Peter John Ucko, archaeologist: born London 27 July 1938; Lecturer in Anthropology, University College London 1962-72, Director, Institute of Archaeology and Professor of Comparative Archaeology 1996-2006 (Emeritus); Principal, Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies 1972-81; Professor of Archaeology, Southampton University 1981-96; died London 14 June 2007.

Peter Ucko was the most influential archaeologist of his time. Almost single-handed, he brought about a revolution which irrevocably changed the whole structure and outlook of international archaeology.

This upheaval began in 1986, when — in scenes of frantic drama and controversy — the profession's international body exploded at its congress at Southampton University. Out of the smoke and debris there emerged the World Archaeological Congress, dedicated to new and radical principles which included the notion that archaeology was profoundly political and that the archaeology of indigenous peoples in post-colonial continents — societies for whom the relics of a distant past were still components of a living culture — was more significant than the academic and Eurocentric studies of "prehistory"...

was born in 1938, the son of intellectual Jewish emigrants from Germany. From his father, a doctor, he inherited a lasting delight in music, especially opera. After the "progressive" public school of Bryanston, he began an anthropology degree at University College London in 1956, but always — so he later said — hoped to get into Egyptology, a lifelong craze which began when he collected figurines off antique stalls as a boy. After a PhD on Egyptian figurines, he spent 10 more years at UCL lecturing with increasing brilliance and originality in anthropology...

Professor Peter Ucko, The Independent, UK, June 21, 2007.

Beer is an ancient and important beverage, enjoyed by everyone from the ancient Egyptians to medieval Europeans to modern people worldwide. Since prohibition, however, American beer has been so traditionally homogeneous that most Americans had only a vague awareness that there was an entire beer world outside of the standard rice- and corn-based brews of companies like Annhauser-Busch, Miller, and Schlitz. Imports were really the only way to try unfamiliar ales or lagers, but they were often prohibitively expensive or had slogans too imposing for the average American beer drinker (Tuborg Gold: The Golden Beer of Danish Kings!).

Since the mid 1990s, however, the microbrew revolution has been in full swing, and you can find fantastic American and Canadian-made beers in any style you could choose, and many American breweries successfully compete with their European counterparts in international competitions. Beer is once again reasserting itself as a beverage that can be savoured and appreciated rather than simply guzzled to enhance one's sexual appeal. To really understand beer, one has to understand the four basic ingredients that make beer...

Two chances in one week to post about beer! Woo-hoo!

Beer: A Primer, Nick Jurkowski, BlogCritics Magazine, June 20, 2007.

Previously:

Make mine a beer, November 07, 2007.

Three years after best buddies Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman completed a 20,000 mile-round-the-world trip by motorbike [The Long Way Round], the pair are doing it again. Their journey, which is being filmed for the BBC and is being dubbed Long Way Down, kicked off from John O'Groats in May and they are due to visit 20 countries in three months — expecting to cross the equator this week as they make their way to Cape Town, South Africa. "It was a good excuse to ride motorcycles for a very, very long time," said the Trainspotting star at the outset.

But negotiating the rough Egypt terrain in searing 45 degree heat is proving a challenge. "The heat is something else, you can't really prepare for it," says Ewan — who on this journey has decided to forgo a beard like the one he grew on his last trip. "This is the hottest place I've ever been to in my life!" added Charlie on their log. But their spirits were lifted by the sight of Cairo's magnificent pyramids. "It was beautiful being there, it was really moving being by the pyramids, it was lovely, just lovely," he said in a call to radio DJ

Chris Moyles.

Their bikes have certainly taken a pounding, especially in the sand. "I come off all the time," admits Ewan, whose French wife Eve is due to join him for a fortnight when they hit Malawi after taking motorcycling lessons. "I'm off more than anybody else, when it comes to falling off I am the team faller." That's not the only problem they're facing as this journey is considered more hazardous than their last. The friends have completed hostile environment training, including scenario-based exercises like conduct after capture as well as medical training, the same as BBC foreign correspondents before they go on risky assignments...

They've left Egypt now, have ridden through Sudan and are currently in Ethiopia. Keep up with their exploits on the BBC Long Way Down website. The journal entry for 12th June has a good video taken in the Valley of the Kings.

Ewan and Charlie feel the heat on epic African bike trip, Hello Magazine, USA, June 19, 2007.

Previously:

The Long Way Down in Cairo , June 07, 2007.

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The Egyptian government has made a formal request to borrow the Rosetta Stone from the British Museum (BM). A letter was sent last month by Dr Zahi Hawass, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

The Art Newspaper can reveal that the request is for a three-month loan in 2012, for the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which is being built near the Pyramids. Until now, the BM has been able to fend off questions about the return of the Rosetta Stone, since there had been no formal request.

Whether the loan is eventually granted is expected to depend on three main factors. First, conservation, and whether the 1,680 pound stone could be at risk.

Secondly, if the Rosetta Stone can be lent in view of its iconic importance. It is probably the single most-visited object in the BM’s entire collection, attracting even more visitors than the Parthenon Marbles. The Rosetta Stone has been at the museum since 1802, and has only left the building twice — when it was evacuated during World War I and when it was lent to the Louvre for one month in 1972.

Finally, there will concerns over whether it would be prudent to lend to Cairo, because of possible pressure in Egypt to retain the stone or request its permanent return. After receiving advice on these points, the request will be considered by the BM trustees...

Egypt asks British Museum for Rosetta Stone, Martin Bailey, The Art Newspaper, UK, June 21, 2007.