Saturday 19 April 2014

Illicit Antiquities: Metal Detectorists Show Their True Colours


From a metal detecting blog near you, here is pro-smuggler oikism in full throttle:

HELPING ON ANOTHER FRONT!
John Howland kindly put together the following and here again we need to support our fellow collectors. If we only think in terms of detecting and our own self interests we are ignoring the elephant in the room….
The Land of the Free?
Whether the FMDAC is doing its stuff remains a moot point.  I hope it is.  But over in Washington, DC, attorney Peter Tompa, who’s also an internationally respected coin collector is taking a firm stand against what amounts to a cultural mugging as US State Department officials prompted by foreign heritologists cosy-up, hand-in-blouse, with Egypt’s military regime to do their bidding. If you are concerned at this appalling situation then click on Peter Tompa’s excellent, informative blog at:-
[...] 
So, to submit comments concerning the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), go to the Federal Rulemaking Portal and enter Docket No. DOS-2014-0008 and by all means speak your mind.
If you were not asked about this by your political representative, why not have your say and make your feelings known as Peter suggests.
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("Take a Moment and Make a Difference…" April 19, 2014 · 9:40 am)

The CCPIA exists to protect the archaeological heritage from the no-questions-asked US antiquities market. Yes, let us ask the American people in general, are you for or against the trade in smuggled ancient artefacts by US Dealers and collectors? Which side are "responsible" detectorists on?  US archaeologist Lisa McIntyre maintains her stubborn silence. 

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hear she's out cutlery shopping after relaxing with a bit of Chaucer....

"Therfore bihoueth hire a ful long spoon That shal ete with a feend."

Paul Barford said...

I really for the life of me cannot think why ANY archaeologist would support this kind of thing.

Anonymous said...

Or such people.

I think it's a case of leaping before looking as I'm willing to bet that if she sat down and studied it she'd agree with the whole stance the Journal takes. Which is kind of awkward!

Cultural Property Observer said...

An anti-smuggling effort on behalf of Egypt's military dicatorship? Come on. This will just hurt legitimate collectors. Smugglers couldn't care less about doing paperwork, or if they do they will just fake it.

What this is really about is giving the El-Sissi government some much needed legitimacy. It's too bad major archaeological groups and at least some of their members are such willing pawns.

And if you are going to criticize their post, at least also link to the source material:

http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2014/04/done-deal-or-not-say-no-to-dictators.html

Paul Barford said...

No, this smuggling is affecting the cultural heritage of the people of Egypt, the citizens not the government.

There is nothing "legitimate" in buying smuggled or dodgy, unpapered, artefacts.

There IS already a link in my post, to the text to which I refer. You are not a metal detectorist are you? You said you'd accept NO comments to that article, so the detectorists volunteered their help elsewhere.

 
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