The Heart-stone

and more were entering every minute through the back doors. The ushers were very busy.

At the front of the room was a stage, with a microphone on a silver stand. Several people were already seated there, facing the audience, and waiting for the room to quiet down. The Prime Minister was there too, with the mayor beside him, and three other important people whom Tammy didn't know. Tammy and her mother took their places beside the Prime Minister and sat down.

At last the doors at the back closed and a whispery hush fell on the crowd. A black-suited man stepped up to the microphone and welcomed everyone, then when he was finished with the formal greeting, a woman took his place and smiled at the audience.

"It is good to see you all here," she said, "Before I ask the Prime Minister to open this new part of our museum, I would like to say a few words.

"As you know, the new rooms, which will be opened tonight, were built especially to house the archeological treasures of a very ancient civilization called Ur. This was the home of Abraham, the father of the Hebrew people. He is a man held very important by both the Jews and the Christians. It was also a city of some 24, 000 people, and was built on a hill, and surrounded by fields, ramparts and canals. A beautiful place, with shops and taverns, just like cities of today.

"In the new exhibition, you will see the many crafts which the people of Ur were highly skilled at. Clothing, carving, furniture, pots, jugs, vases, and metalwork. Every trade we practice today was also practiced then, in some form. There is, as they say, nothing new under the sun.

"We also have the tomb of an unknown woman. Unfortunately, grave-robbers stole all her jewelry and left her bones. The tomb has been reconstructed so visitors can see what it looked like, along with some pieces of jewelry we have recovered from different excavations through the years."

"Thank you for coming. I will now hand you over to the Prime Minister, who will cut the ribbon."

As everyone clapped, the Prime Minister cut a red ribbon, and the curtains behind the stage slid aside. Now everyone could see into a huge room, with pictures on the walls and long rows of glass cabinets. The people began to stand up and move through to the exhibits.

Tammy's mother went through too.

"Slow down mum!" said Tammy, "What's the hurry?"