Alun Salt

I'm guessing 'hips' has another meaning to the one I know - but I haven't the faintest idea what it is. - Alun Salt

Blimey. 35 quid. - AJCann

"That's certainly a plausible idea, especially as the ancient Greeks considered Delphi the centre of the world. Off the top of my head temples in Turkey also tend to point east - but I don't know if anyone has looked at them systematically. I think there are good physical reasons for a temple to point east, like facing the sun so that it drives out the damp more quickly. Even so that wouldn't rule out more temples facing west than would be expected. It's an interesting idea and could help if there are two general motives in play, astronomy AND topography." - Alun Salt

"At the moment I'm not seeing a lot of difference between this and native Wordpress commenting. But if it became a standard through a cluster of blogs then the collective reputation management and networking could add a lot more to all the sites. For example the ability to reblog comments on my site isn't much use me when I'm commenting on my site. But if it was widely picked up amongst history blogs then it could make a difference." - Alun Salt

"I agree $1350 is hugely expensive for archaeology, though there's an open access option for some traditional publishers of archaeological journals which is even higher. I'm on the job market now after completing the PhD, and there is no way I could have published in PLoS One if I'd had to pay that fee. Another reason I should have added for publishing in PLoS One is that their criterion for publication is quality. That commitment makes it an attractive venue in comparison to some of the other OA journals. I think the article-level metrics could help. If I want to get funding for publishing I need to demonstrate that Open Access material is being used, and how much. Then I can go to the Society for the Promotion of Obscure Studies and show them exactly what it is that their money is likely to get them. That's something that I couldn't necessarily do with a research project aimed at a subscription journal. That means reminding funding bodies that publication isn't the end of a project's..." - Alun Salt

Telescoper explains how academic publishing works. The only thing that would improbe the post would be the theme from 'The Naked Gun' in the background. - Alun Salt

You can make arguments in favour of repatriation of antiquities. You can make arguements against. Being on either side doesn't make you inherently foolish. But when you write that the British Army took the Rosetta Stone from the French and "returned it to the British Museum" then something has gone wrong. It's probably a case of momentary brainfade rather than idiocy, but it matters because the whole question of ownership of the Rosetta Stone is about where it rightfully belongs. Using the word 'returned' builds in the assumption that all antiquities are inherently British. - Alun Salt

Avast me hearties! Robert Fraser & Partners be scourin' the high seas in search of booty. They be fundin' Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. ter search the Caribbean fer Spanish gold. Arrr! - Alun Salt

Geoff Carter concluded he didn't have evidence for a staggeringly early cart shed in Poland. Could it have been a used to house a sledge? I've just realised I know absolutely nothing at all about the history of sleds and sledges. Not only that, but I can't recall much attention being called to them in early prehistoric archaeology other than when people want to talk about moving megaliths to Stonehenge. Yet Martha Murphy (guest blogging) shows there's plenty of questions to ask about neolithic transport. - Alun Salt

More on the problems of preserving heritage in BC. Ancient burials have been scooped out of the ground, <em>after</em> an archaeological assessment. - Alun Salt

I'd love to have a pithy and insightful opinion on this, but first I'll have to look up what PPS 15 says. it's important as PPG 15 and 16 have been the basis of protection of heritage in the UK for many years. - Alun Salt

It's all very well me saying there are ethical reasons to be against reburial, but I still haven't found the time to write them down yet. Now this post hits almost every point I was going to make, especially the point about memory. This won't stop me from writing up my thoughts when I can find the time though. - Alun Salt

Teofilo talks about Chaco and Navajo identity and discovers neither is as simple as you might think. - Alun Salt

"The central axis of each building forms a straight line. Each building is believed to have faced the same direction. Such careful planning for buildings was common for palaces and temples during the Asuka Period from the late sixth century to the early eighth century. But it had not been found at sites from the early third century. " This is why I need to find an introductory book to early Japanese history. There's a huge amount of fascinating stuff there. - Alun Salt

"One of the most egregious hypocrisies we entertain in British Columbia is our cavalier attitude toward the destruction and disposal of indigenous cultural landscapes, artifacts and heritage sites. In any enlightened nation such important history would command protection - here it earns indifference and even contempt." - Alun Salt