 Grave Robbers: The Theft of a Nation's Past By Serhiy KHARCHENKO |
"Someone found them, put them together and I simply restored them..."
- Serhy Platonov, collector.
"Collectors are not doing anything for the public good. They should be guided by the interests of the archeological heritage of Ukraine."
- Petro Tolochko, lawmaker.
Think of grave robbers, and the plunder of ancient Egyptian tombs come to mind. But the theft of archaeological treasures is not exclusive to the Middle East or solely a problem of the past: Wherever ancient cultures have left reminders that can be discovered and sold, so-called black archaeologists can be found.
Unsanctioned digs are a continuing problem in Ukraine. Because the territory was at one time home to many ancient peoples, some historians believe that Ukraine is the cradle of European civilization. Over time, Trypillians, Cimmerians, Scythians, Goths, Alans and Phrygians have lived in the region. Each group left artifacts that tell the story of how they lived, what they believed, and how they died.
Ukraine is becoming an international center for black archeology, according to parliament deputy Leonid Tanyuk, who chairs parliament's committee on culture and spirituality. He said that archeological rarities from Ukraine could be found for sale throughout Europe.
In addition to stealing valuable artifacts, archaeologists complain that the illegal excavations are done crudely, with workers destroying information considered valuable in the course of their search for salable artifacts and precious metals. Scientific digs approach the area methodically, allowing academics to carefully examine layers of clay and rock for minute evidence of past civilizations.
The legitimate archaeologists are also envious of the tools used by some of the pirates, who employ high-technology scanners to look for deposits buried far below the surface. Academics rarely have the funds to acquire and use such equipment.
Historian Yuriy Rassamakin blames the government, in part, for not acting to protect the country's buried past.
"For seven years, Ukraine has failed to ratify the European Convention on the Protection of Archeological Heritage," he said. The treaty sets out a strict system for protection of archeological heritage, and provides for enforcement by specially trained archeological police.
A law protecting cultural artifacts enacted in 2000 didn't define or criminalize commercial archeological digs, said Petro Tolochko, an academician and parliament deputy. He said that he has made several efforts to persuade colleagues to support a bill that would outlaw commercial excavations.
"My bill makes black archaeology an offense punishable by up to seven years in prison," Tolochko said. He said that the legislation would at least slow the pace of illegal activity.
Many archeologists assert that the illegal activity is stimulated by demand from wealthy collectors eager for antiquities. Because they are wealthy, the collectors are able to influence legislators and block bills that, like Tolochko's, would impede the black marketeers.
Collectors aren't picky about how the items they buy were found. And since possessing artifacts isn't in itself illegal, collecting can represent a legal means of investing capital.
That means that collectors need not hide their purchases. One prominent Ukrainian collector, businessman Serhy Platonov has openly placed his collection on public exhibit. Experts have estimated the value of the collection at several million dollars.
Among Platonov's items is a little toy bull on wheels from Trypillia. The object excited scientists, who believe that it proves that the wheel was invented in Ukraine some 1,500 years earlier than originally believed.
The collection also includes a 949-gram gold coin, amphorae, Polovtsian gold, and the bust of a Roman soldier - all items that would be sought after by major museums.
Platonov said he doesn't know which of the items he has purchased were discovered by legitimate archeologists and how many are the products of commercial digs.
"Someone found them, put them together - piece by piece, and I simply restored them with the help of specialists," he said.
Platonov said that buying the artifacts for his personal collection benefits the country because they would otherwise be sold abroad.
"When I found out that many antiquities of Ukrainian origin are illegally transported abroad to be sold in Western auctions, I decided to collect them here," he said. "They are national treasures."
Few other Ukrainian collectors permit scholars to examine their purchases. Tolochko said that opening private collections to scientists represent a first step toward a civilized collaboration between the two groups.
Most archaeologists, however, view with skepticism Platonov's argument that buying and keeping artifacts in the country is somehow patriotic. Collectors who pay black marketeers generous fees feed an industry that damages legitimate academic research. Removed from their archeological context, the items are stripped of their ties with the location where they were found and cannot be accurately dated.
That keeps archaeologists from learning all they can about the objects, they say.
According to figures from Hislop's Official International Price Guide to Fine Art, over the past five years prices for rare artifacts at international auctions have increased by 700 percent, making commercial archaeologists' work worth the risks involved.
One risk entails smuggling artifacts out of the country. In 2003, customs officials discovered 384 attempts to illegally export items with cultural or historical value out of Ukraine.
While Tolochko continues to hope for a legislative solution to the problem, hoping that the European Convention on the Protection of Archeological Heritage will be ratified and that his "strict but just" bill will be passed. But he also holds consumers - the collectors who buy artifacts - responsible for providing a market.
"Collectors must understand that they are not doing anything for the public good," he said. "They should be guided by the interests of the archeological heritage of Ukraine."
|
More in the section:
When Prehistory Becomes History
Read also previous issue' articles:
A heat wave in Ukraine
"The Spirit of Hollybush" Comes to Donetsk
The new wave of Labor Migration
Home Discoveries
Asserting dignity
New Public Health for the New Ukraine
|
| |
CONTACT US |
|
|
|
