I somewhere read that there was a news ban but the news was spread via social networks and if you reach enough people, some looters will pop up.
Sadly, obviously the side had not been guarded well.
So some idiots destroyed potentially invaluable insights into the past for a couple of bucks on the black market.
Although I'm not a fan of penalties I'm thinking about whether fines for breaking the news coverage ban would be any effective. I mean, tracing the social networks shouldn't be difficult.
Israel has quite a serious problem with looting of antiquities. I was talking to an archaeologist a few months ago and suggested adopting something like the UK's Treasure Act so that people who find artefacts have a way of legally being paid for them and was met with blank incomprehension.
Israelis also have a serious problem with following rules (source: am an israeli)
finding workarounds and doing what you want is almost a national pastime
"In a video released by the Israel Antiquities Authority, gobsmacked archaeologists shine flashlights on dozens of pottery vessels in a variety of forms and sizes, dating back to the reign of the ancient Egyptian king who died in 1213 BC."
The items are neatly arranged in some places but scattered in others. If no one has entered this cave since it was sealed, how did the items get scattered? Earthquakes?
> The items are neatly arranged in some places but scattered in others. If no one has entered this cave since it was sealed, how did the items get scattered? Earthquakes?
The article said there was some looting that happened after it was discovered. Maybe the looters messed things up?
> a few items had been looted from it in the short period of time between its discovery and closure.
I mean, wth? It’s 2022 and people are still looting this stuff? There wasn’t any gold found in the cave, so the value of what is taken is lost when it is removed from its context.
What do you mean "still"? Stealing is not something that depends on the year we are in.
This kind of looting goes either to collectors (money) or to personal trophies in private houses. All things that human beings like to have from millenia.
I sincerely hope it's a team of international and independent archeologists, we should not trust countries with a strong religious leadership, they'll either silence, hide or destroy anything that goes against their religious narrative
This is an interesting find because it is contemporaneous with The Merneptah Stele [0] that declared “Israel is wasted, its seed is not” in 1208 BC. This find confirms that ancient Egyptians were present in the Holy Land at that time. Although Merneptah’s claim may not have been entirely accurate with regards to the success of his mission in Canaan.
This finding could shed more light on the timing of the so-called 'bronze age collapse' which Jared Diamond and Eric Cline (author of 1177 BC) have popularized. Cline's conclusion is that the collapse began around 1230 and continued on for 50-100 years throughout the mediterranean.
Be careful citing Jared Diamond on anything, the guy is a bit of a disreputable quack and a trap for intelligent folks without experience in the field.
Readit News
Sadly, obviously the side had not been guarded well. So some idiots destroyed potentially invaluable insights into the past for a couple of bucks on the black market.
Although I'm not a fan of penalties I'm thinking about whether fines for breaking the news coverage ban would be any effective. I mean, tracing the social networks shouldn't be difficult.
Here's some of the videos I was able to find:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wQYrfjv0fw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLTBzxA1QaE
The article said there was some looting that happened after it was discovered. Maybe the looters messed things up?
Dead Comment
I mean, wth? It’s 2022 and people are still looting this stuff? There wasn’t any gold found in the cave, so the value of what is taken is lost when it is removed from its context.
I forecast this trend will continue well into 2023.
This kind of looting goes either to collectors (money) or to personal trophies in private houses. All things that human beings like to have from millenia.
Well, maybe not anymore it wasn't?
You can still sell it to collectors. They know the context.
And about the why people still do this in 2022? Probably because not everyone is wealthy or interested in accurate history.
[0] https://biblearchaeologyreport.com/2019/03/08/three-egyptian...
https://www.gov.il/en/departments/general/burial-cave-from-t...