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World IN BRIEF : ISRAEL : Archeologists Admit Tomb Misidentified

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From Times Wire Reports

Archeologists said they misidentified a tomb recently uncovered in central Israel as that of the Maccabees, Jewish rebels who inspired the Hanukkah holiday. In a terse statement, the Israel Antiquities Authority said a laboratory analysis showed archeologists had misread an ancient Hebrew inscription on the tomb. Discovery of the burial site, during road-widening work, touched off protests by ultra-Orthodox Jews who charged the archeologists were defiling Jewish graves. The statement did not say whether archeologists still believe that the tomb contains the remains of Jews. A spokesman for the agency was not immediately available.

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