Search

The article looks at the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), which codifies how researchers funded by the U.S. government must handle the human remains and artifacts found on Native American archaeology excavation sites. The author comments on how a proposed amendment to the law has complicated the relationship between archaeologists and Native Americans.

The article describes museums and countries struggling over ownership of antique works of art. Museums have had to return antiquities to nations, such as the Getty Villa in Malibu, California, returning to Italy in 2010 a 5th century statue. Museums' policies around the world are discussed. The changing process by which museum directors procure antiquities is reviewed, including the black market for art. Questions are raised: who owns antiquities, what access should the public have to this art? INSET: Peace Offerings.

Illicit trafficking in antiquities totals perhaps $2 billion a year, says the U.K.'s McDonald Institute for Archeological Research. But it's getting harder to get away with. Witness the recent repatriation of antiquities from Iraq, Guatemala and China; new rules that make it tougher to plead ignorance for a collector caught with a questionable piece; and a muscular U.S. Customs Service. In May, Representatives Philip English (R-Pa.) and James Leach (R-Iowa) introduced legislation to restrict importation of antiquities from Iraq and other sensitive parts of the globe. Meantime, foreign governments, particularly Egypt and Italy, have stepped up efforts to find antiquities they believe were stripped from their lands by grave robbers and smuggling rings. They're taking aim at dealers, museums--and collectors. Amenhotep III, the 14th-centurey B.C. Egyptian pharaoh, could hardly have foreseen the problems he would cause 3,300 years after his death. A stone bust of the pharaoh is in Britain's Scotland Yard. The police don't know what to do with it. The Cairo government claims the head was taken out of Egypt illegally and is poised to sue for it. Collectors have to meet difficult legal standards. They must avoid objects that they know violate so-called patrimony laws, which allow governments of "source" countries to declare ownership of all antiquities within their borders that have not yet been unearthed. Collectors are on their own to prove provenance--authenticity or past ownership; the antiquities business is unregulated. The International Foundation for Art Research, a New York nonprofit art law research outfit, has spent years updating and excerpting patrimony laws. INSET: Raider of the Lost Art.

Discusses the difficulty of archaeologists in the recovery and study of the Snettisham Treasure in eastern England due to the inadequacy of English Common Law. Discovery of torques, ingots, bracelets, and Roman coins; Determination by coroner of treasure owner by guessing the intentions of prehistoric people.

The article presents information on the archaeological law for Greece. Athens has become one of the important centers in Europe for the study of art and archaeology. Hence there is a widespread conviction in Greece that she has outgrown the archaeological law of 1834, under which all her museums have been filled with priceless treasures of ancient art and history. So, the need for a law, however the effective enforcement of any provision of the law has grown increasingly difficult. The demand for Greek antiquities has become so strong and the prices in consequence so remunerative, that the business of smuggling such goods out of the country has reached enormous proportions.

The article presents information on the dealing with archaeological thefts by law enforcement officers in Kentucky. According to experts, archaeological theft might not keep officers as busy as other cases particularly outside eastern Kentucky, but it is a big business. It is stated that Kentucky's earth is filled with treasures and looters looking for quick money have ravaged the commonwealth's land.

Reports on the efforts of the United States Congress to stop the looting of archaeological sites in the country. Legislative bills introduced by the Congress to address the issue; Congressmen who authored the bills; Provisions of the legislative bills.

The article offers information on the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979, which makes it a criminal act in the U.S. to remove any artifacts from public lands.

An interview with archaeologist Winston Hurst is presented. When asked about a federal raid on archaeological looters in Blanding, Utah in 2009, Hurst talks about a similar raid in 1986. He comments on how common collecting artifacts is in Blanding. He argues against criminalizing collecting artifacts on private land.

The article presents an interview with Giuma Anag, director of Libya's Bureau of Antiquities. When asked how archaeology has fared in Libya, Anag replies that there is a policy that the living have priority over ancient sites. He also comments on the impact of oil exploration on archaeology and the role of colonialism in Libya.

This year marks the centennial of two significant acts in the history of American archaeology: in 1906 Congress passed the American Antiquities Act, the first major piece of legislation aimed at protecting and preserving archaeological sites and artifacts on federal lands; and two months later the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) was chartered by a special act of Congress. They are intertwined in the early history of efforts to professionalize the practice of archaeology in the U.S. and to shift the focus of the discipline away from antiquarian collecting toward scientific excavation, promotion of knowledge gained from excavation, and responsible curation of finds, all for the benefit of the American public. The Antiquities Act has had a lasting impact on national policy, resulting in the preservation of many archaeological and historic sites such as Chaco Canyon and Fort Sumter National Monuments. It also served as the foundation for later antiquities laws such as the Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act (1974), the Archaeological Resources Protection Act (1979), and the National Historic Preservation Act (1966).

Focuses on the approval of a legislation to privatize management of the Colosseum and the Pompeii archaeological sites in Italy. Author of the legislation; Provisions of the legislation; Criticisms of several museums on the privatization plan.

The article focuses on laws and regulations governing archaeology across Canada.

Reports on the amendment in the 1,000-year-old Treasure Trove law amid pressure from the British archaeological community. Enactment of law in the Middle Ages; Provisions under law.

Discusses the need to toughen laws governing the use of metal detectors and reporting of archaeological finds in Great Britain. Responsible behavior by Peter Whatling in reporting a Roman treasure buried in his lot; Ensuring integrity of the treasure; Prompt scientific investigation of the findspot.

Discusses the law and legislation protecting archaeological sites in the United States. Consideration of how the Antiquities Act of 1906 provided for the protection of sites on federal lands; How most legislation still does not protect sites on private land; Implications of the 1898 amendment to the Cultural Properties Act; Importance of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979; Need for public education with regard to protecting archaeological sites.

Comments on the article by Anne Giesecke about the Abandoned Shipwreck Bill in the U.S., published in the July/August 1987 issue of the periodical 'Archaeology.'

The article offers news briefs related to relic hunting in the U.S. in 2015 including the attempt to alter the wording in the Clean Water Act, the Archaeological Resources Protection Act charged to a University of Missouri archaeology professor, and a Civil War monument in New York village.

The author discusses the rules and etiquette for digging historical artifacts. He relates an incident of digging relics on a national battlefield park wherein the perpetrator has pled guilty and was required to pay a $550 fine along with any requested park restitution. He says that someone has no permission to tell anyone when someone takes him to a site on private property.

The article presents information on archeological desecration law in Kentucky. Federal law like the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 has evolved to deal with the issue of archaeological resource desecration. It is stated that old cemeteries are targets in the states and law enforcement officers in Kentucky have numerous statutory tools to work with the issue.

The article presents comments on an issue about an archeologist violating the Archeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) by removing artifacts in New Mexico. The author notes that the charges were dropped because the archeologist's actions were driven by academic pursuit and not wholesale looting. The author mentions the inconsistencies and double standards the ARPA law has on average citizens who are indicted and government employees and archeological elite who go free for the same crimes.

The article focuses on bills introduced by state lawmakers which restricts amateur archaeologists from unearthing artifacts in Florida and it also suggests criminal mining of state resources.

This article reports on a forgery case in Israel, where the inscription on a burial container was in dispute. The box supposedly contained the remains of the brother of Jesus Christ. Professor Yuval Goren of the Israel Antiquities Authority asserted the inscription was fake but a four year trial has come to the opposite conclusion.

The article comments on the archaeological debate on the use of metal-detectors to recover archaeological objects. It explains the anti- and pro-metal-detecting views. It discusses the reason the hobby of metal-detecting gets a worse press. It presents information on a Code of Practice for Responsible Metal Detecting in England and Wales.

Reports that the Israeli Supreme Court has issued a temporary injunction barring a plan to remove thousands of rubble from the Temple Mount by the Waqf in Jerusalem. Purpose of the ruling; Rejection of the idea that an archaeologist can adequately supervise the project; Concerns of archaeologists over the rulings.

The article provides advice geared towards residents of Alabama concerning the ways in which they can become involved in archaeological projects in the state. Emphasis is given to volunteer participation in the Alabama Archaeological Society. Various archaeological sites are described, as are state and national laws pertaining to the preservation of historic areas.

The article reports on the relevance of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2010 to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The Act requires that no change on any property within the 100-meter (m) prohibited area and the 200-m regulated area around a monument can be made without permission from the National Monuments Authority (NMA). According to the author, the Act is an important milestone for ASI as it celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2011.

The article focuses on "nighthawking," the illegal use of metal detectors on private or protected sites in Great Britain. English Heritage reported on a study that found treasure hunters target protected areas repeatedly, causing a loss of cultural property and archaeological treasures without context. Private property owners tend to handle the situations directly, which causes the thefts to be largely under-reported.

The article discusses the release of details surrounding the plundering of ten archaeological sites in England including Richborough, Kent and Thurnham Castle. The release follows the June 25, 2008 prosecution of Mark Staples who is the first person to be charged under the 1979 Archaeological Areas and Ancient Monuments Act.

The article highlights the rights of archaeological finders under the Treasure Act of 1996. The issue targets a certain number of occasions where the Finds Liaison Officers (FLO) have been incorrectly advising finders of their rights of recording items. These personalities keep the finds with the knowledge that they have obtained potential treasures. The law states that finders are requested to report these items to their respective Coroners within 14 days or they will face sanctions.

The article focuses on the declaration of a moratorium on the acquisition of archeological objects which lack documentation of removal from their probable countries of modern discovery prior to 1970, the year which UNESCO has banned the illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property. The moratorium, which was declared by Indianapolis Museum of Art, departs from the guidelines of the Association of Art Museum Directors.

The article reports that the government of Nunavut has introduced new regulations in 2001 to protect its irreplaceable archaeological and paleontological heritage. The guidelines prohibit the sale or possession of artifacts or specimens originating in the territory and research permits will be issued with more stringent requirements. Minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth Peter Kattuk said that prohibiting the sale or possession of archaeological artifacts will go a long way towards curbing illegal marketing of artifacts.