Saturday Gallimaufry

1) If the T.E. Lawrence era in the Near East excites your interest, check this series of aerial photos published this week by Sueddeutsche Zeitung in Munich. The Germans found themselves in the ridiculous position of defending what was left of the Ottoman Empire in WWI, which gave some fliers from Bavaria an opportunity to photograph a few of the important venues of Near Eastern civilization, still largely stuck in the pre-industrial past.

2) The Pergamon Museum in Berlin opened a major exhibition on the excavations at Tell Halaf (ca. 6100-5400 BCE) in Northern Syria, which is generally recognized as the most important archaeological site from the Neolithic Period. Here are some pictures of the excavation, and here are more pictures from the show at the Pergamon. The Wiki on Tell Halaf explains what one needs to know. Imagine a public lecture on classical archaeology attended as well as this one on the steps of the Pergamon altar last week:

CHIM KLEUKER/© STAATLICHE MUSEEN ZU BERLIN

3) Don't forget the 44th Annual California Bookfair coming up February 11-13 here in San Francisco.

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