Another Blog About "Looting History" - on Our Side

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Discussion of archaeological site looting and illegal export of cultural property seems to be becoming more popular these days. It is always nice to learn that the blogosphere has been enlarged a little more by people looking at the issues from our side of the fence. I see that for the last coupls of weeks a new blog has been running with three contributors, Shannon Nakamoto a law student from Oregon together with Tristan McKinnon (Eugene, Oregon) and Gabriele Ursitti (New Jersey).

They have discussed several issues, including the Iranian artefacts crisis (the Chicago Persopolis excavation archive), the trial of James Hodges (the Sotheby's whistleblower), the case of the looted plaque which Riven Flamenbaum bought from a Russian soldier in post-war Berlin and the recent Cairo conference on repatriation. The latest post considers the Ka-Nefer-Nefer mummy mask taken from the Sakkara excavations archive and somehow now in the St Louis Art Museum who don't want to give it back. Most of these are issues discussed here, but it is nice to see them given an airing.

Especially since all the black hat guys can do these days is fill their blogs with cheap shots and invective about people who have other opinions on the issues surrounding collecting of and commerce in archaeological artefacts, or other such nonsense. So it is good to see that anyone following these issues from outside the circles of those involved in the discussion will see that the overwhelming prepondernce of discussion of the actual issues is from the writers on this side of the fence.