Zahi Hawass, Egyptian 'Indiana Jones', Fired
He's hanging up the hat.
After decades of popularizing Egyptology -- from exploring the pyramids to studying mummies to digging for buried treasure -- Egypt's top archaeologist has lost his post, fired Sunday under pressure from critics who attacked his credibility and accused him of being too close to the regime of ousted President Hosni Mubarak.
Zahi Hawass, long chided as publicity loving and short on scientific knowledge, was well known for his trademark Indiana Jones hat, an icon that made him one the country's best known figures around the world. He and about a dozen other ministers were fired in a Cabinet reshuffle meant to ease pressure from protesters seeking to purge remnants of Mubarak's regime.
"He was the Mubarak of antiquities," said Nora Shalaby, an activist and archaeologist. "He acted as if he owned Egypt's antiquities, and not that they belonged to the people of Egypt."...