Americans Flunk Simple Political Survey

A survey, conducted between April 30 and June 1 by the
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, measured the
political knowledge of 3,612 U.S. adults. Participants were asked
three simple questions; to name the controlling party of the
U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. secretary of state and
Great Britain's prime minister.

Overall, just 18 percent of the participants answered all three
questions correctly.

More than 50 percent of Americans knew that the Democrats
have a majority in the House, while 42 percent could identify the
secretary of state (Condoleezza Rice). Less than 30 percent could
name the prime minister of Great Britain (Gordon Brown).

This is hard to believe and absolutely pitiful. But it did bring this
adorable episode to mind...

Greek Archaeological Find

Another cool archaeological find!

Did you see this in the news today?

ATHENS, Greece - A priceless gold wreath has been unearthed in
an ancient city in northern Greece, buried with human bones in a
large copper vase that workers initially took for a land mine. The
University of Thessaloniki said in a statement Friday that the
"astonishing" discovery was made during its excavations this week
in the ruins of ancient Aigai. The city was the first capital of ancient
Macedonia, where King Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, was
assassinated. Gold wreaths are rare and were buried with ancient
nobles or royalty. But the find is also highly unusual as the artifacts
appear to have been removed from a grave during ancient times and,
for reasons that are unclear, reburied in the city's marketplace near
the theater where Philip was stabbed to death.
By NICHOLAS PAPHITIS, Associated Press Writer Fri Aug 29
AP Photos

I can't wait to see what it looks like after it's cleaned!

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

Did you see this in the news today? I thought it

was absolutely fascinating!

.....

Archaeologists have unearthed a 1,900-year-old well-preserved
chariot at an ancient Thracian tomb in southeastern Bulgaria, the
head of the excavation said Thursday. Daniela Agre said her team
found the four-wheel chariot during excavations near the village of
Borisovo, around 180 miles east of the capital, Sofia. "This is the first
time that we have found a completely preserved chariot in Bulgaria",
said Agre, a senior archaeologist at the Bulgarian Academy of
Sciences. She said previous excavations had only unearthed single
parts of chariots — often because ancients sites had been looted. At
the funerary mound, the team also discovered table pottery, glass
vessels and other gifts for the funeral of a wealthy Thracian aristocrat.
In a separate pit, they unearthed skeletons of two riding horses
apparently sacrificed during the funeral of the nobleman, along with
well preserved bronze and leather objects, some believed to horse
harnesses. The Thracians were an ancient people that inhabited the
lands of present day Bulgaria and parts of modern Greece, Turkey,
Macedonia and Romania between 4,000 B.C. and the 6th century,
when they were assimilated by the invading Slavs. Some 10,000
Thracian mounds — some of them covering monumental stone
tombs — are scattered across Bulgaria.
By VESELIN TOSHKOV, APS, Reuters Photos

Million Dollar Mug

AFP Photo

Did you hear in the news about John Webber, whose grandfather
gave him a mug to play with, when he was a child in 1945, and found
it to be an ancient artifact worth almost one million dollars? He had
always assumed the 5.5 inch mug, decorated with the heads of two
women, was made of brass. When he decided to have it appraised last
year, he was told it was actually a rare piece of ancient Persian
treasure, beaten out of a single sheet of gold, hundreds of years before
the birth of Christ.

The auction house, Duke's, in Dorchester, England, will put the cup
up for auction on June 5, with an estimate of 500,000 pounds.

Webber admitted, as a child, using the cup for target practice with
his air gun! Notice the little dents? This reminds me of some of those
featured on Antiques Roadshow, who find out the item they have
been using as a trash can for years is worth a fortune. Okay, now if
you will excuse me, I need to go give all my vintage stuff a good
second look...