Anglo-Saxon execution ground, re-examined

ONCE they were spectacular resting places to honour the dead. But with pagan Britain's conversion to Christianity, the Bronze Age burial mounds came to be regarded with suspicion as places where devils and dragons lurked.

It was at one such site in East Yorkshire that the Anglo-Saxons chose to bury the worst kind of criminals, away from hallowed ground, leaving their heads to rot on stakes.

The latest archaeological techniques have now thrown a new light on an eerie cemetery – the only one so far discovered north of the Humber – where the decapitated bodies of executed criminals were laid to rest.

Full article here.

Early Christian church in the Iraqi desert

No-one celebrated Christmas in Al-Aqiser church on Tuesday, for what many consider to be the oldest eastern Christian house of worship lies in ruins in a windswept Iraqi desert.

Armed bandits and looters rule in the region and no one can visit the southern desert around Ain Tamur unescorted, local officials say.

But 1,500 years ago, the first eastern Christians knelt and prayed in this barren land, their faces turned towards Jerusalem.

The remains of Al-Aqiser church lie in the windswept sand dunes of Ain Tamur, around 70 kilometres (40 miles) southwest of the Shiite shrine city of Karbala, forgotten by most.

Full article here, with pictures.

More on the Brazilian museum heist

The Times headline reads, "Brazilian police find £25m Picasso 'stolen to order' by gang", but that's a bit misleading. It appears that the motive was ransom, with the actual theft subcontracted.

Philippe de Montebello to step down

The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today that Philippe de Montebello—whose long and storied career at the Museum has spanned nearly a third of the institution’s entire history—will retire after more than 30 years as its eighth, and longest-serving, Director. Mr. de Montebello, who first joined the staff as a curatorial assistant in 1963, became Director in 1977, and assumed the additional role of Chief Executive Officer in 1998, plans to step down by December 31, 2008.

From Art Daily.

Russian loan exhibitions on again -- if there's still time

Russia gave official approval yesterday for a landmark exhibition of paintings to travel to London for display at the Royal Academy.

The state culture agency, Roskultura, announced that four museums had received licences to send the artworks to Britain, ending a row that had threatened to wreck the show. The dispute had been seen as the latest episode in the increasingly bitter relationship between London and Moscow since President Putin refused to extradite the man wanted by Britain for the murder of Alexander Litvinenko.

The Royal Academy now faces a race against time to open the From Russia exhibition on schedule. The first shipments of artworks originally had been due to arrive in Britain yesterday. Anna Kolupayeva, of Roskultura, said: "The consent has been given. Hopefully, we will be able to open the exhibition on January 26." The exhibition faced cancellation last month when Russia said that it could not accept British guarantees that works would be protected against seizure. Some of the paintings are claimed by heirs of collectors who owned them before the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, when they were expropriated by the communists.

Full story here.

Hijack by hack

Aviation regulators have refused to certify Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner passenger jet until it redesigns its computer system to protect against such an event, The Times has learnt.

The Federal Aviation Authority is concerned that terrorists could use the Dreamliner's in-flight internet system to connect to "systems critical to the safety and maintenance of the aircraft".

In a report released last week, the FAA said that Boeing had left the pilots' computers open to attack by connecting the Dreamliner's entertainment system to the pilots' controls.

A hacker with a computer and some IT training potentially could hijack the system from his seat.

Full story here. How could Boeing have allowed this to happen? It's like hooking up a toaster into one's burglar alarm.

FURTHER THOUGHT: If everything onboard is connected to everything else, and to the Internet as well, planes could conceivably be taken over or crashed remotely. One moment they're telling us anything electrical is too dangerous to use during takeoff or landing, and the next, this.

Beware of Greeks bearing video cameras

It began as a tale of sex, lies and a secret video recording at the heart of the ministry charged with bringing the Elgin Marbles back to Greece.

But after two apparent suicide attempts and allegations of blackmail and endemic corruption, the affair has called into question the moral authority of the Culture Ministry as it presses its case for the return of the ancient masterpieces.

The juiciest sex scandal in modern Greek memory began when an archaeologist allegedly decided to get revenge on her married boss after he refused to give her a full-time job at the ministry.

Evi Tzekou, 35, is in custody on charges of attempted blackmail after apparently smuggling a camera into the bedroom of Christos Zachopoulos, her lover, and filming more than 100 hours of extramarital sex.

A real epic. From the Times of London.

Brazil recovers stolen paintings

Police in Brazil recovered two paintings with a combined value of $55 million, including Pablo Picasso's "Portrait of Suzanne Bloch," that were stolen from the country's biggest art museum in December.

Brazilian painter Candido Portinari's "Coffee Worker" was also recovered, the Sao Paulo state public security department said today in a statement on its Web site. The paintings, among the most valuable works at the Sao Paulo Museum of Art, were stolen Dec. 20, according to the statement.

Two suspects were arrested, police said. The paintings were found in Ferraz de Vasconcelos, in the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo.

Full story here.