Archaeological Survey of India Continues Work at Angkor Wat

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA, December 9, 2004: It has been a case of once
bitten twice shy for the archaeologists working on the restoration
projects at the historic Angkor Wat temple complex here after the
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) was criticized for its work a
decade ago. Aware of the flak the ASI received for making the Angkor
Wat look like a "new temple" after the renovation work, experts do not
want to leave any stone unturned in ensuring that the same does not
happen now. "We are very very alert this time," says A. C. Roy, Team
Member for restoration of Ta Prohm temple in the Angkor complex. Though
he did not elaborate on the precautions they would be taking to ensure
that the heritage look of the stones did not go away, Roy said that
everything would be done so that what happened last time is not
repeated.

Spread over a area of some 40 miles, the city of Angkor hosts a number
of temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu and Siva built between the 9th and
13th century. The most famous temple here is the Angkor Wat, regarded
as the supreme masterpiece of Khmer architecture built by Suryavarman
II between 1113 and 1150. The mass of bas-relief carving is of the
highest quality and the most beautifully executed in Angkor and find a
place in the Guinness Book of World Records. The Cambodian government
had given the restoration work of this famous monument to ASI, which
completed the work between 1986 and 1993.

~ From HPI

Archaeologist discovers 'John the Baptist' cave near Jerusalem

A British archaeologist has uncovered a cave in the mountains near Jerusalem which he believes conclusively proves that the Biblical figure of John the Baptist existed.

"The first concrete evidence of the existence of John the Baptist has been found on site," 46-year-old Shimon Gibson told AFP. Gibson, who holds a degree from University College London and has written several works on Biblical archaeology, believes the discovery to be "the first archaeological proof of the historical veracity of the Gospels". Other archaeologists, however, believe Gibson's conclusions go too far, and that the discovery of an ancient place of worship linked to John the Baptist does not prove that he actually existed.

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'Mr Bean' Attacks Religious Hatred Bill

Will we ever be able to sing "Always look on the bright side of life" again : ( ~ Raja

LONDON (Reuters) - British comedian Rowan Atkinson (news) -- creator of the hapless "Mr Bean" -- attacked a planned law outlawing incitement of religious hatred on Monday, saying it would curb free speech and humour.

Atkinson believes the measure now passing through parliament will make religion virtually off-limits to satirists.

It might even, he fears, lead to prosecutions, not only for some of his own sketches but for others like Monty Python's "Life of Brian," which was criticized on its release in 1979 for being anti-Christian.

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French fatigue over Da Vinci Code

A very funny story at the BBC site

The announcement this week from Hollywood that Tom Hanks will star in the film adaptation of Dan Brown's thriller The Da Vinci Code may have excited the book's millions of fans around the world. But in France, there was a collective sinking of hearts.

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Pompeii Video Online: Guardians of a legacy

Ancient Pompeii, a 150 acre walled city in southern Italy, was destroyed and covered by volcanic material when nearby Mt. Vesuvius erupted in AD 79. A complete city block, once inhabited by patricians, slaves and merchants, is now the focus of research and conservation by the Archaeological Sciences Department of the University of Bradford. This film describes how the recently created Pompeii Trust is attempting to preserve this important piece of history for future generations.
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New theory on Stonehenge mystery

A fresh theory on how Stonehenge was built has been tested out by a group of experts and enthusiasts. Gordon Pipes, of the Stonehengineers group of scientists and archaeologists, has suggested that levers may have been used to move the giant stones. They have tested his "stone-rowing" theory which involves a 45-tonne stone being levered on a track of logs.
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Titan Moon "Geologically Alive"

Scientists examining images from the Cassini craft think they may be closer to showing there is liquid hydrocarbon on Saturn's moon Titan. Radar images of a strip of the moon, covering 1% of the surface, revealed dark patches which could indicate liquid methane or ethane. The images also show streaky areas of the surface could be caused by winds.

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