07-25-2011, 11:28 PM
Quote:All I'm saying is that the foolishness of "carbon dating lead" might have been sloppy journalistic work, and not necessarily malice/deceit on the part of the original source.Yup, you are right about that. And under normal circumstances, I would agree with you; archaeological journalism is usually not of the highest quality. I have "fond" memories of an interview; I explained everything I wanted to explain, the journalist understood why checks and doublechecks were so extremely necessary, and I OK'd the final text. What I did not know, was that a summary would be placed on the front page.
What I had actually said was that the people, dwelling in the marshes of what was later to become Amsterdam, might have seen a Roman ship, every day, passing through the waters, to visit the naval base of Flevum, and that those hunters and gatherers were aware of the existence and power of the Roman Empire. The summary was, of course, that Amsterdam was founded by the Romans.
To return to the lead codex, there is more evidence that it is a hoax; read about it here. So for once, it's not sloppy journalism, although that would be the most plausible explanation.
