|
|
|
|
|
Preservation of Our Heritage |
|
Widespread looting of archaeological sites is painful for those of us who really care about ancient history and the artifacts which can tell us about our past. It is ironic that such a small percentage of the population care at all about antiquities and that those few must be so divided over how to achieve that protection of archaeological information that we all so desire. Our very contention over the best method simply exacerbates the problem. |
|
Imagine, on the other hand, a world in which collectors and dealers trust and respect archaeologists, curators, and antiquities commissions, and (responsible) collectors, amateurs, and dealers are respected by their archaeological and curatorial colleagues. Such a world would require that "the professionals" realize that many antiquities (especially coins) have limited value for display or even study after the initial assessment of a site and its contents. Responsible collectors would have every reason to respect and cooperate with professionals. |
|
Of course, this may never happen, since this is not an ideal world, but a very complex and dangerous world, in which artifacts suffer even worse fates than looting. Many artifacts have been lost in wars, washed away by erosion, ground up and paved over to make way for "civilization", melted down for their slight metal value, or destroyed because a bewildered farmer was afraid of what would happen to his land or his crop if he reported a find to authorities. Even if all collectors were unwilling to buy artifacts not legally acquired, these losses would continue at hardly diminished rates, since many of the artifacts are stolen or destroyed by people not aware of their true market value. |
|
The operative principle in determining the wisest disposition for antiquities, as far as I'm concerned, is their probable usefulness to research and/or museum display. Really nice or rare Greek vases and important ancient sculpture should be retained by major collections. However, their very importance dictates that they not moulder in a museum drawer for the next 200 years, never displayed, either in a museum case or other public venue. Nor should they be sequestered from the view of those who cannot travel to London, Paris, Berlin, St. Petersburg, Cairo, Istanbul, or Tokyo. These kinds of artifacts should be available in reproduction for purchase by art and history students and connoisseurs (and clearly and indelibly marked as such), so that there is less temptation to buy on the antiquities market. Museums should also make them accessible to the widest public possible, by illustrations in books, on the web, and even by distribution of common antiquities to institutions throughout the world, for display in public schools, libraries, and in other public venues. |
|
On the other hand, there is hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of late Roman bronze coins, "AE3/4's", 99% of which will never find a place in ANY museum display and many of which will never be looked at by any "competent professional". Those which do find their way to a museum display will be lucky to receive the admiring glances of one in a hundred, perhaps one in a thousand, museum visitors. Few curators are trained as numismatists. Museum cases are not usually well adapted for proper display of coins, and few museums display coins. When they do, the public (except for us, the numismatists )has limited interest in them. Coins, by their very nature, need to be accessible on a different scale and basis. |
|
A few points to think about:
|
|
|
|
|
Rants, Raves, & Articles |
|
|
Send orders and inquiries to: McWhorter |
|
McWhorter Collectibles |
|
This site was last updated: 3 September 2001. |
Ancient Roman Coins 
