WORLD ARTS AND CULTURE

WORLD ARTS AND CULTURE: JUNE 2004

The positioning of buildings in Cival toward the sunrise at the equinox suggests that they were used to measure time. The city had an "important astronomical function," according to Estrada-Belli. Two stucco masks, each measuring five meters by three (15 feet by nine), are among the most stunning discoveries. The masks' preservation is astounding. It's almost as if someone made this yesterday," said the archaeologist, who discovered the first object by chance, in a crack inside a tunnel dug by looters. Later searches uncovered the second mask, apparently identical to the first. Estrada-Belli says the layout of the site suggests that two other masks might also be present. He believes that four masks flanked the staircase of the pyramid that led to the chamber, serving as a backdrop for a ritual in which the Maya king played out the part of the gods of creation. Cival's apparent level of sophistication suggests that the preclassic Mayas, who lived from 2,000 B.C. to 250 A.D., had a culture similar to that of the so-called classic Maya period that lasted until 900 A.D., when it went into decline. According to the archaeological team, Cival was one of the largest cities of the period. The team was able to identify potential archaeological sites around Cival by satellite. The city's ceremonial center extended 800 meters (yards) — twice as large as had been believed until now. Five pyramids were found there, including the largest, at 100 feet (30 meters) high.

'Oldest printed book' on display

Diamond Sutra A book thought to be the oldest surviving printed book in the world has gone on display at the British Library.

Photo: The book bears the date of 868 AD.

The Diamond Sutra, which bears the date 868 AD, was found in a walled-up cave in Dunhuang, north-west China, in 1907, along with other printed items. It consists of a scroll of grey paper printed with Chinese characters, wrapped around a wooden pole. The scroll forms part of the Library's Silk Road display, which focuses on the art and culture of the region. It was discovered by the Hungarian born explorer Sir Marc Aurel Stein, and is thought to be part of a library which was walled up in the cave around the year 1000AD. Although other printed items and manuscripts were discovered in the cave, the Diamond Sutra, which is a Buddhist Holy text, is the earliest printed book to bear a date. "Sutras were copied to give merit to people and to all sentient beings in the world," said Susan Whitfield from the British Library. "This was copied by a man called Wong Jei, in May 868 on behalf of his parents, and he notes this at the end." The scroll was printed hundreds of years before moveable type was discovered separately in Europe. However, paper making and printing were already well established in China at the time.

Bloody art exhibition washed away

Fragile Memorial - an artwork made of blood and chalk An artist who created a work at a Gloucestershire railway station using dried blood has destroyed it.

Photo: he artwork was designed to fade away over time.

Lorna Buchanan had painted the floor of an old goods shed at Stroud Station with 30 litres of dried pig's blood. But government officials from Defra said the piece posed a health risk and Ms Buchanan was forced to remove it. Fragile Memorial was a tribute to men from Stroud who died in World War I. Ms Buchanan said she will recreate the piece using water soluble dye. Defra said animal by-products like blood must be disposed of safely, and must not be allowed to get into drains. The government department contacted the artist within hours of the piece opening to the public on Wednesday, and she agreed to wash it away with disinfectant. Bill Osborne, the Forest of Dean farmer who alerted Defra said: "There is a definite law since 2001 that states that all animal byproducts must be disposed of by incineration or rendering. "I phoned up Defra to see if my facts were right, they said definitely, no abbatoir should release blood at all, it should all go through official channels, we shall send a vet out immediately." The artist told BBC Radio Gloucestershire she was "shattered" by the experience.

Continues on the following pages.