BiH - ARCHAEOLOGISTS AND HISTORIANS - "PYRAMID"

B-H HISTORIANS AND ARCHAEOLOGISTS AGAINST VISOČICA DIGS

SARAJEVO, 22 April (FENA) - Bosnian archaeologists and historians demand from the responsible state authorities to urgently cancel all illegally issued permits for excavation at the Visočica hill locality, according to today's press release signed by archaeologists and historians from Sarajevo, Zenica, Bijeljina, Tuzla, and Mostar.
  
They demand from the responsible institutions of government to immediately ban any further excavation works at that archaeological zone performed by, as they stated, an incompetent person.
  
In the opposite case, they will notify the international associations including the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and UNESCO, and request protection of the national heritage from destruction by their own country's authorities. The experts further stress that Bosnia-Herzegovina is a signatory to the World Heritage Convention.
  
"Behind this farce is no official science or scientific experts, including archaeologists and historians. It is ridiculous to even think, let alone look for, pyramids at those locations. Even superficially educated individuals are familiar with facts as to the age, habitat, or civilization in which the findings at that locality belong to", say the experts in their press release, further noting that archaeologists and historians know very well what could be found there, to what era to date it, and who built those artifacts to begin with.
  
"To search for pyramids in this age and space as done by the "freelance researcher" Semir Osmanagić, is a complete farce. This however would not earn our attention had it not been for a wide public belief that official and formal B-H science backs that entire show", says the press release.
  
"It is incomprehensible that a total dilettante has been allowed to dig around a protected archaeological area, destroy a necropolis of stecci, the invaluable remains from prehistoric, Roman, as well as medieval periods, all thoroughly examined by the researchers in the past; whereas results from those studies have been published for quite a long time, and can be found in various scientific journals and other publications."
  
"We most strongly denounce the attitude by B-H politicians, even the highest-ranked ones, who publicly expressed their gratitude to the aforementioned explorer for allegedly promoting Bosnia globally", say the Bosnian archaeologists and historians, noting that even more worrisome is the announced financial support for the excavation using the taxpayers' money.
  
"This indeed sounds incredible, knowing what happens to the National Museum of Bosnia-Herzegovina, The History Museum of Bosnia-Herzegovina, The National Modern Art Gallery, The National University Library, or The National Museum for Theatre and Literature. Thus, as it turns out now, moneys do exist, except for the national jewels. Instead, funds are wasted for a farce laughed at by the whole world", concludes the press release signed by archaeologists and historians from the various institutions from Sarajevo, Zenica, Bijeljina, Tuzla i Mostar.
  
Signatories include professors from the Philosophy Faculty at the University of Sarajevo: Enver Imamović, Dubravko Lovrenović, Enes Pelidija and Zijad Šehić. Also signed are archaeologists Zilka Vejzagić-Kujundžić, Mirsad Sijarić and Margita Gavrilović as well as historian-archaeologist Adnan Busuladžić. Other signatories include Muhiba Kaljanac and Alma Leka from The History Museum of Bosnia-Herzegovina, a conservator and restaurateur Esad Vesković, professor Bego Omerčević and assistant Sanela Dadanović from the Department of History at the Philosophy Faculty University of Tuzla, Snježana Vasilj and Ivanka Milićević from the Faculty for Philosophical Sciences and Humanities at the University of Mostar, as well as the director of the Museum of Semberija in Bijeljina archaeologist Mirko Babić.
  

E-mail:   NoPyramid@yahoo.com  

posjetilaca od 27 JAN 2006