The Forum

016

Just Kidding

I thought your magazine would be clean and wholesome, but then I saw the picture from the Etruscan tomb (Past Perfect: Into the Etruscan Depths, AO 01:01). Do you realize that the diving man has no clothes on?

How could I possibly leave this magazine lying on my living room table where my 18-month-old daughter might accidentally spot it?

Please cancel my subscription immediately.

P.S. Please don’t cancel my subscription. I really loved your first issue.

A Question

Your Premiere Issue is superb—from cover to cover! Can you maintain the pace you have set?

Our Watchful Readers Will Catch Errors

You have your work cut out for you, Mr. Shanks! The Premiere Issue of Archaeology Odyssey exceeded my expectations by far, and it will be a Herculean task to maintain, much less improve, its quality. Yet as I look at the very modest March 1975 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review and reflect upon the magazine’s steady progress to its current state of excellence, I’m convinced that you are the man to work similar wonders with your new “baby.”

I do hope that you will continue your policy of being true “to thine own self,” speaking out forthrightly and honestly on matters of archaeological/historical contention while providing a forum for debate in Archaeology Odyssey.

I do have one perhaps picayune correction to offer regarding this first issue (I’m really thrilled to have caught an error). In Recent Finds (see Field Notes, AO 01:01), there is a citation to “Septimus Severus (222–235 A.D.).” There was no such person. Septimius Severus was emperor from 193–211 A.D. His well-preserved and frequently photographed arch stands at the east end of the Via Sacra in the Forum Romanum. (Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander assumed the purple in 222 and ruled until 235, when he and his mother were murdered.)

Very best (selfish) wishes for your continued success.

How Far from the Bible?

Jasper Griffin (“Reading Homer After 2,800 Years,” AO 01:01) lauds Homer for his sympathetic treatment of the Trojans, who were responsible for the war and who were ultimately defeated in it. Mr. Griffin contrasts this with the Bible: “We are far from the world of the Old Testament,” he says, “where there can be no question of sympathizing with the defeated foe.”

Perhaps. Or maybe Mr. Griffin is somewhat farther from the world of the Old Testament than are those of us who read Biblical Archaeology Society magazines.

Without lessening the differences between Homer and the Bible, I would direct Mr. Griffin’s attention to such Old Testament passages as David’s comments over his defeated son, Absalom (2 Samuel 18:33), and over the defeated Saul (2 Samuel 1:19–27), and Deborah and Barak’s poignant consideration of the mother of the defeated Sisera (Judges 5:28–30). Such touching scenes suggest the possibility of “sympathizing with the defeated foe.”

Hand Oil on Ancient Statues

In Gary Rollefson’s article “Invoking the Spirit,” AO 01:01, 017the 8,500-year-old statue shown in the article is described as “made of soft, yellow-white calcium carbonate, plastered over a core of reeds and twine.” Why then are the two conservators pictured on that page not wearing (latex) gloves and masks while handling the statue? I’ve been told that any contact with the skin leaves some oil on surfaces. I would imagine that such ancient organic material might also be susceptible to problems arising from bacteria carried in human exhalations.

Am I just being archaeologically hypochondriacal?

Carol Grissom, Senior Objects Conservator of the Smithsonian’s Conservation Analytical Laboratory, replies:

Wearing gloves when handling artwork is generally advisable. In this case, however, we decided that the better grip provided by direct handling outweighed any possible damage from hand oil. The photograph shows us in the process of determining the optimal alignment of the torso and legs. This was rather difficult because the statue had become distorted during burial, because the sections are awkward to handle and because the plaster is heavier than one would expect.

I would add that the plaster is actually quite hard, and it was thoroughly impregnated with a consolidant (strengthener) that tends to diminish the absorption of oil. Alas, the organic core of reeds and twine has entirely disappeared, although it left excellent impressions on the interior surfaces of the statue.