November 9, 2001

7:54 AM

An Archaeological Find For Our Times? Indian archaeologists have uncovered two ancient statutes, believed to be representative of Ashoka, an emperor who, after a brutal climb to the throne, switched over to Buddhism and attempted to create a just society.
posted by ed (6 comments total)

Emperor Ashoka, a mere name in history texts until now, has been in the news recently because of a new Indian film on the king's life starring Bollywood heartthrob Shah Rukh Khan.

Coincidence? I suspect movie-moghul chicanery. Hire a couple of sculptors, pay off a few archeologists, and save yourself a fortune in billboards and newspaper ads.
posted by rory at 8:29 AM on November 9, 2001

...through a series of ruthless wars. But the king had a change of heart after seeing thousands of corpses strewn on a battlefield.

hmm, what are the odds of GeeDub following suit?
posted by p2bilt at 9:19 AM on November 9, 2001

Naw. Too obvious. Everybody would recognize that as a Simpsons rip-off ( Lisa the Skeptic", episode 5F05)
posted by jburka at 9:23 AM on November 9, 2001

He built those statues the Taleban removed for being nasty idols, didn't he? Gonna go see the movie this week, 3.5 hours, woohoo..
posted by Mossy at 10:45 AM on November 9, 2001

Damn, you folks are downright conspiratorial about movie tie-ins. :)
posted by ed at 11:17 AM on November 9, 2001

Also in archaeology news this week, a large Roman mosaic in Somerset, England. 1,640 years old, discovered by workmen putting down a driveway for an office building.
posted by LeLiLo at 11:59 AM on November 9, 2001