We Need to 'Loot' to Preserve Art for the World

Lindsey Hilsum on International Affairs has some sensible views on the preservation of the cultural heritage in unstable underdeveloped countries (" Iraq: why looting can be a good thing" Friday 27 Feb 2015)

Thank goodness for looting. If Henry Rawlinson, the British Resident in Baghdad, hadn’t removed a 16 tonne 7th century alabaster statue of a winged bull from Nimrud, near Mosul, in 1849, Islamic State vandals would be taking a sledgehammer to it right now. [...] The magical figure, one of two that once guarded an entrance to the citadel of the Assyrian king Sargon II (721-705 BC), is now one of the treasures of the British Museum. Last year 6.8 million visitors had the chance to see it. Contrast that with the horrific scene we witnessed on an Islamic State video yesterday, as the demolition squad of the IS destroyed Assyrian statues – thankfully many of them replicas – in Mosul museum.[...] The destruction we witnessed on the IS video has echoes of the Taliban’s detonation of the Bamyan Buddhas and the wrecking of mud tombs by jihadis in Timbuktu. Zealots are doing the same in Libya, destroying Sufi shrines and other historic buildings they regard as idolatrous. In Syria, historical sites at Palmyra and around Aleppo have been looted by smugglers who sell the artifacts on the international antiquities market. In an ideal world, every country’s heritage would be guarded in situ for the benefit of those whose identity is rooted in their past. But if the violent destructive tide of history shows no sign of ebbing, better that at least some vestiges of previous civilisations be kept safe in the great museums of London, Berlin and New York, courtesy of the colonial looters of yesteryear.

Destruction at the Mosul Museum: Who Cares?

Peter Tompa asks 'Destruction at the Mosul Museum: Who Cares?' and answers that:

Assyrian Christian minorities in Iraq and Syria and its diaspora do. Archaeologists both here and in the Middle East do (though some apparently can't help themselves and must find a way to take swipes at collectors as they mourn for what is lost). Collectors and Museum professionals most certainly do, despite what some archaeologists may think. And based on news reports at least, presumably the Western World does, though the scope of the tragedy may not be fully appreciated. But what of the Islamic world in general and the Islamic inhabitants of Syria and Iraq in particular? Do they really care or might they even view Western outrage over the destruction of artifacts over lives as misplaced or even worse? And depending on the answer what does that say? 

I think it is becoming increasingly clear that the people of failed states like Syria and Iraq really are not capable of looking after the heritage of all mankind that by chance s in their hands. They should immediately be forced to hand it over to those better equipped than they, intellectually, culturally and in terms of sheer organization, to deal with it.

The Solution for Vulnerable Art

The Committee for Cultural Policy's report on the destruction of ancient statuary in Mosul exposes the fallacy of the nation-centred models of cultural preservation criticised by Merriman:

The destruction at Nineveh is an excruciatingly painful example of the losses that could result from a policy that demands all art from source countries remain there. The notion that all art belongs in source countries is not only anti-humanist; recent events have made clear that it is also reckless in the extreme. Art – the tangible history of humankind – is at risk. No nation’s artistic heritage should be held in a single place. Yet international museums are being told not to collect or preserve at a time when art itself is most vulnerable.

Do They Care?

Unworthy of such a heritage

 Destruction at the Mosul Museum, Peter Tompa asks 'Who Cares?' We all do, all of us in the civilized western world. Christian minorities in Iraq and Syria do.

But what of the Islamic world in general and the Islamic inhabitants of Syria and Iraq in particular? Do they really care or might they even view Western outrage over the destruction of artifacts over lives as misplaced or even worse? And depending on the answer what does that say?

We need to discuss how the interests of the world's heritage should be kept safe from fanatics.

The New Barbarians: Islam Perverted

'The New Barbarians: Islam Perverted' Ancient Coins, Thursday, February 26, 2015:

Islamic State video shows militants smashing ancient artifacts in Iraq.It is hard to imagine what these "jihadist" terrorists expect to accomplish by publicizing acts of barbarism such as these.[...] Their crimes are in fact gross violations of the principles of Islam.

Enemies of Civilization

I'm so choked up about this. We should do more to save our history from these barbarian vandals.

"A few days after burning the Mosul Public Library, ISIS posted a video showing the destruction of Mosul museum, the second largest in Iraq and rich artifacts from thousands of years of Iraq history.  In the video released on Thursday, ISIS militants use sledge hammers to destroy the museum statues one by one. An Arab ISIS leader gives a short speech justifying the destruction of priceless historic statues by saying they were idols for gods that were worshiped in contradiction of worshiping one god: Allah."

ISIS Destroy Our History

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This is the work of morons from a backward culture!

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Police raid Collector's home

The seized artifacts

Drought in the Klamath Basin has exposed archeological sites normally concealed by water, so it is no wonder that collectors are taking an interest in the region, who could blame them for trying to rescue what they can find? Unfortunately, Oregon law forbids the removal of archaeological objects on public or private lands without a permit. This is the reason why detectives searched the home of a collector of Native American artifacts late last week, turning up many cultural relics from sites in Klamath County (Bryan Denson, 'Oregon State Police seize Native American artifacts and burial goods in Klamath Falls', The Oregonian February 23, 2015).

Detectives with the Fish and Wildlife Division, which handle natural resources cases, hauled off the antiquities items while serving a search warrant last Thursday at the Klamath Falls home of 46-year-old Douglas Cotallese. "Troopers also located methamphetamine, scales, packaging materials and other drug paraphernalia item," police noted in a news release. The search and seizure reportedly followed a seven-month investigation into the theft, possession and sale of archeological artifacts. Oregon State Police investigators made the case with the help of Klamath Tribes, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Let us not Forget

The battle between citizens who want to collect and preserve the past and the archeologists hots up. Peter Tompa takes on the archeobloggers ('Don't Worry...Says the Archaeo-Blogger', CPO Sunday, February 22, 2015) who slyly try to persuade that there is no need to worry about the upcoming renewal of the Italy MOU. We are told that "one can't assume the State Department-- egged on by their allies in the archaeological lobby-- will use the upcoming renewal of the Italian MOU as an excuse to extend import restrictions to Roman Imperial coins".

- Do such people have the best interests of collectors in mind?
- Do they really speak for anyone other than themselves?  Of course not.

Mr Tompa sagely reminds us that the State Department seems unwilling to clarify the issue.

And let's not forget-- on two prior occasions-- Cyprus in 2007 and Italy in 2011-- requests for clarification were either met with double talk or ignored.  And guess what happened?  Requests for extension of MOUs were turned into a basis for new restrictions on coins. Let's not let that happen again, particularly where Roman Imperial coins are concerned.

Respected California professional numismatist Dave Welsh makes the same point: 'Collectors Beware: Italian MOU Renewal Pending' Sunday, February 22, 2015 with a section in the commentary on 'knowing your enemy'.

Stop the Vilification, Accusation and Spurious Condemnation of Private Collecting

Respected ancient coins expert and dealer Wayne Sayles responds to the BBC report which is going the rounds of the archeobloggers on the alleged trade in illicit antiquities from Syria. He urges restraint and moderation - 'Response to BBC Reports on the Islamic State and illicit antiquities' 

Obviously, the artifacts illustrated and discussed in this report have been interdicted by local authorities, as they should be. More of that is needed. Hopefully, the looters and those proven to be knowingly complicit in their crimes were or will be apprehended and prosecuted. However, all too often, the penalty in a source country for being involved in archaeological looting is far less than the penalties sought by U.S. prosecutors for innocently acquiring an object that may or may not have been looted –no proof or knowledge whatever, beyond supposition. Looting must be stopped, and private collectors should be enlisted and cooperative in that effort, but the vilification, accusation and spurious condemnation of private collecting simply because it’s the easiest face to find is unfair, unconstitutional and irrational.

It Makes No Sense to Contemplate New Restrictions on Ancient Roman Imperial Coins.

Imperial Roman coins can be bought
by the bagful on eBay for a few dollars each

Peter Tompa: 

"It's time to scrap current import restrictions and instead promote real cultural cooperation rather than more confrontation.  This is particularly true for common artifacts like ancient coins.  It has never made sense to place restrictions on ancient coins, particularly when there is large, open and legal internal market for the exact same sort of coins within Italy itself.  It makes even less senseto contemplate new restrictions on ancient Roman Imperial Coins.  These originally circulated throughout Europe, the Middle East and even parts of Asia and have been actively collected since the Renaissance.  They “belong” not to Italy, but to us all". 

Italy MOU and the Giotto Frescoes

The Italians have asked for 'Yet Another Renewal of the Italian MOU' drastically limiting Americans’ abilities to purchase historical artifacts and art objects from abroad and have negatively impacted the cultural understanding and people to people contacts collecting fosters. One of the criteria for us issuing an MOU is whether the requesting state is able to look after its own heritage. A recent case from Assisi, on top of news of more disasters in Pompei casts doubt on that (Hili Perlson, 'Appalling Restoration Destroys Giotto Frescoes at the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi' - artnet News, February 20, 2015). 

Fourteenth-century frescoes in the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi have been damaged by over-ambitious restorations, Italian daily La Repubblica reports. Experts claim the frescoes have been significantly compromised; segments that have fallen victim to over-enthusiastic work now stand in stark contrast to the untouched areas. Unique in their range and quality, the frescoes are considered instrumental for understanding developments in Italian art history. [...] Frescoes at one end of the transept in the Chapel of St. Nicholas, where restoration is already concluded, are heavily compromised. [...]  some details of the decor have been obliterated. The Virgin Mary at the center of the triptych in the Chapel of St. Nicholas has completely (and allegedly irreversibly) lost its top coat.

Sergio Fusetti, lead restorer at the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi, denies the allegations.

Oppose Yet Another Renewal of the Italian MOU

Please take time and express your opposition to plans by our rubber stamp cultural bureaucracy to renew the current Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) by the United States for Italian coins and artifacts ('Enough Already: Oppose Yet Another Renewal of the Italian MOU')

The State Department first authorized import restrictions on Italian cultural artifacts from the Pre-Classical, Classical and Imperial Roman periods in 2001.  The restrictions were extended 2006 and again in 2011.  The 2011 renewal added new import restrictions on Greek, early Republican and Provincial coins from the early Imperial Period.  Now, it’s quite possible that the archaeological lobby, which actively opposes private collecting, will press for import restrictions on Roman Imperial Coins—the heart of ancient coin collecting—as well.   Accordingly, if one feels strongly about their continued ability to collect Roman Imperial and other historical coins and artifacts, they should comment on the regulations.gov website.  Why?  Because silence will only be spun as acquiesce.  So, serious collectors should oppose yet another renewal as unnecessary and detrimental to the appreciation of Italian culture and the people to people contacts collecting brings. 

Keep Roman Imperial Coins off the MOU !!!  To submit comments electronically, go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal (http://www.regulations.gov), enter the Docket No. DOS-2015-0010-0001, and follow the prompts to submit a comment.

The Cultural Property Implementation Act (“CPIA”) contains significant procedural and substantive constraints on the executive authority to impose import restrictions on cultural goods.  Exercise your rights and remind the CPAC of their obligations.  Provide a brief, polite explanation about why the renewal should be denied or limited.  Question CPAC why it’s necessary to renew this MOU yet again when looting is under control and the real jeopardy to Italy’s cultural patrimony comes from poor stewardship by the Italian State.  

Massive Coin Find at Caesarea

'Massive trove of ancient gold coins found off coast ' Times of Israel, February 17, 2015,

The Israel Antiquities Authority has announced the discovery of the largest gold treasure ever found in Israel. It was discovered by chance off the shore of the ancient port city of Caesarea. At least 2,000 Fatimid gold coins dating back over 1,000 years were found 12 meters underwater by a group of scuba divers earlier in February, who quickly reported the discovery to their the diving club manager, who then called in Israel Antiquities Authority officials. Antiquities Authority divers, using metal detectors, went back to the site along with the original divers, and uncovered six kilograms worth of golden coins, which had been exposed due to winter storms, according to the authority’s statement. They expect to find more coins in the area.  “The gold coins are in excellent condition, and despite remaining at the bottom of the sea for over 1,000 years, they did not need any conservation lab treatment,” Robert Cole, a coins expert at the Antiquities Authority said. Some of the coins were bent and had bite marks, indicating a physical authenticity check, according to Cole.

Italy MOU: Enough is Enough

Italy needs to help itself,
not rely on us to do it

It is time to take a thorough look at the 1983 CCPIA, with a view toward initiating legislative action to close "loopholes" that have allowed the State Department's Cultural Heritage Center fanatics to thwart its legislative intent, and embark upon a jihad against the antiquities trade and antiquities collecting. The Italians are asking for a renewal of their MOU from us. 'Enough is enough', argues Peter Tompa, 'It's time to scrap current import restrictions and instead promote real cultural cooperation rather than more confrontation' (Cultural Property Observer, 'Italian MOU Renewal: Enough is Enough', Wednesday, February 18, 2015)

US collectors, museums and the small businesses of the numismatic and antiquities trade have had to deal with an embargo on unprovenanced artifacts "of Italian type" for some 15 years. In the interim, Italy has mounted aggressive police actions that have greatly diminished looting in the country. Yet, all this enforcement effort has done little to actually protect Italy's "cultural patrimony." During this same time, gross underfunding, ineptitude and corruption have hamstrung Italy's own care for even major sites like Pompeii. And at the same time, promises of long term loans to museums made by Rome have faded with devolution of power to regions such as Sicily.

Syria: Media Disinformation

Cultural Property Observer, 'Renewed Media Disinformation Campaign Underway', Tuesday, February 17, 2015. The Committee on Cultural Policy has called attention to a renewed media disinformation campaign  on the fate of Syrian antiquities. Peter Tompa supposes that this

will be used to help justify the reintroduction of HR 5703, a flawed piece of legislation that would benefit the Assad regime and the archaeological lobby far more than it would "protect" Syrian cultural patrimony. No doubt any bill that calls for the repatriation of artifacts back to a dicataorship that purposefully destroys them, creates a new White House bureaucracy devoted to furthering the interests of a small group of connected insiders, and provides this same group with a funding source with no strings attached will heavily rely on the inflamatory claim that Western collectors support terrorism to avoid the hard questions about any such legislation that decision makers should ask.

Syrian Heritage Destruction, by Archeologists

British writer and publisher John Howland reveals the probable fate of hundreds of thousands of looted artifacts are stored in depots across Syria which have lost all contextual data surrounding them. Archeologists say such objects are "worthless", but as Mr Howland admonishes, they still have a certain monetary and intrinsic value. But some radicals suggest laying them on the ground and have a bulldozer run over them! That is simply heritage vandalism! Mr Howland is right when he points out: "Is it not a better option to welcome those artifacts onto the market where they will be preserved and cosseted in private collections and possibly museums?"

Syria Let Collectors Preserve the Artifacts

British writer and publisher John Howland has a suggestion about what to with the reported hundreds of thousands of looted artifacts  currently stored in depots across Syria. These artefacts were, it is said, looted by ISIS artifact procurement teams and thus have 'have lost all contextual data surrounding them'. Apparently the radical cultural bureaucrats and archeologists with an ax to grind against collectors suggest laying these precious artifacts on the ground and 'have a bulldozer run over them'. Collectors everywhere should oppose this sort of treatment and roundly condemn such callous heritage vandalism. Mr Howland has the wisest solution for artifacts in the hands of ISIS fanatics and to prevent them falling into the equally destructive hands of the archeology fanatics:

Is it not a better option to welcome those artifacts onto the market where they will be preserved and cosseted in private collections and possibly museums?

Syria, is this Preservation or Repatriation?

The UN Security Council approved a Russian resolution purporting to help cut into ISIS' funding by clamping down on sales of Syrian antiquities. Instead this will buttress Putin's friend, Assad and result in the repatriation of  undocumented objects that have been out of the country for years back to the exact same murderous regime that bombed the old city of Aleppo into oblivion, that has struck early Islamic sites and whose military is involved in looting in places like Apamea and Palmyra (Cultural Property Observer, 'Preservation or Repatriation?' Thursday, February 12, 2015). Will the archaeological lobby again use the tragedy to resurrect self-serving legislation that will enrich itself?  Or, will they follow the example of their Syrian, Dutch and U. Penn colleagues and seek to address the problem at the source?

 

Wayne Sayles Hounded

Wayne Sayles, indefatigable defender of collector rights has become inurred to sarcasm and ridicule through many years of being an archeoblogger target. It seems that the archeologists with an ax to grind over collecting do not like the truth being told and some of them get very nasty. Over the past few days one of them, whose name I will not dignify with the publicity, took offense at Mr Sayles pointing out the less savory parallels of archeological radicalism with other types and targeted the respected dealer on his blog, and blocked Mr Sayles from replying. Such are the methods of our opponents. In protest, Wayne Sayles published a text pointing out that "Truth is still important", Monday, February 09, 2015 - but announced:

I finally have had enough of the rancor and literal hatred that permeates the cultural property war online. I have tried every possible approach from entreaty to debate and cooperation to litigation. In the process, I've gotten older and more cynical but obviously not wiser. Long ago I should have ignored the archaeobloggers and trolls. Instead, I fell victim to them—wasting valuable time over pointless tit-for-tat, time than cannot be replaced. If I were the emperor, I would banish them all to Pandateria. But, I am not and this is not an internet war game. This is the last post that I will make with any mention of cultural property issues. I am removing all previous posts and starting a new day. The only posts on this blog henceforth will be about ancient coins themselves. My advocacy for private ownership and collecting of ancient coins has not abated, but my willingness to argue the case in this climate has. Everyone knows how I feel and that will not change—this blog will.

I think that is a great shame, but I think we can all look forward to what Mr Sayles has to say about the coins.

Another Pompeii wall collapses

Plants grow on collapsing wall at premier Italy site

Rain in Italy caused a wall in the ancient city of Pompeii to fall down (Rosie Scammel 'Pompeii wall collapses amid heavy rain', The Local 05 Feb 2015). The collapse of the wall in the Garden of Severus is is the latest in a series of weather-related collapses at the country’s most celebrated archaeological site.   Last year parts of the Temple of Venus and other Pompeii walls were damaged by rainfall. The Italian authorities have been criticized for being woefully slow in implementing restoration plans. They quite clearly have not the capabilities to look after what they have and the best hopes for some objects may be to release them to be looked after by private collectors. Unesco has also weighed into the debate, threatening in 2013 to scrap Pompeii from its prestigious World Heritage list if measures were not taken to save the ancient site.  


 

Egypt Military Dictatorship Shoots Own People

As Time publish photos of the recent outrageous shooting of a protestor in Egypt ('The Story Behind the Photo of Shaimaa al-Sabbagh's Dying Moments' Time Jan. 30, 2015), we need to ask is Egypt being  misruled by a government of legitimized thugs? What hope has the people of Egypt, when they are being governed by a corrupt military dictatiorship - albeit clothed in civilian clothes - and supported by a politicized police force and judiciary?