Prominent Collector-Dealer Relieved of his Property s.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014 Collector-Dealer Relieved of his Coins:

The US Government has repatriated several valuable coins produced in Greece millenia ago to that country as part of a plea deal agreed to by prominent collector Peter Weiss. There is no suggestion that the coins that have been repatriated were "stolen" from Greece. Rather, it appears that the only basis for their repatriation was that they were produced in ancient cities now located in that modern nation state and that they were on Dr. Weiss' person at the time of his arrest on an unrelated charge. 

The Herakles coin of Dikaia has not been in Greece for at least 150 years as Duncan Finch has pointed out. This piece previously appeared as lot 828 of the first part of the sale of the collection of Clarence Bement of Philadelphia, sold on 28 January 1924 by Naville and Co. in Lucerne, Switzerland. Previous to that, it came from the collection of Sir Hermann Weber, where it appeared as catalogue number 2354. Weber seemingly got it in the late 19th century.

 Peter Tompa asks whether this seizure of private property of not inconsiderable value and its subsequent forced repatriation is an example of "good police work" or rather of "how culture cops can and do use the threat of criminal conviction to force the repatriation of objects with little regard to concepts of private property that are supposed to be enshrined in our Constitution". And he is right.

Mr Tompa also asks what will happen to the coins themselves. I think we all may doubt that the bankrupt, modern nation state of Greece can be a better steward for their care than American collectors. 

Wine cup used by Pericles found in grave north of Athens

A cup believed to have been used by Classical Greek statesman Pericles has been found in a pauper’s grave in north Athens, according to local reports Wednesday. The ceramic wine cup, smashed in 12 pieces, was found during building construction in the northern Athens suburb of Kifissia, Ta Nea daily said. After piecing it together, archeologists were astounded to find the name “Pericles” scratched under one of its handles, alongside the names of five other men, in apparent order of seniority. Experts are “99 percent” sure that the cup was used by the Athenian statesman, as one of the other names listed, Ariphron, is that of Pericles’ elder brother.

 Read more.

Latest ISIL Culture Crime

Another site lost to Islamist fanatics bent destroying not only places venerated by Christians and Jews, but even other, fellow Muslims. Archaeo-bloggers have been publishing pictures proving that ISIL has dynamited a mosque and shrine devoted to Jonah the Prophet.  It is time the US got tough with these rag-head cavemen. But in the light of evidence like this, how can the anti-collecting ranters claim that artifacts should be repatriated to countries with people like these running around unchecked wantonly destroying everything? They are far better off safe in US collections. 

Ancient Priest’s Tomb Painting Discovered Near Great Pyramid at Giza

A wall painting, dating back over 4,300 years, has been discovered in a tomb located just east of the Great Pyramid of Giza. The painting shows vivid scenes of life, including boats sailing south on the Nile River, a bird hunting trip in a marsh and a man named Perseneb who’s shown with his wife and dog. While Giza is famous for its pyramids, the site also contains fields of tombs that sprawl to the east and west of the Great Pyramid. These tombs were created for private individuals who held varying degrees of rank and power during the Old Kingdom (2649-2150 B.C.), the age when the Giza pyramids were built.

 Read more.

What Do We Really Know about Global Warming?

"fight on – for honest science, affordable energy, accountable government, and better lives for billions of people — and against the dark forces of climate fanaticism. I also know we are being joined by more and more countries, as they increasingly understand the true nature of this ideological conflict.”

Remains of Long-Lost Temple Discovered in Iraq

Life-size human statues and column bases from a long-lost temple dedicated to a supreme god have been discovered in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq. The discoveries date back over 2,500 years to the Iron Age, a time period when several groups — such as the Urartians, Assyrians and Scythians — vied for supremacy over what is now northern Iraq. "I didn’t do excavation, just archaeological soundings —the villagers uncovered these materials accidentally," said Dlshad Marf Zamua, a doctoral student at Leiden University in the Netherlands, who began the fieldwork in 2005.

 Read more.

Chinese Collectors Given Unfair Advantage

Chinese coin experts are coming to America, presumably looking for historical coins to bring back to their homeland. Why has the Archaeological Institute of America and the State Department's Cultural Heritage Center worked so hard to preclude Americans from importing the exact, same coins Chinese collectors enjoy, and now Chinese dealers are now freely exporting back into China?

More at Cultural Property Observer: Sucking Sound