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This is a discovery that has received little to no examination, much less validation, from the realm of mainstream archaeology, no doubt in part because Marx is not a Ph.D. archaeologist. Scouring the web for more information about this finding, I did find a reference to the discovery in an article from Dr. Elizabeth Lyding Will, an expert on Roman amphoras (clay vessels used to store and ship goods during the Roman era). Dr. Will apparently has a piece of an amphora recovered from Marx's Brazil discovery. Of it, she says: The highly publicized amphoras Robert Marx found in the...

The Roman Head from Tecaxic-Calixtlahuaca, Mexico: A Review of the evidence Paper prepared for the 66th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in New Orleans, Louisiana (April 18-22, 2001). Romeo H. Hristov (b) and Santiago Genovés T. (b) (a) Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM 8713 1, U.S.A. (b) Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas-UNAM, Ciudad Universitaria 04510, México, D.F., MEXICO Abstract: Since the publication of the complementary research on the apparently Roman head found in Central Mexico (Hristov, Romeo and Santiago Genovés 1999 "Mesoamerican Evidence of Pre-Columbian Transoceanic Contacts, Ancient Mesoamerica. 10 (2): 207-213) this find...

Professor Elizabeth Lyding Will (1924 - 2009...) was one of the world's leading authorities on amphoras, an ancient two-handled container that her research demonstrated to be vitally important for tracing ancient trade patterns and for opening windows on tremendous amounts of information about ancient life and commerce. In a 2000 article entitled "The Roman Amphora: learning from storage jars," she discusses the diverse uses of "the lowly Roman amphora -- a two-handled clay jar used by the Canaanites, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans to ship goods," describing both its main usage for the transportation of liquids including wine, olive oil, and...

Guido Schaffer, a Brazilian seminarian who drowned while surfing in 2009 and whose cause for beatification has been opened. Photo courtesty of guidoschaffer.com.br Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Nov 12, 2014 / 01:24 pm (CNA).- The Congregation for the Causes of Saints has approved the cause of beatification of Guido Schaffer, who was a Brazilian seminarian known as the “Anjo Surfista,” or “Surfer Angel.” The Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro will now establish a tribunal to handle the cause. The archdiocese requested approval of the cause in May by sending the Vatican numerous documents on the life of Schaffer “to...

Life is a challenge these days in Germany if you are not a football fan. You simply cannot avoid it. The media is awash with interest in Sunday's World Cup final, with the 'Nationalelf' (national 11) involved against old rivals Argentina. The stunning 7-1 semi-final win over hosts Brazil resulted in football euphoria only seen before in the country when West Germany won previous World Cup tournaments in 1954, 1974 and 1990. "Three days to go", "two days to go", "one day to go" - these have been the headlines from Germany's biggest selling tabloid Bild. It's the countdown to...

Explanation: In this night skyscape setting stars trail above the western horizon over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a venue for the 2014 World Cup. Gentle arcs from the bright, colorful stars of Orion are near the center of the frame, while the starfield itself straddles planet Earth's celestial equator during the long exposure. Of course, trails from more local lights seem to create the strident paths through the scene. Air traffic smears an intense glow over an airport at the far right, while helicopters fly above the city and boats cruise near the coast. Striping the waterfront are tantalizing reflections...

<p>Lightning has broken a finger off the right hand of Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.</p> <p>Father Omar, rector of the shrine that holds the statue, told the Globo radio station that lightning frequently strikes the nearly 100-foot tall statue, a symbol of Rio that overlooks the Brazilian city from the peak of the Corcovado mountain.</p>

Millions of people have flocked to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil to take part in one of the biggest New Year's parties in the world:

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met with the leadership of the Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Latin America and the Caribbean, CELAM, which is holding its general coordinating meeting this week. The meeting was one of two appointments expressly desired by the Holy Father outside the context of World Youth Day, during his week-long visit to Rio for the World Youth Day celebrations. The first was a visit to the Marian shrine at Aparecida. It was in Aparecida in 2007 that the CELAM bishops held their 5th General Conference, which produced a major three-part document outlining a plan for assessment of...

Facundo Antonio Sebastian Tolaba walked across South America to attend World Youth Day. Credit: Estefania Aguirre / CNA. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Jul 27, 2013 / 04:43 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A teen who crossed South America in hopes of meeting Pope Francis walked by foot because he had no money – and now he wants to return by foot “to thank those who helped him.” “I met poor people that offer you everything and rich people that don’t offer you anything,” Facundo Antonio Sebastian Tolaba said. “Since they helped me, I want to help them now.” “I want to return...

Father Z Equates Catholic Bishops at WYD 2013 with Nazis UPDATED July 27, 2013 By Sam Rocha 31 Comments Fr. John Zuhlsdorf, also known (and hereafter referred to) as “Fr. Z,” will surely dispute the claim of this headline, however, this post will show that the proposition “Father Z equates Catholic Bishops at WYD 2013 with Nazis” is true, by examining the words used by Fr. Z in today’s post at his web log, “Your Excellencies? REALLY?!?”Fr. Z’s post begins with the YouTube video (below) of a large group of Catholic Bishops, dressed in ecclesial attire, rehearsing hand movements to an upbeat religious...

Address of Pope Francis at the 28th World Youth Day Prayer Vigil on Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, July 27, 2013 Dear Young Friends,We have just recalled the story of Saint Francis of Assisi. In front of the crucifix he heard the voice of Jesus saying to him: “Francis, go, rebuild my house.” The young Francis responded readily and generously to the Lord’s call to rebuild his house. But which house? Slowly but surely, Francis came to realize that it was not a question of repairing a stone building, but about doing his part for the life of the Church....

Pope Francis joined over a million young people on Copacabana beach Saturday evening, for a prayer vigil on the eve of the final Mass marking World Youth Day, 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The centerpiece of the vigil was a Eucharistic procession. The event featured litanies and hymns, as well as the testimonies of four different young people. In his remarks to the youthful pilgrims, Pope Francis focused on the image of the field of faith – the name of the venue at which the vigil was originally to have taken place, before the week’s inclement weather rendered it...

Pope Francis had a joyful but challenging message for the Bishops of Brazil today. As part of World Youth Day festivities, the Holy Father took the opportunity to meet with the world’s largest episcopate. Pope Francis thanked the Bishops for allowing him to speak as “one among friends”. For that reason, he said, he spoke in his native Spanish, in order “to better express what I carry in my heart.” Pope Francis spoke first about the miracle of Aparecida, the miracle at the heart of Brazil’s religious history. “Aparecida offers us a perennial teaching about God and about the Church.”...

The Argentinean Pope’s first international trip to Rio de Janeiro to celebrate World Youth Day (22-29 July) is less than a week away. This will be the first time he returns to his homeland, Latin America, since his election to the pontificate. Unlike his predecessors, the Pope will not be using the Popemobile to get around. Francis wants to have direct contact with as many people as possible. He will be using a covered sedan or the open-top jeep he uses during his Wednesday General Audiences to get around Rio de Janeiro, where he will be spending most of his...

A young woman and her companion were held captive and beaten after boarding a minivan bus in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro on Saturday night. At least three men took turns raping the woman in an assault that lasted six hours. The attack drew comparisons to the gang rape of a young woman on a bus in Delhi in December. That attack, which was so brutal that the victim later died of her injuries, sparked outrage in India and overseas. She too was traveling with a male companion, who was beaten but survived. Here is how the crimes...

Obama’s Amazing AchievementsHis military intervention prompted some stunning reversals. By bombing Libya, President Obama has accomplished some things once thought absolutely impossible in America:(a) War-mongering liberals: Liberals are now chest-thumping about military “progress” in Libya. Even liberal television and radio commentators cite ingenious reasons why an optional, preemptive American intervention in an oil-producing Arab country, without prior congressional approval or majority public support — and at a time of soaring deficits — is well worth supporting, in a sort of “my president, right or wrong,” fashion. Apparently, liberal foreign policy is returning to the pre-Vietnam days of the hawkish “best...

Kim Kardashian Strikes a Pose with Jesus The pregnant reality star visited the Christ The Redeemer Statue in Brazil. Reality TV star Kim Kardashian wears a pink dress while her and boyfriend rapper Kanye West visit the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio De Janeiro, Feb. 9, 2013.

Bicycles instead of cars? Dense apartment clusters instead of single homes? Community rituals instead of churches? "Human rights" instead of religious freedom? The UN Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) which met June 3-14 [1996]in Istanbul, painted an alarming picture of the 21st century community. The American ways-free speech, individualism, travel, and Christianity-are out. A new set of economic, environmental, and social guidelines are in. Citizenship, democracy, and education have been redefined. Handpicked civil leaders will implement UN "laws", bypassing state and national representatives to work directly with the UN. And politically correct "tolerance"-meaning "the rejection of dogmatism and absolutism"...

The NGO Major Group Organizing Partners have finalized their key document for the Rio+20 Summit. “TheFutureWeWant” outlines the common vision for “sustainable development” throughout the planet sought by those nongovernmental organizations - mostly social and environmental activist groups. There are many noble sentiments in its 283 statements. There also is much that raises serious concerns. “Sustainable,” “sustainability” and “sustainable development” appear in the text an astounding 390 times. Like “abracadabra,” these amorphous words are supposed to transform even corrupt societies into Gardens of Eden under United Nations auspices. They will use less, pollute less, be sustainable, get along and save...