archaeologicalnews:

The Actun Tunichil Muknal cave or ATM - for short, may be the most prized and treasured Mayan site in Belize - and that’s because of the spectacular skeletal remains of 15 individuals that can be found there.

They are estimated to be over a thousand years old - and the most precious is the so…

culturalsecurity:

Top 10 Endangered Cultural Heritage Sites in Asia

The Global Heritage Fund has released a list of the ten most endangered cultural heritage sites in Asia. “The report highlights 10 of Asia’s most significant archaeological and heritage sites facing irreparable loss and destruction due to five accelerating man-made threats: development pressures, unsustainable tourism, insufficient management, looting, and war and conflict.”

Topping the list is Ayutthaya, Thailand, the former capital of the kingdom of Siam (pictured above). Renovations of the 14^th-century city, which was destroyed by the Burmese army in 1767, began in 1969 and intensified in 1976 when the site was converted into an historical park. Ayutthaya was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1991.

Unlike UNESCO, which devotes the majority of its funds to the protection of cultural heritage in the world’s wealthiest countries, the Global Heritage Fund focuses its resources on the preservation of archaeological and heritage sites in developing nations. Such countries often face economic, political and martial conditions that make protecting cultural heritage exceedingly difficult.

Perhaps UNESCO should follow the lead of the GHF and concentrate more of its resources on protecting those nations that cannot protect themselves. 

For similar news stories visit http://culturalsecurity.net/newssummary.htm

Image via: http://asiasociety.org/blog/asia/photos-10-most-endangered-heritage-sites-asia#1

allmesopotamia:

Rival Emperor Stakes Claim to Japanese Throne, Shows Evidence Of 8,000 Yr Old Sumerian Object.

Read more: http://usahitman.com/resctjt/

This is just strange and concerning. What absolutely bonkers language.

culturalsecurity:

Proactive Repatriation

Recent returns of cultural property from the United States to Italy contrast sharply with the controversy between American and European museums in 2006. The contentious cases for repatriation of antiquities from The Getty and The Met to Italy and Greece, in retrospect, led to a policy of proactive repatriation. What does the initiative for repatriation mean for the role of cultural property in diplomacy?

Reports of investigations of American museums suggest that contested ownership of cultural property is being converted from a cause of controversy to a means for cooperation. Further, members of security services are being cast as diplomats. The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Janet Napolitano, agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Attorneys feature prominently in the reports. The agents and attorneys speak of vigilance in working with their Italian counterparts “to ensure cultural artifacts and treasures that were stolen and entered this country illegally are recovered and returned to their rightful home nations.”

The cases have mixed success, which results in return, retention, or indecision. Reuters reported a recent return of objects from the U.S. to Italy, while in April a “Thwarted Return of the Mummy” from a St. Louis museum to Egypt marked a downturn in the trend of repatriation. Interestingly, also in April, Cambodia vacillated on accepting the help of U.S. Attorneys who stood ready to seize the 10th-century figure of a mythological warrior from Sotheby’s. In any case, the initiative seems quite clear. The United States is devoting domestic security and legal resources to respond to foreign concerns over cultural patrimony.

Proactive repatriation by DHS and the Department of Justice seems like a good example of how cultural security bridges hard power with soft power.

For similar news stories visit http://culturalsecurity.net/newssummary.htm

(via culturalsecurity)

culturalsecurity:

Antiquities Dealer Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Egyptian Cultural Property

Mousa Khouli, also known as “Morris Khouli,” pleaded guilty today to smuggling Egyptian cultural property into the United States and making a false statement to law enforcement authorities. The defendant entered his plea before the Honorable Edward R. Korman, United States District Judge, at the U.S. Courthouse in Brooklyn. The defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment. The defendant also entered into a stipulation of settlement resolving a civil complaint seeking forfeiture of the Egyptian antiquities, Iraqi artifacts, cash and other pieces of cultural property seized in connection with the government’s investigation.

The guilty plea and settlement were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James T. Hayes, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New York.

According to court documents, Khouli was an antiquities dealer who arranged for the purchase and smuggling of a series of Egyptian antiquities between October 2008 and November 2009, specifically a Greco-Roman style Egyptian coffin, a three-part nesting coffin set, a set of Egyptian funerary boats, and Egyptian limestone figures. These antiquities were exported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and smuggled into the United States using a variety of illegal methods intended to avoid detection and scrutiny by U.S. Customs & Border Protection (“Customs”), including making false declarations to Customs concerning the country of origin and value of the antiquities, and providing misleading descriptions of the contents on shipping labels and customs paperwork, such as “antiques,” “wood panels” and “wooden painted box.” Khouli covered up the smuggling by making false statements to law enforcement authorities.

Most of the smuggled antiquities were recovered by law enforcement at the time the indictment was unsealed on July 14, 2011. The innermost coffin of the nesting set was seized during a search of Khouli’s residence in September 2009. The middle coffin and most of the outer coffin lid were seized in November 2009, after they arrived via sea cargo at the Port of Newark, New Jersey. The Greco-Roman sarcophagus, funerary boats, and limestone figures were seized during a search of co-defendant Joseph A. Lewis II’s residence in July 2011.

The missing pieces of the coffin lid were forfeited to the government in court today. They consist of four wooden bird-like figures that attach to the four corners of the coffin lid, and four wooden panels that comprise the rectangular bottom of the coffin lid. Hieroglyphics on the coffin indicate that the name of the deceased was “Shesepamuntayesher” and that she bore the title “Lady of the House.”

The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Karin Orenstein and Claire Kedeshian.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nye/pr/2012/2012apr18c.html

For similar news stories visit http://culturalsecurity.net/newssummary.htm

I’m really glad to be seeing more and more of this type of repor lately, though sadly we’re still seeing much of the opposite, too. I think artefacts smuggling and theft are very strong arguments for the digitisation of museum collections. Also a good argument for only buying artefacts with good provenance and a record of it’s movements since discovery.

(via themuseologist)

gwebarchaeology:

culturalsecurity:

Syrian archaeological treasures in “ruins” during revolt

The ongoing uprising in Syria has witnessed not only the death of thousands of protestors, but also the looting and destruction of treasured archaeological sites throughout the country. The theft of ancient artifacts from archaeological excavations in Apamea, Palmyra and Hama, as well as from nearby museums in those cities has become epidemic.

More recently, rebel forces have occupied Crusade-era castles and citadels, such as the Krak des Chevaliers (pictured above), which have suffered irreparable damage during fighting between the insurgents and government forces.

In spite of UNESCO’s pleas that measures be taken to protect Syria’s cultural heritage during these violent times, the country and its archaeological treasures remain at risk.

archaeologicalnews:

The archaeological site of Akrotiri on the island of Santorini will reopen its gates to the public after remaining closed for almost seven years.

In 2005, a roof in the prehistoric settlement collapsed, killing a male tourist and injuring another six people. After several years of…

gwebarchaeology:

archaeologicalnews:

“Syria’s year-long revolt has exposed to looting and destruction the country’s archaeological treasures, including the ancient city of Palmyra and the Greco-Roman ruins of Apamea, experts warned Thursday.

Most vulnerable are strife-torn areas that have fallen outside the full control of theregime where looters have already targeted museums, excavation sites and monuments, they said.

“In the past three to four months there has been a lot of looting,” said Hiba al-Sakhel, director of museums in Syria.

“In Apamea, we have a video showing looters removing mosaics with drills,” she told Agence France Presse. “And in Palmyra there is a lot of looting and clandestine digging.”

Sakhel said other historical sites across the country have fallen prey to looters who are taking advantage of the violence that has swept the country for more than a year to pilfer antiquities.

She said although the practice has been ongoing for years, the pace has increased as a result of the unrest, which has left many sites unprotected and inaccessible.

“Syria has not been fully searched by archaeologists so wherever you dig you make a find,” Sakhel said. “I believe those doing the looting are locals drawn by profit and who care little about the importance of the country’s heritage.”

According to experts, thieves have already made off with items from the museum in the central city of Hama, including antique weapons and a statue dating back to Aramaic times.

Further northwest, the historical Citadel of Shayzar, overlooking the Orontes River, has been damaged while in Apamea, a Roman marble statue has been stolen from the museum and looters have been busy pillaging the sprawling site at night, the experts say.

They add that stolen pieces are probably smuggled through Lebanon and other neighboring countries and then sold on the black market.” 

Read More Here: http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/35824-experts-sound-alarm-over-syria-archaeological-treasures

museumsandstuff:

“Highlights from an ongoing series of exclusive interviews exploring innovative museum practice where Gregory Chamberlain talks to alternative museum thinkers about their work and the future of museums. Full list of interviews in the ‘Alternative Museum Establishment’ series published in issues 09 and 10 of Museum/iD magazine: 

• Nina Simon, Museum of Art & History, McPherson Center, Santa Cruz
• Tony Butler, Museum of East Anglian Life
• Michelle López, Queens Museum of Art
• Stuart Gillis, Derby Museums
• Lisa Junkin, Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, Chicago
• Camilo Sanchez, Museum of Independence and ICOM Colombia
• Peter Stott, Falkirk Community Trust”

archaeologicalnews:

Miami, FL — Harvard University educated archaeologist and president of the Paleontological Research Corporation, Dr. Joel Klenck, conducted an ethnoarchaeological study of modern Bedouin sacrificial practices in the Levant to provide insight on the deposition of remains at ancient cult…