Greece's Seas: The Looters' Next Destination

The Guardian (UK) ^ | 12-6-2005 | Helena Smith

[blam]

Greece's seas: the looters' next destination

New law opens access for traffickers to a hoard of underwater antiquities

Helena Smith in Athens
Tuesday December 6, 2005
The Guardian (UK)

Lost and found ... a 16th century Spanish cargo ship off Zakynthos

When it was first proposed, it seemed like a good idea: open up the Greek seas to divers and create a paradise for tourists underwater. Those who backed the law never thought of it as a windfall for looters, nor did it occur to them that it might put the acquisition policies of museums under further scrutiny. But the Greek parliament's unprecedented step last month to allow divers access to the once forbidden coastline has raised fears that archaeological riches preserved in an untouched world will be taken by ruthless thieves.

"There are treasures in our seas," says Dimitris Athanasoulis, president of the Archaeologists' Association. "This will open the floodgates to smugglers. It'll serve to encourage them at a time when evidence shows the trafficking of antiquities is on the rise."

Last month, as Athens announced legal action against California's Getty Museum to reclaim an array of antiquities whose rightful owners, according to authorities, died at least 2,000 years ago, the row reached a new pitch. At issue are thousands of shipwrecks believed to be buried in the Mediterranean. Greece is thought to host most of these submerged gems, with an undisclosed number, say experts, dating to the golden age of the 5th century BC. And, like later vessels from the Roman, Byzantine and early modern periods, those ships sank with priceless cargoes intact.

[blam]

GGG Ping.

[TexasCajun]

[Rocketman]

Tell me if i'm wrong but the majority of items of antiqity that have been recovered underwater, on land in temples and mounds have been recovered by by indivisuals and private firms. Museums are filled with those provate finds. -- It has been onl in the last 100 years that archeaologists and the like have gotten everything locked up so they can do the looting.

[Little Ray]

If the archeologists want the treasure, they better get there first... otherwise "finders, keepers!"

[Androcles]

To be fair though, enthusiasts like myself who find a site and bring objects to a museum obscure a lot of data through not being the anally retentive, methodical, careful documenting types required for an archaeoloigical dig. Sometimes it doesn't matter, but with a really interesting find, all the most minor placement data is crucial...

[Rocketman]

To be fair they are talking about thousands of "archeological sites in the ocean -- the government of Greece no money to excave -- with thousands of tourists that visit thir crumblking ruins every year and infuse millions into their econ9omy they have little or no money to rebuld and ecave more sites. These sites were originally dug up by british and gernams museums funded by private funds.

In a recent post they had photos of mexican and south american mounds and sites that these governments have little or no funds to dig up nor will theey ever under currrent rules they are marked off and left to rot -- if these govenments would turn these sites over to the local cities or tribes and allow them to develope them and collect the tousism dollars and or sell or rent out artifaces -- in other words allow free enterprize you would se sites being repaired to original condition and new sites bubbling up all over.

On the ocean wrecks use free enterprise to cull out the thousands of junky wrecks and identify significant finds for science to analize and brags of their skills and throeies.

[Androcles]

You make good points. Maybe along the lines you envisage but require a certain amount of basic documenting (ie a videocam) until its seen whether the site is a genuine major find or just an interesting recent one...

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Blam.

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[Dustbunny]

Ping

[wildbill]

I love the idea of documenting a site for historical purposes, BUT...when archeologists and museums get into the act, almost all the arifacts wind up in boxes in the basement of some museum where they do no one any good.

These items, once catalogued and analyzed should be put on auction to folks who would love to have them on display in thier homes. Gold and silver items would probably bring in the most money of course. The money could be used for additional explorations and preservation.

There would be three major advantages to this:
1.It would pretty much stop the illegal looting because the underground market would dry up, especially for the most common things like pots and utensils.
2. Funding for exploration and preservation would be enhanced.
3.Thousands of ordinary collectors would get the thrill of having a physical connection with the past on display in their homes and presumably would pass this on to others.

[blam]

The Brits have a system where the finder is paid 'market-value' for his find. And then, they hide it away in vaults, lol.

[wildbill]

Every once in a while you hear about some museum 'de-accessioning' some items from their inventory.

That means they are selling off stuff they can't use or exhibit that's been sitting around gathering dust.

But they do it almost in secret so the average guy doesn't have a chance to get a 'piece of eight' from a sunken ship or a Roman bust or a Chinese pot/vase.