Month: May 2008

Hide your shame, mummy!

Ancient, Museums

Manchester Museum has enshrouded 3 mummies formerly displayed au naturel after some visitors complained.

The decision has been greeted with dismay, and not a little derision, by archaeologists and museum aficionados alike.

Josh Lennon, a museum visitor, said: “This is preposterous. Surely people realise that if they go to see Egyptian remains some of them may not be dressed in their best bib and tucker.

“The museum response to complaints is pure Monty Python – they have now covered them from head to foot, rendering the exhibition a non-exhibition. It is hilarious.”

Renown Egyptian archaeologist and secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council on Antiquities Zawi Hawass, on the other hand, is all for the cover-up.

“Covering up the mummies is a very important decision. I myself am of this position on an ethical basis, not a religious one,” Hawass told reporters in Cairo.

“We don’t want people to see our naked bodies when we are dead, so why should we allow ourselves to view the bodies and expose them in this manner?” he asked.

Fair enough, but I seem to recall seeing rows upon rows of nekkid mummies under plexiglass at the Cairo Museum.

And really, what is the point of having them on display at all if they’re completely wrapped in modern cotton? Might as well just throw a bundle of sticks in there and call it Ramses.

“Hollywood Chinese”

Modern(ish), Multimedia

It’s a documentary on the history of portrayals of Asian characters in American films.

Featuring clips from more than 90 films — the earliest from the 1890s — “Hollywood Chinese” shines a light on the accomplishments of the Chinese, from the first American film produced in the U.S. by a Chinese American in 1917 to director Ang Lee winning the Academy Award two years ago for “Brokeback Mountain.”

Among the Chinese and Chinese Americans profiled in the film are Lee, Wayne Wang, Joan Chen, David Henry Hwang, B.D. Wong, James Hong and Nancy Kwan. Dong also talks with the ninetysomething Rainer about playing an Asian and to Christopher Lee, who played Fu Manchu in several British films.

The documentary is 10 years in the making, and the director actually found original reels of “The Curse of Quon Gwon,” the first Chinese-American movie and one of the first directed by a woman, Marion Wong.

For more details on the production and some clips from the movie, see the “Hollywood Chinese” website. I don’t see anything about David Carradine getting Caine instead of Bruce Lee. They better be on that.

If the documentary isn’t playing in your neck of the woods, tune in to Turner Classic Movies every Tuesday and Thursday in June at 8:00 P.M. EST for their “Race and Hollywood: Asian Images in Film” festival.

Each night’s collection of films will be centered on a particular theme, such as a look at the career of Anna May Wong, the legendary actress whose roles during the 1930s and 1940s ranged from victims to temptresses; a collection of detective films, including the long-running Charlie Chan series; an exploration of how movies have depicted interracial and intercultural relationships; an examination of Asian depictions in films made during and after World War II; and a look at contemporary Asians stars, such as Ming Wen and Jackie Chan. The festival will also feature discussions about the Hollywood practice of casting non-Asian actors and actresses in Asian roles.

I’m on that like white on rice, if you’ll pardon the cheap racist stereotype pun. Seriously, this is not the kind of coverage one often gets on American basic cable. Most definitely worth seeking out.

Damn your sultry eyes, Jones!1

Ex Cathedra, Multimedia

Do you know how I come up with entry-worthy stories for this here wee bloggeh? Every day I check 4 or 5 news sites that I’ve found to have a good range of archaeology/history themed news, but my the bulk of my finds come from a vast panoply of Google News Alerts that I have set up.

Every day, several times a day, Google News sends me a list of articles that have appeared using a certain keyword. I have about 10 or so keywords so I get piles of alerts often packed with irrelevancy but there are always some nuggets worth the panning.

Stop looking at me like that!1Well, thanks to one Henry “Indiana” Jones, Jr., some of my richest ore, the “archaeology” “archaeologist” family of keywords, has turned pyrite. Every single story is about that damn movie! It’s Indiana Jones is a horrible archaeologist here and Indiana Jones makes archaeology look sexy there, like, 10 times a day.

It’s not just the journalists, either. Archaeological society and university department/club press releases read like the pink, heart-shaped diaries of a bobby soxer.

I can’t takes it no more!11 I might have to boycott the movie to protest the hell the Lucas/Spielberg publicity machine has put me through. Or at least delay watching it until the furore dies down.

Oh okay, I’ll probably see it this weekend, let’s be honest, but I’ll be totally frikkin grumpy about it!
:angry:

Galilean buffaloes

Ancient

Workers building a sewage line in Galilee have discovered a huge stalactite cave full of pre-historic tools and animal bones.

According to Dr. Ofer Marder, head of the Prehistory Branch of the Israel Antiquities Authority who examined the cave, “It seems that during the past 40-50 years no cave has been found with such a wealth of prehistoric finds and certainly not inside such a lovely stalactite cave. The cave includes a number of chambers, of which the main chamber measures c. 60 x 80 meters. Inside it is a soil accumulation that contains numerous flint tools that were knapped by man and a variety of zoological remains of animals that are no longer present in our country’s landscape such as the red deer, fallow deer, buffalo and even the remains of bears”.

Preliminary investigations date the cave occupation to 40,000-20,000 years ago, but it might have been occupied even earlier than that.

I wonder what kind of buffaloes they were. Were they water buffaloes or woolly ones or some gigantic aurochs type beastie? Either way, cute!

Happy 125th Birthday, Brooklyn Bridge!

Modern(ish)

Technically the 125th anniversary of the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge is May 24th, but the city is getting the party started early with a concert by the New York Philharmonic and fireworks this evening.

The 6,000-foot-long landmark is one of the nation’s oldest suspension bridges and among its most treasured.

Tourists flock to see its interplay of architectural grace and muscle and its commanding views of the Manhattan skyline. Historians note its role in shaping the city: It linked Manhattan with what was then a largely rural Brooklyn, helping spur a Brooklyn growth spurt, Schweiger said. Brooklyn’s population grew by 42 percent between 1880 and 1890, while Manhattan’s grew by about 26 percent, census figures show. […]

Building the bridge took 13 years, cost $15 million and claimed several lives, including that of its celebrated designer, John Roebling. He succumbed to an infection after being hurt while looking over the site. His son, Washington Roebling, took over the project.

It was also the inspiration for my favorite chewing gum as a kid. Tip: if you can find it, the licorice flavor is the best gum evar.

Mmm… Brooklyn gum…Brooklyn gum was created by the Italian candy company Perfetti after World War II when American GIs introduced locals to American chewing gum.

The name and Brooklyn Bridge logo were meant to give the gum an American image, said Anna Re, a Perfetti spokeswoman.

“The Brooklyn Bridge was a true symbol of America,” Re said. “The idea was very effective, because everyone still thinks that Brooklyn [gum] is an American product.”

They certainly had me fooled, and I was buying it 30+ years later.

Back on topic, the celebrations will continue for 5 days of lectures, films, and general fun stuff, including a chance to wave to Londoners via the magic of the mysterious Telectroscope.