The State Department has announced CPAC review of the MOU's with Bolivia, Guatemala and Mali. See http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-06-02/html/2011-13693.htm
According to the notice,
During its meeting on Monday, June 27, the Committee will begin its review of a proposal to extend the Memorandum of Understanding Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Bolivia Concerning the Imposition of Import Restrictions on Archaeological Material from the Pre-Columbian Cultures and Certain Ethnological Material from the Colonial and Republican
Periods of Bolivia [Docket No. DOS-2011-0092]. An open session to receive oral public comment on this proposal to extend will be held from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
On Tuesday, June 28, the Committee will conduct interim reviews of the Memorandum of Understanding Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Guatemala Concerning the Imposition of Import Restrictions on Archaeological Objects and Materials from the Pre-Columbian Cultures of Guatemala, and of the Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Mali Concerning the Imposition of import Restrictions on Archaeological Material from Mali from the Paleolithic Era (Stone Age) to approximately the Mid-Eighteenth Century. Public comment, oral and written, will be invited at a time in the future should these MOUs be proposed for extension.
This continues the anti-transparency trend at the State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The public is no longer welcome to provide testimony on whether a source country is living up to its side of an MOU during an interim review hearing. Instead, comments are only welcome at the very end of the process-- when the train has almost arrived at the station.....
Not that anyone really believes that the State Department holds source countries to their promises to secure such MOU's. If they did, its doubtful many of the MOU's would continue to be extended and even expanded time and time again.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
PAS and Treasure Act Numbers Up; Not Everyone Happy
One would think everyone should be happy that the PAS has reported a 36% increase and the Treasure Act has reported a 10% increase in records of finds in 2010. See http://finds.org.uk/news.
Not so. Paul Barford, a standard-bearer of sorts for archaeological snobs everywhere, is not happy. In fact, he claims that the these statistics are misleading because they allegedly incorporate figures from two other projects to record Roman and Celtic coins. See http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/2011/05/pasing-around-with-numbers-week-in.html.
But is this really so?
Looking at the actual figures, it's quite correct that in 2010 PAS took on 52,813 records from the project to record Roman coin finds from Wales and 37,931 from the Celtic coin index, but these were then excluded from the total of 90,416 finds recorded in 2010.
Indeed, if anything, there was an under count. PAS authorities also have a database entry in 2010 for the Frome hoard of 52,503 coins but that was not included in the figure of 90,146 objects recorded that year.
Yes, we should all be happy that PAS and the Treasure Act have encouraged the general public to help the archaeological community record the past in England and Wales.
Not so. Paul Barford, a standard-bearer of sorts for archaeological snobs everywhere, is not happy. In fact, he claims that the these statistics are misleading because they allegedly incorporate figures from two other projects to record Roman and Celtic coins. See http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/2011/05/pasing-around-with-numbers-week-in.html.
But is this really so?
Looking at the actual figures, it's quite correct that in 2010 PAS took on 52,813 records from the project to record Roman coin finds from Wales and 37,931 from the Celtic coin index, but these were then excluded from the total of 90,416 finds recorded in 2010.
Indeed, if anything, there was an under count. PAS authorities also have a database entry in 2010 for the Frome hoard of 52,503 coins but that was not included in the figure of 90,146 objects recorded that year.
Yes, we should all be happy that PAS and the Treasure Act have encouraged the general public to help the archaeological community record the past in England and Wales.
Friday, May 27, 2011
AIA Recognizes Backroom Deals Make for Poor Optics?
As mentioned below, the AIA reported on its website that a coalition of archaeological groups was drafting a MOU for the Egyptian and U.S. Governments. see
http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2011/05/conflict-of-interest-watch-aia-confirms.html
Now, however, that bit of information has been deleted from the AIA's website. Perhaps someone realized that word of such backroom deals that commit taxpayer money and infringe on collectors' rights makes for poor optics.
http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2011/05/conflict-of-interest-watch-aia-confirms.html
Now, however, that bit of information has been deleted from the AIA's website. Perhaps someone realized that word of such backroom deals that commit taxpayer money and infringe on collectors' rights makes for poor optics.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Your tax dollars at work: Fraud, Waste and Abuse at the Iraq Museum
Crusading Western archaeologists successfully lobbied for millions of dollars in US taxpayer money to be spent on Iraqi Archaeology. They further successfully lobbied for emergency import restrictions on Iraqi cultural artifacts based partly on the theory that the Iraq State was the best custodian for everything-- including common artifacts such as coins.
Was this money well spent? Should anything that looks remotely "Iraqi" be repatriated, including common artifacts like coins? Judge for yourself based upon this troubling report:
This is an interesting but distressing note about the coin [collection] in the Iraq Museum, from From Lamia al-Gailani Werr.
In the Museum they are slowly plodding through the inventory, which according to the current pace will take years. Only twenty thousands out of over two hundred thousands objects have been inventoried so far. The staff are facing many challenges, including a number of objects have lost their numbers, or metal objects that have crumbled as a the result of decades of negligence, and in particular the coins collection. Another difficulty is the lack of expertise amongst the staff to enable them to distinguish the fake from the genuine coinage.
In the Iraq Museum Library many of the old and rare archaeological books are crumbling. The Library have no expert staff to conserve the books. This can also be said for the photographic archive were conservation of the earlier photographs is lacking, and the scanning and digitising the photographic archive is not all that perfect. The staff are scanning with a resolution of 75 pixels only, because they have antiquated computers with very little memory and have no resources to purchase CDs / DVDs or USB sticks. The photographic archive rooms had a lucky escape when I was there, they got flooded one morning, the result of a test by the engineering section to check if repairs carried out to the roof had been done properly. They poured a whole tankard’s hold of water on to the roof for this purpose. The water cascaded down like a waterfall through the imperfect repairs and onto the metal cabinets in the stores and archive rooms. The staff rushed and covered everything with nylon sheets. Clearly the contracted builder’s repair was very poorly to say the least, despite a grant of three million US Dollars.
Of course, archaeological groups are again lobbying for additional millions in US taxpayer dollars being spent on Egyptian archaeology. And they have apparently already told the Egyptians that new emergency restrictions on Egyptian cultural artifacts will be imposed.
If anything, with our own budget deficits, now should be the time to scrutinze such requests far more closely.
Was this money well spent? Should anything that looks remotely "Iraqi" be repatriated, including common artifacts like coins? Judge for yourself based upon this troubling report:
This is an interesting but distressing note about the coin [collection] in the Iraq Museum, from From Lamia al-Gailani Werr.
In the Museum they are slowly plodding through the inventory, which according to the current pace will take years. Only twenty thousands out of over two hundred thousands objects have been inventoried so far. The staff are facing many challenges, including a number of objects have lost their numbers, or metal objects that have crumbled as a the result of decades of negligence, and in particular the coins collection. Another difficulty is the lack of expertise amongst the staff to enable them to distinguish the fake from the genuine coinage.
In the Iraq Museum Library many of the old and rare archaeological books are crumbling. The Library have no expert staff to conserve the books. This can also be said for the photographic archive were conservation of the earlier photographs is lacking, and the scanning and digitising the photographic archive is not all that perfect. The staff are scanning with a resolution of 75 pixels only, because they have antiquated computers with very little memory and have no resources to purchase CDs / DVDs or USB sticks. The photographic archive rooms had a lucky escape when I was there, they got flooded one morning, the result of a test by the engineering section to check if repairs carried out to the roof had been done properly. They poured a whole tankard’s hold of water on to the roof for this purpose. The water cascaded down like a waterfall through the imperfect repairs and onto the metal cabinets in the stores and archive rooms. The staff rushed and covered everything with nylon sheets. Clearly the contracted builder’s repair was very poorly to say the least, despite a grant of three million US Dollars.
Of course, archaeological groups are again lobbying for additional millions in US taxpayer dollars being spent on Egyptian archaeology. And they have apparently already told the Egyptians that new emergency restrictions on Egyptian cultural artifacts will be imposed.
If anything, with our own budget deficits, now should be the time to scrutinze such requests far more closely.
McHale Leaving State Department
Judith McHale, the political appointee who along with ECA chief Ann Stock oversees the process for imposing import restrictions on cultural goods, has announced that she is leaving her post. See
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mchale-leaving-state-department/2011/05/23/AFF8D39G_story.html
No reason has been given for her departure. During her tenure, the State Department and U.S. Customs imposed new import restrictions on "coins of Italian type" over the objections of a bipartisan group of U.S. Congressmen, the State Department's own Cultural Property Advisory Committee, and thousands of coin collectors. The new regulations have also been criticised as inconsistent with President Obama's promises to limit over burdensome regulations on U.S. small businesses.
McHale is said to be returning to work in the private sector in New York.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mchale-leaving-state-department/2011/05/23/AFF8D39G_story.html
No reason has been given for her departure. During her tenure, the State Department and U.S. Customs imposed new import restrictions on "coins of Italian type" over the objections of a bipartisan group of U.S. Congressmen, the State Department's own Cultural Property Advisory Committee, and thousands of coin collectors. The new regulations have also been criticised as inconsistent with President Obama's promises to limit over burdensome regulations on U.S. small businesses.
McHale is said to be returning to work in the private sector in New York.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Conflict of Interest Watch: AIA Confirms that State Department Delegates Agreement Authority to Private Archaeological Groups
The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) has further publicised negotiations between private U.S. archaeological groups and the Egyptian Government. See
http://www.archaeological.org/news/aianews/5184
This report confirms Egyptian antiquities minister Hawass' blog suggesting that the U.S. government had ceded agreement authority to a coalition of private archaeological groups.
See http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2011/05/hawass-says-emergency-import.html
According to the report, "Zahi Hawass, Egypt's Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said, 'The Coalition will be drafting a formal agreement between the US and Egyptian governments, and, as soon as it is signed, all of these important projects will be implemented.'"
I find this troubling. Coalition members certainly have a sincere interest in helping Egypt to preserve its cultural heritage, but they also have direct professional and financial interests with Egypt's corrupt cultural establishment, i.e., excavation permits, TV deals and the like. This thus raises conflict of interest concerns.
It should also be noted that the AIA press release does not repeat Hawass' statement that the negotiations included so-called emergency import restrictions on Egyptian cultural artifacts. One suspects that the omission is intentional. As stated previously, news that such restrictions are a "done deal" suggests that the State Department is simply ignoring the legal provisions of the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act.
http://www.archaeological.org/news/aianews/5184
This report confirms Egyptian antiquities minister Hawass' blog suggesting that the U.S. government had ceded agreement authority to a coalition of private archaeological groups.
See http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2011/05/hawass-says-emergency-import.html
According to the report, "Zahi Hawass, Egypt's Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said, 'The Coalition will be drafting a formal agreement between the US and Egyptian governments, and, as soon as it is signed, all of these important projects will be implemented.'"
I find this troubling. Coalition members certainly have a sincere interest in helping Egypt to preserve its cultural heritage, but they also have direct professional and financial interests with Egypt's corrupt cultural establishment, i.e., excavation permits, TV deals and the like. This thus raises conflict of interest concerns.
It should also be noted that the AIA press release does not repeat Hawass' statement that the negotiations included so-called emergency import restrictions on Egyptian cultural artifacts. One suspects that the omission is intentional. As stated previously, news that such restrictions are a "done deal" suggests that the State Department is simply ignoring the legal provisions of the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Hawass Says Emergency Import Restrictions Coming; Confirms CPAC Process is a Farce
Egyptian Antiquities Pharaoh Zahi Hawass has put up a revealing post on his blog. See http://www.drhawass.com/blog/international-coalition-support-protection-egyptian-antiquities
Some hitherto little known archaeological group (the Capitol Archaeological Institute) as well as the usual suspects (AIA, ASOR, National Geographic) have apparently formed a coalition to conjure up new emergency restrictions on Egyptian cultural goods.
Hawass' report of his discussions with coalition representatives strongly suggests that the statutory requirements of the Cultural Property Implementation Act-- including the requirement of review by CPAC-- are utterly meaningless. In particular, Hawass has been told that the restrictions are a "done deal" and that the archaeological groups will be preparing a MOU on behalf of the U.S. and Egyptian governments that will also throw more US taxpayer money at Egypt's corrupt archaeological establishment.
According to Hawass, "The coalition reported that the US Government is willing to impose emergency restrictions on Egyptian antiquities....The coalition will be drafting a formal agreement between the US and Egyptian governments...."
All this is quite interesting. Doesn't this just confirm what those representing the interests of collectors, the small businesses of the coin and antiquities trades, and museums have long suspected-- that the archaeological lobby really runs the State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Cultural Heritage Center and that the CPAC process is a farce?
It’s also worth noting that Hawass long claimed that there was no such "emergency" in Egypt, but he is now apparently changing his tune to accommodate the coalition's efforts to clamp down on US collectors of Egyptian antiquities.
Some hitherto little known archaeological group (the Capitol Archaeological Institute) as well as the usual suspects (AIA, ASOR, National Geographic) have apparently formed a coalition to conjure up new emergency restrictions on Egyptian cultural goods.
Hawass' report of his discussions with coalition representatives strongly suggests that the statutory requirements of the Cultural Property Implementation Act-- including the requirement of review by CPAC-- are utterly meaningless. In particular, Hawass has been told that the restrictions are a "done deal" and that the archaeological groups will be preparing a MOU on behalf of the U.S. and Egyptian governments that will also throw more US taxpayer money at Egypt's corrupt archaeological establishment.
According to Hawass, "The coalition reported that the US Government is willing to impose emergency restrictions on Egyptian antiquities....The coalition will be drafting a formal agreement between the US and Egyptian governments...."
All this is quite interesting. Doesn't this just confirm what those representing the interests of collectors, the small businesses of the coin and antiquities trades, and museums have long suspected-- that the archaeological lobby really runs the State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Cultural Heritage Center and that the CPAC process is a farce?
It’s also worth noting that Hawass long claimed that there was no such "emergency" in Egypt, but he is now apparently changing his tune to accommodate the coalition's efforts to clamp down on US collectors of Egyptian antiquities.
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