Showing posts with label David Gill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Gill. Show all posts
Object Registry Fragment Foolishness
Archaeo-Blogger David Gill wants more details of the Met�s 10,000 or so vase fragments placed en masse on the AAMD�s object registry. Presumably Gill wants each pictured separately to facilitate detailed study of their potential origin so additional pieces can be repatriated to Italy or perhaps Greece or Turkey. But why should the AAMD�s procedures be the same for the $10,000,000 artifact as for the $10 artifact? Gill�s confidant Nathan Elkins has already recognized that coins�given the sheer numbers that have survived-- should not be treated as the AIA treats other artifacts. Gill should give vase fragments the same break.
Now is it Time to Free the Coins?
The dysfunctional Italian justice system has finally freed Amanda Knox after concluding she was probably not guilty of murder after all.
But what of the dysfunctional Italian cultural bureaucracy?
As its poor stewardship of major cultural sites like Pompeii shows, it has failed miserably at its core mission of preserving Italy's unparallelled cultural patrimony.
Perhaps, then its not all that surprising that the Italian cultural bureaucracy has instead spent so much time and effort diverting attention away from its own failings by pointing the finger at collectors and auction houses and claiming that they are responsible for looting.
But will funding shortfalls force a change in approach? Not likely, at least while the Italian cultural bureaucracy receives noisy support from archaeologists and their friends in the State Department Cultural Heritage Center bureaucracy.
But does that make it right?
Here, for example, is the reaction of one collector to Archaeo-blogger David Gill's continuing campaign against Christie's auction house on behalf of Italian authorities:
The hypocrisy of David Gill's recent posts (see http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2011/10/christies-on-cultural-property.html
http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2011/10/schinoussa-archive-and-italian.html)
really is too much. First he plays gotcha with Christie's based on stills from the "Schinoussa Archive" and then he accuses Christie's of failing to cooperate with other international institutions. Objects like those terracottas would never make it to auction if Gill and his colleagues would cooperate and share the Schinoussa images with auction houses and the public. No auction house would put obviously problematic material on the market and no buyer would buy it. Gill, by refusing to cooperate with auction houses and dealers, is doing more to further the sales of illegally obtained objects than the average Italian looter.
Why can't the Italian authorities make this archive publicly available rather than cooperating in Gill's game of gotcha?
And, on another note, how crazy is it that courtesy of the Italian cultural bureaucracy, the AIA and the State Department most ancient Italian coins of Greek and early Roman Republican types are off limits to American collectors-- while Italians themselves as well as other collectors world-wide can import the same coins no questions asked. If it is really necessary to impose import restrictions on coins, how about at least requiring some proof that they are the products recent illicit excavation?
Yes, its time to publish the Schinoussa archive and to free the coins.
But what of the dysfunctional Italian cultural bureaucracy?
As its poor stewardship of major cultural sites like Pompeii shows, it has failed miserably at its core mission of preserving Italy's unparallelled cultural patrimony.
Perhaps, then its not all that surprising that the Italian cultural bureaucracy has instead spent so much time and effort diverting attention away from its own failings by pointing the finger at collectors and auction houses and claiming that they are responsible for looting.
But will funding shortfalls force a change in approach? Not likely, at least while the Italian cultural bureaucracy receives noisy support from archaeologists and their friends in the State Department Cultural Heritage Center bureaucracy.
But does that make it right?
Here, for example, is the reaction of one collector to Archaeo-blogger David Gill's continuing campaign against Christie's auction house on behalf of Italian authorities:
The hypocrisy of David Gill's recent posts (see http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2011/10/christies-on-cultural-property.html
http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2011/10/schinoussa-archive-and-italian.html)
really is too much. First he plays gotcha with Christie's based on stills from the "Schinoussa Archive" and then he accuses Christie's of failing to cooperate with other international institutions. Objects like those terracottas would never make it to auction if Gill and his colleagues would cooperate and share the Schinoussa images with auction houses and the public. No auction house would put obviously problematic material on the market and no buyer would buy it. Gill, by refusing to cooperate with auction houses and dealers, is doing more to further the sales of illegally obtained objects than the average Italian looter.
Why can't the Italian authorities make this archive publicly available rather than cooperating in Gill's game of gotcha?
And, on another note, how crazy is it that courtesy of the Italian cultural bureaucracy, the AIA and the State Department most ancient Italian coins of Greek and early Roman Republican types are off limits to American collectors-- while Italians themselves as well as other collectors world-wide can import the same coins no questions asked. If it is really necessary to impose import restrictions on coins, how about at least requiring some proof that they are the products recent illicit excavation?
Yes, its time to publish the Schinoussa archive and to free the coins.
Slim Public Support for Italian Import Restrictions Raises Questions About State Department Special Interest Program for Archaeologists
Politcos within the Obama State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and Diplomats from the Italian Embassy take note: a recent FOIA request reveals that CPAC only received thirteen (13) public comments in support of controversial import restrictions on "coins of Italian type."
Not that there really was any groundswell of public support for renewing the Italian MOU in the first place. Indeed, CPAC received only about one hundred (100) comments in favor of renewing the MOU at all.
Who supported the renewal of the MOU? The American public? Well, maybe only one or two individuals identified themselves as such. No, as one might expect, virtually all the support came from archaeologists who excavate in Italy, their students or their "trade associations."
And who supported restrictions on coins? Well, the AIA, Lawyer's Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation, a few professors and students from NYU (Home of Pro-Restriction CPAC member Joan Connelly) and foreign archaeo-bloggers like David Gill and Paul Barford.
Contrast this with the one thousand nine hundred (1,900) plus public comments opposed to the extension of import restrictions on ancient coins.
Given this disparity, one can only ask: What gives? Why has the State Department disadvantaged the interests of American collectors and the small businesses of the numismatic trade by imposing hard to meet documentation requirements when the support for such restrictions is so limited?
And more to the point, has State Department Cultural Heritage Center staff told the political appointees at State and the diplomats at the Italian Embassy how thin the support actually is for restrictions?
Not that there really was any groundswell of public support for renewing the Italian MOU in the first place. Indeed, CPAC received only about one hundred (100) comments in favor of renewing the MOU at all.
Who supported the renewal of the MOU? The American public? Well, maybe only one or two individuals identified themselves as such. No, as one might expect, virtually all the support came from archaeologists who excavate in Italy, their students or their "trade associations."
And who supported restrictions on coins? Well, the AIA, Lawyer's Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation, a few professors and students from NYU (Home of Pro-Restriction CPAC member Joan Connelly) and foreign archaeo-bloggers like David Gill and Paul Barford.
Contrast this with the one thousand nine hundred (1,900) plus public comments opposed to the extension of import restrictions on ancient coins.
Given this disparity, one can only ask: What gives? Why has the State Department disadvantaged the interests of American collectors and the small businesses of the numismatic trade by imposing hard to meet documentation requirements when the support for such restrictions is so limited?
And more to the point, has State Department Cultural Heritage Center staff told the political appointees at State and the diplomats at the Italian Embassy how thin the support actually is for restrictions?
Collector Gifts Hoard to Athens Numismatic Museum After Study
Noted collector Jonathan Kagan has gifted a hoard of coins struck in Abdera to the Athens Numismatic collection after publishing them in a study dedicated to numismatic scholar (and AIA member) John Kroll. See
http://archaeologymatters2.blogspot.com/2011/07/return-of-coin-hoard-to-greece.html
The Greek cultural establishment and archaeologists will no doubt politicize this gift as a repatriation that helps argue for support for the recently announced Greek MOU. But, what are the odds that Greek authorities would have published the hoard, particularly given cuts to Greece's cultural establishment? And if the Greeks and archaeologists are so concerned about unprovenanced coins, why don't we hear more about the unprovenanced coins in Greek public and private collections, most notably valuable unprovenanced Athenian Decadrachms, recently added to the collections of both the Alpha Bank and Numismatic Collection in Athens? Scholarly publications place the find spots of virtually all of these coins as being outside of Greece. David Gill and Paul Barford, where are you?
http://archaeologymatters2.blogspot.com/2011/07/return-of-coin-hoard-to-greece.html
The Greek cultural establishment and archaeologists will no doubt politicize this gift as a repatriation that helps argue for support for the recently announced Greek MOU. But, what are the odds that Greek authorities would have published the hoard, particularly given cuts to Greece's cultural establishment? And if the Greeks and archaeologists are so concerned about unprovenanced coins, why don't we hear more about the unprovenanced coins in Greek public and private collections, most notably valuable unprovenanced Athenian Decadrachms, recently added to the collections of both the Alpha Bank and Numismatic Collection in Athens? Scholarly publications place the find spots of virtually all of these coins as being outside of Greece. David Gill and Paul Barford, where are you?
Image: Unprovenanced Athenian Decadrachm in Alpha Bank Collection
Hawass: No Guilt By Association!
I had to chuckle when I heard Zahi Hawass in the middle of a NBC story about restoration work on the step pyramid have to assert in the words of the reporter that he was "the victim of a witch hunt for anyone who worked for the old regime." See
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/43778980#43778980 (1:59).
Hawass' allies in the archaeological establishment like blogger David Gill should heed their hero's message. Yet, Gill in particular is predictably doing his darnedest to use "guilt by association" to damage the reputations of targets as diverse as the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the C. Carlos Museum, and the Ancient Coin Collectors Guild. See
http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2011/07/accg-charity-charged.html and
http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2011/07/lewis-collection-and-virginia-mfa.html
Gill purports to be a serious scholar and the AIA deems his work worthy of an award. Based on such foolishness, however, one has to question whether either is the case.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/43778980#43778980 (1:59).
Hawass' allies in the archaeological establishment like blogger David Gill should heed their hero's message. Yet, Gill in particular is predictably doing his darnedest to use "guilt by association" to damage the reputations of targets as diverse as the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the C. Carlos Museum, and the Ancient Coin Collectors Guild. See
http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2011/07/accg-charity-charged.html and
http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2011/07/lewis-collection-and-virginia-mfa.html
Gill purports to be a serious scholar and the AIA deems his work worthy of an award. Based on such foolishness, however, one has to question whether either is the case.
Misplaced Priorities?
AFP reports that Bulgarian authorites are spending up to 320,000 Euros to repatriate minor Bulgarian artifacts allegedly smuggled into Canada. See
http://www.france24.com/en/20110616-bulgaria-brings-home-smuggled-antiquities-canada#
As is the case with many similar reports, we'll never know the actual facts because the importer abandoned the property.
Meanwhile, Bulgarian archaeologists are lamenting their country's lack of care for its world class archaeological sites. See
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=128889 The report also claims that up to 300,000 Bulgarians are part time treasure hunters.
It seems to me Bulgarian money would be better spent on security for sites under active archaeological investigation and on a treasure trove program for the rest.
Reports of repatriations may be fodder for the likes of archaeo-bloggers David Gill and Paul Barford, but ultimately don't they also just serve as a distraction from the poor stewardship of countries like Bulgaria for their archaeological sites?
http://www.france24.com/en/20110616-bulgaria-brings-home-smuggled-antiquities-canada#
As is the case with many similar reports, we'll never know the actual facts because the importer abandoned the property.
Meanwhile, Bulgarian archaeologists are lamenting their country's lack of care for its world class archaeological sites. See
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=128889 The report also claims that up to 300,000 Bulgarians are part time treasure hunters.
It seems to me Bulgarian money would be better spent on security for sites under active archaeological investigation and on a treasure trove program for the rest.
Reports of repatriations may be fodder for the likes of archaeo-bloggers David Gill and Paul Barford, but ultimately don't they also just serve as a distraction from the poor stewardship of countries like Bulgaria for their archaeological sites?
"Any chance of using any influence you might have to get all the Medici photos published?"
So asks the only collector congratulating Archaeo-blogger David Gill on his award from the AIA. See http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2011/06/archaeological-institute-of-america.html
But why should Gill accede to such a request? He's gained much of his notoriety by ambushing unsuspecting collectors and auction houses with pictures from the Medici archives that he evidently has special access to. During the CPAC hearing on a renewal of the Italian MOU, lawyer Bill Pearlstein asked CPAC to condition any renewal on making these pictures public so that this looted material could be identified by the market. We don't know if CPAC adopted that suggestion in its recommendations to ECA Assistant Secretary Ann Stock, but we do know that the State Department did not incorporate that reasonable request in the revised MOU with Italy.
So, David Gill should also give thanks to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Cultural Heritage Center for allowing him to continue his game of "gotcha" and the notoriety embarrassing others gives him.
But why should Gill accede to such a request? He's gained much of his notoriety by ambushing unsuspecting collectors and auction houses with pictures from the Medici archives that he evidently has special access to. During the CPAC hearing on a renewal of the Italian MOU, lawyer Bill Pearlstein asked CPAC to condition any renewal on making these pictures public so that this looted material could be identified by the market. We don't know if CPAC adopted that suggestion in its recommendations to ECA Assistant Secretary Ann Stock, but we do know that the State Department did not incorporate that reasonable request in the revised MOU with Italy.
So, David Gill should also give thanks to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Cultural Heritage Center for allowing him to continue his game of "gotcha" and the notoriety embarrassing others gives him.
Archaeo-Blogger David Gill Gets AIA's "Outstanding Public Service Award"
Anyone who has deluded himself into thinking that the AIA takes a "moderate stance" on collecting should take note: David Gill has announced on his own blog that the the AIA has given him its "Outstanding Public Service Award:" See
http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2011/06/archaeological-institute-of-america.html
In so doing, the AIA has indicated its support for Gill's brand of Internet Cultural Property Vigilantism where accusation is all too often confused with hard fact.
Apparently, the award recognises Gill's "ongoing efforts to educate both professional archaeologists and the public at large on the threats posed by the international antiquities trade".
Note the citation does not mention an "illicit" trade. Presumably, the AIA hardliners view the international antiquities trade to be "evil" in and of itself so "illicit" is just assumed. That certainly is the tact all too often taken by Professor Gill in his blog.
http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2011/06/archaeological-institute-of-america.html
In so doing, the AIA has indicated its support for Gill's brand of Internet Cultural Property Vigilantism where accusation is all too often confused with hard fact.
Apparently, the award recognises Gill's "ongoing efforts to educate both professional archaeologists and the public at large on the threats posed by the international antiquities trade".
Note the citation does not mention an "illicit" trade. Presumably, the AIA hardliners view the international antiquities trade to be "evil" in and of itself so "illicit" is just assumed. That certainly is the tact all too often taken by Professor Gill in his blog.
Smithsonian Magazine Now Under Attack
Archaeo-bloggers Gill and Barford now have Smithsonian Magazine in their sights for publishing pictures of undocumented Mayan artifacts. See
http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2011/06/publishing-recently-surfaced-mayan-pots.html
and http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/2011/06/looted-pots-in-smithsonian-magazine.html
This is yet more overkill. The AIA's policy against publication of undocumented artifacts was originally meant to ensure that papers were properly documented from a scientific perspective. But Smithsonian Magazine is meant for a general audience. And, as a subscriber, I'm happy Smithsonian does not limit its illustrations only to artifacts from documented archaeological excavations.
http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2011/06/publishing-recently-surfaced-mayan-pots.html
and http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/2011/06/looted-pots-in-smithsonian-magazine.html
This is yet more overkill. The AIA's policy against publication of undocumented artifacts was originally meant to ensure that papers were properly documented from a scientific perspective. But Smithsonian Magazine is meant for a general audience. And, as a subscriber, I'm happy Smithsonian does not limit its illustrations only to artifacts from documented archaeological excavations.
Archaeological World Silent as World Class Afghan Buddhist Site to be Bulldozed
The Art Newspaper is reporting about limited salvage efforts going on at an important Buddhist site in Afghanistan. See http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Race-to-save-Buddhist-relics-in-former-Bin-Laden-camp/23443 Ths site is scheduled to be destroyed shortly for a Chinese owned copper mine.
Groups like the AIA and SAFE and archaeo-bloggers like Gill and Barford are constantly viligent when it comes to "looting." Yet, they remain strangely silent about the state sanctioned destruction of world class archaeological sites. Are there double standards at work?
Groups like the AIA and SAFE and archaeo-bloggers like Gill and Barford are constantly viligent when it comes to "looting." Yet, they remain strangely silent about the state sanctioned destruction of world class archaeological sites. Are there double standards at work?
Hawass: The Debate Continues, Asset or Ass?
The fate of Zahi Hawass continues to be debated in the press:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/is-the-face-of-egyptian-culture-the-next-to-topple/article1913442/page1/
Most seriously, there have been allegations that funds have gone missing from Hawass' Ministry. See http://phdiva.blogspot.com/2011/02/problems-with-sca-in-egypt.html
USAID, US Museums, National Geographic and the Discovery Channel have all paid millions in foreign aid and payments for TV specials and travelling shows. Perhaps, there needs to be an investigation as to whether this money went to support Egyptian archaeology or the lifestyles of Mubarak cronies.
For now though, Egypt's military rulers will decide whether Hawass' international celebrity will save him from the fate of other Mubarak government ministers.
Meanwhile, in otherworldly archaeological circles there is the claim that recent events actually support continued repatriation. See
http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/nefertiti-and-parthenon-marbles.html
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/is-the-face-of-egyptian-culture-the-next-to-topple/article1913442/page1/
Most seriously, there have been allegations that funds have gone missing from Hawass' Ministry. See http://phdiva.blogspot.com/2011/02/problems-with-sca-in-egypt.html
USAID, US Museums, National Geographic and the Discovery Channel have all paid millions in foreign aid and payments for TV specials and travelling shows. Perhaps, there needs to be an investigation as to whether this money went to support Egyptian archaeology or the lifestyles of Mubarak cronies.
For now though, Egypt's military rulers will decide whether Hawass' international celebrity will save him from the fate of other Mubarak government ministers.
Meanwhile, in otherworldly archaeological circles there is the claim that recent events actually support continued repatriation. See
http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/nefertiti-and-parthenon-marbles.html
SLAM Pushes Back
The Saint Louis Museum of Art has filed a lawsuit against the US Government to enjoin it from seizing the Ka-Nefer-Nefer mummy mask.
See http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/02/16/34223.htm (Complaint may be found at end of story).
The Complaint demonstrates the role of activists take in encouraging efforts to repatriate artifacts. In this case, the Complaint alleges that Ton Cremers, former operator of the Dutch based "Museum Security Network," pressed for the mask's return even before current Egyptian Minister of Antiquities (for the moment at least) Zahi Hawass took up the issue and it became a cause celebre for archaeo-bloggers David Gill and Paul Barford. See http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/search?q=SLAM and http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/search/label/SLAM
President Bush appointed Brent Benjamin, SLAM's Director, to CPAC, but the State Department failed to swear in Benjamin to this post before the end of the Bush Administration, and has apparently taken the position that his appointment lapsed with the onset of the Obama Administration. It is unclear whether a campaign against Benjamin orchestrated by the archaeological lobby impacted the decision.
See http://ordinarymag.blogspot.com/2008/10/safe-campaign-against-appointment-of.html
The Complaint also mentions Bonnie Magness-Gardiner, who is a manager of the FBI's Art Theft Program. Ms. Magness-Gardiner formally was a staff archaeologist for the Cultural Property Advisory Committee.
See http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/02/16/34223.htm (Complaint may be found at end of story).
The Complaint demonstrates the role of activists take in encouraging efforts to repatriate artifacts. In this case, the Complaint alleges that Ton Cremers, former operator of the Dutch based "Museum Security Network," pressed for the mask's return even before current Egyptian Minister of Antiquities (for the moment at least) Zahi Hawass took up the issue and it became a cause celebre for archaeo-bloggers David Gill and Paul Barford. See http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/search?q=SLAM and http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/search/label/SLAM
President Bush appointed Brent Benjamin, SLAM's Director, to CPAC, but the State Department failed to swear in Benjamin to this post before the end of the Bush Administration, and has apparently taken the position that his appointment lapsed with the onset of the Obama Administration. It is unclear whether a campaign against Benjamin orchestrated by the archaeological lobby impacted the decision.
See http://ordinarymag.blogspot.com/2008/10/safe-campaign-against-appointment-of.html
The Complaint also mentions Bonnie Magness-Gardiner, who is a manager of the FBI's Art Theft Program. Ms. Magness-Gardiner formally was a staff archaeologist for the Cultural Property Advisory Committee.
Playing with Fire
There have been reports that a pro-Mubarak mob allegedly comprised of off-duty police has been hurling "Molotov Cocktails" (petrol bombs) at anti-Mubarak protesters near the famed Egyptian Museum. See
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/50500/
The museum remains undamaged by fire-- so far at least. Meanwhile, more suspicions have been raised that the police and museum workers were involved in earlier looting and vandalism that took place at the museum. See http://www.talkingpyramids.com/who-looted-the-egyptian-museum/ And even ardent supporters of repatriation of Egyptian artifacts are starting to doubt the official "party line" as stated by Egypt's new Minister of Antiquities, Zahi Hawass. See http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/2011/02/egypt-declares-treasures-safe.html
and http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/looting-at-saqqara.html
Yet, the AIA and those archaeologists already clamoring for emergency restrictions on Egyptian cultural artifacts remain unwilling to openly criticize Hawass and the Murbarak government for its handling of the issue as well as the probable links between the security services and those who looted and vandalized the Museum.
This raises the question whether concerns about jeopardizing excavation permits has quieted archaeologists from raising the question who really should be held responsible for putting Egypt's unparallelled cultural treasures in jeopardy. This, of course, stands in stark contrast to the quick blame that was heaped on the US Military and the Bush Administration in the immediate aftermath of the looting of the Iraq Museum. Are double standards motivated by self-interest at work?
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/50500/
The museum remains undamaged by fire-- so far at least. Meanwhile, more suspicions have been raised that the police and museum workers were involved in earlier looting and vandalism that took place at the museum. See http://www.talkingpyramids.com/who-looted-the-egyptian-museum/ And even ardent supporters of repatriation of Egyptian artifacts are starting to doubt the official "party line" as stated by Egypt's new Minister of Antiquities, Zahi Hawass. See http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/2011/02/egypt-declares-treasures-safe.html
and http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/looting-at-saqqara.html
Yet, the AIA and those archaeologists already clamoring for emergency restrictions on Egyptian cultural artifacts remain unwilling to openly criticize Hawass and the Murbarak government for its handling of the issue as well as the probable links between the security services and those who looted and vandalized the Museum.
This raises the question whether concerns about jeopardizing excavation permits has quieted archaeologists from raising the question who really should be held responsible for putting Egypt's unparallelled cultural treasures in jeopardy. This, of course, stands in stark contrast to the quick blame that was heaped on the US Military and the Bush Administration in the immediate aftermath of the looting of the Iraq Museum. Are double standards motivated by self-interest at work?
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