Egypt - Brian Williams/Rock Ctr
Jun 29th, 2012, 07:51 AM
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Egypt - Brian Williams/Rock Ctr
Did anyone see the segment last night about looting of tombs during the revolution? Those of you who live there or have been there since, was the story accurate, or hype?
Jul 13th, 2012, 12:45 PM
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I'm not on the ground, but this was mentioned when the revolution started a year-half ago. At one point at the Museum, locals were surrounding the place to keep looters away.
And, then there's the issue of what's happening out in Giza and other areas where it appears locals are digging everywhere, on sites that had been protected... but apparently not now.
Believe they interviewed Zahi Hawass during that Brian Williams segment and he acknowledged that such was happening. And, it wouldn't surprise, as they showed a local family/community building a Mosque on top of one of the archeological sites.
If any/all is happening it's shameful for all concerned.
And, then there's the issue of what's happening out in Giza and other areas where it appears locals are digging everywhere, on sites that had been protected... but apparently not now.
Believe they interviewed Zahi Hawass during that Brian Williams segment and he acknowledged that such was happening. And, it wouldn't surprise, as they showed a local family/community building a Mosque on top of one of the archeological sites.
If any/all is happening it's shameful for all concerned.
Jul 13th, 2012, 12:46 PM
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didn't see it either - so sad if true
Debbie -- did they ever move the Cairo museum to its new site? I'm pretty sure not with all of the upheaval. Did they ever say how much (or if anything really) was looted at the museum?
Debbie -- did they ever move the Cairo museum to its new site? I'm pretty sure not with all of the upheaval. Did they ever say how much (or if anything really) was looted at the museum?
Jul 14th, 2012, 12:03 AM
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sandi - you said "And, then there's the issue of what's happening out in Giza and other areas where it appears locals are digging everywhere, on sites that had been protected..."
Keep in mind that this is the way all those "responsible" journalists tend to report these days.... "in Giza, and other areas" (no specifics about where exactly) "where it apprears" (gee - anyone find a good translator to find out exactly what they were doing? or was there just video of people digging something?) "locals are digging everywhere" (any chance they replayed and replayed and replayed different angles of one incident? Are you sure they were just locals? The men that do the dirty work for all the archeologists don't look/dress any different than a "local". Who knows what they photographed?)
Believe a fraction of what you see on the news about Egypt and anywhere else, I suspect.
sandi - I am NOT saying there is anything wrong with you for reading into this news report everything you read into it. My point is that the journalists, for the most part, are irresponsible reporters that want to make any story as sensational as possible. It's exactly the same with the reporting about what is/was going on in Tahrir Square and Egypt. Most people that write to me are certain that the entire country must be in upheaval with protests and riots. Folks - the GREAT majority of what you see is filmed in an area that is about maybe 1 square mile. Yeah. That is all. It's real easy to avoid going there IF there is something happening.
About the looting and such - it is wrong, and sad that some of the areas were unable to be totally protected, but the mentality of the poor and uneducated in Egypt are no different than the mentality of the poor and uneducated in America/England/or anywhere else when the opportunity to loot occurs.
When the tombs and pyramids were FIRST looted by the Western explorers, of course there were no television cameras to catch them, and the explorers were of a high class of society...do you think anyone chastised them when they came home with the gold, or oohhhed and aaawwwed when they saw it?
Leslie S - The new museum is currently scheduled to open in 2015 now, I think. Ground is broken and they are working, but it has been slowed down.
Keep in mind that this is the way all those "responsible" journalists tend to report these days.... "in Giza, and other areas" (no specifics about where exactly) "where it apprears" (gee - anyone find a good translator to find out exactly what they were doing? or was there just video of people digging something?) "locals are digging everywhere" (any chance they replayed and replayed and replayed different angles of one incident? Are you sure they were just locals? The men that do the dirty work for all the archeologists don't look/dress any different than a "local". Who knows what they photographed?)
Believe a fraction of what you see on the news about Egypt and anywhere else, I suspect.
sandi - I am NOT saying there is anything wrong with you for reading into this news report everything you read into it. My point is that the journalists, for the most part, are irresponsible reporters that want to make any story as sensational as possible. It's exactly the same with the reporting about what is/was going on in Tahrir Square and Egypt. Most people that write to me are certain that the entire country must be in upheaval with protests and riots. Folks - the GREAT majority of what you see is filmed in an area that is about maybe 1 square mile. Yeah. That is all. It's real easy to avoid going there IF there is something happening.
About the looting and such - it is wrong, and sad that some of the areas were unable to be totally protected, but the mentality of the poor and uneducated in Egypt are no different than the mentality of the poor and uneducated in America/England/or anywhere else when the opportunity to loot occurs.
When the tombs and pyramids were FIRST looted by the Western explorers, of course there were no television cameras to catch them, and the explorers were of a high class of society...do you think anyone chastised them when they came home with the gold, or oohhhed and aaawwwed when they saw it?
Leslie S - The new museum is currently scheduled to open in 2015 now, I think. Ground is broken and they are working, but it has been slowed down.
Jul 14th, 2012, 06:52 AM
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Debbie - do agree that we all have to evaluate what is reported in print or TV as to what are the facts, whether in Egypt or elsewhere, i.e., the looting in Iraq. And, your example of the original looters during the early part of the 20th Century, example: Tut's tomb, wasn't much different.
What did catch my attention and I guess this too has to be looked at with a cautious eye, was an older woman archeologist, who had been working/living in Egypt some 30/yrs., being so distraught by the amount of damage she came upon at previously secured sites/digs.
Who knows whether we'll ever know what is true or not?
What did catch my attention and I guess this too has to be looked at with a cautious eye, was an older woman archeologist, who had been working/living in Egypt some 30/yrs., being so distraught by the amount of damage she came upon at previously secured sites/digs.
Who knows whether we'll ever know what is true or not?
Jul 14th, 2012, 09:09 AM
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CC, that's exactly why I asked. I generally look at the news with a very jaundiced eye.. Al those maniacal crowds shouting "down with this, down with that" - I'm sure that "on occasion" (wink wink) they are gathered together for the purpose of doing just that for the Western cameras. Brian Williams does have a good reputation, however, and he did speak with people seemingly in the know. The particular incident Sandi was talking about - the local family building a mosque on top of an archaeological site - seems to be true, as he interviewed both the people living there and the Berkeley archaeologist Sandi also mentioned. Here's a link you might be interested in reading since you didn't get the show itself.
Looking at it from another perspective, of course (and please don't flame me for this, I'm just raising another possibility - I'm a lawyer, it's what I do
) -- the reason we have the entire field of archaeology now is that ancient sites were buried. If they'd been preserved, there'd be no need for the entire field. This isn't much different, except that we "know better".
http://rockcenter.msnbc.msn.com/_new...m-looters?lite
Looking at it from another perspective, of course (and please don't flame me for this, I'm just raising another possibility - I'm a lawyer, it's what I do
) -- the reason we have the entire field of archaeology now is that ancient sites were buried. If they'd been preserved, there'd be no need for the entire field. This isn't much different, except that we "know better". http://rockcenter.msnbc.msn.com/_new...m-looters?lite
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