Mali relics recovered in France

BBC ^ | Tuesday, January 20, 2007

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Some of the artefacts confiscated may be up to one million years old

French customs officials say they have seized more than 650 ancient artefacts smuggled from Mali in one of the largest such finds at a Paris airport.

Described as an "archaeological treasure", the objects were thought to be on their way to private US buyers.

Experts say most of the items are from the Neolithic period, but some may be up to one million years old.

The artefacts are thought to have been taken from archaeological sites on the edge of the Sahara desert.

The 669 items - 601 stones and 68 bracelets - were confiscated on 19 January at Charles de Gaulle airport and included axe heads, flintstones and stone rings.

Most of the artefacts date from a few thousand years BC. But others are from the Acheulean period, between one million years and 200,000 years old, and from the Middle Stone Age (200,000 years BC to 20,000 years BC).

The artefacts were shipped in nine parcels from the Malian capital, Bamako, which the accompanying paperwork described as handcrafted objects.

Customs officials look out for artefacts being exported from specific countries such as Mali which may be smuggled, a customs spokeswoman told the BBC News website.

If they have a doubt, they then seize the objects and have them assessed by experts to establish their age - in this case an expert from the Department of Prehistory at the Natural History Museum in Paris, she said.

Growing traffic

This type of traffic was unheard of a few years ago, an airport customs official told the AFP news agency.

"Since 2004 we have observed regular traffic in this kind of contraband. There is a big market and we are pretty sure that these items, which had been neatly sorted and were of very high quality, had been pre-sold," Eric Cailheton said.

French customs officials made two similarly large finds of archaeological items from Niger in March 2004 and December 2005.

The 2005 haul included more than 5,000 stone arrowheads and 90 carved stone artefacts, dating back 5,000 years.

The items were found in the baggage of a passenger who arrived on a flight from Niger's capital, Niamey.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

1. not a million years old.
2. even if they were going to American buyers, the actual thieves don't seem to be American.

[FreedomNeocon]

I love that the 'million year old' relics can be dated to a period that is defined as between 200,000 and 1,000,000 ago.

Thats one hell of a range, and poor reasoing for the headline.

[kinoxi]

Million year old artefacts headed for the US. Hmmm.

[econjack]

Isn't is a shame the Americans can't afford to buy new stuff...

[GSlob]

Well, when one does not have a pre-history, one has to invent or purchase it.

[Vicomte13]

I want to see a picture of a one million old artifact.

(And yeah, I know what's coming. Sorry.)

[Sols]

Well, essentially the Acheulean period is just a way to express how early humans worked stone into tools. The stone is worked with a hammerstone, shaped with slightly more specialized hammers made of other materials, and shaped on both sides rather than one side. Handaxes were made in this way for a very, very long time, as long ago as ~1.5 million years, and this level of 'technology' was not significantly improved upon for quite some time.

Anyhow, that's why the range is so long.

[Continental Soldier]

Artefacts a million years old? Huh? Oh, yeah, right, they must be from early alien landings on planet Earth.

[gcruse]

Hominids go back four million years, so a million year old artifact doesn't seem unlikely.

[TXnMA]

By definition, the Acheulean period spanned from 1.5 million to 200,000 years BP.

I agree that the article is over-simplified, but, it did say, "some may be up to one million years old". Unless you are an expert in lithic technology -- and have examined all of the artifacts in question, you have zero factual basis for making your categorical statement,

1. not a million years old.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

[ViLaLuz]

"I want to see a picture of a one million old artifact."

Here you go... (you knew what was coming)

[Vicomte13]

I did.
And you did not disappoint.
Doesn't she look CUTE like that?

[UpAllNight]

Are you English?

[kinoxi]

Not directly, American mutt.
:)
Why do you ask?

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

This type of traffic was unheard of a few years ago, an airport customs official told the AFP news agency.

That is nonsense. Artifact trafficking has a very long history.

The countries change as do the era and culture that is fashionable at the moment but the trade remains the same.

[UpAllNight]

A while back there was a thread on "artefacts" written from India. A whole bunch of posters had fun about how the '3rd' world couldn't spell.

[MichiganMan]

Aw geez, for the love of God, can't we have some sort of moratorium on that beast's picture so I don't have to see it anymore? I clicked in looking to see million year old tools, not million year old monkey a##. Yeesh!

[kinoxi]

Well I spell it (aluminium) aluminum if that helps. :)
It's my understanding that both spellings are correct so I used the article's spelling.

[UpAllNight]

I wasn't being critical. Just making the posts so we don't get a few idiots thinking there is only one way to spell words. I find that behaviour appalling.

[kinoxi]

It can be annoying, but misspellings can be entertaining sometimes as well.
The spelling polease are evryware u no :)

[Brucifer]

Dictionaries are descriptive, not prescriptive. It wasn't really that long ago that people who couldn't find several ways to spell the same word were considered very unimaginative.

[UpAllNight]

--Dictionaries are descriptive, not prescriptive. It wasn't really that long ago that people who couldn't find several ways to spell the same word were considered very unimaginative.--

Not a vry imagitive post. No missspelings at al.

[ViLaLuz]

"Aw geez, for the love of God, can't we have some sort of moratorium on that beast's picture so I don't have to see it anymore? I clicked in looking to see million year old tools, not million year old monkey a##. Yeesh!"

Sorry! Is this a better 1 million year old artifact?

[kinoxi]

I think the increasing reliance on the written (typed) word as a form of communication might lead to rise in certain reactions over misspelled words. Similar to the reaction of a group of people talking to someone who speaks the same language with a different accent as mentioned previously on this thread. BTW do you spell it aluminium or aluminum?
:)

[Brucifer]

LOL Yer wright. My beeber is stuned, and I stand incorrected.

[UpAllNight]

--LOL Yer wright. My beeber is stuned, and I stand incorrected.--

Evn so, it is tym fur th speelling gramer poleece to intajek.

incorrected >> kerrekted.

[Brucifer]

The fact is that I am a Medievalist by training, and I have to teach a substantial amount of composition and technical writing along the way.

I got into this business because I really enjoy listening to people speak. I'm just fascinated by the variety of ways that people express themselves in spoken English. Every new accent, every new expression, and every slight nuance is entertaining to me. I often feel hypocritical when I have to put on my Grammar Police badge. Yet, at the end of the day, I am trying to get young adults ready to go out and face the working world where, as you point out, they must adhere to certain accepted standards to be effective.

Occasionally, I get to teach a course on the history of the English language. I get to cover the history of grammar, and play with regional English in all its varied and unique forms. That is just too kewel!

I recently heard an immigrant from India call a local country music station and tell the DJ how much he loved country music... especially after he discovered Tricia Yearwood. Try running that conversation through your head for a moment.

I would spell the word aluminum, but I would have a lot more fun pronouncing it aluminium.

[TXnMA]

Hmmmm... "aluminum" versus "aluminium" -- intreresting subject...

~~~~~~~~~

For many years, I worked with "alumina" (aluminum oxide) ceramics for the packaging of semiconductor chips. Simultaneously, I worked with "aluminum" (the metal) wire for connecting the chips to the packages.

I found that my colleagues (particularly, the Japanese and [Nationalist] Chinese-- via telephone) often had difficulty discriminating between between the spoken sounds, "alumina" and "aluminum",

To avoid confusion between the similar sounds, I adopted the British, "aluminium" when speaking of the metal...

~~~~~~~~~~~

I must admit that the affectation sounded a bit strange (coming from a native Texan) -- but it facilitated understanding...

[TXnMA]

Oops! intended to include you in the addressees for #29...

[UpAllNight]

--. I often feel hypocritical when I have to put on my Grammar Police badge. --

Hypo?