Isha Ambani Appointed to Smithsonian's Board of Trustees
Board member of Reliance Jio Infocomm, Reliance Retail and Reliance Foundation, Isha Ambani was appointed on the Board of Trustees of the prestigious Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art. The appointment is for 4 years. Apart from Isha Ambani, Carolyn Brehm, founder and CEO of the consulting firm Brehm Global Ventures LLC and lecturer, and Peter Kimmelman, also joined the board. Antoine van Agtmael is the chair of the museum's board of trustees.
The museum collection of Asian art includes more than 45,000 objects, dating from the Neolithic period to the present, originating from the ancient Near East to China, Japan, Korea, South and Southeast Asia and the Islamic world. Opened as the Freer Gallery of Art in 1923, the museum will celebrate its centennial in 2023.
Oct 29, 2021
US Returns Antiquities to India in Stolen Art Investigation
US authorities returned about 250 antiquities to India in a long-running investigation of a stolen art scheme.
The items, worth an estimated $15 million, were handed over during a ceremony at the Indian Consulate in New York City. The centerpiece is a bronze Shiva Nataraja valued at $4 million.
The investigation has focused on tens of thousands of antiquities allegedly smuggled into the United States by dealer Subhash Kapoor, who has denied the allegations.
Oct 28, 2021
2,000-Year-Old Amethyst Seal Found in Israel
An amethyst gemstone seal from the Second Temple period has a unique engraving: a bird and a branch with five fruits, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).
The 2,000-year-old seal was discovered in the bedrock foundations of the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Israel.
The tiny artifact has a hole for the attachment of a metal wire enabling it to be worn as a ring.
Seals were used to sign documents and could also be fashionable items serving as jewelry.
The amethyst seal is approximately 1 cm (0.4 inches) long and 0.5 cm (0.2 inches) wide.
Oct 24, 2021
Human Head Carvings and Phallus-shaped Pillars Discovered in Turkey
Archaeologists in Turkey found evidence that an 11,000-year-old prehistoric site was used for a ceremonial parade through a building containing phallus-shaped pillars and a carving of a human head.
Called Karahantepe, the site is located in southern Turkey, east of Şanlıurfa, and has a series of buildings that date back to long before writing was invented. Within the remains of the buildings, archaeologists found carvings of human heads, snakes and a fox, as well as several interestingly shaped pillars.
For instance, the archaeologists discovered 11 pillars near a carving of a human head. "All pillars are erected and shaped like a phallus.
Oct 20, 2021
PM Modi Pays Tribute to Maharishi Valmiki
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Maharishi Valmiki on the occasion of Valmiki Jayanti and recalled his seminal contributions towards chronicling our rich past and glorious culture.
The prime minister also shared an audio clip from Mann Ki Baat, broadcasted a few days ahead of Valmiki Jayanti last year, in which he talked about Maharishi Valmiki.