- (AP) -- Four Israeli antiquities collectors and dealers
were charged yesterday with running a sophisticated worldwide ring forging
biblical artefacts.
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- Police said the ring forged what were said to be the
two biggest recent biblical discoveries in the Holy Land: the purported
burial box of Jesus' brother, James, and a stone tablet with written instructions
by King Yoash on maintenance work at the Jewish Temple.
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- The forgers "were trying to change history,"
said Shuka Dorfman, head of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
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- Collectors and museums around the world were warned they
could own fakes, and scholars said they should re-examine items of suspicious
origin.
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- The ring has been operating for more than 20 years, Mr
Dorfman said.
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- Scholars said the forgers exploited the deep emotional
need of Jews and Christians to find physical evidence for their beliefs.
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- The indictment lists 124 witnesses including antiquities
collectors, archaeologists, Sotheby's officials, and British and Brooklyn
Museum experts.
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- Mr Dorfman said the fraud appeared to go far beyond what
had been uncovered so far.
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- "We discovered only the tip of the iceberg. This
spans the globe. It generated millions of dollars," he said.
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- The forgers would often use authentic but relatively
mundane artefacts, such as a plain burial box, decanter or shard, and boost
their value enormously by adding inscriptions, Mr Dorfman said.
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- The forgers would try to recreate patina, or ancient
grime, to cover the carvings, the indictment said.
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- The accused are Tel Aviv collector Oded Golan, owner
of the James ossuary and the Yoash tablet; Robert Deutsch, an inscriptions
expert from Haifa University; collector Shlomo Cohen; and antiquities dealer
Faiz al-Amaleh. All were on bail.
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- Mr Golan said "there is not one grain of truth in
the fantastic allegations". Mr Deutsch said the indictment was "ridiculous."
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- Additional indictments were to be issued.
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- The two-year investigation began after the Yoash tablet
was offered for sale to the Israel Museum for almost $6 million two years
ago.
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- Uzi Dahari, a top official in the Israel Antiquities
Authority, said recently that some of the forgeries were done by an Egyptian
artisan who has worked in Israel for the past 15 years.
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- The Egyptian went out drinking in a Tel Aviv pub from
time to time and would brag about his exploits, Mr Dahari said, adding
that some drinkers alerted the police.
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- Last week, the Israel Museum said one of its most prized
possessions, an ivory pomegranate scholars long believed served as the
tip of a sceptre for Jewish Temple priests, was also a fake.
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- It was bought in the late 1980s for $700,000.
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- Investigators visited foreign countries and confiscated
some artefacts.
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- Scholars had said that if authentic, the ossuary would
be the first physical link between Jesus and the modern world. Mr Golan
said he bought it in the mid-1970s from an antiquities dealer, whose name
he couldn't remember, in the Old City for about $250.
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- © Herald and Weekly Times
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- http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_
page/0,5478,11814106%255E663,00.html
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