The Archaeological Institute of America has uploaded its 2011 Site Preservation Report on its website. See
http://www.archaeological.org/sites/default/files/files/2011%20Annual%20Report%20pdfa.pdf
While I'm all for the AIA soliciting private funds for site preservation, I wonder if the AIA's donors have been informed that their money also goes to lobbying activities directed against antiquities and coin collectors and the small businesses that supply them with artifacts and coins.
Monday, May 2, 2011
SAFE Seeks Its Pound of Flesh
Saving Antiquities for Everyone has posted its plea for harsh justice to be meted out in the Four Corners case. See http://safecorner.savingantiquities.org/2011/04/will-sentencing-continue-to-disregard.html
It's not unexpected that the SAFE fanatics want their pound of flesh, but I find it interesting that SAFE President Cindy Ho first thought it necessary to ask the federal judge who is sentencing the defendants for his permission to publish their letter, but when that permission was not received, she published her letter anyway.
More importantly, its also worth noting that Ho's correspondence concludes,
We believe that the intentional violation of federal laws cannot be justified for certain communities or individuals. Even those who disagree with a particular aspect of the law must uphold it. If they do not, they should be held accountable for their actions.
That begs the question whether SAFE also feels that lawless behavior by the State Department Cultural Heritage Center as catalogued by Urice and Adler and at the recent CPRI Capitol Hill seminar should also subject State Department employees to discipline. Or, do the ends justify the means as far as SAFE is concerned?
Addendum: Derek Fincham has a thoughtful post on this issue contrasting the views on this sentencing. He notes that the Defendants in question include a mother and daughter whose husband and father committed suicide in the wake of the allegations. See
http://illicit-cultural-property.blogspot.com/2011/05/looting-and-criminal-sentencing-in-four.html It would seem they have suffered enough.
It's not unexpected that the SAFE fanatics want their pound of flesh, but I find it interesting that SAFE President Cindy Ho first thought it necessary to ask the federal judge who is sentencing the defendants for his permission to publish their letter, but when that permission was not received, she published her letter anyway.
More importantly, its also worth noting that Ho's correspondence concludes,
We believe that the intentional violation of federal laws cannot be justified for certain communities or individuals. Even those who disagree with a particular aspect of the law must uphold it. If they do not, they should be held accountable for their actions.
That begs the question whether SAFE also feels that lawless behavior by the State Department Cultural Heritage Center as catalogued by Urice and Adler and at the recent CPRI Capitol Hill seminar should also subject State Department employees to discipline. Or, do the ends justify the means as far as SAFE is concerned?
Addendum: Derek Fincham has a thoughtful post on this issue contrasting the views on this sentencing. He notes that the Defendants in question include a mother and daughter whose husband and father committed suicide in the wake of the allegations. See
http://illicit-cultural-property.blogspot.com/2011/05/looting-and-criminal-sentencing-in-four.html It would seem they have suffered enough.
Friday, April 29, 2011
ANS Database Upgraded
The American Numismatic Society has upgraded the ability of scholars and collectors to search its extensive collection of ancient coins. For more, see
http://www.coinsweekly.com/en/News/4?&id=565
As the story explains,
The new search tool is an open source implementation of several applications used in the Library, Archive, and Museum communities, including Apache Solr for faceted searching. The tool enables users to interact with the ANS collection through keyword searches or by browsing and sorting on numerous categorical and physical attributes common to numismatics. This search tool connects individual objects together by these searchable attributes, allowing users to seamlessly navigate from one object to its relations.
http://www.coinsweekly.com/en/News/4?&id=565
As the story explains,
The new search tool is an open source implementation of several applications used in the Library, Archive, and Museum communities, including Apache Solr for faceted searching. The tool enables users to interact with the ANS collection through keyword searches or by browsing and sorting on numerous categorical and physical attributes common to numismatics. This search tool connects individual objects together by these searchable attributes, allowing users to seamlessly navigate from one object to its relations.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
None of their Business?
It's odd to see Archaeo-Blogger Paul Barford and other archaeologists criticising the Governments of Singapore and Indonesia over an exhibit about a wreck that was excavated according to the laws of Indonesia. See
http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/2011/04/smithsonian-ponders-ethics-of-showing.html
Barford and the others don't like the fact that a foreign government entered into a public-private partnership with a commercial salvor to excavate the site rather than fund some University to do it, but I doubt taxpayers in Indonesia are complaining.
Frankly, given the costs involved, it's doubtful that the wreck would have been professionally salvaged at all without offering a private salvor an incentive to do it. Rather, it's far more likely that local fishermen would have mined the wreck for items without recording them. Perhaps, the situation is not ideal, but the Indonesian government seems to have taken a realistic approach to to the issue.
In any case, dosn't Barford usually claim it's no business of foreigners to lecture source countries on how to manage their own cultural resources?
http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/2011/04/smithsonian-ponders-ethics-of-showing.html
Barford and the others don't like the fact that a foreign government entered into a public-private partnership with a commercial salvor to excavate the site rather than fund some University to do it, but I doubt taxpayers in Indonesia are complaining.
Frankly, given the costs involved, it's doubtful that the wreck would have been professionally salvaged at all without offering a private salvor an incentive to do it. Rather, it's far more likely that local fishermen would have mined the wreck for items without recording them. Perhaps, the situation is not ideal, but the Indonesian government seems to have taken a realistic approach to to the issue.
In any case, dosn't Barford usually claim it's no business of foreigners to lecture source countries on how to manage their own cultural resources?
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Open Government Watchdog Criticises DC Circuit Decision
An advocate for open government has criticised the DC Circuit decision in the ACCG-IAPN-PNG FOIA case. See
http://www.rcfp.org/newsitems/index.php?i=11827
Meanwhile, predictably at least one self-appointed spokesman for the archaeological community is gloating about the ruling while at the same time attacking the DC Circuit's decision to require State to further justify its search and its withholding of one document. See
http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/2011/04/coiney-guilds-want-access-to-deceased.html
http://www.rcfp.org/newsitems/index.php?i=11827
Meanwhile, predictably at least one self-appointed spokesman for the archaeological community is gloating about the ruling while at the same time attacking the DC Circuit's decision to require State to further justify its search and its withholding of one document. See
http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/2011/04/coiney-guilds-want-access-to-deceased.html
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Ruling in the ACCG-IAPN-PNG FOIA Case
The DC Circuit has affirmed in part and reversed in part the decision of the District Court in the ACCG-IAPN-PNG FOIA case. See
http://www.accg.us/News/Item/U_S_Appellate_Court_rules_on_FOIA_case.aspx
Overall, the ruling supports the Department of State's efforts to keep its decision making secret from the public.-- this despite the Obama Administration's claims that it is the "most transparent" in history. Moreover, as we have seen from the recent CPRI seminar, such secrecy has been used to cover up results oriented short cuts designed to ensure the broadest application of import restrictions on cultural goods. Any benefits confidentiality brings to decision making should never come at the expense of encouraging evasion of legal process.
http://www.accg.us/News/Item/U_S_Appellate_Court_rules_on_FOIA_case.aspx
Overall, the ruling supports the Department of State's efforts to keep its decision making secret from the public.-- this despite the Obama Administration's claims that it is the "most transparent" in history. Moreover, as we have seen from the recent CPRI seminar, such secrecy has been used to cover up results oriented short cuts designed to ensure the broadest application of import restrictions on cultural goods. Any benefits confidentiality brings to decision making should never come at the expense of encouraging evasion of legal process.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Hawass Soap Opera Continues
The Washington Post has written about the criticism Hawass has faced in the New Egypt for his ties to the Old Egypt of the Mubarak regime. See http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/egypt-archaeologist-zahi-hawass-faces-criticisms-about-his-job-ties-to-mubarak/2011/04/15/AF9Hvf1D_story.html
The story notes that a Court has sentenced Hawass to jail for failure to follow its orders. Despite all the criticism from Egyptians, the article indicates that Western archaeologists largely remain supportive-- or at least silent-- about Hawass' problems.
In other news, Hawass also recently revealed that he now has his own clothing line with the proceeds going to charity. See http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/19/arts/design/egyptian-antiquities-official-defends-fashion-line.html.
Charity or not, the Hawass story is quickly becoming more of a soap opera than anything else.
The story notes that a Court has sentenced Hawass to jail for failure to follow its orders. Despite all the criticism from Egyptians, the article indicates that Western archaeologists largely remain supportive-- or at least silent-- about Hawass' problems.
In other news, Hawass also recently revealed that he now has his own clothing line with the proceeds going to charity. See http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/19/arts/design/egyptian-antiquities-official-defends-fashion-line.html.
Charity or not, the Hawass story is quickly becoming more of a soap opera than anything else.
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