Four charged over fake ossuary

by Feòrag

Four Israeli antiquities dealers have been charged with faking some of the most important Biblical artifacts to come to light in the last few years, including the infamous ossuary:

They included a limestone ossuary box said to have held the bones of James, the brother of Jesus, supposedly the oldest physical link to the New Testament; a tiny ivory pomegranate bought by the Israel Museum for $550,000 (£287,000) as the only known relic of King Solomon's Temple; and a stone tablet, from the ninth century BC, inscribed in ancient Hebrew with instructions by King Joash for maintaining the Temple...

...Mr Golan, a leading Israeli collector, owned the James ossuary, inscribed James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus, and the Joash tablet. Detectives said they found a sophisticated laboratory in his home. The men are accused of painting the improved items with a special coating to imitate the patina that would accumulate over thousands of years.

The Prattle reported an academic's fears that the inscription on the ossuary was wrong, and therefore likely to be fraudulent, back in November 2002.

Israeli dealers accused of antiquity fraud - The Independent, 30th December 2004; see also Jesus artifact a fake - Pagan Prattle, 7th November 2002 and Jesus ossuary made by aliens - Pagan Prattle, 16th November 2002 (thanks, Julian).