the gold idol is a BAD IDEA!

I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist! If only all archaeology was this much fun!

*he should so change his name to something cooler, like ‘Andrew Zaine Ignatius Timothy Lane Fox Collins’ – then he could say “yeah, whose got the best name now Pitt Rivers?!”**

**IMHO ‘Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers’ has the best name in archaeology/anthropology.

UNDERWORLD COUNTDOWN

I know what I’m about to do is frowned upon by many in the archaeological community…but I’m going to do it anyway! Look at me man! I’m a hardcore rebel!

Three words for you ladies and gents…and no, it is not “World of Warcraft”…

It’s TOMB RAIDER: UNDERWORLD!!!

Eeeeekkk! Tomb raider tomb raider tomb raider eeeekkkk!


Okay, so I may be a little bit excited about the new Tomb Raider game, which is set for release on the 21st of November 2008...or if you are a bit of a fan of the action-adventure game genre…its only 8 more sleeps!

Now I think I should explain why I’m getting so worked up over this release.
1) The original Tomb Raider game was genius!
2) The Angel of Darkness game really tainted the series image for a while there…it was like tomb raider fathered a freaky love child with CSI, as Lara stalked the streets of Paris searching for a serial killer, broke into the Louvre and shot at the Mona Lisa…okay maybe that last bit was just me.
3) Archaeology is NEVER this much fun!
4) Archaeologists are never this fantastically hot or amazingly skilled in combat.


Yes, unfortunately Archaeology, despite how it has been portrayed in popular culture, hardly ever involves re-animated corpses trying to bite your arms off or explosive gun battles in art museums. In fact, most archaeological work is done in the lab, yes the lab.
We dress ourselves in those ridiculous white coats and look at stuff under microscopes…and for the record, stuff is a technological term in the archaeological discipline.

So the reason I’m so excitable over this game is because, and let’s face it, Archaeology can be tedious and boring at times. It’s not that I want to be Lara Croft…I mean the only thing we have in common is cup size…and no I’m not referring to a schooner or middy.

And unlike me, Lara never wears a lab coat, which means she’s never had that awkward moment where she realises that having substantial breast tissue gets in the way of the second button, so you have to leave that one open and try to ignore the fact that the dorky asthmatic nincompoop sitting across from you is drooling all over his microscopic specimen as he catches glimpses of your cleavage…all because the stupid lab coats don’t fit! I wonder whose idea that was!….anyway, moving on…

It’s not that I don’t find archaeology exciting and fun; in fact it’s the opposite! I was doing volunteer work and nearly wet myself when I found a fossilised fish scale in the sample I was sorting! But I do wish that once I finally get my degree, my life will have a Lara Croft/Tomb Raider-esque action-adventure feel to it.
You know, travel around the world, uncovering ancient ruins and saving the world from certain doom at the hands of an evil and twisted ex-espionage/military gent with an unfortunate looking scar across his balding head and “Mummy? Why don’t you love me?” issues…Dream big I say.

The game is supposed to be going back to its roots, with more of a focus on outdoorsy adventuring through archaeological sites across the world, giant spiders and octopi, Norse mythology, heaps of explosions, great graphics and a character who can juggle whilst contorting herself into a pretzel.

So if you were a fan of Tomb Raider: Legend, strap yourselves in because Underworld is said to blow ones mind!

Eeeeekkk! Tomb raider tomb raider tomb raider eeeekkkk!

I myself may be a little bit biased toward this type of game because I'm one of those people who looks at a mysterious lever protruding from an ancient monument and thinks "I wonder what happens when i pull this?" without evaluating the cost/benefits first! WOO! Step back! I'm a Wild Child!

But if you’re a bit of a Tomb Raider/Action-Adventure gaming fan…or you just dream of Lara Croft’s hot body lathered in white chocolate, contorted into a pretzel and juggling on your dining table, then check out the website for all sorts of gaming goodies!!!

Eeeeekkk! Tomb raider tomb raider tomb raider eeeekkkk!

The Artemis Project

To build or not to build, that is the question.

Now, I just want to clear the air now and state that I for one, as a student of archaeology, am not a fan of rebuilding or reconstructing Ancient monuments.

WAIT!

I know that most of you reading this are thinking “Boo! What a buzz kill! They should call you Ebenezer ‘parochial traditionalist’ scrooge!


So I’d just like to take this moment to say, NO! I’m not partial to reconstruction of Ancient Monuments for a few reasons:

1) They are usually done really, really badly! I love in situ monuments and am grateful that they have survived through time and stand as these undeniable tangible manifestations of past events. But I do not like to visit sites where you can see modern materials tacked onto ancient monuments. That really does just spoil the whole experience, for me anyway.

2) The art and stylistic features of the ancient remains can be quite different in modern reconstructions.

3) The chauvinism of the selected artists and architects employed to reconstruct the damn thing…talk about god complexes!

Anyway, the Selçuk Artemis Culture, Arts, and Education Foundation in conjunction with the University of Vienna announced plans to rebuild the Temple of Artemis.

I can only a assume that this was a massively complicated decision to make, what with archaeological ethics, the global financial crisis, the fact that the temple was formally one of the seven ancient wonders of the world…

WHAT?!
Yes that’s right! The temple of Artemis was once one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World.
And it is now set for reconstruction!

Personal biases aside, the project should hopefully be done well if the process for selecting the sculptors is anything to go by:

To find the best sculptures to adorn the restored temple, a lottery will be held to form a selection committee chosen from representatives of 196 U.N. member countries.
Each selected representative will then select two sculptors from the nation they represent. The selected sculptors will then take part in workshops run by the Artemis Culture, Arts and Education Foundation.
The sculptors will first begin work on the cubic bases for the columns, with sculptures to be inspired by either of two sayings attributed to Heracleitos of Ephesus: “War is the father of everything” and “Everything flows and nothing abides.”
An international jury will then choose two sculptures from all the pieces produced by artists to be featured in the temple. One of the winning sculptures will be displayed on one of the cubic circles and the other will be displayed in the temple's yard.

You can find the rest of the article here

Now…is it just me, or does this project just sound like a very elaborate and very expensive version of Antiques Roadshow with somewhat of a renovation rescue-esque twist?

Just me?...how unusual…I’m just going to go and play with my fossil collection now…

http://www.voicesnewspaper.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2401