Looting Matters: Archaeological Institute Offers Views on Italian Antiquities

SWANSEA, Wales, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire/ — David Gill, archaeologist, reflects on the statement from the Archaeological Institute of America relating to the import of antiquities from Italy.

In November 2009 the US Cultural Property Advisory Committee (CPAC) reviewed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Italy. This agreement relates to “the Imposition of Import Restrictions on Archaeological Material Representing the Pre-Classical, Classical and Imperial Roman Periods of Italy.” CPAC was looking at Article 2 to consider the actions taken by Italian authorities to reduce the problem of looting.

The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA), which represents over 200,000 members, has now released its position on the MOU. The AIA, in a letter from Dr. Sebastian Heath, Vice-President for Professional Responsibilities, affirmed its support “for the ongoing work of the Republic of Italy to protect its cultural patrimony and share the benefits of this rich heritage with the people of the United States.”

North American archaeologists have demonstrated their commitment to the archaeological heritage of Italy through a wide-ranging programme of fieldwork that included projects at Pompeii and the Villa of Maxentius in Rome. These excavations have informed public exhibitions in North America. It was stressed at the 2009 exhibition From the Temple and the Tomb: Etruscan Treasures from Tuscany at the Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University (SMU). One of the exhibits was an Etruscan coin recovered by one of the SMU student excavators.

The AIA stressed the generosity of Italian authorities in sharing archaeological material with North American museums. The submission emphasised the importance of the 2002 exhibition Magna Graecia: Greek Art from South Italy and Sicily, as well as other significant loans.

Public awareness of the problem of looting has been highlighted through the display of objects returned from North American public and private collections. Most recently this material was displayed in L’Arma per l’Arte at the Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome.

New web-based technologies have been used to share the archaeological heritage of Italy and neighbouring countries through the initiative of fastionline.org. This project is supported by the Packard Humanities Institute and was created by the International Association for Classical Archaeology.

These enterprising initiatives in both Italy and North America reflect an exciting spirit of collaboration and a joint commitment to preserve the unique cultural heritage that can be found within the modern territory of Italy.

http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2009/12/cpac-review-of-mou-with-italy-aia.html

SOURCE Looting Matters