Posted on 01/19/2007 8:38:13 AM PST by blam
Tomb raiders find treasure trove
From correspondents in Jakarta
January 19, 2007
FARMERS have sold hundreds of gold artefacts stolen from skeletal corpses unearthed at a newly-found ancient burial complex in Indonesia, media reported today. Skeletons wearing chains of gold rings around their necks, heads, hands and feet were found in the tombs in a rice field at Kendal Jaya village, about 60km east of Jakarta, the Seputar Indonesia daily said.
They were buried with other accessories made of precious stones or gold as well as axes and other pottery articles.
Between 15 and 25 people are estimated to have been buried at the site at a depth of only about 1.5m.
Archaeologists expressed concern at reports that hundreds of villagers have been selling gold necklaces and ornaments they found at the site over the past week.
“We only take the gold, because we can sell it for 120,000 rupiah ($16.50) per gram,” local farmer Surip, 29, who has been digging for the past week, told the paper.
Rumasih, 40, said she had collected around 100g in the past week.
“I have bought 100 grams, this week alone. And there are many other buyers here, so most likely there are hundreds of grams found so far,” she said, adding that she sold the gold at a local market.
The newspaper estimated that already hundreds of kilograms of gold ornaments and jewellery had been taken from the site.
(Excerpt) Read more at theaustralian.news.com.au ...
GGG Ping
It's a damn shame if these gold artifacts were melt down.
I prefer the Kiran Chetry version myself.
BUMP!
I love archeology but the whole world is a tomb and I don't think they have the right to seal it off for their own studies.
Who's to say these farmers aren't the direct descendants of the people buried with this finery?
Finder's keepers say I.
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Finders, keepers...
Sounds like the buyers are paying them by weight but not telling them they are worth a lot more not melted.
Pottery axes? '-}
even though i am a future archaelogist, i agree. i do however cry at the thought of a lost opportunity but alas, there are millions of other chances. ie. when opening tuts tomb, all the experts thought that ALL of the pharoahs tombs had been looted in antiquity. suprise!! and there have been more since.
Actually, Tut's tomb is the only pharoah's grave that's ever been discovered unlooted, then or now. Had somebody else gotten to it and ransacked it, it would have been an incalculable loss to Egyptology. It'd be nice if there were millions of other chances, but there really aren't.
Tut's tomb was ransacked. The stuff was, however, gathered and put back into the ante-room.
I believe...
It wasn't ransacked. Thieves in ancient times penetrated a portion of it, but they didn't get very far and the tomb that Carter found was pretty much pristine.
Magnitude 7.3 - MOLUCCA SEA
2007 January 21 11:27:42 UTC
Region MOLUCCA SEA
Distances 130 km (80 miles) WNW of Ternate, Moluccas, Indonesia
165 km (100 miles) E of Manado, Sulawesi, Indonesia
The Gods have spoken!!
/s
that is why i highlighted "ALL" and the more since have only been partially looted in modern times. while there arent millions of chances at pharoahs, i barely hesitate to state that you cant throw a shovel anywhere thats inhabitated and not hit something of interest to us shovelbums.
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