One of the major players in the antiquities trade, California dealer in ancient coins and art since 2003 David Welsh has this to say about the recent AIA statement which constitutes an attack on all who wish to contribute to the knowledge of ancient societies by collecting and preserving their art:
The AIA statement refers to "... the commodification of archaeological material and in effect [this sale] condones the traffic in antiquities, which is in opposition to the AIA’s principal missions of research and education. As stewards of the past, no one associated with the AIA should be incentivizing the illicit trade in antiquities, which is a global criminal activity." The "traffic in antiquities" to which Sheila Dillon refers is NOT an "illicit trade in antiquities, which is a global criminal activity." If the terms in which this statement is framed do not actually constitute libel or slander, they approach that, and should be resented and condemned by the many legitimate and ethical individuals involved in the licit antiquities trade. Classical Coins deals honestly and ethically in the field of supplying ancient coins to collectors, and I strongly resent and condemn the AIA's unwarranted claim to be "stewards of the past" and arbiters of "ethical standards" regarding the antiquities trade.
No organization representing a few thousand professionals has any right to imply or suggest that it thereby has the moral authority to dictate what is or is not "ethical" for individuals who are not society members. "Archeocentrism (the unreasonable viewpoint that archeology trumps all other human activities and concerns in its importance) endangers cultural heritage in its own insidious ways, perhaps just as much as the overt offenses of looters and smugglers involoved in illicit trafficking in antiquities".
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