(Roger Anis / El Shorouk / Associated Press)
Having participated in an archaeological field school in Guatemala, I have seen the detrimental effects of looting firsthand. Cultural sites that you would assume had not been seen by humans for centuries, located hundreds of kilometers into the jungle and overgrown with vegetation, had all been extensively looted by Guatemalan natives. This type of subsistence looting is very commonplace in Central America, where the majority of the population lives in poverty and the chance to sell cultural artifacts to the antiquities black market is very tempting. This clandestine excavation of ancient sites, and subsequent loss of objects to the black market, is extremely damaging to our cultural heritage. The context in which artifacts were buried or discarded is completely lost, and archaeologists are left to piece together the use of these objects and their significance to the culture that made them.
According to an article in the Arts and Culture section of the Los Angeles Times, the recent political unrest in Egypt has led to the looting and destruction of over one thousand artifacts housed in a museum south of Cairo. The looting of the Malawi National Museum is claimed to be the largest instance of cultural looting in the history of the country. In response to this cultural tragedy, Irinia Bokova, the head of UNESCO, has said that "this constitutes irreversible damage to the history and identity of the Egyptian people." It is likely that many of the pieces that were not destroyed in the looting will be sold on the illicit market, where they can ultimately end up in the hands of wealthy private collectors or potentially be purchased by unscrupulous museums.
Historically, the museums that choose to invest in the acquisition of illegally looted artifacts often do so with the intent of enhancing their collections. This indirectly contributes to the continuation of clandestine excavation around the world and the resultant destruction of cultural sites. Despite the fact that museums are becoming increasingly sensitive to the ethical repercussions of acquiring illegally looted items for their collections, the majority of ethical codes that were written and adopted by museums in the most recent decades to help prevent this looting are still surprisingly lax. In the past, some of the more unprincipled museum directors have even condoned the continued acquisition of looted cultural property in their belief that they represent the institutions that are most capable of caring for and preserving these items. This conviction led to many museum directors fighting against other nation’s claims for repatriation of cultural objects due to their opinion that “museums serve not just the citizens of one nation but the people of every nation” (414).
Ultimately, it is the ethical responsibility of museums to do everything in their power to prevent the destruction of our cultural heritage by refusing to acquire illegally looted items, or even objects that lack a clear provenance. In her article “Legal and Ethical Considerations in Museum Acquisitions,” Marilyn Phelan is admirable in her assertion that “Cultural patrimony is inalienable, and cultural objects have their greatest value to society when they remain, and can be studied, in their place of origin” (418). As an archaeologist, I wholeheartedly agree with this statement, and I believe the heritage and culture of each nation is invaluable to its citizens. Looting only serves to destroy our collective heritage and prevent the study and appreciation of the peoples that came before us.
Check out this article that inspired this entry in Museum Musings!
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