Sir James Mellaart further Discredited

Sir James Mellaart a British archeologist with a dodgey reputation for playing fast and loose with the truth has been called into further question for his conclusions on the "mother goddess" hypothesis. Jeremy O’Brien who is on placement at The Irish Times as a British Science Association Media Fellow publiehed in the Times an article that casts great doubt on Mellaart's methodology and conclusions. Evidence that supported his hypothesis was retained while artifacts that refuted it were cast into the “spoil heaps”.

Mellaart based his theory on the large number of "goddess" figures but O’Brien writes:

For example Prof Lynn Meskell, also from Stanford University, has been studying the stone and clay figurines discovered at the site.

“The original project probably found less than 200 figurines. Our current project has found close to 2,000.”

“Now we have a very different picture of figurine production at the site,” she explains. “The greatest number out of that 2,000 are certainly animal figurines.

I include the O'Brien article because it shows that as we have seen in the past what Sir James Mellaart published is highly questionable to say the least:

New techniques undermine 'mother goddess' role in ancient community

A collection of the most typical animal figurines found at the archaeological site of Catalhoyuk in central Turkey. Archaeological work in the 1960s focused mainly on human figures but new techniques have unearthed mainly animal figures.

JEREMY O'BRIEN in Guildford

MODERN SCIENTIFIC methods are revealing how the world’s earliest farming communities lived about 9,000 years ago.

Newly discovered human and animal figurines are also overturning some of the previous misconceptions about an archaeological site first opened in the 1960s and a supposed role played by a “mother goddess” for the ancient peoples who lived there.

The evidence is coming from an archaeological site called Çatalhöyük. “This is this amazing site in central Turkey, which is about 9,000 years old and is often talked about as one of the first large settled communities,” explains Prof Ian Hodder from Stanford University. “Çatalhöyük was excavated in the 1960s in a methodical way, but not using the full range of natural science techniques that are available to us today.”

“Sir James Mellaart who excavated the site in the 1960s came up with all sorts of ideas about the way the site was organised and how it was lived in and so on,” he said. “We’ve now started working there since the mid 1990s and come up with very different ideas about the site.”

“One of the most obvious examples of that is that Çatalhöyük is perhaps best known for the idea of the mother goddess. But our work more recently has tended to show that in fact there is very little evidence of a mother goddess and very little evidence of some sort of female-based matriarchy.

“That’s just one of the many myths that the modern scientific work is undermining.”

For example Prof Lynn Meskell, also from Stanford University, has been studying the stone and clay figurines discovered at the site.

“The original project probably found less than 200 figurines. Our current project has found close to 2,000.”

“Now we have a very different picture of figurine production at the site,” she explains. “The greatest number out of that 2,000 are certainly animal figurines.

“There’s certainly less than 5 per cent that could be considered female.” Ironically, they have found many figurines in the “spoil heaps” that the earlier researchers discarded.

Among other finds at the site is the earliest evidence of milk use in human history.

On the role of the site in supporting a mother goddess legend, Prof Simon Hillson of University College London says: “While I’ve been working there since the mid 1990s we’ve had various ‘goddess tours’ – people on bus trips going around Turkey looking for the goddess. For them Çatalhöyük is very important because it is the origin of the mother goddess.”

It seems that the reality may be quite different.

Jeremy O’Brien is on placement at The Irish Times as a British Science Association Media Fellow

William Morris and the Muslims

Play in either Real OR Windows Media players

Journalist Navid Akhtar examines the influence of Islamic design and values in the life of Victorian designer, poet, and craftsman William Morris.

The designs of William Morris are inextricably linked to the curving sinuous arabesques of traditional Islamic Art.

He was inspired by Turkish ceramics and Persian carpets to create a new movement in British design.

For him the Muslim world had managed to preserve the art of the craftsman and avoid the ills of industrial production.

However his admiration went beyond the surface, Morris was influenced by Islamic ideas of what art should be.

His famous advice to "have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful," echoes the Muslim saying in the Koran that "God is beautiful and loves beauty".

Morris's artistic ideas including his love for nature, the use of repetition and symmetry, belief in everyday beautiful objects and emphasis on craft are essential Islamic artistic ideals too.

He espoused the philosophy that art should be affordable and hand-made; this was already a reality in the Islamic world.

Not stopping at arts and crafts, he was a passionate advocate of social utopianism and believed in the rights of the worker.

Today, these ideals have profoundly influenced a new generation of British-born Muslim artists as they rediscover Morris and look to his artistic work and socialist ideas for inspiration.

Navid Akhtar examines Morris's interest in Islamic design and takes us on a journey that has come full circle from the arts and crafts movement to contemporary British Islamic Art.

This documentary was first broadcast on click Radio 4 and first aired on BBC world Service on the 10th of August 2009.

AFGHANISTAN: Carpet Industry Crippled Without Govt Help

AFGHANISTAN: Carpet Industry Crippled Without Govt Help
By Hashim Qiam*

Profits from carpets go outside Afghanistan Credit:Najibullah Musafer/Killid Media

KABUL, Aug 13 (IPS) - Carpet weaving has long been a part of Afghanistan's history and culture.

Though it is unclear exactly when Afghans began making carpets, it is believed that long ago, women poured their emotions into the carpets they created, telling stories of hero's and prophets. Since that time, carpets have come to symbolise Afghan national dignity and stand as a testament to the creativity of her people.

Monawar Shah Haqbin, an Afghan historian, says that when kings in Afghanistan wanted to bestow precious gifts on one another, carpets were usually their first choice.

Also, when women wanted to marry, carpets were a crucial part of any dowry. Even today, when Afghan celebrities or public officials make an appearance during times of national celebration, they often do so on a red carpet, weaved by Afghan craftsmen.

Now, carpet weaving has an even more vital role as one of the few viable industries left in Afghanistan.

It is easy to set up a loom in the home and the materials for getting started are inexpensive and easily obtainable. Women can pick up the skill and make money for their families without having to leave the home and children.

While the northern part of Afghanistan has traditionally been the carpet-production epicentre of the country, since the Taliban came to power in the 1990's, the importance of Kabul to carpet production has grown. Women who could no longer go to school or work because of Taliban restrictions, could still make money by weaving carpets.

After the regime was toppled, the new government undertook many initiatives to train and monetise carpet production by Afghan women.

But still, the lack of large-scale resources to cut, wash and finish these carpets has crippled Afghanistan's ability to fully capitalise on one of its most valuable commodities. Experts say that until the government provides resources for start-to-finish production of Afghan carpets, the profit from these products will continue to go to those outside Afghanistan's borders.

Pakistan, Afghanistan's southern neighbour, has taken advantage of its proximity to the highest quality carpets in the world. The government of that country has made the carpet business easy for manufacturers and exporters.

Mohammad Esau, a former Afghan warlord who owns a carpet shop in the Pakistani town of Atak, says that Afghans in the area are currently operating hundreds of carpet factories. He adds that Pakistan's government has even offered him and other weavers citizenship, enticing them to make permanent homes on that side of the border.

A significant number of native Pakistanis are also involved in the carpet production business, but they tend to work in the finishing stages of production unavailable in Afghanistan, while the Afghans are responsible for the weaving and looming.

Pakistan's government has also made it easier for carpet producers to do business. They lend as much as 80 percent of initial investment capital to producers and give 13 percent tax credits on each shipping container full of carpets exported out of the country.

By comparison, the Afghan government's attempts to prop up the carpet industry are woefully inadequate.

In August 2007, the Afghan government held an inaugural carpet exhibition, called 'Let's Cover The World', in Kabul. Solyman Fatemi, former executive director of the Association of Promotion of Afghan Exports and Ahmad Zia Massoud, vice president of the Economic Committee in Government, pledged that "by opening a bridge of friendship between Afghanistan and Tajikistan, Afghan handicrafts and carpet exports will be increased."

The officials promised help with marketing and other promotional assistance, and also land-grants for carpet producers to build factories. But like so many promises from the government, Barik Andish says, no marketing was ever done and the land grants never materialised.

Mollem Salman Taj, who exports carpets from Pakistan to the wider world, says that while Afghan carpets have a superb reputation as the finest available, three decades of war have caused a rift between international carpet dealers and Afghan producers.

Taj says that marketing is the key for Afghanistan to re-establish its dominance of the carpet market. This would both help Afghanistan as an international brand, and perhaps entice Afghan carpet weavers who have fled to Pakistan or Iran to come back home.

There are still many native Afghans who have chosen to stay here and ply their craft. Sareqi, Gul-e-Barjaste, Zaher Shahi, Mashvani, Turkmani, Khal Mohammadi, Gul-Muri are the names of just a few of the 173 traditional Afghan carpet styles that are still produced almost exclusively in this country.

But exclusively is different from entirely. While these carpets are fabricated here, they are "finished" that is, cut, washed and completed in Pakistan. After the rugs are completed, they are affixed with a 'Made in Pakistan' label and shipped to buyers in Italy, France and Germany.

Part of the reason that the entire production process can't take place in Afghanistan is due to a lack of resources. Noor Ghori, who makes carpets in Afghanistan, says that cutting and dying of the carpets takes equipment and materials that Afghan producers can't afford.

As a result, the world loses a traditional Afghan product, and Afghans lose the full profit of their hard work and craftsmanship.

(*This is the second of a two-part investigative series on Afghanistan's famed carpet industry by Killid Weekly. IPS and Killid Media, an independent Afghan group, have been partners since 2004.) (END/2009)

A Renowned Rug Cleaning Company, Right in West Philly

Posted: Saturday, 01 August 2009 4:29AM

A Renowned Rug Cleaning Company, Right in West Philly

by KYW's Lauren Lipton

People from all over the country look to Philadelphia for many things. And believe it or not, rug cleaning has become one of them.

"People are sending us rugs from all over the place -- as far away as Washington State -- and many come from Florida."

That's Robert Zakian (above), owner of Zakian Bros. Oriental Rug Cleaning Specialists.

(Zakian:) "Back in the the '20s, my grandfather [far right] was going door to door. They would wash the rugs in our basement and then hang them on lines outside."

Now, through the magic of UPS and the Internet, they're going state to state as people from all over the country join people here in the Delaware Valley in sending their rugs to West Philadelphia to get them cleaned.

(Zakian:) "It's different than cleaning someone's pants or suit. People really have a love for their rugs."

And it's quite a process.

(Worker:) "It was in a flood, so it really needs to be thoroughly cleaned."

(Zakian:) "Check-in time is kind of the fun time. I pick up runs all day long, and I'll always hear on the PA system, they're paging Ali to come to the back. Ali's my head repair guy."

(Ali:) "There was water damage. It sat there for a long time. We're going to eliminate this, then re-seam it by hand."

(Zakian:) "A woman sent this in. It was her grandmother's, and it's dry-rotted badly. She really wants us to save it -- and we're going to."

This family-owned business has remained in Philadelphia all these years because they love it here. And it's a good thing, because the equipment is not going anywhere easily.

(Zakian:) "Just the rollers are probably about three tons each. And then there are steel rollers under that. You could land an aircraft carrier on top of it."

For more information, including tips on how to care for your own rugs, go to www.zakianrugs.com.

That's Positively Philadelphia!

Pektus of Aga John Oriental Rugs buys house

Auto Web site exec buys in Highland Park

by Ernie Larson, published Jul 03, 2009 · ShareThis

385 N. Deere Park Dr. E

Mr. Pektus

Geoffrey Petkus and Arpie Petkus bought a four-bedroom, three-bath home at 385 N. Deere Park Dr. E in Highland Park from Susan Strulowitz and Michael H. Braverman for $775,000 on May 28.

The 6,564-square-foot house in Deere Park subdivision was built in 1929.

Mr. Pektus is director for product development at Edmunds.com, an automotive Web site providing new and used car reviews, specifications and pricing information. He also has been the director of e-mail marketing.

He received his B.F.A. in graphic design/multimedia from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.

Ms. Pektus is showroom sales and product developement manager at Aga John Oriental Rugs.

She previously was a design and project manager at Residential Real Estate Investment and Development. She also was a showroom manager at Tufenkian Carpets.

She received his bachelor's degree in fine and applied arts from University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.

There were 276 sales in Highland Park in 2008, with a median sales price of $464,000.

Kristen Rockwell: O'Bannon Oriental Carpets in Lawrenceville

Store owner weaves a life in the carpet trade

Saturday, June 13, 2009

By Patricia Sheridan, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Andy Starnes/Post-Gazette

This Turkish carpet was made with pieces left over from other rugs.

From coloring with crayons as a child to negotiating in the twisting maze of Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, it's been a magic carpet ride for Kristen Rockwell, who is celebrating her 10th anniversary as owner and proprietor of O'Bannon Oriental Carpets in Lawrenceville.

The transplanted New Englander and weaver said she has always had color and design in her life.

"I remember my sister and I coloring in our coloring books. It brought us pleasure and calmed us down when we were upset," she says.

She graduated from crayons to weaving designs in nonconformist materials. "I was using chicken wire and paper ribbon.... They were horrible, but they were the stepping stone."

Upon moving to Pittsburgh, she happened to walk into O'Bannon, then in Squirrel Hill. She was working as a weaver but needed a steady job in retail. Owner Pat Forbes, who had bought the shop from George O'Bannon, did not need any help, but the two became friends.

"I liked to hang out there whenever I could because it just made me feel better being there with the colors and patterns," Ms. Rockwell says.

A pattern became clear to Ms. Forbes, who after 12 years finally offered Ms. Rockwell a job. Three years later, she sold her the store. Several years ago, Ms. Rockwell relocated to the site of an old grocery store at 3803 Butler St., where she has more room and natural light to display her treasured inventory.

The shop features all sizes and styles of hand-loomed Orientals from tiny prayer-like rugs to contemporary, primitive and traditional designs to rare pieces best suited for wall hangings. Ms. Rockwell prefers the terms "tribal" and "classical" to primitive and traditional. Prices range from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

On her first buying trips in the United States, Ms. Rockwell began learning the difference between chemical and vegetable dyes. In the late 1970s and early '80s, a company called Woven Legends from Turkey created more awareness of traditional looming methods and "greener" vegetable dyes.

These dyes are more expensive because they take longer to make.

"Madder root, which gives you red, takes six years to mature," Ms. Rockwell says.

Handmade wool carpets -- the only kind O'Bannon sells -- are also more expensive than machine-spun wool. With a bachelor's degree in fiber art from Carnegie Mellon University, Ms. Rockwell has a strong appreciation for the time and labor that go into handlooming Oriental rugs.

"It's all women who do the work, and yes, young girls do learn at their mother's side, which is different than actually making the rug," she says.

Ms. Rockwell says there has been a crackdown on child labor in the Middle East but abuses continue, which is why she is very particular about which producers she works with.

She made her first trip to Istanbul, Turkey, in 1999. Her husband, who understands some Turkish, is invaluable on such trips.

"It is a very different world to walk into as a woman and a business person," she admits.

Ms. Rockwell often finds herself in back rooms, crawling over obstacles to see the best pieces. When it comes to price, she often relies on her gut response to a carpet.

"I know a fantastic piece when I see it," she says, adding that there are many levels of fantastic and many variations on the traditional Oriental rug.

"Over the course of 12 years of doing this, I can be really fast moving through a place, picking rugs. But then there are certain families of rugs that could take me days because of the beauty and intricacy."

Gabbeh rugs from Iran are one type that has grown in popularity, she says. Considered a contemporary style, these carpets feature traditional elements that the weavers have interpreted in new ways. The women have artistic freedom.

"They are using traditional elements in a very primitive sense," Ms. Rockwell says.

One unusual piece in the store shows a camel caravan. "There is a lot of symbolism. The camels are sort of your life blood. They represent power as well. The designs represent things that are about wealth to them and things that bring them pleasure," she notes.

"There has been a growing interest in Gabbehs as people become aware of these contemporary pieces and see them in person. I'll see a wave of sales of only traditional pieces, then a wave of contemporary. Then there's the household coming in to mix it up with both styles together."

Ms. Rockwell is also intrigued by Turkish fish carpets, which are made with wool left over from other rugs.

"They collect all the different wools and can be so creative after being so restricted. I know what they are thinking when they are weaving these. They are having fun and thinking color."

The fish carpets have sold well.

"People seem to love them because they are getting a real Oriental but with an unconventional pattern," she says.

O'Bannon Oriental Carpets, 3803 Butler St., Lawrenceville, can be reached at 412-621-0700 or http://www.obannonrugs.com.

---

Correction/Clarification: (Published June 18, 2009) This story as originally published June 13, 2009 about Kristen Rockwell and O'Bannon Oriental Carpets gave an incorrect name for a supplier, Woven Legends.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09164/977033-30.stm#ixzz0K11LNuGB&C

Jewish American Rug Dealer in Iran

In Iran, Entrepreneur Witnesses the Elections

June 18, 2009

Lisa Hostein
Jewish Exponent Staff Writer

Jerry Sorkin has never shied away from the hot spots of the world. Which is why it was not surprising to find the former local rug dealer in Iran this week, with a front-row seat for the Islamic nation's elections and its tumultuous aftermath.

For years, Sorkin sought his wares in the remotest corners of the world, traveling throughout the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Several years ago, he closed down his Wayne-based Oriental-rug dealership to focus on his new passion -- promoting tourism to Muslim lands little traveled by Americans. He opened a travel company, focusing mainly on Tunisia and Turkey. Some of the trips he orga- nizes also included visiting Jewish sites of interest.

JERRY SORKIN

Now, he is seeking to help open Iran to American tourism. It won't be easy, he conceded, noting that he had difficulty attaining a visa for his exploratory trip.

But "when you get away from the rhetoric" emanating from Iran's political leaders, ordinary people are "very pro-American," Sorkin said in a phone interview Monday from his hotel room in Tehran.

Nor did he encounter any problems when his Jewishness came out, he said.

In the days leading up to the June 12 election, Sorkin said he was surprised to find such excitement among many Iranians.

"People were sensing a change, pushing the envelope," he said, noting that most people he spoke to had supported Mir Hussein Moussavi, the main candidate who had opposed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Sorkin said he has found a consensus that "you can't put the genie back in the bottle."

After experiencing what he called an "amazingly open" election campaign, filled with rallies and debates, Sorkin detected what many analysts are predicting as well: The Iranian people "aren't going to be quiet after the tremendous sense of freedom they felt prior to the elections."

'The World Is Watching'
With unrest mounting over official claims of Ahmadinejad's re-election, some American Jewish organizational leaders are calling for more U.S. support for the protesters and more international action to stop the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, reported the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

As the first signs of a violent crackdown on street demonstrators came Monday -- at least seven people were killed -- JTA reported that some Jewish communal officials said that the United States should be doing more to show solidarity with the demonstrators.

Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said that he understood why the United States "doesn't want to become a factor" in the process, but added, "When do the young people feel they've been abandoned" by the West?

Talking to reporters Monday, Obama said that "it is up to Iranians to make decisions about who Iran's leaders will be," and the United States wants to avoid "being the issue inside of Iran."

Addressing "those people who put so much hope and energy and optimism into the political process," Obama added, "I would say to them that the world is watching and inspired by their participation, regardless of what the ultimate outcome of the election was."

On the ground in the country, Sorkin noted that Iranians in general are sensing a positive a change with the new American leader.

Whatever ultimately happens with the election, he predicted, "there will be a new openness to the West."