This present issue of Expedition, like the previous one, is a special number devoted to the subject of the ancient lapidary. Together, they constitute the first time that the subject has been dealt with as a unified theme, from the work of Paleolithic Man, through that of the cunning craftsmen who made the first cylinder seals, to the spectacular jewellery of medieval and modern Islam, and the workshops of present-day India. All the papers will be given at a symposium entitled “The Ancient Craft and Art of the Lapidary,” being sponsored by the Archaeological Institute of America, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the North Shore Society of the AIA. On behalf of the North Shore Society, I offer thanks to all who made the symposium possible and to Bernard Wailes, editor of Expedition, who made these special issues available.
Leonard Gorelick, Symposium Coordinator, North Shore Society of the Archaeological Institute of America.
The Symposium will be held at the New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, Long Island. It will take place on Saturday, November 21, 1981, from 9:30 to 4:00. For information write to Leonard Gorelick, 54-44 Little Neck Parkway, Little Neck, New York 11362.