Cultural Heritage in Danger

Your Opinion about Antiquities

2009-07-04T10:12:00.003-04:00

Greetings! I am a New York University Graduate student in the Program in Museum Studies requesting your participation in a unique survey conducted as research for my Master’s thesis. The survey should take less than 15 minutes and is completely anonymous. Your participation could affect the understanding of public perceptions of museum collecting practices and the display of antiquities. Are you aware of the issues or hold museums accountable for their acquisition policies?

Please take your time to answer each question honestly and thoughtfully. The following link will take you to the survey, "Informing Audiences: Public Perceptions of Illicit Antiquities."

The results will be posted on my NYU web blog or possibly published as an article at a later date.

If you have any questions or would like to know more, please feel free to e-mail Cherkea_Howery@yahoo.com

Thank you for your participation and remember your opinion matters!

Sincerely,
Cherkea Howery, NYU Museum Studies

The Curious Case of a Gold Vessel from Ur

2009-07-02T13:27:00.002-04:00

Last Wednesday, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung carried a story entitled "Deutsch-irkaischer Archäologenkrimi / Aus Ur oder aus Troja? Ein Goldgefäß macht derzeit den Behörden Probleme. Es soll von Raubgrabungen aus dem Irak stammen. Bagdad hat Strafanzeige gegen einen deutschen Händler gestellt" (by D. Gerlach, 29.6.2009, pp. 1,3) about a gold vessel looted from Ur that was offered by a German auction house. A slightly more condensed article in English also summarizes the story ("Mesopotamian Vase Sheds Light on Germany's Artefacts Trade," Deutsche Welle, 30.6.2009).

The vase was first spotted for sale in 2005 at the German ancient coin auction house Hirsch Nachfolger, when it was then seized by authorities and handed over to Michael Müller-Karpe at the Römisch-Germanische Zentralmuseum in Mainz for an expert opinion. Müller-Karpe, an archaeologist who works on material from the region and a specialist in metalwork, concluded that it was likely looted from the royal cemetery at Ur where many similar vessels have been found. Looting in Iraq has dramatically increased since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

Customs officials have now asked Müller-Karpe to return the vase to them, but has refused stating that the Iraqi Embassy in Berlin has asked him not to return it to customs. Iraqi officials have warned that anyone who helps or participates in the sale would be liable to up to five years imprisonment in Iraq. Münzhandlung Hirsch Nachfolger claims the vessel comes from Troy.

(Photo from Deutsche Welle)

US Heritage Protection Legislation "inadequate" to Curb Antiquities Market

2009-06-28T04:01:00.009-04:00

.The pro-collecting lobby urges that the instead of current "restrictive " laws, the archaeological heritage of all regions should become a free-for all to be "harvested" for collectable antiquities, perhaps with some form of voluntary reporting scheme like Britain's Portable Antiquities Scheme in place to salvage some of the information which would otherwise be lost. In contrast to this we have views which urge that more should be done to protect archaeological sites from any kind of avoidable damage. On the back of the recent illicit antiquity raids in Utah, Gray Warriner an independent filmmaker has written an interesting essay in the Salt Lake Tribune. His thesis is that in the United States “Current laws are inadequate to protect antiquities” (Salt Lake Tribune 26th June 2009). He urges for a change in legislation to curb the antiquities market which drives the destruction of the archaeological record in the search for collectable atefacts. He likens this to the protection of threatened natural resources such as songbirds. More here

Gill considers the current legal action pending against the US Department of State regarding the import of antiquities

2009-06-27T03:43:00.005-04:00

From "Why are ancient coins from Cyprus featured in a suit against the US Department of State?," PR Newswire, 26 June 2009:

SWANSEA, Wales, June 26 /PRNewswire/ -- David Gill, archaeologist, considers the recent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) suit on the US Department of State.

The FOIA suit was served in November 2007 by three numismatic organizations; one of the three is based in Brussels, Belgium. The alliance objected to the US Cultural Property Advisory Committee (CPAC) restricting the import of ancient coins minted in Cyprus as part of a wider memorandum of understanding (MOU). CPAC was responding to concerns by the Government of Cyprus that the illicit searching for ancient objects (including coins) was destroying the archaeological heritage of the Mediterranean island. CPAC states, "The MOU offers the opportunity for the U.S. and Cyprus to cooperate in reducing the incentive for further pillage thereby protecting the context of intact sites for scientific study."

Coin collectors were also concerned about the 2009 MOU with China. This agreement also restricted the import of certain categories of coins.

As a result, one of the three numismatic organizations decided to test the resolve of the US Department of State in April 2009 by attempting to import a small number of coins from Cyprus and China in defiance of the newly established laws. These items were detained when their flight from London touched down in Baltimore.

Are these aggressive legal tactics really for the benefit of collectors, or are there other factors at work?

Read the full discussion:

http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2009/06/antiquities-ancient-coins-and-changing.html

Butterflies and antiquities: no laughing matter

2009-06-20T10:35:00.009-04:00

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Peter Laufer

thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Jason Jones in Iran

A post on Illicit Cultural Property highlighted an interview between John Stewart of The Daily Show and the author Peter Laufer which drew a parallel between art trafficking and the illegal trade of endangered species. Indeed, a similar parallel can be also be made between endangered species hanging "dead on the wall" as Laufer describes them, and looted antiquities ripped out of context on a collector's mantelpiece. Worth a viewing. Thanks, Derek, for bringing this to our attention.

The New Acropolis Museum opens in Greece

2009-06-19T17:40:00.004-04:00

The New Acropolis Museum will open in Athens, Greece on Saturday June 20, 2009. This will display archaeological finds from the area of the Athenian Acropolis.

The top floor, with views towards the Acropolis, will display the architectural sculptures from the Parthenon.

Image © David Gill

Using the AAMD Object Registry

2009-06-15T23:05:00.015-04:00

After almost a year of inactivity on the Object Registry of the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), it seems that a few more pieces have finally been added. Recently posted are acquisitions of sculptures from China, Mexico, and India by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. These are the first additions since the Portland Art Museum presented its Indian sculpture from the 11th century on the site.

Olmec sculpture, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2008.637

It was on June 4, 2008 that the registry was uploaded for public use thanks to initiatives of the Indianapolis Museum of Art. At that time, the AAMD published a new report on the Acquisition of Archaeological Materials and Ancient Art. The policy was reworked as a response to the “financial and reputational harm” experienced by museums being forced to return objects. These guidelines recognize the 1970 UNESCO Convention as the threshold for future antiquities acquisitions. However, neither the guidelines nor the registry are tailored to review existing collections, which is part of the American Association of Museums (AAM) Standards regarding Archaeological Material and Ancient Art published in July 2008.

Please feel free to browse and share this information as well as look into the provenance of these objects.

Looting Matters: Why is Greece Reclaiming so Much Cultural Property?

2009-06-12T16:01:00.000-04:00

Greece has been stepping up its campaign for the return of recently looted antiquities.

Looting Matters: Why is Greece Reclaiming so Much Cultural Property?

Preserving Colonia Ulpia Traiana Ratiaria

2009-06-08T10:12:00.001-04:00

The Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues weblog has called attention to a campaign to preserve Colonia Ulpia Traiana Ratiaria which lays in the northwestern part of modern Bulgaria.

Like so many other places in Bulgaria, the site is being systematically destroyed by treasure hunters. I have discussed the destruction of Bulgaria's archaeological record and cultural heritage several times before and I am glad to see attention brought to this preservation campaign. Readers will recall that Bulgaria was highlighted in the "Under Threat" list by Archaeology Magazine, which I and Kimberly Alderman both discussed ("Archaeology Magazine's Under Threat List Includes Bulgaria" and "2008 Archaeological Sites Under Threat", respectively). Anyone who has browsed through several volumes of Archaeologia Bulgarica knows what a negative impact systematic looting and destruction of archaeological sites has on the material record as it has affected virtually every site in Bulgaria.

I have already made a small donation to the initiative and would urge other concerned readers to do likewise.

Individuals may learn more and donate to the preservation effort by clicking here and following the "donate" link.

Unrecorded Ancient Coins from Britain for Sale in the United States: Grumblings and a Positive Response

2009-06-07T08:03:00.011-04:00

On May 18, I called attention to two different mass suppliers of ancient coins in the United States who regularly sell bulk lots of "uncleaned ancient coins" from all over Europe and the Middle East ("Having Cake and Eating it too: Unrecorded and Freshly Dug British Coins Sold in the USA," Numismatics and Archaeology). These two sellers had recently offered bulk lots of coins from Britain, which apparently were not imported into the U.S. with an export license from the UK and, perhaps more importantly, were not recorded in Britain's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) designed to recorded finds made by metal detectorists. Ten days later, I provided an update following an inquiry, launched by the PAS, to the two sellers in question and the Ancient Coin Collectors Guild (ACCG) ("Update: Unrecorded and Freshly Dug British Coins Sold in the USA").

The ACCG was queried because it claims to be the voice for ancient coin collectors in the United States and is headed by several ancient coin dealers. The group has often touted the PAS as a solution to the "looting problem," though there seems to be little self-regulation in the market itself that deals with illicitly exported coins.

Several dealers and ACCG members initially felt threatened by the attention that these two discussions gave them and, in fact, one ACCG intransigent tirelessly continues to make excuses for the lack of recording and to make personal attacks on the commentators who called attention to it and talked about it (see discussions of the attacks/excuses by Paul Barford here, here, here, here, and here).

In spite of the bluster from the one individual, some good has come of the incidents and the attention brought to it. After the PAS inquiry, former ACCG President, Peter Tompa, posted on his blog some links to export guidelines pertinent to coins and antiquities from Britain, which was followed some days later (one day after my update) by a post on the ACCG website: "UK Authorities Post Helpful Advice for Export of Coins."

I applaud the ACCG for highlighting this information. I do hope this reflects a growing sensitivity within the trade community and that the ACCG leadership will, in the future, be more proactive in addressing the looting problem directly rather than simply lobbying against and challenging protective legislation. Knowledge will only be preserved if all stakeholders, including dealers and collectors, start to value it over purely commercial and self-interests. The preservation of information is something we should all be concerned about and something which we all ought to work towards, especially for those of us who study the past or buy and sell pieces of it.

Lawrence Rothfield and "The Rape of Mesopotamia"

2009-05-31T17:32:00.014-04:00

In April 2003, like many of us, Lawrence Rothfield watched with great concern as news accounts detailed the pillage of Iraq's National Museum. Since then, the looting of sites around Iraq has not ceased, and Rothfield, as co-founder and former director of the Cultural Policy Center at the University of Chicago, has been working on an extensive inquiry into how such wholesale thievery and destruction was allowed to occur.

  In his resulting work, The Rape of Mesopotamia (University of Chicago Press, 2009), Rothfield reconstructs the planning failures - originating at the highest levels of the U.S. government - that led to the invading forces' utter indifference to the protection of Iraq's cultural heritage from looters. Widespread incompetence and miscommunication enabled a tragedy that continues even today, despite widespread public outrage. Bringing his story into the present, Rothfield argues that the international community has yet to learn the lessons of Iraq - and that what happened there is liable to be repeated in future conflicts. The Rape of Mesopotamia is a powerful, infuriating chronicle of the disastrous conjunction of military adventure and cultural destruction.

Rothfield was recently featured in the article "Iraq War's cultural costs as seen through a Chicago prism" by Julia Keller in The Chicago Tribune, where Rothfield reveals that one of the reasons that spurred him to write this authoritative account was its many connections to the city of Chicago.

  The Rape of Mesopotamia is essential reading for all concerned with the future of our past, and is now available from the SAFE Store.  

The Scars of War

2009-05-30T18:29:00.007-04:00

While time does not heal all wounds, it offers the possibility for reflection and recovery. On May 28, the New York City Bar Association called on archaeologists, lawyers, and all interested parties to gather in the halls of the House of the Association in mid-town Manhattan to discuss, “The Art of War: The Protection of Cultural Property in War and Peace.” Moderated by Lucille A. Roussin, the speakers included Donny George, former Director General of the Iraq Museum and now a visiting Professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook; Corine Wegener, President of the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield; and Colonel Matthew Bogdanos of the U.S. Marine Corps who headed the investigation into the looting of the Iraq Museum.

Dr. Donny George discussed the constitution and law of antiquities of Iraq while lamenting over the destruction caused not just by Sunni and Shiite factions, but also by attempts to increase tourism. Corine Wegener reflected on the 1954 Hague Convention that was finally ratified by the U.S. Senate on September 25, 2008. Last, Colonel Bogdanos captivated the audience with his description of the investigation into the looting of the museum and subsequent recovery of the artifacts. He explained the amnesty offered to those who would return pieces as well as his opinions about what happened, how, and why. All is explained in his book, “Thieves of Baghdad,” also reviewed on SAFEcorner, a must-read for everyone because everyone needs to be aware of what can happen if we do not work together to protect our history.

Interesting questions arose in the discussion including: why did this happen? However, I am more interested in finding out how we can prevent such destruction in the future. I also am interested in remarks made about the U.S. not having a Department of Culture like many other countries throughout the world. Is there a place for such a government-funded organization? Furthermore, could you imagine the jobs this would provide?

I hope that many who listened to these speakers are inspired to get involved, especially with organizations like SAFE whose mission is to increase public awareness about protecting our past. The looting of archaeological sites in Iraq continues despite the recovery of some of the collections and the re-opening of the Iraq Museum. Some wounds are healing, but there are still scars left.

Preserving architectural heritage: A review of "Time Honored. A Global View of Architectural Conservation"

2009-05-29T15:22:00.013-04:00

What equates such different and distant places as the New York State Pavilion in Queens (New York City), the Bamyan site in Afghanistan, the Fenestrelle Fortress in the Italian Alps?

The elliptical canopy of the New York State Pavilion with its oversized, mosaic-made map of the state of New York is one of the few remaining structures from the historical event of 1964-1965 World’s Fair. The hollow cliff side in the Bamyan valley sadly reminds us of the two ancient monumental statues of Buddha Vairocana and Buddha Sakyamuni, once peacefully overlooking the site, mercilessly dynamited and destroyed in 2001. And the fortress of Fenestrelle, also called the “Great Wall of the Alps,” with its complex architectural layout, is one of the largest fortified structures remaining in Europe from the Eighteenth century, and as such an important crossroad for all of European history and identity.

The shared feature of these historical sites, these monuments, is that they are significant examples of the international architectural heritage the humankind risks to lose forever, and as such are all included in the World Monuments Fund’s Watch Program, the watch listing that every two years the Fund – a private organization based in New York City, and dedicated to saving the world’s most treasured places – releases in order to promote public awareness, and encourage solutions, about threatened cultural heritage worldwide.

The reasons why it is so important that we care for and preserve not only the natural environment and landscape, but also the historical built environment and landscape, that is the result of the interaction between human societies and natural environment over the centuries, are clearly explained by John H. Stubbs in the volume Time Honored: A Global View of Architectural Conservation. The author, Associate Professor of Historic preservation at the Columbia University’s School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, has also served, among other assignments, as Field Director for the World Monument Fund itself, and so his expertise in and knowledge of the “state of the art” regarding the international architectural preservation issues, their historical and epistemological context, have been acquired through decades of field work around the world.

Even if the book is essentially a comprehensive survey of theory, practice and framework of the architectural heritage conservation through the world - and so an indispensable tool for those directly involved in the field, like professional preservationists or historical conservation students - still its clear explanation of ideas and topics makes it an interesting and useful reading to whoever has interest in the cultural heritage conservation in general.

The first, basic question the volume answers is what the “objects,” the “artifacts” of the architectural preservation, are: they are not only single buildings like the Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the Uffizi Palace in Florence, or the Potala Palace in Tibet, but also structures like the Roman Aqueduct of Pont du Gard in France, or the Great Wall in China, and urban historic centers like those of Lima (Perú), Venice (Italy), or Cienfuegos (Cuba). These are clear examples of our universally shared architectural heritage, testimonials of a history and of a cultural identity common to us all; but deciding and choosing what to conserve today for the future generations is the crucial, and most difficult, task because the concept of history and of cultural identity, of which the whole cultural patrimony is an embodiment, change in time according to societal changes. There are no universal, absolute criteria to be followed, only guidelines and standards debated and renegotiated over time. The author lists and briefly analyzes the standards, or “types of value or significance,” most commonly used to classify the architectural heritage and to emphasize the importance of its preservation: universal, associative (historic and commemorative), aesthetic, exemplary and instructive. Even curiosity, in the sense of desire to know about ancient practices, is among the features that conventionally identify the architectural artifact to be preserved.

The reason why the protection and preservation of this specific aspect of the world’s cultural heritage should be a commonly shared concern is that the architectural patrimony contains a rooted history of cultural ideas and styles, and it witnesses and ensures the historical continuity of the environment in which we live, in a word our sense of belonging to a place, not only physically, but also culturally. Stubbs takes into account the multiple threats challenging the built environment, from the inevitable damaging action of passing time on structures and materials, of the weather conditions and/or natural disasters, to man-caused destructive actions resulting from social and economic changes, such as building or updating economic infrastructure, increased tourist flow, pollution, and so forth, without forgetting about war and armed conflicts. Similarly, he describes the various possible actions of intervention available to the architectural conservationist, keeping in mind that each single intervention is always a complex operation - not only from a technical and scientific point of view, but also from a cultural one - requiring extreme attention and careful consideration, and that the ultimate rationale should always be respecting the structural integrity and the surviving historic architectural fabric.

The penultimate chapter of the volume provides factual examples of architectural conservation practice, along with challenges and solutions, carried out in different areas of the world. Starting from Europe, where the awareness about the preservation of built environment has its historical and philosophical roots, and where nevertheless many new challenges have arisen nowadays (tourism pressure, uncontrolled development, pollution, etc.), the tour continues following geographical divisions (North Africa and Western Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South Asia, East and Southeast Asia, Austro-Pacific Region, North America, Latin American and the Caribbean, even unusual places like the Polar Regions) starting with localities where the heritage protection has consolidated tradition and practice, and moving on to areas where the concern is new or just forming. Pictures elucidate issues to be faced and positive actions undertaken for each region of the world examined: about the Polar Regions, for instance, in addition to the major ecological concerns, the reader learns that structures built by explorers, like the hut erected by British Robert Falcon Scott in 1911 on Ross Island in Antarctica during the so-called Terra Nova Expedition (1910-1913), or sites related to the Arctic Native cultures are also at risk, and not only because of the extreme weather conditions. But at the same time the reader discovers that conservation projects are underway, or already completed, in order to save these unique examples of cultural heritage.

Finally, the four appendices concluding the volume offer exhaustive indices about terminology used, organizations and resources operating in the international architectural conservation field, international and regional conventions, charters and recommendations, and annotated bibliography indispensable to whoever, professional or amateur, wants to pursue the understanding of this essential element of our world’s cultural patrimony.

“Cultural vandalism”: The destruction of ancient Kashgar

2009-05-29T11:29:00.008-04:00

The Chinese government has begun its plan to raze the old oasis city of Kashgar to the ground. According to news reports, two-thirds of this old city has already been bulldozed. Over the next few years, 85% of Kashgar will be demolished.

Kashgar, “virtually untouched by modern society,” is an important oasis city strategically located on the ancient Silk Road in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in Northwest China. Architect and historian George Michell described Kashgar as "the best-preserved example of a traditional Islamic city to be found anywhere in central Asia." The Uyghurs, a Turkic Muslim ethnic group, predating the advent of Islam, are one of China's largest ethnic minorities.

Because Kashgar is a city that lies in the heart of Central Asia, it was one of the most important cities along the northern route of ancient Silk Road. As much influenced by European, Islamic, and Persian cultures as Chinese, the city has been known to exist in this area since the Han Dynasty (ca. 202 B.C. – 221 A.D.). Since that time, it has seen heavy traffic from people coming from Europe, Central Asia, and East Asia as they made their way from the city of Xian in the East, all the way to the western part of the Roman Empire. Today, it is a city that covers roughly 15 square kilometers, and is still an important connection point on routes between China and northern Pakistan over and around the Taklamakan Desert.

It is a city that has been occupied by dozens of cultural groups, and influenced by countless more. The rich archaeological heritage that has been left behind by hundreds of years of traders goes without saying. It is a heritage that should not be lightly dismissed, and yet it is in imminent danger of destruction.

The act of razing the city is reportedly a part of a government plan to relocate Uyghur residents from unsafe, overcrowded homes susceptible to earthquake to more modern, safer quarters. At the same time, “China supports an international plan to designate major Silk Road landmarks as United Nations' World Heritage sites – a powerful draw for tourists, and a major incentive for governments to preserve historic areas. But Kashgar is missing from the list of proposed sites.” Officials also spoke of plans to turn what remains of Kashgar into a tourist attraction.

"Here, Uighur culture is attached to those raw earth buildings. If they are torn down, the affiliated culture will be destroyed." Said Wu Dianting, a professor of regional planning at Beijing Normal University's School of Geography, who did field research in Kashgar last year. Others have called this “cultural vandalism” “stupid” and “cruel”. According to Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center, at a seminar in 2007 to assess the urban plan for the historical preservation of Kashgar experts made three recommendations: a. The urban plan should focus more on how to preserve the old town; b. The urban plan should further study the history of the old town, in relationship to its rich culture; c. The urban plan should further study how to protect both tangible and intangible cultural heritage.

SAFE joins Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center in an appeal to the Chinese government to publicize its plan for protecting historic Kashgar and its cultural heritage. It would help the general public to know what is going to be done not only to protect citizens, but also to preserve Kashgar’s the rich cultural heritage and archaeological record that has yet to be fully explored.

The demolition of the Old City is a completion of a project that was started years ago. At this point, asking for the demolition to stop might be an action taken too late, but it is not too late to ask that more care be taken in preserving what is left of Kashgar’s cultural patrimony. It is not too late to question whether a more sensitive approach can be taken. It is not too late to demand that a plan for preservation and protection be made available to the international community. After all, success was achieved in China’s request for a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States earlier this year; it is not too much to ask that China honor this achievement by doing everything it can to ensure that Old Kashgar, a beacon of Central Asian immovable cultural property, does not disappear. (Photo: Shiho Fukada for The New York Times)

Skull Wars: A review

2009-05-24T14:26:00.007-04:00

The following review of Skull Wars: Kennewick Man, Archeology, and the Battle for Native American Identity by David Hurst Thomas is written by Andrew Vasicek, SAFE Volunteer.

Based on the title and purported subject matter of the book, a little more detail about the Kennewick Man himself and the surrounding controversy, both legal and cultural, was expected. As it was, only a small space is dedicated to the 9000 year old skeletal remains of a prehistoric man found on a bank of the Columbia River in Kennewick, WA on July 28, 1996.

After their discovery, the remains became the newest and most visible battleground surrounding what can and should be done with such skeletons. Based on the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), five Native American groups claimed the remains as theirs, to be buried by traditional means. Hoping to study the remains, the scientific community argued that the Kennewick Man had no direct connection to any modern-day native tribe, and that NAGPRA should not apply.*

This situation sparked the actual topic of Skull Wars, which could be said to be an effort to make these two opponents realize that they are not, in fact, on opposite sides of the issues that matter. Thus, rather than rehash the media and legal frenzy regarding the find, the vast majority of the book is spent mapping the history of modern anthropology and its relationship, however rocky, with Native Americans. Along the way, the author succeeds, to a large degree, in reshaping the reader's understanding of what those engaged in the study of archeology and natural history have done, are doing, and perhaps should be doing in the future. Indeed, by modern standards, much of what stood for early anthropology and archeology is, at times, appalling. It is also quite shocking to learn just how recently the modern version of this field was developed, how far it has come in a short time, and just how far it still has to go.

With this wide a view, there were times when, as a reader, one lost sight of the overall picture being painted for the sheer quantity of stories and colorful anecdotes creating the history of this relationship. However, it is this history which lends the book one of its most important features: while the book at times speaks almost directly to the "combatants," it is very much accessible to the public. It is a work which provides a horde of information, familiar to those directly involved, but to which most of the rest of us are not often exposed. Perhaps this is so because much of this history does not show "western" culture in its finest moments and is therefore often left out of the textbooks.

In this history, we are reminded of errors and misjudgments made by the American people (scientists, frontiersmen, city folk, and Native Americans alike) in our efforts to grow, learn, and position ourselves in the world. Thus, Skull Wars provides a critical service to its readership: it reminds us to always strive to improve, never to simply accept the status quo, but to always remember that what we do affects others in sometimes unexpected ways. The author also makes a powerful, yet remarkably simple observation: that in giving names to things, we can take power over them and also over how those things are understood. This is one of the central ideas underlying the whole book, as well as the Kennewick Man debate itself.

Native Americans existed in this country before modern Europeans arrived, allowing their culture and names to rule in those times. However, European culture came to dominate Native Americans in many ways. The new culture sought to appropriate and, all too often, eliminate the old. Thus, the debate began over who "owned" American history.

As is so often the case in contentious debates like this, both sides argue vehemently that they are correct - allowing no room for alternative views. Much can be lost along the wayside of such disputes as we are easily blinded by the clarity with which we see our own arguments. As these issues are also very emotional ones, feelings can further strain the situation - making us see issues in stark black and white.

That being so, the author is careful to present both sides views fairly and fully, while attempting to elucidate just what it is that makes this conflict so intense. In the end, he concludes that with respectful communication, all the invested parties can reach an acceptable middle ground and will often find that many of their goals overlap. He argues that it is possible to seek knowledge and to preserve our country's natural history while maintaining a healthy respect for traditions and the views of the people and places being studied.

If the problem is approached with this in mind, without jumping to fantastic conclusions or making attention grabbing claims, everyone can achieve a measure of success. In the end, the author seems to decide that, at its most basic level, this "skull war," reignited by the Kennewick Man, is about control and power, and not really about science, religion, or philosophy. If the scientific community and Native American groups can realize this perhaps they can begin to see ways to reach a compromise such that the "winners" won't be the only ones writing the history books.

*As of now, these remains are still legally the property of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and can be found at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington

Export 101 for Antiquities

2009-05-22T01:23:00.011-04:00

Over on the Yahoo AncientArtifacts forum there is a telling request for information. A small-time dealer in antiquities from North Carolina asks the list:

Back to basics if someone can help me. In regard to antiquities, which countries: Allow the free and unregulated trade in and export of antiquities? Restrict any trade in or export of antiquities? Don't seem to care so they don't address the issue with legislation? Allow regulated trade in and export of antiquities if proper paperwork is obtained? I know most countries ban export of antiquities and do these laws differentiate between pieces of major archaeological/cultural importance and minor pieces. For simplicity, I include coins as antiquities unless there are separate laws governing coins.

This would be sixty-four million dollar question I would have thought for anyone engaged in antiquity collecting, let alone commerce. So, we might ask why there seems to be no published handlist of these laws compiled by the collecting advocacy organizations as an aid to responsible trade and collection of portable antiquities, or until now a perceived need for one.

One such organization is the Ancient Coin Collectors Guild founded in 2004, whose International Affairs Committee : "2-5-1. [...] appointed by and responsible to the Executive Director, compiles and archives information about foreign laws and import/export procedures in source countries". So where is this archive and why is it is not made available to antiquity collectors as a resource?

Obviously, compiling such a resource would be relatively easy for responsible portable antiquity dealers who obtain items exported legally from the source and market countries, since they must know the laws of these individual countries to the letter to be able to abide by them. I cannot imagine that it would be otherwise.

Until then, there are however a number of resources to which the dealer and collector can refer for some of these countries, covering legislation concerning cultural property in general, not specifically that connected with export. There is for example the useful online resource on 'International Cultural Property Ownership & Export Legislation' of the International Foundation for Art Research (registration needed). UNESCO has begun to produce a 'Cultural Heritage Laws Database'.

US Returns Ancient Ur to Iraq

2009-05-17T18:01:00.005-04:00

On May 13, the US military hands over control of ancient Ur to Iraqi authorities. Archaeologist Abdulamir Hamdani sent these photos from the ceremony to SAFE, and indicated that "With your moral and emotional support for us, we look forward to start of implementation of cultural heritage’s projects in the city of Ur, such as: surveys, documentation, maintenance, conservation and exploration."

Druggies Stealing State's History

2009-04-30T01:16:00.005-04:00

The looting of archaeological sites in the USA is seriously damaging our ability to understand the past of the region. A report from Northeastern Arkansas suggests that the area has become a lucrative hunting ground for those interested in archaeological artefacts not for their value for scholarship when interpreted in context, but for black market bucks gained from looting sites in search of valuable antiquities.Dr. Juliet Morrow Jonesboro-based archeologist for the Arkansas Archeological Survey, says, "There are some people who collect artifacts and there's others who loot them so that they can then sell them to get money to purchase drugs. Especially, methamphetamine that's popular in this part of the state." Morrow explains that on the no-questions-asked US collectors’ market, the artefacts these people hunt, "can bring very high dollar figures upwards of 50 thousand dollars for a single pottery vessel, if it's the right time period, the right style. There are spear points that can go for hundreds of thousands of dollars. It's what the buyers are willing to pay. This is a market that's been escalating over the last couple of decades". More here.

Photo: Caddo 'head pot' from the Historic Arkansas Museum Collection.

Brian Rose on looting: "history that's been murdered"

2009-04-24T10:10:00.008-04:00

In an interview with American Public Media's Dick Gordon, AIA President and Professor at University of Pennsylvania Brian Rose describes his recent first trip to Iraq where he saw ancient sites cratered by looters.

Professor Rose also speaks about the cultural heritage briefings he has been giving to American soldiers on the archaeology of Iraq and Afghanistan, and his visit to the Iraq Museum.

The interview can be heard here in the second part of the broadcast.

Exhibition Review: "Worshiping Women"

2009-04-23T19:05:00.020-04:00

Worshiping Women: Ritual and Reality in Classical Athens launched in December 2008 at the Onassis Cultural Center is an exhibition composed primarily of loans from foreign institutions and museums and will be open until May 9, 2009. The introductory plaque at the beginning of the exhibition informs us that “religious rituals defined women.” The visitor is led through galleries focusing on priesthood, the cycle of life, festivals, heroines, and goddesses. Each section looks at the imagery on vases, marble stelai, or statues in order to reveal insights into the world of Classical Athenian women. Particularly intriguing is the realization of how much money it would have cost to ship these priceless artifacts from their museums to mid-town Manhattan. Loans from the British Museum, the Louvre, Italy, Berlin, and Boston among other locations fill the cases in addition to loans from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Organization is credited to the Onassis Public Benefit Foundation in collaboration with the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, curated by Dr. Nikolaos Kaltsas and Dr. Alan Shapiro.

The exhibition is remarkable because of the opportunity to see these notable pieces of history. The display, however, remains entrenched in the traditional art gallery format. Labels describe what you see while larger wall texts reveal the coherent themes for each section. Unfortunately, the exhibition does not do justice to the importance of archaeological contexts. Few sites are specifically discussed, except for the most famous: the Akropolis in Athens and the sanctuary of Demeter at Eleusis. This allows for only a few cases in which related objects are brought together in assemblages. A few dense groupings of mixed media represent artifacts found in known contexts. For most objects, however, contexts remain unknown.

The great benefit of preserved archaeological context is illustrated by the case of the grave stele (cat. no. 87) found at Rhamnous in 1892, just below the temple terrace. This funerary monument is now in the collection of the National Archaeological Museum in Athens (Γ 2309). On its label, it is observed that “the find-spot of the grave relief strongly suggests that the representation is that of the priestess of Nemesis.” What insight is made possible from preserved archaeological context! Imagine if each piece and pot in the exhibition preserved this level of information instead of bearing labels that read: “provenance unknown” or “said to be from. . .” Despite a broad attempt to inform us about provenience, the exhibition does not emphasize or explain the importance of what archaeological context can tell us about the use and meaning of objects in the ancient past.

As a graduate student in Museum Studies, I wish that the exhibition would have informed us about the state of fragmentation of the conserved artifacts and pottery displayed. Multiple breaks and missing fragments attest to the destruction of objects caused by clandestine excavations and their subsequent illegal export. I imagine that visitors, too, might wonder about the state of preservation of these objects on display. To be sure, some labels do reference that objects were acquired through confiscation within Greece. Several pieces from the National Archaeological Museum in Athens bear labels that read: “acquired by confiscation” or “confiscated from Zoumboulakis in 1938” (NAM 16346 and NAM 17297 respectively). This adds a whole new and important dimension to the display. It shows that Greece has been pro-active in protecting its cultural heritage. It does seem like a lost opportunity, however, not to have provided further information about the circumstances of the recovery of these objects. The general public would have benefited from learning about ongoing efforts to combat the illicit antiquities market.

Somewhat disturbing is one design choice in the exhibition in which two objects are treated as interior decorative elements rather than as material culture from a past and complex society. Two Hellenistic funerary columns, the sacred and lasting memorials through which the lives of priestesses—Habryllis and Mneso— were commemorated, have been built into faux-architectural columns within the exhibition space. (Cat. Nos. 82 and 83, NAM Γ 1727 and EM 11144) This looks more like a decorator’s trick from an Upper East Side townhouse than an appropriate display for what are, after all, funerary memorials commemorating actual lives lived.

The success of the exhibition manifests the importance of giving audiences access to extraordinary objects from the past. Comments such as, “It looks contemporary, it’s fascinating!” could be heard reverberating throughout the gallery on the days I visited. Broad public interest in ancient Greek women and religion was peaked just a few years ago with the publication of Joan Breton Connelly’s book, Portrait of a Priestess: Women and Ritual in Ancient Greece, winner of the Archaeological Institute of America’s James Wiseman Book Prize and added to the New York Times Book Review list of “Notable Books of 2007.” Connelly was approached by the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and spent a term there as a Visiting Fellow in Anthropology to undertake a feasibility study for turning her book into a traveling exhibition. In preparation for her show on Greek Priestesses, which had been anticipated for 2011-12, Connelly taught a course at New York University in the spring semester of 2008. I was lucky enough to be a student in the seminar: “The Lost History of Greek Priestesses: Curating an Exhibition.” Nineteen graduate and undergraduate students were encouraged to implement innovative ideas to create contextual galleries tracking the female experience of Greek ritual from childhood, through maidenhood, to maturity and death. Special galleries focused on women in the theater and on the Delphic Oracle, all placing women and priestesses in their full social and cultural contexts. Students labored with the hope that their work would find culmination in a future exhibition at the Field Museum of Natural History, one that would travel to venues on the East and West coasts and on to Greece. A museum of Natural History would have provided an ideal setting for a show that emphasized the human narrative of Greek ritual as well as the archaeological and anthropological contexts that inform us about it. Unfortunately for the students in our class, “Worshiping Women” has preempted the "Greek Priestesses" exhibition, duplicating much of the checklist of objects gathered in Portrait of a Priestess. While this has put our class show in jeopardy, one can only hope that one day the pieces will be allowed to travel again for the kind of exhibition designed in our seminar.

As a student from the class, I have an intimate knowledge of the works, their meaning, and how they have strengthened our understanding of the lives of women. Looking at the exhibition “Worshiping Women,” and its traditional art historical display, I cannot help but wonder what the impact of these pieces might have been had they been shown through an anthropological lens, focusing on the human narrative of their ancient contexts and meanings. Artifacts with known context, like the Rhamnous stele, provide insight, but the provenience of most other pieces is lost to us, in many cases forcing an object to remain just another pretty pot.

EBay: A Solution to the Illicit Antiquities Trade?

2009-04-23T06:59:00.006-04:00

A story from the latest Archaeology Magazine (C. Stanish, "Forging Ahead. Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love eBay," Archaeology Magazine 62.3 (May/June 2009)) has been the subject of some blog discussions lately, e.g.:

Larry Rothfield, "eBay Reduces Looting -- Maybe," The Punching Bag (21 April 2009)

Derek Finchman, "'What Fools the Curator Also Fools the Collector'," Illicit Cultural Property (21 April 2009)

Stanish argues that eBay has been flooded with fake antiquities, ultimately making looting less profitable as the prevalence of fakes drives prices down. Like Larry Rothfield, I think the overall point of the article is persuasive, but I do find parts of it too simplistic.

View the full discussion at Numismatics and Archaeology.

"Organizing local people can save knowledge"

2009-04-20T14:59:00.005-04:00

In National Geographic's April 10 story "King of Bling" Tomb Sheds Light on Ancient Peru" the remarkable excavation of Lord of Ucupe was described as "a first". "This find is particularly important, because it is the first time we have found an individual outside of Sipán that is the same type as some of the leaders found in Sipán," according to archaeologist Steve Bourget.

This would not have been possible if the site had not been protected from looters by local people. Roger Atwood, author of Stealing History, winner of 2004 SAFE Beacon Award, said in a message to SAFE. "The incredible thing is that this discovery happened right where the anti-looting patrols I describe in Chapter 13 of Stealing History work, in the village of Ucupe. So it's a really clear example of how organizing local people can save knowledge. Doesn't get any clearer than this."

Indeed, on page 230, Atwood writes: "The mission of the 'archaeological protection group' is to stop people from occupying the land and plundering what lies beneath it. They scout the land, chase away bands of looters, or they surround them and tie their wrists with rope until the police arrive, and they seize their tools -- shovels, poles, buckets. ... Despite their success in the Moche heartland, the idea of citizens' patrols to curb pillage is still in its infancy. Turning poachers into wardens takes time, a thorough knowledge of local customs and sensitivities, cooperation from the police, and roots in the community that not a lot of archaeological researchers have." (Photograph courtesy Dr. Steve Bourget)

Chronicle of Higher Education Q and A with Larry Rothfield

2009-04-17T12:41:00.005-04:00

http://chronicle.com/weekly/v55/i32/32b01701.htm
From the issue dated April 17, 2009
A Fragile History, Besieged
A post-mortem examination of the cultural disaster in Iraq

Six years ago this month, the National Museum of Iraq was extensively looted amid the chaos of the U.S. invasion of Baghdad. Among the stolen objects was the Mask of Warka, a 5,100-year-old Sumerian artifact that is believed to be one of the earliest surviving representations of a human face. The mask was found buried on an Iraqi farm five months later — but thousands of other precious objects were destroyed or disappeared into the black market.

"We do not know, and we may never know, a great many lessons about how human civilization first arose, because of this disaster," says Lawrence Rothfield, an associate professor of English and comparative literature at the University of Chicago and a former director of the university's Cultural Policy Center.

In his new book, The Rape of Mesopotamia: Behind the Looting of the Iraq Museum (University of Chicago Press), Rothfield examines the sacking of the museum and the "slow-motion disaster" of the looting of archaeological sites across Iraq since 2003.

Rothfield recently spoke with The Chronicle's David Glenn. An edited transcript of their conversation follows.

Q. Why should the world care about Iraqi antiquities? Doesn't this issue pale in comparison to the war's political struggles and tens of thousands of deaths?
I hear that question sometimes: Why should we care? Why should we worry that all of this material is being brought onto the black market? After all, isn't this making available to the rest of the world the beauty of all these objects that otherwise would not have been available for us to see?

One reason to worry is that this material is being ripped out of its context. The individual intact pieces that fall into the hands of collectors might be beautiful. But most of what we know about the origins of civilization has come from piecing together fragments and reconstructing contexts. The Epic of Gilgamesh was pieced together from fragments that looters today would have crushed underfoot.

Q. Before 2003 the National Museum of Iraq was regarded as one of the best in the region. Despite all of the cruelties and travails of Saddam Hussein's regime, this institution thrived. Why was that?
Saddam thought of the Mesopotamian past as a propaganda tool — which meant that at least he cared enough about it to impose severe penalties on looters, and to spend the resources needed to support the work of the museum. And even before Saddam came to power, Iraq had some longstanding relationships with European and American archaeological institutions, including the Oriental Institute here at Chicago. So for decades, they had been training archaeologists to produce work that was of very high quality.

Q. Why did the United States do such a bad job of protecting the museum in 2003?
Before the war, nobody except archaeologists was worried about civilians looting the archaeological sites and the museum. And that includes the Iraqi exiles who were advising the State Department's Future of Iraq Project, which was supposed to develop plans for the postwar period. They set up working groups on all sectors of society — but they forgot about culture.

Q. But would it have made a difference if the Future of Iraq Project had paid attention to culture?
No, it wouldn't have made any difference at all, given that the military threw all of their plans in the garbage can anyway.

Now, the military itself was very interested in doing its job in terms of protecting cultural sites and museums. But under international law, its job is defined as not destroying or looting cultural sites itself — not as preventing civilians from destroying sites.

So before the war, they reached out to archaeologists, and they did a perfect job of identifying sites to put on a no-strike list. None of those sites was destroyed in active combat operations.

Unfortunately, they ignored warnings from the same archaeologists they were working with that the museums and sites might be looted by Iraqis. The Pentagon should have known about that issue. Nine museums were looted after the 1991 Gulf War. The military did not learn its lesson from that experience.

Q. There were reports last year that the military had asked archaeologists to develop a similar no-strike list for cultural sites in Iran. And some archaeologists have argued that it is unethical to cooperate with that project, because they say an American attack on Iran would be immoral. Have you been part of those debates?
My thought is that requiring the military to spend time and effort to protect cultural sites actually makes the cost of war higher for the military than it would otherwise be. So if you're interested in doing what you can to discourage the U.S. from going to war, raising the cost of war is one way to do so.

There's no contradiction between speaking out publicly against the war and making sure that the military protects cultural sites if it does go to war.

Q. Do you believe the American military has learned lessons since 2003?
It's a mixed picture. The new Army Field Manual includes on its task list the imperative to secure and protect cultural sites and museums. That's a huge step forward in itself. They've also been developing excellent cultural-awareness training programs to sensitize soldiers heading into war zones, working with the Archaeological Institute of America.

But there is also the separate question about what to do going forward in Iraq — and in Afghanistan, where matters are arguably even worse. There is still severe looting in both countries. The British recently returned several tons of Afghan antiquities that had been seized at London airports since 2003, just to give you some sense of the size of the problem.

The looting of the Iraq museum was terrible, but the amount of material lost from the slow looting of Iraq's archaeological sites dwarfs the amount that was taken from the museum. Estimates are that roughly half a million pieces have been destroyed or taken from the ground since 2003.

Q. If you had half an hour to talk to people at the Pentagon or the State Department, what would you say?
Archaeologists have been asking for years now for the military to share satellite photographs of the Iraqi archaeological sites so that they could count the number of holes and track the rate of looting around the country. They're still waiting.

I would also urge the Pentagon to form a task force to develop operational plans to inject resources into those areas where it's possible to make a difference. In some cases that might mean providing cars, weapons, and walkie-talkies to the civilians who are supposed to be protecting sites.

And I would suggest a tax on all sales of antiquities from Iraq and Afghanistan. The proceeds could be used to help finance anti-looting efforts in those countries.

Q. At the end of your book, you wrote that you didn't expect the Iraq museum to reopen "for years to come." But in February, after your book went to press, a part of the museum reopened. Were you surprised?
Well, I was dismayed by it, as were [the museum's former director] Donny George and a number of other Iraqi archaeologists. Conditions in Baghdad are still very fragile. And the museum is nowhere near ready to be open to the public, even if the situation weren't so touchy. The recent reduction in violence is heartening, but it only brings us down to levels that are equivalent to other long-running civil wars.

David Glenn is a senior reporter at The Chronicle.

http://chronicle.com
Section: The Chronicle Review
Volume 55, Issue 32, Page B17

Earthquake damages Baths of Caracalla

2009-04-07T16:23:00.005-04:00

The ancient Roman Baths of Caracalla have been damaged by earthquake on April 5. According to the New York Times, historical monuments have suffered significant damage as well, including the Romanesque basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggi and the National Museum of Abruzzo. The destruction has left more than 200 dead and tens of thousands homeless. SAFE sends condolences to all of us who have been affected. (Photo: www.essential-architecture.com)

Six years later, memories of the looted Iraq Museum relived

2009-04-06T14:26:00.007-04:00

On the eve of the sixth anniversary of the looting of the Iraq Museum which spawned the founding of this organization SAFE/Saving Antiquities for Everyone, we urge individuals around the world to pause in commemoration by joining us in the Global Candlelight Vigil, not only for Iraq, but the world over.

SAFE Member Leila Amineddoleh takes this opportunity to revisit the tragic event with the book Thieves of Baghdad by Matthew Bogdanos, winner of the SAFE 2005 Beacon Award. She shares with our readers her thoughts here:

Thieves of Baghdad begins like an archeological detective mystery, reminiscent of an Indiana Jones movie, with the story's narrator searching for answers about the fate of some of the world’s most historically significant looted cultural artifacts. Baghdad, located on the Tigris River, is at the heart of ancient Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilization, a region that holds secrets about early human societies. Baghdad lies near ancient Babylonia, and is home to some of the greatest archeological treasures of mankind’s early artistic and societal accomplishments. The value of these pre-historic artifacts is impossible to determine; they are irreplaceable links to the past, providing us with clues about how our ancestors lived in pre-biblical times. After the American invasion of Iraq in April of 2003, looters took advantage of the vulnerability of the Iraq Museum (a museum with an unrivaled collection of Mesopotamian art) and began looting and selling the museum's holdings on the black market. The robbers stole thousands of priceless items. Included in the cache of looted works was the Mask of Warka (the oldest known naturalistic carving of a human face), the Vase of Warka (the oldest known carved stone ritual vessel), the treasure of Nimrud (over a thousand pieces of gold jewelry and precious stones from the eighth and ninth centuries B.C.), and an eighth century ivory plaque entitled the Lioness Attacking a Nubian. Some of the artifacts have been recovered, while others have vanished without a trace.

Matthew Bogdanos, a U.S. reserve for the marines and an Assistant District Attorney, tells the story of the pillaging and subsequent recovery of the some of the world's greatest treasures. As a student of classics, he is the perfect narrator because he appreciates the significance of these treasures. His book describes the importance of the pieces' recovery as an event of international concern and pride amongst the Iraqi people. As an investigator, Bogdanos helped recover hundreds of pieces during his tour of duty in Iraq where he led a team of soldiers on a recovery mission, while maintaining their physical safety. Bogdanos also contended with the press's often faulty reporting, and grappled with the cultural and political barriers separating his team from the Iraqi people who were often unwilling to assist the U.S. army to recover artifacts, who questioned the motivation for American involvement with Iraqi cultural issues, or who mistrusted U.S. military presence in their nation. Bogdanos and his group of men not only faced the mystery of the Iraq Musem's missing works, but the strife of life in a war-torn country, the ever-present threat of Al-Qaeda terrorists, and the difficulties of tracking down armed robbers. During his time in Iraq, Bogdanos longed for his family and life in the U.S., but he also learned to accept and understand the culture of the modern Iraqi people and the power and mystery of their ancient culture and customs.

This book is an engaging read because Bogadnos's love of art is apparent. With his knowledge of classics, he describes the importance of these pieces with historical insight. Besides taking the reader on a journey of recovery through an insider's perspective, Bogdanos also teaches a lesson on antiquities. The art is described in its historical context, allowing someone without an art background to understand the magnitude of the damage done by the museum’s looters. Against the back-drop of armed combat, Bognadnos informs us about the importance of these missing treasures and the potential for future damage to artifacts. The U.S. army has recovered many museum pieces, yet a large number of works remain missing, and there are major obstacles that lay ahead in the recovery of those pieces.

Thieves of Baghdad makes a case for devoting additional funding and resources to the protection of cultural artifacts and the recovery of looted works. Bogdanos reminds us that we all have a responsibility to protect the richness of humankind’s accomplishments and the art that represents our common cultural past.