Ancient Sound Recording from Pompeii?

One story making some blogs around the country is that a piece of pottery from Pompeii was found to have had sound recordings inadvertently embedded in it during construction. The story is that the potter inadvertently recorded sound as s/he was applying a steel needle to make concentric rings around the body of the pot. A video of a French archaeologist discussing his discovery and the computer work that captured the laughter and chatting is making the rounds (but is in French, alas!). Great story, but gee, doesn't it sound familiar?

Probably because the idea comes from a Gregory Benford short story "Time Shards" and the film made as an April Fool's joke for Zalea TV by Belgian film maker Bilge Sehir:

• Zalea TV, where the film originally played in 2005.
• Les Vases Sonores, the home page of the filmmaker Sehir
• Museum of Hoaxes: Ancient Pottery Recorded Video
• Language Log, includes a detailed description of the hoax and the history of its manufacture

Thanks to About's guide to Europe for Visitors, James Martin, for the heads-up on this story.