Archaeological expedition to Crux planned

SINQ LAISON. Dr. Tiris Nalom, former Vice Director of University of Caille's department of Archaeology, will conduct private funded explorations in the Crux constellation, in the borders of Federation space, where ancient ruins of unknown origin are said to have been discovered.

Widely renowned as one of the leading experts in the pre-Rouveour period of Gallente history, and the pre-Raata period of Caldari history, in the last years Dr. Nalom has steered the focus of his research towards what he labels as 'xeno-archaeology'.

"It is of course a related field, although not exactly the same as traditional archaeology," explained Dr. Nalom through a FTL conversation, "the main difference being that where traditional archaeology focus on documenting and explaining the origins and development of human culture in currently inhabited planets, recent discoveries of ancient ruins in planets suspected until today to be virgin of human contact raise all sort of new exciting questions, and require a somewhat different approach... the first of said questions being: are those ruins the sign of a disappeared human culture, or could we have stumbled upon the remnants of another sentient race, as current research seems to point out in more than a few occasions?

"In the case the findings can be confirmed to be indeed of human origin, yet more questions arise. In current inhabited planets, archaeology is made easier since the present culture can help greatly to understand its own past. Take for example the Jin Mei: their language and writing has not changed much in the past four thousand years, which makes it rather easy to decipher, for example, ancient burial scriptures. The xeno-archaeologist has no such frame of reference, and must proceed with what is as much guesswork and hunches as it is scientific method."

According to Dr. Nolan, although the current expedition will make use of equipment and some personnel from the University of Caille, the research effort is not being financed by said institution. "Caille's authorities are a bit short of funds nowadays, as are most of the higher education centres; when it comes to budgets, historical and archaeological research seems not to enjoy a great priority during election periods, I'm afraid. Luckily for us, we have found no shortage of private donors; in particular, and I confess that a bit surprising for us, from the pod-pilot community in and surrouding the Bourynes system. Of course, it was in our plans to contact freelance pilots for transportation and escort, yet the additional and unexpected financial support received will allow us to proceed well beyond schedule."

Dr. Nalom expects to launch the expedition in the following days, as soon as the rest of his team is assembled.