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Course: Special topics in art history > Unit 1
Lesson 6: Destruction, looting, and trafficking- Mesa Verde and the preservation of Ancestral Puebloan heritage
- A market for looted antiquities
- Save culture—end trafficking
- Trafficking the past
- We will need Monuments Men for as long as ancient sites remain battlefields
- What the bulldozers left behind: reclaiming Sicán’s past
- Lost History: the terracotta sculpture of Djenné Djenno
- The Looting of Cambodian Antiquities
- The scourge of looting: trafficking antiquities, from temple to museum
- How a famous Greek bronze ended up in Rome
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Save culture—end trafficking
The Eye Idol, a 5000-year-old artifact from Syria, is at risk due to conflict and illegal excavations. A quarter of Syria's archaeological sites have been looted since 2011, with stolen artifacts smuggled and sold online. Spotting red flags before buying antiques can help prevent this illicit trafficking.
Want to join the conversation?
why is the website for illicit trafficking http and not https? (safe)(7 votes)
Do we need to save every piece of art ever made? Where do we make the distinction? Is there a discrimination between artists, and is one piece chosen over another because of its better construction? better condition? worse condition? What about artifacts that are being made now?
Do we have the resources to keep all art protected? Should we spend our resources there? Is modern art less important right now because older art is deteriorating faster? What is the most efficient way to combine studying and preserving the past, and making a future for our own descendants?
When and where and how do we make these distinctions?(1 vote)
From the author:Father Columba Stewart recently told us that he digitizes every manuscript page he can, no matter how seemingly insignificant, since he can't know what people one hundred years from now will find important.(4 votes)
- Why would in the past take things away from where they are from and made in and why would they trafficking?(1 vote)
The problem is that a lot of people want ancient artifacts for in their collection. They really like to have historical objects in their living room, and they want to pay a lot for it. So there is a lot of money to be earned in the illegal art business. There is a lot of poverty in countries like Syria because of the war. The government has less soldiers to protect ancient sites because of the war. So some people sneak in to grab artifacts to sell them. If they make sure the illegal artifacts can get to their sellers, they can earn a lot of money to support their familie. The main problem is the demand for these objects, because if no one would want to buy these artifacts, smugglers wouldn't invest their time in trafficking them.(3 votes)
but what if you call the cops and they are not trafficking it(1 vote)- If the ensuing investigation finds nothing wrong, then "no harm, no foul."(1 vote)
Video transcript
It's a strange little object, isn't it? That bell-shaped body, those big wide eyes. Looks like something you might pick up at your local market. Right? But there's a much bigger story here. This little object is called the Eye Idol, it is 5000 years old and was discovered in Syria. It is an irreplaceable part of the country's cultural heritage. Sadly, the Eye Idols are only one example of many objects at risk of disappearing completely. While the conflict in the country rages on, the theft of ancient artifacts during illegal excavations becomes easier. And they can be small enough to fit in a piece of hand luggage. Since 2011, 25% of Syria's archaeological sites have been pillaged. Once stolen, they're smuggled into neighboring countries. Despite these countries' best efforts to fight illegal trafficking, stolen artifacts eventually end up on the antiques market. The increased sale of these artifacts online makes it hard to keep track of them. The good news is, you can help stop this! Before purchasing an antique object, keep an eye out for these red flags: Is there dirt on it? Does it seem like a broken fragment of a larger artifact? Is there a reference number painted on its base that looks like it's from a museum? Does its price seem too good to be true? And most importantly, Can the seller provide you with the object's provenance paperwork? If you feel suspicious about the object, you should alert the police, Customs, Museums and Culture Ministries, or UNESCO. Syria is home to some of humanity's oldest and most valuable cultural wonders. The looting of artifacts threatens the country's rich cultural identity. Help us put an end to this illicit trafficking. For more information on this, please visit this link. And the webpages of Unesco's main partners, aiding in the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property.