War veteran Nigel “Spud” Ely was arrested for rescuing the buttock of one of the Saddam Hussein statues from being melted down for scrap metal in 2003 and importing it to the UK. Iraqi officials claim the buttock was illegally exported to the UK after the invasion of Iraq, violating the 2003 Iraq Sanctions Order, which regulates the importation of “Iraqi cultural property” including archaeological, historical, and religious related items.

Ely questions the validity of Iraqi claims, stating that the buttock was a gift from American Marines and that Baghdad was not under Iraqi control, but under American authority at the time. As the investigation continues, authorities have warned Ely that if he sells or defaces the buttock, he could be prosecuted. The value of the piece is estimated at £250,000.

Read the full article Man arrested over importation of Saddam Hussein statue’s buttock,

Thanks to Kristina Bauer for her assistance with this post.

In the future, a revised list of Viennese balls without connections to extremist political groups could be reestablished on UNESCO’s “intangible cultural heritage” list.

Read the full article from BBC News: Vienna ball dropped from UNESCO Austrian heritage list.

Thanks to Kristina Bauer for her assistance with this post.

While Alabama divers support the bill, archaeologists are concerned. Teresa Paglione, president of the Alabama Archaeological Society, argues that the new bill would allow Civil Ware and Native American artifacts alike to fall into private hands, becoming unavailable for scientific study.

Read the full article from The Birmingham News: New Alabama law could mean finders-keepers for historic artifacts found underwater.

Thanks to Kristina Bauer for her assistance with this post.

In their fight against national debt, Greece has elected to offer some of its most acclaimed archaeological sites for rent to advertising firms and demonstrators. Greece’s cultural ministry says the move is a logical way to facilitate access to the country’s sites while gaining funds for their upkeep and monitoring.

As of next week, an advertising company would be able to rent the Acropolis for a photo shoot for about $2,000 per day.

Archaeologists are, predictably, entirely opposed to the initiative. However, “Greece needs every euro it can get. The country’s public coffers are drained and the nation is struggling to avoid a historic debt default in March.”

Read the full article: Ancient Greek site could soon be available for rent.

Thanks to Kristina Bauer for her assistance with this post.

In 2007, the collection was appraised at $189 million, and has grown since then. There is a wide variety of artifacts in the collection including a massive section of the hull called “The Big Piece,” along with smaller personal items of the crew members and passengers.

Read the full article from the Washington Post: 5,000 salvaged Titanic items to be sold in April, century after world’s most famous shipwreck.

Thanks to Kristina Bauer for her assistance with this post.

During a 17^th century Ottoman invasion, the cathedral and its elegance were severely damaged, and the building has continued to weather, unused. Under pressure from the Orthodox Church, the Georgian government recently started to rebuild the cathedral to render it useable once more.

UNESCO claims that the irreversible reconstruction will impact the “outstanding universal value, integrity, and authenticity” of the cathedral. Georgians and the Orthodox Church appear happy with the proposed renovations, however, because the rebuilding will allow the church to function again.

Whether the Georgian government will respond to UNESCO’s pressure and revise the restoration plans remains to be seen.

Read the full article Restoration threatens Georgian medieval masterpiece.

Thanks to Kristina Bauer for her assistance with this post

Jason Felch and Ralph Frammolino, investigative journalists and authors of “Chasing Aphrodite: The Hunt for Looted Antiquities at the World’s Richest Museum” will join Gary Vikan, director of the Walters Art Museum and Arthur Houghton, a former curator at the Getty Museum, to discuss looted antiquities and transparency in American museums at 6 p.m. Jan. 24 in the National Press Club ballroom. 

The event will be moderated by James Grimaldi, investigative reporter for the Washington Post. 

In “Chasing Aphrodite,” their gripping art world detective story, Felch and Frammolino reveal the inner workings of the J. Paul Getty Museum and its quest to build a world-class collection of Roman and Greek art. Hubris, greed and ethics are key themes in the book, which culminates with Italy’s criminal indictment of the Getty’s antiquities curator and the return of $1 billion of ancient objects from U.S. museums and private collections. 

“Chasing Aphrodite” gives an unparalleled glimpse into the reality that lies behind many of America’s collections of ancient art. It is the culmination of five years of reporting that began with a Los Angeles Times series for which Felch and Frammolino were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize in 2006. 

Please reserve your ticket today! The event is free to members of the National Press Club and $5 for all guests of members or non-members who wish to attend. Tickets can be reserved and purchased via the following link: http://press.org/events/chasing-aphrodite#tickets. 

For more information, please contact NPC member Keri Douglas, Nine Muses International, keridouglas@mac.com or 202-276-1702.

During the first two full days, the course covers about 2,000 years of history, from the sack of Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem by Titus in AD 70, through to the looting of the National Museum in Baghdad in 2003, and very many instances of art and cultural heritage crime during times of war in between – including the Fourth Crusade, the Thirty Years’ War, Napoleonic and Imperial France, and the First and Second World Wars.

On Day Three, the fate of several famous libraries destroyed or displaced by war – including the fabled Library at Alexandria, (destroyed on several occasions starting with Julius Caesar sending fire ships into Alexandria in 48 BC), the removal of Library of the Palatinate (carried over the Alps from Heidelberg to the Vatican on the backs of 200 mules in the early 17th century), the destruction of the Library at Louvain in the First World War, and the devastation of National Library during the Siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s – will be considered.

On the last two days of the Course the international and private law response to such crimes, beginning with Cicero’s prosecution of Verres before the Roman Senate in 70 BC, Grotius’ Laws of War, the Leiber Code and on to the Hague Conventions of 1907 and 1954, are covered. The two main hurdles in the way of private claimants seeking to recover looted art – Limitation Periods and the differing responses to the bona fide purchaser – complete the last day of the course.

Throughout the course, the lectures will be copiously illustrated by extensive Powerpoint presentations, copies of which will be distributed to all participants, along with a detailed Course Outline and Bibliography.

Places on the course may be limited, so early enrollment is encouraged.  The Course can either be taken for a 10-point credit as part of a university degree course (in which case, contact Eileen Suttor on either (+64 7) 838 4318 or by email to eileens@waikato.ac.nz for enquiries or enrollment), or as a Continuing Education non-credit course by external participants – in this case, the 4000-word dissertation due by 5 April is optional. For Continuing Education enquiries and/or enrollments, contact nyree@waikato.ac.nz, or telephone (+64 7) 858 5116).

UNESCO also added another 11 displays of intangible cultural heritage that are in “need of urgent safeguarding.” Yaokwa, a ritual of the Enawene Nawe people for maintaining the social and cosmic order, and a circular breathing singing method from Mongolia are both included on this list.

Visit the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage website.  Current front page has article: New inscriptions and other items discussed.

The EC has previously attempted to deal with this issue by creating Europaena, a digital library capable of keeping tabs on cultural items. It is predicted that Europaena will hold 30 million culturally valuable goods by 2015, but the commission still recognizes that the chief responsibility of protecting these treasures falls on the shoulders of the member-states.

Read the full article: Commission urges tighter safeguards on cultural treasure

Thanks for Kristina Bauer for this contribution.