Preserving Iraq's Jewish Heritage

From Peter Tompa's excellent "Cultural Property Observer" blog:

Bipartisan Resolution Condemning Repatriation of the Iraqi Jewish Archive Introduced in the House

Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Congressman Steven Israel (D-NY) have introduced a resolution, HR 505, recommending that the US renegotiate the return of the Iraqi Jewish Archive so that the rights of the Iraqi Jewish community in exile are protected.  The resolution mirrors an earlier one that passed by unanimous consent in the Senate.  Will the State Department and its Cultural Heritage take heed of these resolutions or will they be ignored?  And, if so, will Congress take additional action to stop the repatriation?   And what of the ardent repatriationists in the archaeological community?  Will they actively oppose the resolution and what it stands for?

Let us hope reason prevails over mistaken ideology. We owe it to Iraq's Jewish community.

In Whose Interest? Not Mine.

A recent comment in the Art Newspaper reveals the academic snobbery that lurks beneath all the self-righteous calls for import restrictions, perspicaciously observes Peter Tompa (Cultural Property Observer) in his text "AIA to Collectors: You Don't Count!". As far as the AIA are concerned:

only the interests of "art historians, archaeologists, anthropologists and museum professionals" count. And what of the collectors and their view that MOUs should not be used to justify clamp downs on collecting commonplace items like historical coins that are widely and legally available abroad? They may dominate public comment to CPAC, but their interests don't even merit any mention. More evidence, it any were needed, that MOUs are little more than special interest programs for connected academic insiders.

We must all do what we can to stop this, it is our duty as citizens.

Antiquities and Coin Collectors Beware

An important call to action from Peter Tompa ("Cultural Property Observer"):

Antiquities and Coin Collectors Beware; It Could Happen to You African Elephants deserve protection, but should this mean effectively banning the sale of antiques made of ivory? And what of public consultation? Shouldn't there be an opportunity for collectors to make their concerns known before such a ban is put in force? One would think so, but as Doug Bandow, a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, has forcefully argued that has not happened. Indeed, instead of writing new rules and allowing for meaningful public notice and comment, the Obama Administration has simply reinterpreted current rules in a new, particularly draconian fashion to pursue what can only be characterized as a prohibitionist agenda. Antiquities and coin collectors beware; there are some at the Archaeological Institute of America, the US State Department and US Customs who would love nothing more than to achieve a similar ban on the sale of all antiquities and historical coins. Only continued vigilance can stop this from happening.

And the time to start is now. Stop the erosion of our freedoms by government overreach.

Ancient Egyptian Soldier’s Letter Home Deciphered

The value of old papyri and the information they contain about past lives:

A newly deciphered letter home dating back around 1,800 years reveals the pleas of a young Egyptian soldier named Aurelius Polion who was serving, probably as a volunteer, in a Roman legion in Europe. In the letter, written mainly in Greek, Polion tells his family that he is desperate to hear from them and that he is going to request leave to make the long journey home to see them. Addressed to his mother (a bread seller), sister and brother, part of it reads: “I pray that you are in good health night and day, and I always make obeisance before all the gods on your behalf. I do not cease writing to you, but you do not have me in mind,” it reads. [...] The letter was found outside a temple in the Egyptian town of Tebtunis more than a century ago by an archaeological expedition led by Bernard Grenfell and Arthur Hunt. They found numerous papyri in the town and did not have time to translate all of them. Recently Grant Adamson, a doctoral candidate at Rice University, took up the task of translating the papyrus. Read more.

Damaged Pompeii to receive Italy rescue funds

Damaged Pompeii to receive Italy rescue fund

Italy says it will unblock 2m euros (£1.6m) in emergency funding to save the ancient city of Pompeii, after flooding caused walls to collapse. A number of structures, including the Temple of Venus and Roma, were damaged by heavy rainfall on Sunday and Monday. The decay prompted calls for action from the European Union and the United Nations. Read more

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Former CPAC Member Critiques Renewal of China MOU

Former CPAC Member Critiques Renewal of China MOU

The Art Newspaper has published former CPAC member Kate FitzGibbon's devastating critique of the State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs' renewal of a controversial MOU with China.  Ms. FitzGibbon argues with some force that the State Department's secretive processes have been used to cover up decision-making that only advantages the interests of China's antiquities collecting and selling elites, most notably those connected to the People's Liberation Army.

Roundtable on the Reform of US Cultural Property Policy

On Wednesday, April 30, 2014 the Committee for Cultural Policy is hosting a roundtable of museum and legal specialists in Washington D.C. This will discuss how America can preserve heritage worldwide while enabling the movement of art between nations and cultures and honoring our museums’ commitments to research, publish, and exhibit the art of the world. The panel will address practical steps to resolve serious issues in current cultural policy affecting the public interest. Conflicting laws create uncertainty for museums and private collectors, secrecy and failure to abide by Congressional mandate in government agencies, and the prospect of hundreds of thousands of art objects in circulation in private collections without clear title.

The discussion will also include comments on A Proposal to Reform U.S. Law and Policy Relating to the Exchange of Cultural Property, by William G. Pearlstein.