Message #193311

[Silas]

 The Sarcophagus of Tarragona is impressive, but not because it was technologically complex or because it was believed to be genuine for any length of time. It shows how nationalism can look to the past--or even fake the past--in search of powerful symbols, here attempting to link Spain with the glories of ancient Egypt. In this regard, the sarcophagus may have a close parallel in the recent "finds" at the Roman city of Iruna-Veleia in northern Spain, from a depiction of Christ's crucifixion, to Nefertiti's name, to the earliest written messages in the Basque language (see "The Veleia Affair" ). But it also shows that hoaxes can have a second life when a fragment is separated from the "original" and later scholars are taken in--until someone recognizes it and condemns it once more.

More Hoaxes
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© 2009 by the Archaeological Institute of America
www.archaeology.org/online/features/hoaxes/tarragona.html