It's a longstanding but bad practice for tourists to take souvenirs from archaeological sites. Still, in yet another case of severe overkill, Italian cops, tipped off by ever vigilant archaeologists, are after a brick taken from Pompeii in 1958. No doubt, US law enforcement will cooperate with this effort and threaten the offending eBay seller with a federal criminal prosecution, but will graciously relent if the seller will just relinquish that old brick his mother brought back from vacation so it can be returned to its rightful home in Italy.
Meanwhile, in Italy itself, Pompeii remains in jeopardy due to the incompetence and corruption of the very officials charged with protecting it. Perhaps, Italian cops and the press should instead be focusing their attention on this present day tragedy rather than on some hapless eBay seller in Tennessee.
Two wrongs make a right?
ReplyDeleteStealing building materials from the site makes things better or worse?
Well they are certainly not equivalent wrong, taking a brick decades ago, compared to current corruption and incompetence of those charged with protecting the site. Not even close.
ReplyDelete