Cumbrian Treasure find reports drop by over 20 per cent

         Cumbrian MD at it        

Ollie Rawlinson 'Cumbrian treasure find reports drop by over 20 per cent' NWEMail 1 Dec 2024.

Bad show from the detectorists up North, either they are finding less because they've knackered almost all of the accessible sites (destructive blighters), or they are keeping more without reporting it (thieving blighters). Which is it? 

Provisional data from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport shows  1,358 treasure finds were reported in England and Wales in 2023, down slightly from 1,367 the previous year but the second-highest figure since records began in 1996. Last year was also the tenth in a row where treasure discoveries across the two countries exceeded 1,000. In Cumbria, 18 treasure finds were reported in 2023, down from 23 the year before. [...]
Keith Westcott, CEO and founder of the Detectorists Institute and Foundation, said the significant number of treasure finds reported last year highlights the "critical importance" of ensuring artefacts are retrieved in a sustainable way and that their heritage is preserved.

That's bonkers. How on earth can taking from a finite resource be in any way sustainable? How much heritage is preserved when most don't have the knowledge to identify finds in situ (that's besides any loss of context by the use of their standard method of hoiking)? Britain has lost the plot.

Syria: rebels launch major offensive in north-west and gain territory

In Syria, disturbing events are unfolding in the ongoing civil war that has been waging there since 2011 (David Gritten, 'Syria rebels launch major offensive in north-west and gain territory' BBC News 29 Nov 2024). Rebel forces have launched a significant offensive in northwestern Syria, marking the first major territorial gains against President Bashar al-Assad's forces in years. Last month, the UN's special envoy for Syria warned that escalating conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon were dangerously intensifying tensions in northwestern Syria. The Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied factions reported capturing several towns and villages across Aleppo and Idlib provinces since Wednesday. These areas lie within Syria's last opposition stronghold, home to over 4 million people, many of whom are displaced and living in dire conditions. While HTS dominates the enclave, Turkish-backed rebel groups under the Syrian National Army (SNA) and Turkish forces are also present. In 2020, a ceasefire brokered by Turkey and Russia, Assad's key ally, temporarily halted a government offensive to reclaim Idlib. However, sporadic violence, including airstrikes and shelling, has persisted since. Now Russia had resumed air strikes on the enclave for the first time in months, and pro-government forces had significantly accelerated drone strikes and shelling. By the end of the first day of the offensive, the rebels had advanced into the western Aleppo countryside, taking them within 10km (6 miles) from the outskirts of Aleppo city, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

Disciplinary proceedings against German Archaeologist

                Metal detecting for Artefacts - but it is proper          
               documentation of CONTEXT that is important     

A senior archaeologist from Koblenz employed by the Directorate General for Cultural Heritage is facing disciplinary proceedings potentially involving falsified or misrepresented discoveries from a number of sites. The Interior Ministry in Mainz made the first allegations known in October after his former university had contacted them with some doubts they had about the contents of the doctoral theis he had written there many years previously. He was accused at the time of somehow deliberately misdating 21 skulls, allegedly publishing them as prehistoric, when they were from the Middle Ages or even from modern times, an accusation he denied.

 
Now 18 more possible suspicious cases have been added said Interior State Secretary Simone Schneider in Mainz on Monday. Allegations against the manreportedly include discrepancies in the documentation and dating of multiple sites he investigated since 1997. The man has been suspended from work and all suspected cases are now being systematically processed, the public and science will be continuously informed about the progress of the investigation and its results in order to avert further scientific damage. According to the ministry, various experts from other federal states are involved in the investigation.

One of the cases involved concerns doubts emerging regarding the authenticity of the discovery of the site of a battle described by Tacitus in 70AD involving Roman forces suppressing a rebellion by the Treveri, a Celtic-Germanic tribe. The site was identified in 2015 on a large meadow near Riol in the Trier-Saarburg district ("Schlachtfeld von Riol"). The discovery was made in collaboration with metal detectorists who apparently found a collection of about 20 metal finds that seemed to have confirmed the findspot as the battlefield kknowen from the written sources. They included buckles from chain mail, iron spear tips and lead slingshot. The pieces were exhibited at the state exhibition on Emperor Nero in 2016 in three museums in Trier. Now doubts are being raised about the authenticity of this discovery, recent reviews have deemed the archaeological database for the site "inadequate," raising questions about the accuracy of its location and the provenance of artefacts found there, particularly the spearheads attributed to the battle. While the historical reality of the Battle of Riol itself is not in question, the authenticity of this specific site as its location is now under scrutiny. If proven false, this could have significant implications for the historical narrative of the region.

Among the other cases is believed to be the case of a supposed Neanderthal skullcap from the Wannenköpfe quarry near Ochtendung, which it seems has also been exposed as a forgery. It was originally dated to be 160,000 to 170,000 years old, but in an external laboratory, the skull fragments were dated to the early Middle Ages (7th/8th century AD) and not to the Paleolithic period, writes the Interior Ministry.

These developments highlight a growing need for rigorous verification in archaeological research to protect the integrity of historical scholarship.

References
Südwestrundfunk, 'Archäologie-Skandal in Koblenz weitet sich offenbar aus Stand' Südwestrundfunk 25.11.2024.

Martina Lippl, 'Zwei spektakuläre Funde wohl gefälscht – Deutscher Archäologe im Fokus' Frankfurter Rundschau 27.11.2024.



Gisela Kirschstein, 'Fälschungen in der Landesarchäologie: Weder Neandertaler in Ochtendung noch Römerschlacht in Riol – 18 neue Verdachtsfälle' Mainzund.de Internetzeitung Mainz 25.11.2024.

dpa, 'Archäologie-Skandal: Forscher soll bei Schädeln und Schlachtfeld getrickst haben', Berliner Zeitung . 27.11.2024.

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Thailand Still Thinking About Ratification of 1970 UNESCO Convention

Marisa Chimprabha, 'Thailand closer to ratifying UN convention on trafficking in cultural property' Thai PBS 20 Nov 2024.

Thailand has completed drafting legislation to prevent illicit activities involving cultural property, though the document has yet to pass cabinet and parliamentary scrutiny. Thailand, historically rich in cultural sites and artefacts, is one of six ASEAN countries which are yet to ratify the 1970 UN Convention. Only Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam have ratified it so far. Thailand is a major source of looted artefacts, as a source country as well as a major transshipment country (in particular to the USA) for looted artefacts from across the Middle East and beyond. It is also a source of an increasing number of fake artefacts purporting to be from these regions.

Italian police recover £6m treasure looted by Artefact Hunters

 

An ancient site was damaged by artefact hunters who accidentally discovered an Etruscan cemetery on their land in Citta della Pieve, located approximately 90 miles (150 km) north of Rome. They removed a number of items from the graves (including a sarcophagus containing the complete skeleton of a woman in her forties) and tried to sell them on the black market. The site was irreversibly impacted by the clumsy attempts to extract the artefacts. The latter included eight painted vases, and beauty accessories such as a bronze mirror and a perfume bottle ("still retaining its scent"), and were valued at over €8 million (£6.7 million). According to Perugia chief prosecutor Raffaele Cantone, the damage inflicted on the necropolis by two entrepreneurs who stumbled upon the burial chambers while excavating their property was extensive. They "had nothing to do with the world of professional tomb raiders" but were "clumsy" and "amateurish" in their attempt to access the black market.

The pair drew the attention of the authorities after they posted pictures of the artifacts online to find buyers. Authorities then began monitoring their phones, conducting stakeouts, and using drones to track their activities. The police intervened when one of the suspects posted a picture on Facebook of himself with one of the artifacts.

Both individuals face charges of theft and trafficking in stolen goods, with potential sentences of up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Good.

Italian police recover £6m treasure looted by amateur 'tomb raiders' MSN

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Anti-Social Awareness Week

                                                                           

HE Heritage Crime @HeritageCrime · Nov 17

"Tomorrow marks the start of Anti-Social Awareness Week, look out for updates relating to partnership action and activity to prevent anti-social behaviour in the historic environment".

But I bet once again it will shrink from saying what should be being said about collection-driven exploitation of the archaeological record. As per usual.

Lebanon: 34 cultural properties placed under enhanced protection

 
The UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict has decided to grant provisional enhanced protection to 34 cultural properties in Lebanon and to grant international financial assistance to support the implementation of emergency heritage measures. UNESCO Press Release 18 November 2024 'Lebanon: 34 cultural properties placed under enhanced protection":

On 30 October, at the request of the Lebanese authorities, UNESCO convened an extraordinary session of the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. This was held on Monday at the Organization's headquarters in Paris. It resulted in the provisional inclusion of 34 Lebanese cultural properties on the International List of Cultural Property under Enhanced Protection, including the World Heritage sites of Baalbek and Tyre, near to which strikes have recently been recorded.

These 34 cultural properties now benefit from the highest level of immunity against attack and use for military purposes. Non-compliance with these clauses would constitute ‘serious violations’ of the 1954 Hague Convention and would constitute potential grounds for prosecution.

The sites placed under enhanced protection will receive technical and financial assistance from UNESCO to reinforce their legal protections, improve risk anticipation and management measures, and provide further training for site managers in this area. Enhanced protection also helps send a signal to the entire international community of the urgent need to protect these sites.

This emergency initiative falls within the framework of the 1954 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property and its Second Protocol drawn up in 1999. It complements the actions already undertaken by UNESCO in recent weeks to protect Lebanon's cultural heritage.

Since the outbreak of hostilities, UNESCO has been in close contact with site managers, cultural professionals and national authorities. The Organization has offered its support in identifying emergency measures, inventorying museum collections, and moving works that can be moved to safe locations elsewhere in Lebanon.

UNESCO is also carrying out satellite monitoring of historical and heritage sites, in order to assess their state of conservation and any damage they have incurred, in partnership with UNOSAT, the United Nations Satellite Centre.

UNESCO has also set up an emergency programme for Lebanon covering the culture, education, information and communication sectors. The Organization is calling on its Member States to support the implementation of this programme with financial contributions.