Doomsday 2012: Pop Culture Masquerading as Science and Celebrity Archaeologists

In the 1960's, a damaged Mayan tablet was found that suggested that a cycle in the Mayan calendar would end in December 2012. Enter pop culture, including a History Channel show and soon-to-be released movie, and December 21, 2012 has now become Doomsday. See http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6300744/2012-is-not-the-end-of-the-world-Mayan-elder-insists.html

Media outlets like the "History" and "Discovery" Channels, carry some great, serious programing, but many of their shows can rightfully only be characterized as "entertainment." There is nothing wrong with that, but I wonder about what message that is being sent when archaeologists or scientists appear. Does their mere presence help confuse "pop culture" with "scientific fact," particularly to children?

Under the circumstances, I found it highly ironic when I viewed an archaeologist who has publicly belittled Ancient Coins for Education ("ACE") pontificating on two such "entertainment" programs (though not about the Maya). Here was a highly educated PhD lending her name to what many would consider programs celebrating "junk science." Yet, at a public meeting of the Cultural Property Advisory Committee, she criticized ACE's founder for using ancient coins to teach children about history, apparently because in her mind, that was tantamount to teaching children "to loot."

I would suggest we need more programs like those of ACE. See http://ancientcoinsforeducation.org/ Allowing children to handle common ancient artifacts, like coins, helps encourage learning and true love of history. In contrast, we need fewer celebrity archaeologists and scientists providing the patina of "science" on what is actually pure TV entertainment.

Addendum: For critiques of the History Channel show from 2006 see: http://alignment2012.com/historychannel.html and http://skeptico.blogs.com/skeptico/2006/08/2012_mayan_prop.html

More Art and Politics?

While archaeological bloggers seem unwilling or unable to consider the possibility that politics impacts how nations deal with cultural property issues far more than their polestar of "preservation of context," three recent news stories suggest otherwise.

• France has just announced that it will repatriate some reliefs that Zahi Hawass says were stolen. See http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091007/sc_nm/us_france_egypt_louvre Hawass had threatened to break off contacts with the Louvre on account of it. "Culture Grrl" has noted that the Louvre (which is building a museum in Abu Dhabi) values its ties to the Arabs and the Middle East. See http://www.artsjournal.com/culturegrrl/2009/10/news_flash_hawass_cuts_off_egy.html Apparently so. Unlike the Saint Louis Art Museum (which continues to contest Egypt's claims to the Ka Nefer Nefer Mask), the Louvre has quickly acceded to the Egyptian demands.

• In the meantime, Iran has threatened to cut off ties with the British Museum because the Museum has delayed a loan of the "Cyrus Cylinder." http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aZmy0YWB2aKo The British Government (along with most of the Western world) has raised serious concerns about the recent Iranian election. In return, Iranian authorities have branded Britain the "Little Satan" to associate it with its ally, "the Great Satan," i.e., the United States. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1907066,00.html I suspect the "Cyrus Cylinder" is not leaving the British Museum soon, despite Iranian threats.

• Finally, one museum in Taiwan has declined a donation of the bronze rabbit and rat fountain heads from the Qing Dynasty's Yuanmingyuan (Summer Palace) that were subject of a disputed auction earlier this year. See http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jpBbcQZ9T56kgQFFBVeOcuw1kPzQ Taiwan recently elected a government more friendly to the mainland. Could that have something to do with the decision? Despite the comments of the legislator associated with the ruling party, quite probably.

WW II Veteran Returns Books to German Embassy

The New York Times has carried an AP Story about a former GI returning books he found at the end of WW II to the German Embassy. See http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/10/06/us/politics/AP-US-Law-Books-Germany.html

At the time, he thought he was "liberating" some souvenirs. Today, however, such activities are frowned upon, at least officially.

In any event, it is nice that Germany finally has received back the books, though I suspect they are of limited monetary value.

Will the gesture encourage others to return similar "liberated items?" Perhaps. As WW II Veterans leave us, their children may be less attached to such items, and hence may be more inclined to follow suit, at least in cases where they know their significance.

Archaeologists Warn of Nighthawks While England Celebrates Reported Hoards

David Gill, Paul Barford and like-minded archaeologists may celebrate the Carabinieri's exhibit of repatriated "trophy art," but they can only question whether a massive Anglo-Saxon hoard reported by a member of the public will encourage others to violate the U.K.'s laws. See: http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2009/10/illicit-raids-on-rise.html, http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/2009/10/benefits-of-not-asking-questions.html and
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/6259437/Archaeological-sites-face-ruin-from-treasure-hunting-nighthawkers.html

Never mind that a recent government sponsored survey concluded that "Nighthawking" has actually declined. See: http://www.finds.org.uk/wordpress/?p=680 ("The Report shows that Nighthawking seems to have declined on two counts compared with an earlier survey in 1995, ...").

In the meantime, another large hoard-- this one of some 10,000 coins-- was also reported to the authorities in England. http://forums.canadiancontent.net/history/87101-10-000-roman-coins-unearthed.html Though overshadowed by publicity about the massive Anglo-Saxon hoard, it is also important in its own right as one of the largest found in the area.

Can Italian authorities boast of similar successes?

Is it about "saving antiquities for everyone" or is it really a question of "academic snobbery" and "control?"

Archaeologist David Gill Celebrates Italy's Latest "Trophy Art" Exhibit

Archaeologist and SAFE associated blogger David Gill "celebrates" Italy's latest display of "trophy art" repatriated from North American collections in his latest PRNewswire release. See Looting Matters: Italy continues to celebrate the return of antiquities

But doesn't all this just divert attention from the real problems-- Italy's inablity to reform its cultural bureaucracy, unwillingness to fund its cultural establishment adequately, and to adopt more rational laws-- like the Portable Antiquities Scheme and the Treasure Act --that would ensure that the State only keeps what it can reasonably be expected to take care of?

Gill certainly ignores the politics behind the exhibit. The latest display, celebrating 40 years of the Comando Carabinieri per la Tutela del Patrimonio Culturale, continues the theme of a far more prominent "trophy art" exhibit, entitled "Nostoi," that opened before the last Italian election. Efforts of then Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli, "the Great Repatriator," to use the exhibit to drum up nationalist sentiment and votes before the last election failed miserably. See http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2008/04/arrivederci-rutelli-time-for-rational.html

Rutelli's Center Left Coalition was defeated resoundingly by a Center Right Coalition headed by current Prime Minister Berlusconi. Since then, the Berulsconi Government has taken a less confrontational approach to repatriations and has instead focused its attentions on trying to reform -- with limited success-- Italy's entrenched cultural bureaucracy. See http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2009/01/mario-resca-to-rescue.html In revenge, Italian cultural bureaucrats have helped hype tape-recorded revelations that the Prime Minister failed to report Punic tombs under his Sardinian estate in a sex scandal that the Center Left hopes will undercut Berlusconi's popularity. See http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2009/07/archaeologists-demand-investigation-as.html

The fact that these exhibits are so mixed up with Italian politics should raise questions for "cultural property observers" unencumbered by the "archaeology over all" perspective of Gill and his associates at SAFE. One suspects Italian cultural bureaucrats hope the new exhibit will encourage the government to return to a more aggressive stance on repatriations, and forget about real reforms of the system that could undercut their own power.

But one need look no further than the condition of the Castel Sant' Angelo, where the latest "trophy art" exhibit is being held, to conclude that true reforms are desperately needed. According to a 2005 article, the cultural landmark is badly in need of repair and is in danger of collapse. See http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/hadrians-neglected-mausoleum-close-to-collapse-503950.html

The same can be said of Italy's cultural heritage establishment despite efforts to divert attention away from its problems through "trophy art" exhibits like that publicized in Gill's latest press release.

Bulgarian Constitutional Court Strikes Down Parts of Law on Collecting

The Bulgarian Constitutional Court has struck down parts of a new law that requires Bulgarian collectors to register their collections with the State.

As I understand it from a Bulgarian source,

1. The possessors of cultural goods now can demonstrate their ownership with an invoice, a declaration from a previous owner, etc. It is not necessary to have an "official document" to do so.

2. For cultural goods considered to be "national heritage" one may now be an "owner" without presentation of an official document (issued by the state institution). The law had stated the possessor was only entitled to "hold" the artifact without an official document.

The effect of the ruling will presumably make it easier for Bulgarian collectors to "own" artifacts legally, and, as such, is a recognition that ancient artifacts are sold quite openly in Bulgaria, despite suggestions to the contrary on some of the archaeological blogs.

Culture and Conflict: The United States and the 1954 Hague Convention

The Lawyers' Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation and the United States Committee for the Blue Cross and Blue Shield have announced a conference on Oct. 22-23, 2009, about the domestic and international implementation of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. See http://www.culturalheritagelaw.org/events/lcchp-events/culture-conflict-conference

Both these organizations were instrumental in getting the United States Senate to ratify the 1954 Hague Convention, see http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/search/label/1954%20Hague%20Convention and the topic is an important one.

I also understand that there will be an earlier, invitation only "closed forum" on domestic implementation of the 1954 Hague Convention with government decision makers as well.

This begs the question why such secrecy is necessary and again suggests that archaeological organizations often seem to get "behind the scenes" access not readily available to others. Surely, despite protestations to the contrary by some elements within the archaeological community, see http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2008/08/caari-vp-ellen-herscher-response-to.html , archaeologists do lobby, and quite effectively at that.