Globe Theater Found

Archaeologists from the Museum of London said Friday they have located part of William Shakespeare's Globe Theater.

The museum's team, which has been working on the site since July, said it is now certain that the remains unearthed under a parking lot near London were part of the Globe, the most famous Elizabethan theater.

"Over the last few days it became clear that we had found the gallery walls of the theater," said Harvey Sheldon, senior archaeologist at the Museum of London, in a telephone interview Friday.

The Globe, a circular theater where Shakespeare staged many of his plays, was pulled down in 1644. And for centuries, literary and dramatic scholars have based their assumptions on the original staging of Shakespeare's plays on old sketches.

But now, researchers hope, Shakespeare fans will know more about the original stage.

"This is of great academic importance," said Sheldon. "The importance of the foundations of the Globe is that it gives information about how plays were staged and produced."

Only a small portion of the theater has been uncovered so far, Sheldon said. Museum archaeologists will now perform a complete site evaluation before continuing with the digging, he added.

The Museum and the owners of the site, Hanson Development, are asking the British government to declare the ruins a site of national importance.

According to Sheldon, most of the theater lies under 19th century buildings, while the area excavated so far was under a parking lot.

"Since the buildings were not for industry, that is, since we expect there was no deep tunneling or drilling under these buildings, we are fairly confident that the Globe foundations will be well preserved," he said.

Business School Alums Reunite

More than 1000 Business School alumni and their guests returned to Harvard this weekend for reunion activities, although officials said that the number of people in attendance was down slightly from past years.

Seniors helped coordinate discussions, parties, and "academic sessions" for members of the Classes of '49, '54, '59 and '64, according to Patricia M. Keane '90, one of the reunion assistants.

Most alumni said they enjoyed having the opportunity to talk with their classmates again.