Archaeology Odyssey

Among the numerous Buddhist grottos is the famous cave site at Bamiyan, Afghanistan, where two monumental Buddhas were destroyed by the Taliban a few years ago (see John C. Huntington, “The Buddhas of Bamiyan,” AO 04:04).

Some archaeological evidence indicates that interactions between eastern and western cultures date back well before the Silk Road. For example, mummies found in Lou-lan, on the edge of China’s Taklimakan Desert, have distinctly western features and are wrapped in wool similar to that produced in Europe 4,000 years ago.

“Cyprus” probably derives from the Semitic word kpr, meaning “henna” or “henna-colored”—the color of copper. The Greeks rendered the name as Kupros (or Kypros), which later became Romanized as Cyprus. The Latin cuprum (copper) derives from “Cyprus,” and the English “copper” derives from cuprum.

See the following articles in Archaeology Odyssey: “Ethiopia Demands Its Ancient Stela … Italy Demurs,” in Field Notes, AO 05:04; and “A Message from the Gods? Axum Stela Struck by Lightning,” in Field Notes, AO 05:05.

For more on the Sabaean Kingdom, see T.J. Wilkinson, “Excavating the Land of Sheba,” AO 04:06.

See “Jesus in Italy,” BAR 29:01; and “Ancient Aramaic Lives!” in Jots &Tittles, BR 19:03.

See “An Odyssey Debate: Were Living Children Sacrificed ot the Gods?” AO 03:06.

See Melissa Barden Dowling, “Vestal Virgins: Chaste Keepers of the Flame,” AO 04:01.

The Arab conquest did not mark the first time that the Alexandria Library was imperiled. The actions of both Julius Caesar, in 47 B.C.E., and Theophilus, the fourth-century C.E. archbishop of Alexandria, caused thousands of volumes to be lost. See J. Harold Ellens, “The Ancient Library of Alexandria: The West’s Most Important Repository of Learning,” BR 13:01.

For a more detailed account of Callimachus and his Pinakes, see J. Harold Ellens, “You Can Look It Up!” Origins, AO 02:02.