Post by Dark Cloud on Nov 7, 2009 13:39:55 GMT -6
Just finished "Unholy Business" about the trade and trials of antiquities dealers and collectors in Israel. It is not totally applicable to Custerland except in a few, general topics.
First, it's been painfully apparent that 'experts' disagree about basic interpretations and can be wrong. There are many reasons outside of money, although in Biblical items the money can be huge. Ego, of course, to have discovered something important, but in the case of Israel, they're trying to prove the Hebrews were there according to the Bible. Unfortunately, while the discoveries have been fascinating, they don't prove what is wanted. There is therefore political pressure to knowingly accept forgeries and fakes as real if they help the current political landscape.
Museums are culprits as well. When forgeries are discovered, new directors won't admit it because it means a predecessor, who hired them and helped their career, was wrong (in kindest light). And, it directly hits the museum financially and ups insurance, etc. Convoluted.
The problem there is that the excellent archaeologists can't always be bent. Israel Finklestein, who for some reason nobody doubts is of Jewish descent and is provably an Israeli, is an admitted atheist and heads up many of the government digs. He says things that don't charm the religious, Jewish or Christian, like there is no evidence of the Egyptian slavery tale and that Solomon never existed, and the Two Kingdoms weren't that big a deal and that most of the Bible was written during the reign of the Ptolemies, way after the events.
By the by, Nebraska farmers are scientifically trying to breed the red heifer to be slaughtered by the correct descendant of the Fathers in Israel to bring on the End Time, meaning the Messiah will come for the first time for the Jews and the Second for the Christians. Fun fact. Nebraska is often called Northern Eastern Colorado, also fun fact.
This all came to a head when an ostuary reputed to have the held the bones of St. James, brother of Jesus and son of Joseph was found some years back. It, and much else long considered true, were forgeries, now proven.
While this bears but the slightest comparison to weaponry from the LBH battle and artifacts found on the field fired from the same gun, etc., it's probably very, very sane to keep this all under a cancerous eye. People do things for money, fame, and because they think in terms of - that term again - a "greater truth." It doesn't take much to see how Native American hucksters and Custerphiles could find common ground here.
In any case, computers and existing information on the WEB makes forgeries relatively quite easy, it seems, needing only focus and patience.
First, it's been painfully apparent that 'experts' disagree about basic interpretations and can be wrong. There are many reasons outside of money, although in Biblical items the money can be huge. Ego, of course, to have discovered something important, but in the case of Israel, they're trying to prove the Hebrews were there according to the Bible. Unfortunately, while the discoveries have been fascinating, they don't prove what is wanted. There is therefore political pressure to knowingly accept forgeries and fakes as real if they help the current political landscape.
Museums are culprits as well. When forgeries are discovered, new directors won't admit it because it means a predecessor, who hired them and helped their career, was wrong (in kindest light). And, it directly hits the museum financially and ups insurance, etc. Convoluted.
The problem there is that the excellent archaeologists can't always be bent. Israel Finklestein, who for some reason nobody doubts is of Jewish descent and is provably an Israeli, is an admitted atheist and heads up many of the government digs. He says things that don't charm the religious, Jewish or Christian, like there is no evidence of the Egyptian slavery tale and that Solomon never existed, and the Two Kingdoms weren't that big a deal and that most of the Bible was written during the reign of the Ptolemies, way after the events.
By the by, Nebraska farmers are scientifically trying to breed the red heifer to be slaughtered by the correct descendant of the Fathers in Israel to bring on the End Time, meaning the Messiah will come for the first time for the Jews and the Second for the Christians. Fun fact. Nebraska is often called Northern Eastern Colorado, also fun fact.
This all came to a head when an ostuary reputed to have the held the bones of St. James, brother of Jesus and son of Joseph was found some years back. It, and much else long considered true, were forgeries, now proven.
While this bears but the slightest comparison to weaponry from the LBH battle and artifacts found on the field fired from the same gun, etc., it's probably very, very sane to keep this all under a cancerous eye. People do things for money, fame, and because they think in terms of - that term again - a "greater truth." It doesn't take much to see how Native American hucksters and Custerphiles could find common ground here.
In any case, computers and existing information on the WEB makes forgeries relatively quite easy, it seems, needing only focus and patience.
