[ottbmare]

Since money is fungible, the money freed up as a result of the $1.5 billion American foreign aid to Egypt, the dig might actually be paid for by US taxpayers.

I can live with that. Really, is there something so awful about archaeological research that American money shouldn't be used? Is there something in Egypt that's so much more important? I submit that seeing and understanding the past is important, and if we're going to be giving aid to Egypt anyway, there's no real reason it shouldn't be spent here as anywhere else. It's good to remind people that Egypt wasn't always Arab and Muslim, too.

[bert]

.....Really, is there something so awful about archaeological research that American money shouldn’t be used?.....

I don’t think so and since I don’t know if the aid was defense related as in building an air force hospital or some such, the point is not to disagree with the effort.

My problem with archeology is trying to create something sensational from very little evidence.