Love that heading, should be an Onion article (but it's AP)...

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAMZAGH8UC.html

Syrian Archaeologists Find Ancient Likeness of a Literate Woman

The Associated Press

Published: Nov 19, 2001

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - A slab depicting a woman who could read and write has been found in the ruins of Palmyra in eastern Syria, the local chief archaeologist said Monday. The stone bore the likeness of a woman wearing an elegant dress and necklace and holding an open book and a plume, said Khaled Asaad, the director of Palmyra's Archaeological Department.

Archaeologists found it four yards below the surface of the foundations of Zenobia's palace. The queen of Palmyra, Zenobia is best known for her war against the Romans, who defeated and captured her in 272.

"The slab, dating back to the 2nd century, is the first to show a woman in a pose indicating that she wrote," Asaad said.

All previous finds of this type showed men holding books but not in positions that indicated they were writing, he said.

The stone, 14 inches by seven inches, has been broken and the woman's head is missing.

Palmyra is 150 miles northeast of Damascus.

AP-ES-11-19-01 1114EST

-- Anonymous, November 19, 2001