[Harmless Teddy Bear]

1) Are my tax dollars paying for this thru some bogus grant?

Only if you are Italian.

2) WHY?

Because it is interesting to learn how people lived.

Knowledge can be sought for it's own sake. In fact people used to consider it the highest form of study.

[skr]

I think the point of the question is “tax dollars”. If someone wants to pay for knowledge themselves, that’s great! To expect a debt-ridden nation to fork over tax dollars to learn about a rather unremarkable pottery piece is absurd.