Jade Tool with a Mystery

This tiny 3300 year old jade tool was found lying on a coral reef which was covered with sand on the island of Emirau in the Bismark archipelago. The gouge was used in the carving of wood and probably made by the Lapita people who settled these islands more than 3000 years ago.

Other gouges have been found however this one is different from the others as it is made of a stone that is not native to the islands and probably came to the island from many miles away. It is thought that perhaps it is one of the oldest of it's kind on the island and may have come with the Lapita people from wherever they migrated from?

CREDIT: Les O’Neil, University of Otago

Treasure Hunting Village Priest Arrested

After receiving complaints of loud noises coming from the chancel of the church of the Prophet Elijah Greek police investigated and found a 6ft by 3ft hole in the chancel of the church. The priest and a church elder have been charged for illegally digging for treasure.

The loud noise which inspired the calls to police were from a pneumatic drill used to create the hole. Greek authorities say that treasure hunting is on the rise during the economic crises facing Greece.

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Fishing Near Moscow 7500 Years Ago

An international team led by the Spanish National Research Council has discovered a series of fish traps including nets, hooks, harpoons and other artifacts relating to a fishing industry occurring in the Dubna river basin near Moscow some 7500 years ago.

The sites are remarkable because of the degree of the preservation of organic materials found.  Dr. Ignacio Clemente the archaeologist tells that the people of the area were hunter gatherers who among hunting and fishing were also collecting wild berries.

Photo:  (Dr. Ignacio Clemente/CSIC)

Theft from The National Gallery of Athens

Artworks by Picasso, Mondrian and a 16th century pencil sketch have been stolen from Greece's largest state art museum. The thieves stripped away the frames during the getaway and abandoned a second painting by Mondrian. The Picasso is a cubist bust he gave to the people of Greece in 1949 in recognition for the Greek peoples resistance to Nazi occupation.

Photo: National Gallery of Art, Athens

Italy's Valley of Temples Not for Sale

Russian billionaire Mikail Prokhorov apparently wishes to buy Sicily's famous Valley of the Temples. The so called valley contains seven Greek Doric temples built on a ridge around 450 BC though the mayor of the nearby town of Agrigento says the temples are not for sale not even for forty billion.

Okay not 40 billion but how about fifty billion which according to the article will be more than enough to save Italy from it's debts.  Whatever Mr. Prokhorov wishes to do with the ruins perhaps he wishes to privatize the ridge and build a home among the ruins? Admittedly they would also look great in the Hermitage, I joke as the article claims Mr. Prokhorov only has 14 billion euro's!

Perhaps the most interesting statement in the video presented is the last statement?

The Takeaway Rembrandt

This small painting is one of two facing portraits painted by Rembrandt unfortunately this painting holds the dubious distinction of being known as "the takeaway Rembrandt" as it is the most stolen work of art and has been taken on four occasions in modern history.

It is a portrait, one of a pair though in this case the sitter is Jacob de Gheyn III painted by Rembrandt in 1632 and is less than 12 inches in height. The other painting depicts Gheyn's friend Maurits Huygens who's portrait was painted on the same oak board only the painting is slightly larger.

 The pact between the two was who ever died first left his painting to the other as it happened Gheyn's died first and was left to Huygens who died the following year.