DURHAM, N.C. - What happens when a discovery relating to the life of Jesus becomes the subject of a movie before it is properly assessed by historical scholars? The implications of this scenario and the complex relations between scholars, archaeologists and the media are the subject of an April 23-24 conference at Duke University.

The event is free and open to the public.

Speakers at the conference, "Archaeology, Politics and the Media: Re-visioning the Middle East," will address such topics as cultural property and the role of antiquities dealers; the implications of media coverage of archaeological finds before scholarly vetting and peer review; and issues related to subsidizing archaeological enterprises. Conference participants also will seek to better understand the way archaeology and reporting affect the daily lives of lay communities in the United States and, specifically, Israel and Palestine.

"There is an insatiable appetite for discoveries relating to Biblical heritage, the Middle East and especially to the life of Jesus," said Eric Meyers, director of Duke's Center for Jewish Studies and a conference coordinator. "And there's a lot of money to be made in the antiquities market. It is a multi-billion dollar world industry that has not been adequately dealt with in most governments."

The conference takes place Thursday, April 23, in Room 0014 of Duke Divinity School's Westbrook wing, on Duke's West Campus. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. and the session concludes with an evening discussion on cultural heritage at 7:45 p.m. The conference resumes at 8:15 a.m. Friday, April 24. Featured speaker and New York Times Jerusalem bureau chief Ethan Bronner will give a talk at 2 p.m. before the conference concludes with a plenary session at 3:45 p.m.

The conference is sponsored by the Duke's Center for Jewish Studies, Department of Religion, Graduate Program in Religion, Arts and Sciences Committee on Faculty Research and John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute, and the American Schools of Oriental Research.

For additional information visit: http://tinyurl.com/c65kdl.