Culture Without
The Newsletter of the Near Eastern Project of the Illicit Antiquities Research Centre Issue 3, Autumn 1998
!J:I:I;! UNIVERS ITY OF A prOlccl 01 @ Contents: lho McDonald Ius"'uto , \lftI CAM BRIDGE lor Ndlaool09,cal Hosoard l Illicit Antiquities Research Centre 2 Editorial 3 IARC goes electronic The Illicit Antiquities~ Research Centre J ENNY D OOLE 4 News and Events In the News International Conventions Culture Without Context ('\.'lJIrI'''o.,.:1I Nro.':i(r:u "fmc lARC NEIL B RODIE 6 Contacts Re sources Pity the poor middlemen NEIL B RODIE 7 T'l. I lIi ~; t A"'; Staff: U ~ '''n' ,,, l DI'!lr I'. ,•• IARC Director: Colin Renfrew J~. "y {)x,1f (rJ."U i"~·r ~ m."f.~,t) IARC Co-ordinator: Neil Brodie !II"" I ,',;:"01. ,1,. , "'~.m::1t C~n l '" .'.' -r}'''-J'J(~''' '" ''' ··,'A ... I..M',=~I&:r~"·h IARC Researcher: Jenny Doole Do"""., !}nn CWOC Editorial Board: Neil Brodie C~ ,.,:~.J,." CF.' JEF'. Augusta McMahon P,ra "'",,"~I~.I OcIOWf. 1998:i.J<: ~r4>uJ .1"''''''<;>'. 1999.0 U"''"~'Fty ,,'('..r.d""".!.. Chri s Scarre Peter Wa tson Home page of the new IARC web site (see "IA RC goes CWOC Designer: Dora Kemp electonic ", pAl. Address for correspondence: CWOC Editor, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Re search , Downing St, Cambridge, England , CB2 3ER Correspondence re lating to al l aspects of the legal and illegal trade in antiquities is welcome; we wi ll make an effort to print reasonable, non libell ous letters. No unsigned letters will be printed, but names wi ll be withheld upon request. ISSN 1464-1 925 © 1999 McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research Printed by BluePrint, Severn Place, East Road , Cambridge CB1 1HY. Tel : +44 (0)1223 314315 o Th e Illicit Antiquities Research Centre is a project of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Res earch Illicit Antiquities Research Centre he Illicit Antiquities Research Centre (IARC) was established in May 1996, T and commenced operations in October 1997 under the auspices of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research in Cambridge, England. Its pur pose is to monitor and report upon the detrimental effects of the international trade in illicit antiquities (i.e. antiquities which have been stolen or clandestinely ex cavated and illegally exported). The volume ofthis trade has increased enormously over the past twenty years and the associated demand is thought to have caused the large-scale plundering of archaeological sites and museums around the world. he TARC will bring to the attention of the general public the scale and nature T of this destruction (see Statement ofIntent on back cover). It will also endeav our to create a climate of opinion which will discourage the collection of illicit antiquities by emphasizing that the true scholarly value of an artefact is irreparably damaged by the loss of cultural information which is caused by its unrecorded divorce from context. Thus the primary concern of the IARC will be to reduce the loss of knowledge caused by the chronic despoliation of sites and museums. Issues of object ownership are of secondary interest but are nevertheless frequently an inseparable part of the problem. 2 Editorial tori a and Albert Museum and the Brune i Ga ll ery of the Sc hool of Oriental and Afri can Stud ies (U ni versity of London). he main article in thi s issue is Recordillg The spectacle prov ided by the disp lays of T all d preservillg Candham s cultuml herit fi ne antiques, carpets and tex tiles was spo ilt, how age by Professor Ihsan Ali of Pes hawa r Uni ve r eve r, by th e presence of a sizeabl e quanti ty of sity and Dr Robin Co ningham of Bradford Gandharan (and other) antiquities. In their arti Uni ve rsity. Its arri va l on the editori al desk coin cle, Professor Ali and Dr Coningham desc ri be cided with the openin g of'As ian Art in London', how fo r most of thi s century the archaeology of a se ries of events and ex hibi ti ons whi ch ran from th is area has bee n open to plunder and the legacy 10- 2 I November and in wh ich the commercial of thi s was all too ev ident in Lond on. John and academi c worlds joined together to present Eskenazi mounted an ex hibition of Ga ndharan a ce lebration of Asian art. art with an accompanying catalogue in whi ch Financial support was prov ided by 50 dea l fragments of fri ezes and scul pture, all wi thout ers and there were 40 ex hi biti ons mounted in provenance, were descri bed , and the sombre tones commercial ga ll eri es. Over 4000 lots were so ld of th e sepia illustra ti ons seemed onl y to empha for over £8 milli on at fifteen separate a u c t io n ~ size the poignancy of loss. Other dealers were held by Soth eby's, Chri sti e's, Bonh ams and menti oned in the Il1Iem otioll al Hemld Tribune, Phillips. Ove r 90 per cent of participa ting dea l on 10th Nove mber and another Gandh aran an ers made sa les and 40 per ce nt of sa les were to tiquit y was illustrated: a gold funerary mask c. new clients, many from the Un ited States. In com 4th- 5th century Ii·o m Shirl ey Day Ltd. merci al terms, then, 'Asian Art in London' was a The orga ni zers are pl anning to hold another great success and there was a substan tia l increase 'Asian Art in London' eve nt nex t year. Respon in the size of the market. sib le dealers and concern ed academi cs should In the November issue of th e Art Newspa join together now and take ac ti on to ensure that per Robert Knox, Keeper of Oriental Art at the it will be possibl e to enj oy a visit with out aga in Briti sh Museum , suggested th at one of the rea stumbling over sad and fragmentary rem inders sons for London's success as a marketpl ace was of the Gandharan past. its depth of know ledge and scholarship, and dur ing 'Asian Art in London' thi s academi c support of the market was provided by ex hibitions at six museums inc ludi ng the British Museum , th e Vic- Neil Brodie Culture Without Context is pu bli shed tw ice yea rl y. The next issue will appear in spring 1999. Subscripti on detail s are ava il abl e from : Jenny Doo le IARC McDonald In stitute for Archaeol ogical Research Downin g Street Cambri dge CB2 3E R UK 3 IARC goes electronic http://www-mcdonald.arch.cam.ac.uklIARC/home.htm he Illi cit Antiquities Research Centre is of their sign ificance and hi story. All issues of T pleased to announce the launch of a dedi Cullure Withoul Conlexl are also posted on-lin e, cated Web site, through which information can in searchable format. be rapidly disseminated. For the last year, the The growing international focus on cu ltural IARC has been worki ng to raise awareness in propert y issues and increasing public awareness Britai n and internationally about issues concern has lead to a ra sh of publications, both paper and ing ill egal excavation, and has become a centre electronic, on related topics. The Resources sec of information and education. Our presence on tion of the IARC Web si te hi ghli ghts some which the WWW will facilitate these efforts and enable we have found useful during the course of our us to reach a wider audience, with materi al aimed, work and research, including periodicals, bibli initial ly, towards concerned professionals and ographies, other Web sites and books. members of the public. It is clear from the internati onal queries, As well as explaining the origins and in news and information we already receive that tentions of the IARC, the Web site will keep use rs there is a large global constituency interested in up-to-date with news and events and make it easy arresting the destruction of the archaeological her to contact us. This w ill be particularly important itage. It will now be easier than ever to contact in 1999 when a number of new global initiatives us, confidentiall y or otherwise. are planned. Thanks to a grant from Archeonel, the site also carries translations of the UNESCO J ENNY D OOLE and Un idroit conventions, with briefexplanations [email protected] .uk IARC Home Page· Nelscape llril: EJ f~e Edit ~iew .!io ~1J'Idow Help II f"Bookmerk $ l;.. Location: Ihttp://ww.lnocdonaldarchcam.ac.uk/lAAC/home.htm UNIVERSITY OF A project of e The McDonald Institute eoJ : ~ CAMBRIDGE for Archaeological Research The Illicit Antiquities Research Centre Statement of Intent News and Events International Conventions Culture Without Context (Multilingual) r Newsletter of the lARC Contacts I Resources T he lllicit Antiquitie5 Research Cenll e (IARe) was established in May 1996, and cOl1ulI enced operations in October 1997 under the auspices o~lhe McD.onald Institute for Archaeological Resealch in Cambridge, England. Its .r~lIpo~e I~ ~o n ~ orutor .aI1c.t .repolt.upon '8 r-t ___ _ the dell illlental effects of the intemational t.!'scle in illiCit snhqUllles (I.e. anhqUihes winch 4 lARe Hun Pin sto1ftMni 1.( Jnjllnf ernbril fll.'\l' CJ!!)Jl'! 111j:Cl:J( G.vl~t ~ International Conventions • < The CoftStruction oftltese pages was pa.rt1y funded by ) Al'chconet IIctwn U' T~p If P..,,, Rril.lDt to L\RC HN,u PUt Culture Without The Newsletter of the Nea r East"rn Project o f the Illie it Anti quities Research Ce n1rc E;3 Rerunl to fARe Home Page E;3 Click hel'e for subscriPtion details Contents Issue 1, Autum.n 1997 Issue 2. Spling 1998 Issue 1, AutlUlUl 1997 • Ecltt ollal • In the N eV/s • h-aq Since The Gulf War o The loss of fUchaeoloO'lcal contt';..1 and the illegal trad~ III Mesopotatluat) an\l 5 In the News the aftermath. Chinese antiquities generally con tinue to command high prices. A bronze flagon, t is a sign of the times that lawyers in the for instance, dating to 206 Be, and allegedly still I United States are now able to make quite a with its original contents, surfaced recently in good living from the antiquities trade as the court Hong Kong and was offered for sale by Michael cases continue. In Boston, William Koch and his Goedhuis for £65,000. The New York Asian Art associates (Jonathan Kagan and Jeffrey Spier) Fair in March, where many of the objects on dis prepare to defend themselves against a Turkish play were reported to be new finds or items which accusation that the hoard of coins they purchased had recently surfaced from unknown private col in 1984 for about $3.2 million is in fact the so lections, was financially a great success. The called Elmali hoard of Classical Greek coins, dealer Giuseppe Eskenazi was quoted in the No smuggled out of southern Turkey earlier the same vember issue of the Art Newspaper as saying 'The year. In the New York Federal Appeals Court in Chinese simply do not care what is leaving the October Michael Steinhardt contested the Italian country. They have so much.' And indeed in Au government's claim to his gold phiale, allegedly gust Gordon Reece was able to put on display discovered in Sicily but bought for Mr Steinhardt for sale 90 pieces of Chinese pottery, many of in Switzerland. which had been excavated since 1965, some as During the 1980s the phiale was in the pos recently as 1986. session ofVincenzo Cammarata who was arrested But times are changing as the Chinese au by Italian police in December and together with thorities have now adopted a much tougher stance five of his associates was charged with conspiracy and such displays will be a thing of the past. and handling stolen goods. The police recovered UNESCO hosted its first training seminar in some 10,000 antiquities worth about $40 million Beijing and Chinese officials are looking towards from the homes of the accused, who include two international cooperation to staunch the flow. One professors at Catania University - Giacomo result of the new policy was the return to China Manganaro and Salvo Di Bella - and Gianfranco in 1998 of 3000 antiquities discovered by Brit Casolari, a coin dealer from Rimini. ish Customs in 1994. The material had been A relief from the seventh-century palace of brought to Britain via Hong Kong and the Chi Sennacherib at Nineveh has surfaced in the col nese government fought for its return through lection of Sholom Moussaieff, who bought it in both civil and criminal courts. They ultimately good faith in Geneva in late 1994. The reliefwas reached an agreement out of court whereby the identified after Mr Moussaieff sent a photograph consignors returned the artefacts but did not ad to the Bible Lands museum in Israel. The Iraqi mit to any misdemeanour. The shipment had government is now taking legal action to recover originally contained 3494 objects, but Chinese the piece; it has also ordered a survey of dam officials believed 494 of them to be fakes or aged sites. modern handicrafts. It would be useful for these UNESCO reports that Chinese Customs objects to be publicized and their true status in seized more than 11,200 smuggled antiquities in vestigated; it will also be interesting to see in what 1997 and about 6000 in the first half of 1998. guise they eventually re-surface. Cargoes leaving China are being closely moni In Mexico, 50 miles northeast ofAcapulco, tored and a new 'anti-smuggling' police force is a lorry driven by Bustos Reyes was found by to be set up. In Henan province, police are cur police to contain 2700 artefacts dating back to rently recovering looted artefacts at an average 1000 Be. Mexican authorities have also sized 400 rate of one per day and markets and auctions in artefacts from the collector Ignacio Ortiz which several major cities have been raided. The haem they believe to have been removed illegally from orrhage seems set to continue as reports filter burial sites. through from Sichuan that thousands of Han and In October 1998,208 Peruvian antiquities Ming period tombs have been blasted away in were returned home. They were seized three years construction projects and their contents looted in ago by United States Customs in Miami, found 6 in a crate marked ' Peruvian handicrafts' and des growth in pre-Columbian art was predicted. ' We tined fo r Switzerl and. Peruvian authorities have are talking hi gh profits, low ri sk' sa id Ca rol issued a warrant for the arrest of the man who DiBattiste, Deputy US Attorney for south Florida, despatched the crate, Rolando Ri vas in th e November issue of the Art Newspaper. Ri vadeneyra , but the identity of the putati ve Also in October a newly di scovered Swiss recipient is not known. The episode shows neo lithic tomb near the vill age of Moureze in again how pre-Columbian antiquities are now southern France was looted. The loca l mayor was finding their way onto the Europea n market since moved to express hi s di sgust with the human race the United States impose d import restrictions but hopefully hi s mood li ghtened when th e con followin g bilateral agreements reached under the tents of the tomb were returned within 24 hours. terms of the UNESCO Convention. Thi s confirms There is some honour amongst (some) thieves the effectiveness of the Convention in obstruct after all , al though the damage had already been ing the fl ow of smuggled antiquities but also sad ly done by removing the objects. highli ghts how American ini tiatives are under NJB mined by the continuing failure of European governments to ratify. At the European Fine Art In forma tion obtai ned from: The Times, Archae Foundation (TEFAF) autumn fa ir in Base l, five ology, Th e Art Newspaper, The Boston Globe, The of the twenty new ex hibitors were specialists in New York Tim es, The International Herald Trib ethnographic and pre-Co lumbian art and fu rther IIl/ e, Th e Guardian and Th e Observer. Pity the poor middlemen bought by the Metropolitan Mu se um in 1972 fro m Robert E. Hecht fo r $ 1 million, but now th ought to have been removed from an Etruscan NEIL BRODIE tomb in 1971 (Meyer 1973, 88). The tOll/barolo who first excavated the vase claims to have re he illicit trade in antiquities is cl andestine. ceived onl y $8800 for it (S layman 1998, 44). T Transactions are hidden fro m view and The golden phiale of Achyris, fro m provenan ce is lost as a result, but th e economi cs Ca ltavutoro in Sicil y, and presently impounded of the trade are also obsc ured and it is not clea r by US Customs, was bought for $ 1.2 milli on in what profits are rea li zed over what peri od oft ime 199 1 by Michael Steinh ardt from the Zliri ch and who, in financial terms, real ly benefits. Fur based dealer Willi am Ve res with Robert I-Iaber thermore, when co ll ectors don th eir humanitarian acting as an intermediary. Veres had acqu ired the mant les to argue that their purchase of antiqui phiale sometime after 1988 in exchange for ti es inj ec ts money into hard-pressed local artwo rk s va lued at about $90,000 from Vin cenzo economies, it is not possible to assess how much Ca mmarata, a Sicilian coin dealer, who had in of their re venue does actuall y tri ckle down. turn obtained it in 1980 from a fel low Sicilian Over the years a number of cases of illi cit Vin cenzo Pappalardo in exchange for goods trading have been in vestigated, usually when a worth about $20,000 (S layman 1998; Mason va luable 'treasure' has been reclai med or its sta 1998). tu s questi oned, and several exchange chains have Also from Sici ly are th e Morgantina now been revea led. Although these high-profi le acroliths, excavated in 1979 by c!andestini who cases are not representati ve of the illicit trade as so ld them for about $ 1 100. The pieces were sub a whole, they do provide some information about sequentl y purchased in Sw it zerland by Robin what sum s of money change hand s and what Symes who sold them on to MauriceTempelsman profit margins ex ist, and for that reason they are in 1980 for more than $ 1 million (Robinson 1998; co ll ected together here. D' Arcy 1998). First there is the now notorious Euph ronius In 1988 a Turkish farme r sold a broken Krater, the ' hot pot' of Hoving ( 1993,307- 40), marbl e sc ulpture of Marsyas to the dealer Ali 7 Kolasin for $7400. The pi ece was then smuggled Figure I shows what percentage of the final out oFTurkey and di splayed for $540,000 in New market price was received by the original finder/ York by Jonathan Rosen. After he was shown that excavator/thief. It is clear that in all cases over 98 the obj ect was stolen Rosen donated the statue to per cent of the fina l price was destined to end up in the Ameri can-Turki sh society and it was subse the pockets of the middlemen. The ori ginal finder quently returned to Turkey in 1994 (Rose & Aca r received velY little and the final buyer can hardly 1995, 55). claim to have obtained a barga in. These percent Finall y there is the case of a Song Dynasty ages are not unusual: it has been observed for head, stolen from the Yongta i tomb in Henan instance that in the Peten looters received about prov ince, China. According to US Customs, it $200- $500 each for vessels which might ultimately was so ld first in 1996 in Guangzhou for about be sold for $ 100,000 (Hansen 1997, 48). It is also $840 before being moved to Hong Kong. There alleged that William Koch and hi s associates paid it was bought by an American dea ler who in 1997 roughl y $3 million for the major pM of the Elmali offered it for sa le in San Francisco fo r $ 125 ,000, hoard whi le one of the ori ginal three fi nders, Ahmet whereupon it was seized by the US authoriti es Ali Senturk, received only $80 and a year in jail (Maggio 1998). (Kolllblut 1998). These figures are summari zed in Table I, Of course, the entire profit is not always whi ch shows the initia l and fina l prices rea lized, taken by a single middlema n - often there is a together with the pe riod of time that el apsed be chain of transactions. But sti ll , the profits in tween sa les. vo lved are signifi ca nt. The details of the Achyri s Initial pricc (US$) Fin al price (US$) Tim c lapse (yea rs) Ac hyri s phi ale 20,000 1. 2 mi ll ion II Morga ntin a acroliths 1100 I mill ion Statue of Ma rsyas 7400 540,000 less than 6 Euphronius krater 8800 I mil li on I Yongtai head 840 125 ,000 Tabl e 1. The rising price of illicit antiquities. r I I I Song Dynasty Head ~ ~ Morgantina Acroliths ,., ~ Euphronius Krater ~ 17 Achyris Phiale •;y ~ Statue of Marsyas I V L ./ /' /' /' ./ ./ ./ ./ ~ 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Total Price 100% I_% of price received by ori gina l finder 0 % of pri ce received by middl emen I Figure 1. The percentage of the final market price of an antiquity received by Ihe original finder. phiale are reasonably clear and are set out in Fig References ure 2. The largest profit was made by William Veres, who bo ught the pi ece in Italy and so ld it D' Arey. D.. 1998. Anatomy of plunder. The Art tYell'.lj}(l in Sw itze rland, so that hi s hi gh profit margin per (8 I) (May). 1. 5. probably reflects hi s eq uall y hi gh burden of ri sk Eli a, R. , 1993. A sed ucti ve and troubling work. Arc/weo/ O!!y (January/February), 64- 9. or cost incurred when transporting th e pi ece Hanse n. R.D .. 1997 . Plunderin g th e retell . Arc/wc%g.l' across the Itali an border. It is worth noting for (September/October). 48- 9. purposes of comparison that the normal perce nt Hov ing. T. 1993. 1\4akillg lite ,HI/Jlllllie.\' Dal/ce. New York age of the se lling pri ce taken as co mmi ss ion by (NY): Touchstone. Sotheby's auction hou se from a legitimate sale Kornblul. A.E .. 199 8. Coi ns of contention. Th e 8ostoll Globe (December 13). A D\, varies between 18- 26 per cent depending upon jViaggio. M .. 1998. A change of cli mate. The Arl Ne 1rspa price. Hal f is taken from the buyer and hal r fro m per 86 (November), 45. the se ll er. Mason, P.D.C .. 1998. United States Coun issue s impor These fi gures reveal the sim ple truth or the (ant ruling on antiquiti es. Art. /II/liquify al/d La\!' 3. illicit trade in antiquities - there are large sums 6 t- 72 Meyer, K .. 1973. Th e Pllllldered Past. London: An s Book of money to be made, more than by legitil11 ate Society. trading, and very linle of the proceeds ever reach Robinson. W. v.. 1998. Claims to Greek goddesses. Th e the ori ginal finders. It is al so li kely that these large Boston Clo"e (April) 4. AD \, sums, deri ved ultil11ately frol11 ri ch co ll ectors, Rose, M. & O. Aear, 1995. Turkey's IVar on th e illic it sustain the sl11uggling netwo rks which sup port an ti quiti es tra de. Archae% g l' (March/Apr il ). 45- 56. the illicit trade. Co ll ectors are, as Elia (1993) says, Siayman. A.L., 1998. Case of th e Golden Phiale. Archae the rea l looters; but the l11iddl el11 en are the l11ain ologl' (May/June), 36- 49. benefi ciari es. Cammarata o Profit Vere1s • Purchase price Haber1 o 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 % of Sale Price Fi gure 2. Profits realized by middlemen handling the Achyris Phiale. (To allow for appreciation the price paid by Cammarata has been adjusted upwards by 7.2 per cent per year for the eleven years it was in his possession. It has been estimated fll at 7.2 per cent was the average annual appreciation of the British Rail Pension Fund's collection of ancient glass over the same period of lime (Antiques Trade Gazelle, 13 December 1997, 7]). 9 Recording and preserving a small kingdom in Bactria in the second century Be (A ll chin & Cribb 1992). By the rule of the Gandhara's cultural emperor Kanishka in second century AD, they had heritage transformed thi s provincial holding into a mas sive empire whi ch stretched from Central Asia to the Indian Ocean. During its ascendancy, fro m IHSAN ALI & ROBIN CONINGHAM the first century Be to the third century AD, the Kushan empire had an important impact on the region 's urban planning and reli giou s patronage. he term Gandhara refers to the ancient name In parti cular, the Ku shans establi shed a series of T of the region which stretches from the Ka vast dynastic urban foundati ons, such as the cit bul valley in the west to the Indus va lley in the ies of Sirsukh in Paki stan , Dal verzin -tepe in east (Fig. I). The pivot of routes to southern, cen Uzbekistan and Begram in Afghanistan tral, eastern and western Asia, its strategic positi on (Litvinsky 1994); whilst still developing other es is testified by its presence as the Achaemenid em tab li shed urban sites, even minor ones such as pire's most easterl y province in the sixth century Tilaurakot and Bhita. Although remnants of the Be and the south ern edge of the ex pansioni st Kushan dynasty still rul ed parts of Ka shmir and USSR in the 1980s (Allchin 1992; Dupree 1980). the Punjab as late as the fi ft h century AD, the prov Occupied hi stori ca ll y by successive dyna sti es of inces of Bact ria and the upper Indus were annexed Seleucids, Mauryans and Indo-Gree ks, by the by the expansion of the Sa sani an empire under second century /\0 the region was abso rbed into its founder Ardashir I (r. 224- 240 AD) (A ll chin & th e Ku shan empire. The Ku shans, or Yuezhi as Cribb 1992). The region continued to flouri sh they we re first known, were apparently a nomadic under successive rulers until its established socio central Asian tribe whi ch settl ed and esta bli shed economi c frameworks were destroyed by the Jalillnbild• THE GANDHAIlA N REG ION N above 2000 metres 500-2000 metres • Attock Fl below 500 metres t ISLAMABAD -o 25 50 km • Figure 1. Map showing the region of Gand/Jara. 10 incursions of the Hephthalites or White Huns in between the acceleration of robbing in this area the fifth century AD (Allchin & Cribb 1992). and the absorption of a number of smaller north Gandhara is also the term given to this re ern states into federal Pakistan in 1969, stating gion's sculptural and architectural koine between that it had 'led to a significant acceleration in the the first and sixth centuries AD, first initiated by erosion of the cultural heritage of the valley the Kushans (Harle 1992; Pugachenkova et af. (Swat), which was no longer protected by the 1994; Zwalf 1996). In addition to the creation of strict discipline imposed by the WaH of Swat and major dynastic cult centres, such as the monu the Nawabs of Dir' (Khan 1995a, 2). mental fire temple at Surkh Kotal in Afghanistan, Clearly such claims are unsupported if one this period represents the renaissance of Bud examines the reports of Sir Aurel Stein who vis dhism within South Asia, with the creation of new ited the Swat valley 70 years previously: religious complexes, at sites such as Takht-i Bahi, Hadda, Begram, Taxila, Peshawar, Swat and Much regrettable damage and loss have been Mathura, or in the restoration and expansion of caused ... in tribal territory and elsewhere along the shrines of Lumbini, Ramgrama and Sanchi the Peshawar border, by 'irresponsible' digging for (Harmatta et al. 1994a). This development re remains ofthat Hellenistic sculptural art which once adorned all Buddhist sanctuaries of this region. sulted in the spread of the Kushan's brand of How destructive such digging usually was and how Mahayana Buddhism into central and eastern often much of the spoil, when sold to amateur col Asia along the silk route (Harmatta et al. 1994a). lectors, was ultimately scattered or destroyed, is a Largely associated in Pakistan with Buddhist story too sad (Stein 1929, 17). veneration, the Ghandaran style contains an ec lectic variety of elements as summarized by Recording that a large number of sites in the val Pugachenkova: 'It absorbed the earlier Graeco ley showed 'grievous signs of such exploitation', Bactrian traditions current in the area and was Stein commented on the clear antiquity of some also receptive to ideas and trends of the contem of the damage, as well as noting that more re porary West through international trade and cently recovered objects of value were either commerce' (Harmatta et al. I 994a, 371). Mass melted down or transported to dealers in produced, it was, in Wheeler's view, an art of Rawalpindi or Peshawar (Stein 1929, 39). mass-communication which was both devotional Wheeler, too, refers to the many 'Western expa and instructive. Antiquarian interest in South Asia triates who collected it abundantly from the soils began with European officials attempting to iden and bazaars of the busy frontier region' (Wheeler tify topography with reference to classical 1968, 150). These comments were echoed by sources, and it is therefore no surprise that the Professor Dani of Peshawar University who con discovery of Gandharan art in the nineteenth cen ducted a survey of the Chakdara region of the tury sparked off great interest: 'nostalgic Western valleys of Swat and Dir between 1962 and 1965 expatriates ... attuned it uncritically to their pre (Dani 1971 a). Surveying fourteen Buddhist sites, dominantly Classical educations' (Wheeler 1968, he noted that six had 'been robbed of sculptural ISO). Such a category of art was clearly collect treasures' (Dani 1971a, 9) and that some of these able, and large public and private collections were sites had 'been given to spoliation for more than assembled. The Queen's Own Corps of Guides, a century' (Dani 1971a, 7). Such was the con for example, amassed a collection to decorate cern that 'antiquities were already pouring out their mess at Mardan which was later presented of these regions with astonishingly rapid speed' to the British Museum. Collecting Ghandaran art (Rehman 1971, 119) that the Political Agent to was reduced by the subsequent establishment of Dir State appointed an inspector 'to go about in the Archaeological Survey of India, the Treasure the State, detect the treasure hunters and find out Trove and various antiquities acts, but has re the places where they stealthily rob the art mate cently reached a new crescendo. This has resulted rials in the darkness of night' (Dani 1971 c, 65) in the looting of hundreds of sites in northern Pa as well as inviting the University of Peshawar to kistan and Afghanistan. Indeed, one scholar has survey, record and excavate threatened sites. In suggested that there was a positive correlation deed, when Professor Dani arrived at one site to 11 start excavating in 1965 he commented that: 'I examined Andandheri, which for a century had been robbed of its art treasures. Even on the day, when I went to see the site, a local contrac tor was busy in removing the sculptures for sale in the open market' (Dani 1971b, 33), More re cently, the Government of Pakistan ha s again at te mpted to stem the looting through the crea tion of a collaborati ve program of study, docu- Figure 2. Damaged site at Rajar Dileri, Charsadda. mentation and protection of monuments within the region under the aus pices of the Gandhara Archaeological Project. This resulted in the De partment ofArchaeology of the University of Peshawar and the Fed eral Department of Archaeology and M use ums agreeing to conduct an archaeological survey of the Vale of Peshawar and its adjacent areas. As a result Peshawar, N owshera, C harsadda, Mardan and Swabi dis tricts were surveyed, Figure 3. Members of tile Provincial Department of Archaeology, Government of NWFp halting illegal digging at Silaikhan Dileri, Charsadda. although to date the re sults of only two surveys, Charsadda and Swabi, the dynamics of looting (Fig. 3). The land was have been published (A li 1994; Khan 1995b). variously owned either by individuals, such as The survey in Charsadda Di strict identified Maluk owner of Kanizaka (Ali 1994, 19); by a total of 144 sites, of whi ch 75 can be tenta tribes, such as the Alim Zai ownership of Khar tively identified as sacred sites, that is Buddhist Bandai (Ali 1994, 8); by the government, such stupas, shrines and monasteries (Ali 1994). Many as the school at Ibrahim Zai (A li 1994, 17) or the of these sacred sites, 35 in number, have been Police station at Khan Mahi I (A li 1994,20) and badly damaged or completely destroyed by ille the Irrigation Department resthouse at Utmanza i gal excavations for antiquities (Fig. 2), In addition (Ali 1994, 21); or might even be in collective to furnishing us with actual statistical data for village ownership, as at Hindu Kamal' (A li 1994, the destruction of sites, the reports of inhabitants 44). Some sites had been excavated by farmers and informants allow a better understanding of or villagers living in the vicinity, as in the case of 12 at other sites. As many as 60 people were present at Mra Dherai (A li 1994, 42). Whilst some sites were worked by hand, others were robbed with the use of bulldozers (e.g. Rai Dherai I; Ali 1994, 16). It is increas ingly reported that some individuals are now us ing metal detectors. The Swabi District survey has provided a simil ar pi cture and the surveyor stated that ' As elsewhere in the province, the ri ch Figure 4. Damaged monastic complex at Aziz Olleri, Swabi. cultural heritage repre sented by Buddhist stu pas and monasteries has been severely di s turbed by a ntiquity robbers' (Kh an 1995b, 90) . Of the 102 sites identified by the survey, 32 were classified as sa cred or Buddhist sites. Fifteen had been badly damaged by illegal exca vators seeking scul pture although one, Aziz Dheri (Ali 1994, 106) has since been the focus of salvage excavations by the Pro vincial Department of Archaeology (Fig. 4) and Figure 5. Damaged stupa dome at Shnais/la. Swat. another, Dalurai, is now Bajuro Kili (A li 1994,26) and Khar Ba ndai (Ali protected by the Federal Department of Archae 1994, 39), but others appear to have attracted in ology and Museums (Ali 1994, 109). The site of di vidua ls and g ro ups fr0 111 furthe r afie ld. Hund on the banks of the Indus has also been the Sculptures from the site of Spinawrai, fo r exam subj ec t of rescue excavati ons conducted by the pl e, were fi rst excavated in the mi d-1 980s by an Uni versity of Peshawar in 1996. individual fro m Mardan but more were fo und as The picture wi thin the nOl1hern va lleys of recently as 1992 by a group from Peshawar and Buner, Chitral, Dir and Swat is less clear and the Charsadda (Ali 1994, 40). Groups fro m Peshawar results of the 1980 surveys of these areas by Dr were reported to have worked at Jhara Sikandar Abdul' Rehman and Mr Farid Khan are keenly Abad (Ali 1994, 45). Whilst some excavators only awaited. Under the auspi ces of the Gandhara Ar worked at night as at Utmanzai (Ali 1994, 43), chaeological Project, a number of the threatened informants reported that very large groups of in survey sites, Butkara Ill, Shnaisha and Malj anai, di viduals were dail y engaged in illegal excavati on were excavated by the Uni versity of Peshawar /3 (Rehma n 1993; Khan 1995a). The excavator of Shnaisha, Professor Abdur Rehman, stated that it ' has been well known to art robbers in Swat as a rich source of sculptures. Conseque ntl y it was plundered several times in the past ... Some peo ple in the neighbourhood who had actively partici pated in these plunderings as hired labour are still ali ve' (Fig. 5) ( 1993, 12). Such was the reputation of the site that during the excavation, fi ve looters Figure 6. Damaged stupa at Matam Jaba, Swat. were arrested by the po li ce after 'a gang of armed robbers raided the site, destroyed it, as at Sandasar II Chena (A li 1992, tied up th e watchman and started digging for 48), much has been sold. Some has been di sposed themselves' (Rehman 1993, 14). Even in the ab of locally as recorded from Ghazgi Spin awari sence of the survey reports of Rehman and Khan, Dherai (A li 1992, 44), but much materi al is re it is possibl e to refer to the survey of Dr M. Ashraf corded to have been sold in Peshawar as in the Khan of th e Federal Department of Archaeology case of scu lptu re from Ghazgi Spinawari Dherai ( 1993). He studied 17 of the best preserved Bud (A li 1992, 44) and Pappu Dherai (A li 1992, 47). dhist monuments in the Swat va ll ey and recorded Indeed, an informant fro m the latter site reported that a total of I I (Shnai sha, Malam Jaba (Fig. 6), th at hi s main profession for decades has been the Gumbatuna, Si saka Kandaro Patay Dadahara, ill egal excavati on of material s and that most of Shingardar stupa, Barikot, To kardara, Abba Sa thi s materi al was then sold in Peshawar (Ali 1992, hib China and Topedara) had been di sturbed and 47). Less information is avai lable on the di sper damaged by sculpture robbers and clandestine salol' antiquities from the Swabi survey region, diggers (Khan 1993). Whilst a number of the sites but Shah Nazar Khan states that sculpture from had been excavated in antiquity, Khan relates that one site, the Tarbela Dam Pump House, now in the recent scale of illegal digging has forced the Japan, had been published by the collector, Kurita Federal Department, the Uni versity of Peshawar (Khan 1995b, 108) and that in fo rmants at Bruj and the Italian Mission to mount emergency sal stated that 'stucco images of the Buddha were vage excavations and summarizes the situation: recovered and smuggled out of the country' (Khan 1995b, 106). The availability ofa fake sculpture Unfortun ately, the trea sure hunt ers, who are ac from Ka lu Khan and a fake Kharosthi in scrip ti ve ly bu sy in the clande stin e dea ling ofallti qu it ics, tion from Charbagh illustrate the quantities of ha ve robbed these sit es for many yea rs and have imitation scu lpture and artefacts which have been taken out unique ant iqui ti es to foreign co untri es in manufactured in an attempt to meet th e market their lu st lor money_ These antiq uiti es hUllt ers have destroyed th e sit es 10 sti ch an ex tent that now it demand (Khan 1995b, 168). Khan comments that beco mes imposs ible to reco nstru ct th eir sequen ce quantities o f sculpture from one parti cu larl y ri ch and chronology (Khan 1993, 17). site, Naranji , has ' led to a sharp increase in the price of the land on and around the site' (Kh an Whilst some illicit excavators have used th e 1995b, 107). It is al so interesting to note that at sculpture for utilitarian purposes, such as a pillar one site, Khrakhpa, the survey team recovered support at Mani Khela (A li 1992,41), or have two head less Buddha torsoes (Khan 1995b, 105), 14 the cultural heritage of Pakistan, it is also clear from the surveys that a number of other fa ctors should also be taken into account. These factors are fuelled by population expansion a nd in cl ude the demand for buildin g materi als, more land for cultivati on, more land for ho using and more land for graveyards! The data fro m the Charsadda survey de m o nstrated that although 89 of it s 144 surveyed sites had Figure 7. Robbed-out masonry at Shaikhan Dheri, Charsadda. been badly damaged or destroyed, ill egal looting perhaps indicative of the practice noted in Buner only accounted for 26 of these (A li 1994). The by Professor F.A . Dun'ani, Vice-Chancellor balance included si tes, such as Ghrumbak (A li Emeritus o f Peshawar University, where dealers 1994), which are now used as graveyards; one ' unabl e to take the whole sculpture, detach the site which had been levelled for cultivation; and head with the help of a sharp steel saw' (Dun'ani a further 27 sites, such as Kula Dhand (A li 1994, undated,4). 8), which had been covered by modern housing The prese nce of large quantities of - a phenomenon made worse by the presence Gandharan sculpture on the art market in East of large numbers of Afghan refugees (AIi 1994). As ia, Europe a nd the United States is Thi s pattern is repeated in the data from Swabi, unsurprising. Recent material advertised in Lon where just under half of the 3 1 sacred sites and a don within the British lv/useulII Magazille, the further 5 non-sacred sites had been destroyed by journal of the British Museum Society, has in ill egal excavations. The total numbe r of sites cluded a 29 cm hi gh stucco Buddha head wi th a destroyed by illicit excavati on (20) is, however, provenance of Afghanistan (Briti sh Museum put into perspective by the count of sites de Society 1997a; 1998), a 1.25m hi gh standi ng stroyed by other activities. Of the 102 surveyed Bodhisattva from Pakistan (British Museum So sites one, BlIIjo Kanai, had been used as a source ciety 1996; 1997b,c) and a female deity holding for brick-making (Khan 1995b, 92), 17 had been a lotu s from Sahri Bahlol in Pakistan (British levell ed in order to provide culti vable land (e.g. Museum Society 1994). A further 29 lots of Rasuli: Khan 1995b), three had been destroyed Gandharan sculpture we re ad verti sed for in order to sell the stone for bui lding materi als Sotheby's New York September 1998 auction, (e.g. Panjpir Dherai: Khan 1995b, 107) (Fig. 7), demonstrating again the wide-scale availability seven had been converted into graveyards (e.g. of materi al. Examples ranged from detached Bud Ittam Dherai: Khan 1995b, 93), two had been dha heads (lot 49) to monumental Bodhisattva badly damaged by the construction of new ca figures (lot II ) (http://www.sothebys.com/searchJ nals (e.g. Putraki Dherai: Khan 1995b, 94) and index. html). A lso advertised on th e web are a six had been built over (e.g. Qadami Dherai: Khan schi st panel fro m northeastern Pakistan (http:// 1995b, 95). Some had even being used as the si tes www.asianart. comJeskenazi/imageI8.html) and a for new villages for people displaced by the sil ver reli quary from Pakistan (http://www. Tarbela Dam project in 197 1 (e.g. Nakra Dherai: as ia na rt. com/j si n ger/ stu pa. h tml). Khan 1995b, 96; and Kaya: Khan 1995b, 99). Whilst looting represents a major threat to Again this is not necessaril y a new type of threat. 15 Stein recorded that a large number of sites in Swat References had been destroyed for building stone (1929, 31) as did Dani some forty years later (1971). Ali, I., 1994, Settlement history of Charsadda District. Wheeler noted a similar phenomenon at the city Ancient Pakistan 9, 1-164 Ali, T., 1995. Editorial note. Ancient Pakistan 11, i. site of Shaikh an Dheri in 1958 (1962, 16) as well Allchin, ER., 1992. The geographical setting, in Errington as the damage caused to the Bala Hisar of & Cribb (eds.), 1-4. Charsadda by local villagers cutting into the Allchin, ER. & Cribb, 1., 1992, The historical context, in mound for top-dressing for their fields in 1944 Errington & Cribb (eds.), 4-7. (Wheeler 1962, 10). The Government of Paki British Museum Society, 1994. British Museum Magazine 17. British Museum Society, 1996. British Museum Magazine 26. stan, through the Federal and Provincial British Museum Society, 1997a. British Museum Magazine 27. Departments of Archaeology and the Universi British Museum Society, I 997b. British Museum Magazine 28. ties, and a number ofNGOs, such as the National British Museum Society, 1997c. British Museum Magazine 29. Heritage Foundation, is rapidly and positively British Museum Society, 1998. British Museum Magazine 30. responding to these threats to its cultural herit Dani, A.H., 1971a. Introduction. Ancient Pakistan 4, 1-32. Dani, A.H., 1971 b. Excavations at Andandheri. Ancient age - a response which should be more widely Pakistan 4, 33-64. recognized and applauded. However, as noted by Dani, A.H., 1971 c. Excavations at Chatpat. Ancient Paki Professor Durrani, these efforts are limited by stan 4, 65-102. scarcities of material resources. Assistance is Dupree, L., 1994. Afghanistan. Princeton (NJ): Princeton needed in both the national and international are University Press. Durrani, EA., undated. Help Pakistan to Save the Bud nas and it has been suggested that whilst the dhist Cil'ilisation of Gandhara. Peshawar: National UNIDROIT Convention may address some of the Heritage Foundation. international aspects, the underlying local factors Errington, E. & 1. Cribb (eds.), 1992. The Crossroads of may be best addressed at grass-roots level by the Asia: Transformation in Image and Symbol. Cam bridge: Ancient India and Iran Trust. establishment of local museums in order to raise Fogg, S. & B. Miller, 1996. Manuscripts/imll the Hima the awareness of local cultural heritage (Ali 1994, layas and the Indian Suhcontinel1f: 17. London: Sam 6). The attrition caused by well over a century of Fogg Rare Books and Manuscripts. collecting must be slowed down or stopped. If it Harle, 1., 1992. The Kushan art of Gandhara, in Errington is not, we should heed Professor Taj Ali's words: & Cribb (eds.), 40-41. Hannatta, J., 1994a. Religions in the Kushan empire, in Hannatta (ed.), 313-30. If we do not act promptly, even the few remaining Harmatta, J. (ed.), I 994b. Histol)' ofCivilisations (~lCen vestiges of the Gandharan civilisation which have tral Asia, vol. II. Paris: UNESCO. survived the depredations of illegal excavation, will Khan, M.A., 1993. Buddhi.",·t Shrines in Slvat. Mingora: disappear from the face of the earth (Ali 1995, i). Swat Museum. Khan, S.N., 1995a. Marjanai. Ancient Pakistan II, 7-74. Khan, S.N., 1995b. Report on the archaeological survey IHSAN ALI of Swabi District. Ancient Pakistan II, 75-174. Chairman Litvinsky, B.A., 1994. Cities and urban life in the Kushan Department of Archaeological Sciences kingdom, in Harmatta (ed.), 291-312. University of Peshawar Pugachenkova, G.A., 1994. Kushan art, Hannatta (cd.), Peshawar 331-96. Pakistan Rehman, A., 1971. Excavations at Damkot. Ancient Paki stan 4, 103-250. & Rehman, A., 1991. Butkara III: a preliminary report. An cient Pakistan 7, 152-64. Rehman, A., 1993. Shnaisha Gumbat: first preliminary ROBIN CONINGHAM excavation report. Ancient Pakistan 8, 1-124. Department of Archaeological Sciences Stein, M.A., 1929. On Alexander :"" Track to the Indus. University of Bradford London: Macmillan. West Yorkshire Wheeler, R.E.M., 1968. Flames over Persepolis. London: BD71DP Thames & Hudson. Wheeler, R.E.M., 1962. Charsada. Oxford: Oxford Uni versity Press. Zwalf, v., 1996. A Catalogue of the Gandham Sculpture in the British Museum, London: British Museum Press. 16 Cyprus mosaics quite separate offence fro m handling stolen ma teri al. This means that, in theory at least, Dikmen fac es an even longer sentence if found gui Ity. PETER W ATSON The ex istence o f the fake St Andreas also implies that the real mosaic is still mi ssing. The t now looks as though Michel va n Rijn will Cypriots are being ke pt guessing as to whether I not give evidence in the case of Aydin Dikmen. the real version is still owned by Dikmen or is in Va n Rijn, was the Dutc h art dealer who master van Rijn's possession. Either way, it appears that minded the 'sting' in October 1997 whi ch led to although three addresses belong ing to Di kmen the arrest of Dikmen, a Turkish dealer li ving in have already yielded 50- 60 crates of materi al, Munich, and the recovery o f several frescoes, containing 139 icons, 6 1 frescoes and four mo mosaics and icons looted fro m churches in Cy sai cs, valued at around $40 million, still more prus after the invasion of the Turks in 1974. Va n materi al could come to li ght, give n the ri ght cir Rijn is currently li ving under po lice protecti on cumstances. (An estimated 15,000- 20,000 icons at an undisclosed address in London, and has re and several dozen frescoes and mosaics disap portedl y received death threats h om un specifi ed peared a fter the in vasion.) sources but he has sett led hi s di fferences w ith As this issue of Culture WithoUl COlltext the Republi c of Cyprus and the Autocephalous went to press, it was reported that lawyers fo r Church of Cyprus over the fee he had charged for Dikmen were trying to negotiate a deal with the his part in the recovery. vari ous authori ties. This, presumably, would in For obvious reasons van Rij n is not anx vo lve a shorter, or non-custodial sentence fo r ious to give evidence against th e Turk who, if Di kmen, in return for the handing over of more convicted, faces up to fifteen years in pri son. materi a l. The case of the Kanakari a mosaics is However, van Rijn has made avail abl e to the Cyp still far from complete. ri ot authoriti es (who are seeking the extradition o f Dikmen to Cyprus, where he wi ll face addi ti onal charges) a fake mosaic ofSt Andreas which PETER W ATSON McDonald Institute for Archaeolog ical Research van Rijn says Dikmen sold to him . Van Rijn had Downing Street been holding thi s back as a bargaini ng ploy with Cambri dge the Cypri ot authori ti es, because under German CB23ER law the sale of fa ke goods is a ve ry seri ous but 17 Conference Report tentional destruction of the cultural heritage as a cri me agai nst human ity. The themati c panels considered more gen CHRIS SCARRE eral questions, including how museums should respond to the growth of antiquities looting, and Art, Antiqnity and the Law: a conference the effectiveness of UN IDRO IT and other meas held at Rutgers V nivcrsity 30th October- ures in suppressing the illicit traffic. Museums were 2nd November 1998 concel1l ed that procedures shou ld be changed to all ow longer-term loans of material fi'om antiqui distinguished audience gathered for this ties-ric h countries to western museums. For A two and a half day meeting to consider and suppressing the illi cit traffic, the importance was debate the legal and practical aspects of the loot stressed of bilateral agreements, such as those be ing of archaeological sites and the li cit and illicit tween the US and Guatemala. A recurrent theme movement of antiquities across national fron ti ers. was the need for stronger sanctions to obli ge woul d The conference was structured around a series be purchasers (whether dealers, coll ectors, or of sessions devoted either to regional reviews or museums) to take responsibility for checking thor thematic panels. Seven regions were selected for oughl y the legitimacy of any objects they wished particular focus: the Middle East, Afri ca, China, to acquire. The phrase 'due diligence' was one whi ch Italy, Latin America, the Ukraine and Bosnia commanded general approval among participants Herzegovina. Not all were affli cted by the same - that a would-be purchaser must exercise due dili problems. In the Middle East, the chief cause of gence to ensure that the object in question had not current problems was recogni zed as being inter been stolen or illegall y exported or impottcd from national sanctions against Iraq, especia ll y those its countty of origin. which prevented th e Iraqi antiquities department The conference ended with the adoption of from protecting or recording threatened archaeo a series of five resolutions, ari sing from the de logical sites. Calls were made for the modification bates of the previous days: of international sanctions to supply the Iraq i antiquities officials with the materi als and equip I. Believing that the ethi cal and legal acqui siti on ment they need to combat the current crisis. of ancient art and artefacts is in the best interests The scale of antiquities looting in many of instituti onal and private collectors in their role African and Latin American countries was once as stewards of the cultural heritage, and benefits again underlined. Afri can speakers were con both public education and international coopera cerned, however, to demonstrate the fa lsity of the ti on, we urge that: notion that Africa ' deserves' the lootin g because Museums, dealers, and collectors should adopt and it cannot protect its own antiquities. Both here adherc to thc principles of the In ternat ional Coun cil and in Latin America, campaigns of local educa orMuseums (ICOM) Code of Et hics, implcmenting tion had been shown to be effective in recruiting acqui si tion procedures to the hi ghest feas iblc stand ard s of due diligence, in ord er to sli stain a li c it local support to protect archaeological sites cxchange and tradc in such objccts. against the depredations of looters. In Mali , for exampl e, missions of Education and Interdiction 2. Convinced that the lootin g of antiquities de had been effective locall y in suppressing loot prives them of their hi stori cal context and causes ing, though shortage of resources (including the destruction of archaeological sites, we encour personnel) were hampering efforts to develop this age nations rich in antiquities: approach to its fullest potential. Not to lend works of art and antiq uities to musc Very di ffere nt again were the problems ums th at continue to acqui re looted materials faced in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where ethnic con illegall y removed frol11 tho se nations. fli ct had led to the systematic and intentional destruction of the cultural and religious monu 3. Convinced that the international exchange of ments of certai n ethnic groups. It was suggested cultural propetty is of great importance fo r stimu that thi s shou ld be combated by classify ing in- lat ing unde rstanding and respect for foreign /8 cultures and for the edl1cation of future genera We further urge that: tions, we encourage the governments of all • General treaties, such as the Optional Protocol 1 (1977) to the Geneva Conventions and the Statute nations: of the International Criminal Tribunal, which • To promote long-term loans of cultural objects to criminalizes serious offences against the cultural foreign museums and other institutions, in com heritage, should be observed and enforced. pliance with international standards. • All nations should take part in the Diplomatic • To amend national laws, which limit the duration , of such loans too restrictively, in order to provide Conference to be held in Amsterdam in March for a minimum two-year loan period for exhibi 1999, to adopt new provisions to reinforce the ef tion purposes. fectiveness of the Hague Convention 1954. 6. Concerned that large numbers of cultural 4. Recognizing the present crisis atmosphere, we monuments have been destroyed during armed express grave concern for the safety of the world's conflicts in Bosnia-Herzegovina and elsewhere, cultural heritage in Iraq. The continuing interna we express dismay that much of this destruction tional sanctions, imposed by the United Nations has been deliberate and systematic. The aim has following the Persian Gulf conflict of 1991, have been to weaken the identity and resolve ofa sup brought archaeological research, conservation, posed enemy, to undermine its historic claim to and museum activities in Iraq to a standstill. The territory, and to rewrite history, reinforcing po Department ofAntiquities is unable to retain pro litical claims while perverting the aims of fessional staff and guards to protect even the most objective scholarship. Such trends conscript cul famous Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, and Is ture and history as political and military tools, lamic sites from systematic, large-scale looting. and represent a descent towards barbarism that The training of new Iraqi archaeologists is hin all scholars have a duty to resist. Regretting the dered by the embargo on current publications and failure to implement the provisions of the Hague by their isolation from on-going international and Geneva Conventions protecting religious and research. In consequence, there is a loss of irre cultural monuments in time of war, we conse placeable information on human history and a quently call for: flood of smuggled Mesopotamian artefacts into • Support for the review of the conventions with the the international antiquities market. The result aim of strengthening them, effective enforcement will be a long-term adverse effect on the man ?f the provisions of the conventions, and the pun agement of cultural heritage in Iraq. We therefore Ishment of the guilty. urge the United Nations Security Council: • The establishment of a standing group of univer • To exclude the cultural and educational spheres sities, cultural organizations, and professional from the embargo. associations to campaign for such actions. • To allow the supply to Iraq of materials and publi • The .creation of a steering committee to organize, cations related to cultural activities. momtor, and publicize immediately necessary actions. • ~o. all~w t~e resumption of foreign scholarly par tlclpatlOn III cultural heritage-related activities in The conference participants present at the Novem Iraq. ber 1 session approved the above resolutions unanimously, with one abstention registered for each 5. Aware that international cooperation is essen resolution (by the UNESCO representative per the tial for the safe-guarding of the world's cultural requirements of her office) and two abstentions on patrimony, we urge all nations to become party res~lution 4. The resolutions were proposed by to the relevant international agreements for the ClaIre Lyons, Wolf-Dieter Heilmeyer, Kurt Siehr, protection of the cultural heritage, including the Malcolm Bell III, McGuire Gibson, John Malcolm • Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Russell, Zainab Bahrani, Samuel Paley, John Property in the Event of Armed Contlict, 1954 Yarwood, Muhamed Filipovic, and Jerrilyn Dodds. • UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibit ing and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and CHRIS SCARRE Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, 1970 McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research • UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Downing Street Exported Cultural Objects, 1995 Cambridge. CB2 3ER 19 Illicit Antiquities Research Centre Statement of Intent The Illicit Antiquities Research Centre has been establi shed in response to concerns ex pressed about the loss to our knowledge of the past caused by the illicit excavati on of archaeological sites. It intends to: 1. Raise public awareness in Britain and intern ati onall y about thi s issue and seek appropri ate national and internati onal legislation, codes of conduct and other conventions to pl ace restraint upon it; 2. M oni tor the sal e and transfer o f illicit antiquities within the UK and raise public awareness o f the scale o f such sale and transfer overseas; 3. D evelop an overview o f th e nati onal and internati onal legislati on bearing on these issues; 4. Argue, as a provisional measure, for th e widespread adopti on o f the central tenet of the 1970 UNESCO convention on th e illicit transfer of cul tural property, th at unprovenanced artefacts which cannot be shown to have been known and published prior to 1970 should be regarded as illicit and should not be acquired by publi c coll ecti ons whether by purchase, gift or bequest nor ex hibited by them on long- or short-term loan and should not be purchased by responsible pri vate coll ectors. It should be recogni zed, however, that local or national museums may on occasion be the appropri ate repository fo r such unprovenanced obj ects as can be shown with reasonabl e confidence to have ori ginated w ithin the territory of th eir responsibility. 5. Seek agreement among nati onal organizati ons and museums in the UK on th e appropriate poli cy for such bodi es to adopt on the acquisition, displ ay and publicati on of unproven anced arte facts; 6. Seek to cooperate with deal ers and aucti on houses in furthering the evolution towards th e un derstanding of such issues and th e adherence to appropriate practices; 7. Work with the Coun cil for Briti sh Archaeology and other Bri tish bodies to encourage the appli cation of appropriate principles to portable antiquities ori ginating within the United Kingdom; 8. Investi gate and make kn own illi cit acti viti es relatin g to antiquities in the Near East, Egypt and Asia Minor and to publish such in fo rmati on in the peri odi cal Cultllre lVithoUl Context; 9. Se lect such other geographi ca l areas for comparable in vestigation and publication as may be practicable; 10. E stablish working relati onships with data-search organizations relating to stolen anti qui ties (i. e. antiquities whi ch formed part o f a recognized coll ecti on from whi ch they were stolen) as well as illicitl y excavated antiquities whi ch have not, so fa r as is kn own, been recogni zed as forming part of a public collecti on or a major and we ll docum ented pri vate coll ecti on; 11. Promote educational measures which will stimulate and develop respect fo r the archaeologi cal heritage of all nati ons.