Looting and ‘Salvaging’ the Heritage of Palestine

Yahya, Adel H.

doi:10.5334/pp.26

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…As such, former UNESCO Director General Koïchiro Matsuura called illicit digging a "crime against culture," as did Bowman Proulx (2008) 26 ; Howard et al (2016) even declared some manifestations to be a "cultural genocide" 27 of sorts. Wrote Yahya (2010), "We should stand firm against activities such as illicit digging, grave robbing and above all trading in antiquities, and reject any excuses presented by the diggers and dealers to justify their actions" (p. 99). Other archaeologists have gone so far as to suggest that looting can only be curbed with violence, asserting that they "would like to see helicopters flying over [Iraqi archaeological sites] so that people know there is a real price to looting this stuff .…”

Section: Looters As Victims or Criminalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Field Archaeologists as Eyewitnesses to Site Looting

Balestrieri

2018

Arts

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In a recent worldwide study on the nature, scope, and frequency of archaeological site looting, the vast majority of field archaeologists reported having had multiple encounters with archaeological site looters both on- and off-site. Despite the criminalization of looting in most countries’ domestic statutory schemes, nearly half of surveyed field archaeologists do not report looting activity to external law enforcement or archaeological authorities when they encounter it. The rationales for their actions—or inactions—are examined within a criminological framework, and field archaeologists’ perspectives on looters as “criminals” and “victims” are explored. The paper concludes with a consideration that the criminalization of looting creates an emergent duty to report among archaeologists, and how they choose to address site looting changes their role in and relationship to the trade in illicitly obtained antiquities.

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Section: Looters As Victims or Criminalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Field Archaeologists as Eyewitnesses to Site Looting

Balestrieri

2018

Arts

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“…Much has been written about archaeology, nationalism, and identity in Israel and Palestine (see Abu El-Haj, 2001; Baram, 2007; Benvenisti, 2002; De Cesari, 2010a; Feige, 2007; Gori, 2013; Hallote and Joffe, 2002; Scham and Yahya, 2003; Silberman, 1994, 2013; Starzmann, 2013; Yahya, 2010; Zerubavel, 1995; Ziadeh-Seely, 2007). It is not my intent to discuss those issues here; instead, I want to focus on how archaeological practice, the display of artifacts, and archaeological site protection are fractured as a result of law and policy.…”

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confidence: 99%

Fractured oversight: The ABCs of cultural heritage in Palestine after the Oslo Accords

Kersel

2014

Journal of Social Archaeology

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Palestine is a state in limbo-they lack full formal recognition as a sovereign land but possess a unique nation-state status that incorporates elements of a unified national consciousness and basic civil institutions albeit with limited autonomy. Palestine's ambiguous political status is starkly illustrated by its convoluted territorial control, and nowhere is this more clearly attested than in the jurisdiction of archaeological sites and the display of artifacts in museums. The legislative colonial legacies of the Ottoman, the British Mandate, the Jordanians, the Egyptians, Israeli military orders, and the 1995 Oslo II Accords, which carved the Occupied Territories into a complex mosaic of areas-A, B, and C-have resulted in fractured oversight of heritage sites and objects. A case study focused on Herodium provides a fascinating lens for examining the efficacy of law and the administration of archaeological and object management in a contested landscape.

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“…This richness is reflective of the way that Historic Palestine, as a global crossroads and focal point of the great monotheistic faiths, has profoundly impacted the evolution of human history, cultures and civilization. It is this unique legacy which has been placed at severe risk over the past few decades, particularly within the Palestinian National Territories, through antiquities hunting (Al-Houdalieh 2010 andYahya 2010). Further, of the heritage resources located in the Palestinian National Territories the majority are now under total Israeli control (specifically, 60% of the Palestinian National Territories is designated as "Area C", under full Israeli security and civil control), leaving no means of access by which the Palestinian Authority might safeguard these sites.…”

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confidence: 99%

The Attitudes of Palestinian Religious Scholars and Institutions toward the Looting of Palestine's Archaeological Heritage

Al-Houdalieh

2013

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Over the past several decades, Palestine’s archaeological heritage has faced serious challenges caused by the looting of antiquities. This ongoing phenomenon has resulted in the partial or total destruction of thousands of archaeological sites and features, and the extraction of hundreds of thousands of heritage objects. Despite the tremendous efforts made toward the protection of these archaeological resources, the Palestinians must redouble their endeavors and begin to create new, appropriate and practical measures in order to safeguard their homeland’s heritage. This paper focuses on the attitudes of Palestinian religious institutions and religious scholars toward the looting of archaeological material by Palestinians from heritage sites located within the Palestinian National Territories. It consists of two parts: (a) a fieldwork project carried out by the author over a significant period to examine the religious attitudes of Muslim and Christian religious institutions and their scholars toward this issue, and (b) presentation of the results in a workshop organized by the Institute of Archaeology of Al-Quds University, under the same title as this paper, held on November 21st, 2011 on the Abu Dies campus. The principle aim of this study is to inquire into the official attitudes expressed by the Palestinian religious institutions and scholars regarding this problem and then to make this information available to the public.

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Looting and ‘Salvaging’ the Heritage of Palestine

Abstract: This paper describes the how illegal digging and the antiquities trade are ravaging Palestinian cultural heritage.

Cited by 4 publications

References 1 publication

Field Archaeologists as Eyewitnesses to Site Looting

Field Archaeologists as Eyewitnesses to Site Looting

Fractured oversight: The ABCs of cultural heritage in Palestine after the Oslo Accords

The Attitudes of Palestinian Religious Scholars and Institutions toward the Looting of Palestine's Archaeological Heritage

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