James ossuary inscription called fake

Before our attention turned to Iraq, there was the James ossuary. Here's the latest (but certainly not the last):

A committee of archeologists and geologists commissioned by the Israeli Antiquities Authority is set to declare that the inscription on the James ossuary is fake. . .

Israeli state broadcaster Channel One featured an interview late yesterday with Gabriel Barkay, a prominent archeologist with Jerusalem's Barilan University, who said the archeological committee was prepared to declare the ossuary's inscription a fake in a report to be released this week or, at the latest, early next. Dr. Barkay is not a member of the Antiquities Authority committee, but said he had heard the verdict from a committee member. . .

In an interview yesterday with CTV, Dr. Barkay said the committee will declare that the ossuary itself "is authentic beyond any doubt." However, "according to some scholars," the patina (or calcified encrustation) found inside the letters of the inscription "is not ancient," Dr. Barkay said. This means that, in all likelihood, "the inscription was added to the pre-existing ossuary and therefore the inscription is fake."

However, Dr. Barkay stressed he had not read the committee's full, final report and that he doesn't "regard as a final answer" the information he has heard. "If it is a fake, it's a fantastically executed piece," he said.

HERE is a report from Archaeology on the official press conference, which also judged the Jehoash Inscription to be a modern fake. The evidence against both objects now would seem to be overwhelming.

Posted by David on June 17, 2003 9:28 PM