Spirals Underground....?

[keithisco]

This is an archived article from the Fotean Times (2010), which I dont recall seeing on this forum. It is certainly interesting from an archaeological viewpoint and also from the extreme reaction by the local Italian Ministry of Heritage it sealing it up again so comprehensively!!.

Read more (curtesy Fortean Times): http://www.forteantimes.com/strangedays/archaeology/3748/spirals_underground.html

[freetoroam]

few months later official representatives of the Soprintendenza Archeological for Nuoro and Sassari (the local branch of the Italian Ministry for Heritage) put a massive block of rock in front of the only entrance of the tomb, filling everything with concrete and covering the whole area with a thick layer of soil, sealing the tomb once again. This was done in order “to protect the tomb against looters”.

? why completely seal it? why not just put gates infront of it? And what is there to loot, its not quite filled with gold......unless it was once and they do no want people to dig any further, just in case people start asking too many questions about what was really in there among the drawings.

Edited June 10, 2013 by freetoroam

[Abramelin]

Never heard of it either.

More pics here:

http://www.stonepages.com/scacchiera/

[HollyDolly]

Don't know if I have heard of this before.There are also some tombs and ruts in the rocks in Malta.Again something that we know little or nothing about.I understand wanting to preserve them and not have people damage them,but it makes you wonder what may have been found when first opened. Maybe they did find gold or other objects,and the tomb or ceromonial chamber was looted,and that's what they want to keep secret.

[Irna]

? why completely seal it? why not just put gates infront of it? And what is there to loot, its not quite filled with gold......

It may not be quite so simple; according to this article, the site is in a very isolated part, so that a simple gate would maybe not be sufficient. As for looting, the looters don't look only for gold; there is an ample traffic of artifacts. And, lastly, there is the worry that the light may irremediably deteriorate the paintings.

As usual in the debate about Heritage conservation, the root of the problem seems to be the lack of funds: they need 300.000 euros in order to realize a correct protection project allowing visitors, but "the last budget has allocated only 100 000 euros for the protection of the two provinces"...