Cultural Heritage Center in Conservative Cross-Hairs

The State Department and its Cultural Heritage Center find themselves in conservative cross-hairs for wasteful spending in their Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Heritage Preservation.   The Weekly Standard paints a picture of a misguided "soft power" effort that has spent millions in anti-American countries.  In so doing, the author, Stephen Schwartz, focuses on the foolishness of giving millions for restoration projects to the same Assad regime which has bombed the Old City of Aleppo into rubble.

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Egypt's Most Iconic Object Irreparably Damaged in a Botched Cleaning and Restoration Effort

King Tut's Gold Mask, Egypt's most iconic object, has been irreparably damaged in a botched cleaning and restoration effort.  The idea of using epoxy (!!!) to fix such an iconic object is beyond belief. This horrible news is part of a pattern, the Egyptians cannot look after a hugely important area of world heritage.  Just recently, allegations also surfaced that an unqualified contracting firm had also botched the restoration of the Step Pyramid. 

All this raises a simple question.  Is this really time to help legitimize the Egyptian Military Dictatorship with a MOU that will in effect recognize its rights to exclusive control over every artifact deemed "Egyptian?"

Poor Stewardship on the Nile

Alex Ortiz, '"Tut, tut!" say critics over disastrous pharaonic shave', CBS News January 22, 2015.

 

Egypt's Most Iconic Object Irreparably Damaged in a Botched Cleaning and Restoration Effort - King Tutankhamun's gold mask,  most iconic object, has been irreparably damaged in a botched cleaning and restoration effort.  by Egyptian archeologists. This  horrible news is part of a pattern.  Just recently, allegations also surfaced that an unqualified contracting firm had also botched the restoration of the Step Pyramid.  Is this really time to help legitimize the Egyptian Military Dictatorship with a MOU that will in effect recognize its rights to exclusive control over every artifact deemed "Egyptian? 

It's Official: AIA Against All Dealing in Cultural Artifacts-Violators to Be Terminated

The AIA has now also made quite clear that it's against all trade and private ownership of archaeological objects, not just those without a collection history dating back before the 1970 UNESCO Convention. The stated intent of this new rule makes private ownership itself, not just illicit commerce in antiquities, the AIA target.

132-year-old Winchester ’73 found leaning against tree

Eva Jensen, Cultural Resource Program Manager at Great Basin National Park in eastern Nevada’s Snake mountain range, was exploring the park with the archeology team looking for Native American artifacts on November 6th, 2014, when she spotted an object leaning against a Juniper tree. Upon closer examination, she saw that it was a rifle so cracked and weathered that it was perfectly camouflaged by the cracked and weathered tree behind it. The grayed wood stock was embedded in the dirt, leaves and rocks at the base of the tree. Eva Jensen had to carefully dig away the debris in order to liberate the rifle. Once able to examine the whole thing, the team spied “Model 1873″ engraved on the iron gun body, the classic imprimatur of the Winchester ’73, “the gun that won the West.”

More here: '132-year-old Winchester ’73 found leaning against tree'.

In Defense of the Trade

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". 

Collectors not the Ones at Fault

Another of the archeological anti-collecting crusaders goes on record  playing the "social conscience" card. Instead of blaming collectors for looting, the needs of conservation would be better served if archeologists addressed the abject poverty that motivates looting, by employing local diggers paid a living wage, paying for site guards in the long off-season, and ensuring significant items they find stay and get displayed in local communities rather than being packed off to store rooms in some far off national museum. And yes, really what's wrong with selling off some duplicates for the benefit of the local community and collectors after they have been properly recorded?