EXCAVATION CONTROVERSY

Tempers are presently running high in Inverness, England, where a group of archaeologists from the Reinhard Explorer's League (out of Stuttgart, Germany) are requesting permission to excavate beneath the historic Cosgrach Family Estate. Inverness officials have thus far refused three petitions from the League, defending the Cosgrach family's standing wishes for their land not to be disturbed.

This denial has only furthered some members of the Reinhard League, however, who have resorted to decrying the well-respected Cosgrach family as traitors to the Crown and smugglers of religious artifacts. These wild accusations were televised on the BBC this morning, and soon picked up by CNN and various affiliates. League sponsor, Dr. Hermann Reichstaldt, commented, "The over-exuberant claims of some among us are not to be given much weight. In truth, our efforts here benefit the entire world. We have reason to believe that Inverness was built over land once held by Viking explorers, and that artifacts critical to our historical analysis of their travels can be found here."

The Reinhard Explorer's League is tracking the movements of one specific tribe of Vikings, reported to have vanished off the northern coast of England over 1,100 years ago. According to the League's research, the tribe was a band of religious zealots who branched out on their own after a falling out with their Germanic peers. The League contends that this "lost tribe" landed in northern England and managed to carve out a new home for themselves on the site where Inverness was later built.

Unexpectedly, the Museum of Natural History in London has recently endorsed the League's efforts, further splintering the country's opinion on the matter. Chief Curator of Religious Antiquities Carvel Davies said, "We have been in contact with the League's home office and verified their records. Amazingly, it appears that their theory about this 'new branch' of Nordic history is accurate. Though we cannot sponsor endeavors that would rob our country of its own history, neither can we ignore the fact that some of us are living on top of an unprecedented find."