"Too many scholars look the other way" Muscarella.

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In expressing his firmly held opinions on looting culture, Oscar White Muscarella is not known for pulling his punches. His latest text on the SAFECorner forum is true to form, he discusses in no uncertain terms the meeting of the Leon Levy Foundation discussing some aspect or other of 'partage' (which was mentioned here earlier as well as on the SAFECorner and other blogs) . The implications behind his stinging comments on the participants' involvement are worthy of reflection. He takes what is happening as an indication that the "archaeological discipline is fragmenting while too many scholars look the other way". My thoughts exactly on the wider implications of the UK's PAS. I note he is rather scathing of the AIA which sits oddly with the complaints of the dealers and collectors that it is a bastion of institutional standoffishism. Muscarella says:

Brian Pennsylvania Rose, Deputy-Director of the University of Pennsylvania Museum, is the President of the said-to-be Archaeological Institute of America. He is infamous for crippling the AIA, smilingly reaching out to the plunderers, proclaiming that plunderers and archaeologists have a “Common Ground.” He first linked the AIA to plundering activities by declaring Indiana Jones, an archetype plunderer, as a model “in stimulating the public’s interest in archaeology….as a benefit to archaeology… archaeologists... dig Indy”. Rose celebrated the actor who played Indiana Jones at an AIA Gala “Honoring” party, and had him appointed a Trustee of the AIA [...] Rose [has] now brought the AIA [...] further into the depths of the plunder culture. [...] Rose has now added Shelby to his list of those plunderers he digs. Query: will he soon get her an appointment as Trustee of the AIA?

Several US collectors have been heard moaning loudly that serious archaeologists will not discuss "issues" with them. We seem to have an indication here that this is not really the case, the AIA is perfectly willing to discuss things with collectors perhaps the ACCG are simply not moving in the right circles.

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