June 2010 Archives
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June 30, 2010
Ugaritic Deciphered Using AI: Abnormally Interesting But . . .
Andrew Robinson claimed that decipherment required a combination of synthesis, logic and intuition that is beyond the reach of artificial intelligence. Regina Barzilay, an associate professor in MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, Ben Snyder, a grad student in...Read all of "Ugaritic Deciphered Using AI: Abnormally Interesting But . . . "
Posted by Duane Smith at 4:02 PM
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June 28, 2010
A Lexicon Of Scholarly Usage
I remember seeing a helpful document on how it interpreter common scholarly apparatus and expressions, a kind of lexicon of scholarly usage. As best I can remember from that distant age, it contained entries like, “et al.” = “plus some...Read all of "A Lexicon Of Scholarly Usage"
Posted by Duane Smith at 11:27 AM
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June 27, 2010
A Sure Sign Of Lack Of Evidence
Whenever anyone says something like, “In my own mind and in all good faith I am confident that . . .” the person saying it has no evidence to support his or her claim. In the case of E.C. Coleman,...Read all of "A Sure Sign Of Lack Of Evidence"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:53 PM
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The Most Important Discovery Of The Season
James McGrath of Exploring Our Matrix has discovered the archives of the N.T.Wrong blog, N.T.Wrong was one of the most delightful and occasionally scandalous Bible oriented blogs ever published. In that archive is the photo of Ugaritic tablet to your...Read all of "The Most Important Discovery Of The Season"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:41 AM
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June 26, 2010
Looting In Iraq
War and political instability bring in their wake many unintended consequences. Not uncommonly, among those consequences are the loss and destruction of shared cultural heritage. The New York Times tells a sad story from Iraq. To be sure, it’s not...
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:40 AM
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June 24, 2010
Answers and Questions and Real Questions
One of the things Shirley and I do together almost every evening is watch Jeopardy. For the few who may not know the game, the contestants are supposed to provide questions that go with answer clues. Sometimes one or the...Read all of "Answers and Questions and Real Questions"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:40 PM
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June 23, 2010
The 95th Four Stone Hearth Is Up
The 95th Four Stone Hearth is up at afarensis. His australopithecusness has done an outstanding job with this edition of the anthropology carnival. I’d think this even if he hadn’t said kind words about one of my posts, “Duane at...Read all of "The 95th Four Stone Hearth Is Up"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:47 AM
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June 22, 2010
Do We Still Have This Problem?
Recently two seemingly unrelated accounts struck me. The first comes from a paper by Barbara Nevling Porter, “Notes on the Role of Kings of the Sea in Esarhaddon’s Nineveh A Inscription.” If establishing Esarhaddon’s legitimacy in no uncertain terms was...Read all of "Do We Still Have This Problem?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:34 PM
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June 20, 2010
Latest Journal of Cuneiform Studies Now Available
Volume 62 of the Journal of Cuneiform Studies us now available. Several of the papers seem interesting. The one I will likely read first is Paul Delnero’s “Sumerian Extract Tablets and Scribal Education.” Take a look at the table of...Read all of "Latest Journal of Cuneiform Studies Now Available"
Posted by Duane Smith at 6:28 PM
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June 19, 2010
A “Tasteless Tablet” And The Beginning of Scribal Training
When did students start scribal training in Mesopotamia? This is one of those perennial questions. Ann Guinan and Erle Leichty published a report and discussion of Niek Veldhuis’ discovery of a “tasteless” Old Babylonian tablet that seems to shed some...Read all of "A “Tasteless Tablet” And The Beginning of Scribal Training"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:53 PM
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June 18, 2010
The Latest ZA
The latest issue of the Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und vorderasiatische Archäologie is now available. This issue seems abnormally interesting. Here’s the Table of Contents. Vera Meyer-Laurin, Die marû-Basen der sumerischen Verben túm „hin-, wegführen“ und e6/de6 „bringen, liefern“ Jan Keetman,...
Posted by Duane Smith at 11:21 AM
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June 17, 2010
Closing In On An Absolute Chronology Of Dynastic Egypt
Below is the abstract of Christopher Bronk Ramsey et al’s new study of the chronology of dynastic Egypt. The paper is published in Science. The historical chronologies for dynastic Egypt are based on reign lengths inferred from written and archaeological...Read all of "Closing In On An Absolute Chronology Of Dynastic Egypt"
Posted by Duane Smith at 4:42 PM
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June 16, 2010
Why I Am Thankful For Hershel Shanks
Hershel Shanks’ autobiography, Freeing the Dead Sea Scrolls: And Other Adventures of an Archaeology Outsider, is out and Richard Bernstein has a little piece on Shanks and his autobiography in the New York Times. I likely won’t read Shanks’ autobiography....Read all of "Why I Am Thankful For Hershel Shanks"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:44 AM
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June 14, 2010
A Little Twain For Flag Day
Mark Twain sent this letter to the Hartford Flag Committee, [Elmira], N. Y., Sept. 8, 1879. Gentlemen of the Committee— Out of the poverty left on hand by an interminable European trip, I very gladly put up the enclosed $25...Read all of "A Little Twain For Flag Day"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:19 PM
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June 13, 2010
GT, BGT, GTY
I wish I had some time to research and comment on these Gath(ish) things. In a couple of recent posts Aren Maeir has called our attention to a bulla (“Belonging to Azar, son of Gitti”) and a Persian Period ostracon...
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:37 PM
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June 12, 2010
Not Quite Squares
The first pictures from this season’s work at Megiddo reminded me of a rather weird “first day” during the 1973 season at Gezer. For a good part of the season a documentary film crew had been doing their thing. We...Read all of "Not Quite Squares"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:55 PM
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June 10, 2010
The Dodgers’ Woo Master
Vladimir Shpunt, . . . knows next to nothing about baseball. Yet the Dodgers hired him to, well, think blue. Frank and Jamie McCourt paid him to help the team win by sending positive energy over great distances. [Los Angeles...Read all of "The Dodgers’ Woo Master"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:48 PM
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June 9, 2010
A Couple Of Overdue Archaeology Items
Between some personal stuff and some not so personal stuff, I’ve failed to comment on a couple of recent announcements. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to discuss them at the depth they deserve today either. First, and in my view...Read all of "A Couple Of Overdue Archaeology Items"
Posted by Duane Smith at 4:07 PM
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June 8, 2010
An Improving Quiz
Yesterday I favored you with a little experiment. Today, I will extend the favor with an improving quiz. Read Jim West’s latest essay at Bible and Interpretation and see if you can find, Two or more words with well-understood meanings...Read all of "An Improving Quiz"
Posted by Duane Smith at 4:43 PM
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June 7, 2010
A Simple, All Too Repeatable, Experiment
Below is a transcript of part of a video of Neil DeGrasse Tyson discussing the need for science literacy. The setting is the World Science Festival 2010. My transcript, which may not be trustworthy, starts at the 5:00 minute point...Read all of "A Simple, All Too Repeatable, Experiment"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:26 PM
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June 5, 2010
Happy Anniversary To Us
Tomorrow Shirley and I will celebrate the 46th anniversary of our marriage. For my part and in part, I plan to celebrate it by my not posting anything unless the world ends or our marriage ends. I rather doubt either...Read all of "Happy Anniversary To Us"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:33 PM
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They Want Their Country Back
Dennis Wagner of the The Arizona Republic writes, A group of artists has been asked to lighten the faces of children depicted in a giant public mural at a Prescott school. The project's leader says he was ordered to lighten...Read all of "They Want Their Country Back"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:14 AM
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June 4, 2010
You Knew This Was Coming
To some Christian fundamentalists, the oil plume in the Gulf of Mexico heralds the apocalypse. A growing conversation among Christian fundamentalists asks the question that may have been inevitable: is the oil spill in the gulf a sign of the...Read all of "You Knew This Was Coming"
Posted by Duane Smith at 6:45 PM
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Looking Good! Feeling Good!
Being Good? I’ll get back to you on that....Read all of "Looking Good! Feeling Good!"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:51 PM
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June 2, 2010
Ooops
A sculpture that was originally identified as a 3,200-year-old piece of art and installed in a museum’s garden in Van – before it was revealed that the object was created in 2006 – has been returned to Erciş district. The...
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:28 PM
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June 1, 2010
The Latest Edition Of Four Stone Hearth Us Up
This is about a week late but Four Stone Hearth #93 is up at The Prancing Papio. Take a look at the interesting anthropology posts Raymond Ho brought together....Read all of "The Latest Edition Of Four Stone Hearth Us Up"
Posted by Duane Smith at 11:42 AM
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