Culture Without Context Issue 17
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Culture Without The Newsletter of the Illicit Antiquities Research Centre Issue 17, Autumn 2005 ~ The Illicit Antiquities Research Centre is a proj ect of the Mc Donald Institute for Archaeological Research. Illicit Antiquities Research Centre he Illicit Antiquities Research Centre (IARC) was established in May 1996, T under the auspices of the McDonald Institllte for Archaeological Research in Cambridge, England, and it commenced operations in October 1997. Its purpose is to monitor and report upon the damage caused to cultural heritage by the international trade in illicit antiquities (i.e. antiquities which have been stolen or clandestinely excavated and illegally exported). The enormous increase in the volume ofthis trade over the past twenty years has caused the large-scale plundering of archaeological sites and museums around the world. The TARC will raise public awareness of the problems caused by this trade and seek appropriate national and international legislation, codes of conduct and other conventions to place restraint upon it. Culture Without Context is published twice-yearly. The next issue will appear in spring 2006. Subscription details are available from: Jenny Doole IARC McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research Downing Street Cambridge CB2 3ER UK e-mail: [email protected] Front cover. Cover of the comic book Wrath of the Phantom Army (see p. 4). Address for correspondence: Staff: ewe Editoria l Board, McDonald Institute for Archaeological fARC Director: Graeme Barker Research, Downing St , Cambridge, UK, CB2 3ER. fARC Researcl1 Director: Ne il Brodie http://www.mcdonald.cam.ac.uk/IARC/home.htm fARC Researcher: Jenny Doole Correspondence relating to all aspects of the legal and illegal trade ewe Editorial Board: Neil Srodie in antiquities is welcome; we will make an effort to print reasonable, Augusta McMahon non-libell ous letters. No unsigned letters will be printed , but names Chris Scarre will be withheld upon request. Peter Watson © 2006 McDonald Institute for Archaeolog ica l Research ewe Designer: Dora Kemp Printed by Blu ePrint , Coldhams Road, Cambridge, UK, CB 1 3EW. ISSN 1464·1925 Tel : +44 (0)1223472400 2 By the end orthe first day, we rea lised that it would Editorial be im practical to attempt to survey the whole of the north bank, due to the limited time and resources ava il able. Consequently, we dec ided to concentrate on n March 2006, Scotland Yard reported that a SO-I11-wide stri p in the west orthe slope, stretching I three to fou r tons of artefacts plundered 225 m from the Hari Rud up to Qasr Zarafshan. From from Afghani stan have been seized over the last thi s intensive sample, we could extrapolate estimates for two years (Lamb 2006). It seems appropriate, the number of robber holes on rest of the hillslope. therefore, that thi s issue once more foc uses on By the end of the season, we had recorded 12 1 robber holes in th is 50-m-wide strip, amount ing to Afghani stan with an analysis and critique orthe a robbed area of 1245 m2 (II per cent of the area British Library's 1994 acqui sition of some Kha investigated - by way of comparison, a no rmal ar rosthi manu script fragments. One point made in chaeological excavation at a tepe site woul d generall y that paper is that it is diffic ul t to obtain re li abl e excavate onl y 1- 2 per cent of a site in the course of ev idence 'on the ground ' of the damage caused to many seasons). By multiplying the area of each rob ber hole by its max imum dep th , and dividi ng by hall' archaeological sites by commerciall y-moti vated (to take accoun t of th e slope), we estimate that the diggin g. We a re g rateful that David Thomas robbers have removed a min im um of 1310 m3 of de (U ni versity of Cambridge), who is Director o f the posi ts fro mlhis small area. Although the robber holes Min aret of Jam Archaeological Project (MJAP; are not regu lar, and our calcul ations use maximum see ewe, Issue 14, 16- 20), has all owed us to dimensions, we be li eve that this is a rea li stic figure, and probably an un derestim ation. Most orthe robber quote fro m hi s 2005 preliminary report where he holes are much dee per th an th ey currentl y seem, and is describing a fi e ld survey that took pl ace in com the large spoil hea ps downslope fl'om the robber holes bination with a remote-sensi ng analysis of looted probably conceal other illicit excavations. sites using satell ite imagery (to be published in About 69 per cent of the robber holes in vestigated lll ore deta il in Thomas & Gascoigne in press). contain defi nite or possible architecture; in add iti on to thi s in formation, we coun ted 386 sherds inlhe sa mpl e The lootin g of antiqui ties from Jam an d su rround I 111 x I m robber holes and 485 sherds on the sample ing archaeologica l sites has been severe, and the I m x I 111 spoi l heaps. Since the nOl1h bank or the da mage done is evident even fro m a di stance. Hari Rud is c. 150 m long, we estimate that there are As long as the number and location of the robber about 360 robber holes across the whole slope - thi s holes remain s un spec ified, it is very di fficu lt for th e is the scale orthe damage that the lootin g ofanli qlli National Afghan Institute of Archaeology (NA tA) ti es has done 10 the archaeological rema ins at Jam, on and UNESCO to mon ito r the sit ua ti on an d develop one slope alone. a cu ltura l heritage management plan fo r the site. In 2005, we attempted to use modern techn ology to ~ Another member of the MJ AP project, ass ist NA IA and UNESCO in thi s process. The ava il ability or high-resolution satelli te im W la in Shearer (Uni versity College London) ages, in whic h each pi xe l represents 60 em all th e also provides what he call s an ' un substantiated groun d, and Globa l Pos iti oning Systems seemed accoun t' of the looting at Jam. to ofTel' one qui ck way of tackl in g thi s problem . A Il1 fo l11ml conversations with loca l people indicate th at generous gran t frotll the British Embassy in Ka bul there were two dist inct looting periods, organi sed by enabl ed us to buy two sa tellite im ages, and to de outside dealer networks: vote some of Ollr tim e at Jam to in ves ti gating this • Early- mid 1990s problem. We soon found th at we we re testi ng th e • Very late I 990s-carly 2000s li mit s of the technology, as wel l as our stam ina and During these peliods, the fol lowing objects are reported ba lance on the precari ous, steep slopes. to have beell remuved: We selected the north ba nk orthe I-I ari Rud as the Heyda11 Va/ley - al l excavated during 2000: focus for our pil ot study, as it has been part icu larly Two go ld bracelets shaped as dragons with open badl y aHccted by th e looting. The fi rst stage of the mou ths biting carved precious stones. st udy was to survey and record each robber hole we One gold neck lace n HlIlLlf~1c tlired as a dragon encountered. while scrambling across the va lley side. clutching and biting on to precioll s stones, prima \Ve did this in teams of two, measuring the maxim um rily tu rq uoise and lapis lazu li . length, breadth and depth of each robber hole, be Seven go ld and lapis lazuli rings. fore drawing a sketch plan, describ in g any visible Other un known gold and prec ious stone 3J1eHlcts. archi tec ture and cou nti ng ceramic sherds in sample Household goods made of brass, heavi ly deco I m x I m sq uares, in the robber hole and on the spoil rated (taken out during th e 111 id-1 990s). heap downslope. We also collected un usual diagnostic Bazaar' area. nor/II bank !-Iari Rud - taken out from sherds and objects, for fl ll1her analys is. the mi d-1990s onwards: 3 Painted glass vessels and window-panes. end ed. The Ministry of Informati on. Culture and A carved woodcn doo r fromthc castem part of th is Touri sm Guesthollse manager has been active in pre area, reportedly sold l'or $21 ,000 some Lime during venting the removal of other archaeo logicCl l material Lhe laLe 1990s. from Jal11: he rescued a carved wooden pane l, when SaJlgmel/w: behind Guesthouse - taken out from the loolers were disturbed excavat ing th e Islami c burial mid-1 990s onwards: at Khar Khoj . Thi s artefact has been ph otogmphed. • Intact cem mi cs. particularly bowls and jugs. drawn and recorded. bu t we we re unabl e to transport From across Ihe sile- taken out from the mid-1990s it safe ly to Kabu l for conservat ion because orits VCIY onwards: fragile state and the rigours of the jOlll11ey. We plan to 'Gabri ' - small carved bead neck laces and brace publi sh it in the jOlilTlallrali.