Is the Looting Really Over?

Martin Bailey strikes again, with an interview with Dr Abbas al-Husseini, described as "the leading archaeologist in Iraq," who tells readers of the Art Newspaper that "looting is over". Bailey's new piece is a followup on an article earlier this summer that as he notes "generated considerable controversy" because it suggested that no post-2003 looting had occurred. Though the article spins Abbas' comments as corroborating this view, at least now the Art Newspaper has admitted that some looting went on after 2003. The position now is that, in Abbas' words, looting did occur post-2003, though it "declined very considerably in 2004 and has diminished yet more since then." Paul Barford, fellow SAFEcorner blogger, is right to see this as cognitive progress of sorts. Still, the overall message to readers is: relax, looting is no longer a problem, since "professional looting has ended." But there is reason to treat Dr Abbas' claims, as reported by Mr Bailey, with some skepticism....
To read more, go to The Punching Bag

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Iraq, the "looting of sites is over"?

Martin Bailey in an article in last month’s issue of the Art Newspaper proclaimed loudly “Archaeological sites in south Iraq have not been looted, say experts”. This month the Art Newspaper carried a further article on the subject by Martin Bailey who dryly notes “Our article generated considerable controversy, provoking strong reactions from both ends of the political spectrum”.

In order to substantiate his earlier interpretation of the information, Bailey has now phoned Dr Abbas al-Husseini, former chairman of the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities now based in Al Qadisiyah University in Diwaniya who is characterised as the leading archaeologist in the country. Dr al-Husseini talked with the Art Newspaper reporter about the looting that had taken place in Iraq since the 1990s and which had become severe in 2003. He said that the scale of this activity had considerably declined in 2004 and he believes it has continued to diminished since then, saying that now “professional looting has ended, although just like anywhere in the world there may be some occasional digging by children”. According to Dr al-Husseini, one reason for this was that the looting had been driven by the existence of a black market in the antiquities it produced, and this market seems to have dried up, “so looters get nothing for their work”. Other reasons he gave were the presence in some areas of properly equipped guards and the fatwas against damaging the Iraqi heritage issued in some regions by religious leaders. In addition, the renewal of the excavations of some sites by Iraqi archaeologists have meant that these sites at least are better monitored.

Perhaps it should be pointed out that there is a significant difference in the two Art Newspaper articles by Martin Bailey. The earlier article proclaimed on the basis of an examination of just eight sites that there had been “no looting” in southern Iraq as a whole. This later text says there was looting in Iraq (we may note that the journalist fails to establish which regions are being discussed), but was declining in frequency from 2004 onwards.

Mr Bailey could however have saved his newspaper the cost of a phone call to Diwaniya by reading Elizabeth Stone’s “Antiquity” article where pp. 135-7 tell the same story in more detail.

Stone, E.C. 2008, Patterns of Looting in Southern Iraq, Antiquity 82 (315) 125-138. See also SAFE's online version here.

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Looted, trafficked, and sold - "Nostoi" gives artifacts a homecoming welcome

Meet 74 cultural treasures that were ripped from their places of origin, without regard for their archaeological or cultural significance, and sent on an illicit journey: sold to private collectors and prestigious museums as mere art objects, before, finally, being recovered and returned home. These are the 74 objects that make up the exhibition “Nostoi: Recovered Masterpieces,” currently on display at the Palazzo Poli in Rome. The exhibit features items previously held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Getty Museum, and Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, among others. It is designed as a homecoming celebration for artifacts that were looted from Italy, but, following many long legal battles, have been returned from the institutions and individuals that had acquired them illicitly.

SAFE is pleased to see such a landmark exhibit on display, and is proud to offer our own SAFE Tours in both Italian and English of “Nostoi”: our first international SAFE Tours ever. Our tours are led by two experts on Italian art and cultural heritage: Stefano Alessandrini, who has served as an expert witness on several of the court cases surrounding the objects on display in “Nostoi,” and Laura Flusche, an art history professor with an incredible depth and breadth of knowledge on Italian art and history. Both will lead an incredible, one-of-a-kind tour that is not to be missed. However, space is limited, so reservations must be made in advance here.

While the objects on display in the “Nostoi” exhibit represent success stories of looted and recovered artifacts, the tale is bittersweet. These items have been returned to their home country after they were taken illicitly, but most of the knowledge they contained-invaluable knowledge about the past that can only be attained through proper archaeological excavation-is lost forever. At the end of the day, while the object’s return represents the success of legal institutions and international cooperation, the information each object contained was far more valuable than the object as an object alone. Even more knowledge will be lost if action is not taken against looting. And though these 74 pieces have come home, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Hundreds of thousands of antiquities worldwide that have been looted from their homelands have yet to be recovered, or even located.

Perhaps most importantly, will this exhibition help spur a change in attitudes towards the illicit antiquities trade? Museums, art dealers, and auction houses can make a tremendous difference by taking a stand against the black market in antiquities, and the rampant looting that feeds it. Whether they will remains to be seen.

Photos: Andrea D'Achille

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