Site Preservation Archives - Page 11 of 12 - Archaeological Institute of America

Coins and Archaeology

Since their first invention in western Turkey in the late seventh century B.C., coins have been struck in precious metals and copper alloys, and since that time they have been lost, buried in hoards, placed in graves, or otherwise left behind for archaeologists to find. When coins are found as part of a scientific excavation, they can make an immense contribution to our understanding of ancient society. In this effort, numismatists and archaeologists can work hand in hand, facilitating discoveries and interpretations that neither discipline could produce in isolation.

Our Crumbling Past

A new AIA mission to conserve ancient sites

Indianapolis Museum of Art Declares Moratorium on Antiquities Acquisitions

The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) notes with approval the moratorium on the acquisition of undocumented antiquities declared by the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) on April 16, 2007, which will remain in effect while the IMA “evaluates and reframes” its current policies on the collection of antiquities and ancient art.

Funding Protection of Ancient Sites in Iraq

At the annual meeting of the American Oriental Society (AOS), a special panel presented the information that a relatively modest outlay of funds could help protect the more aggressively looted sites in Iraq.

AIA President’s Letter to CPAC Supporting Cypriot Import Restrictions

As President of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA), I am writing to express my strong support on behalf of the AIA for the inclusion of coins as a designated category of archaeological material in the extension of the bilateral agreement between the Republic of Cyprus and the United States under Section 303 of the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act. Our support for inclusion of coins applies only to those coins that are more than 250 years old and that are found on Cyprus.

Archaeological Value of Coins Questioned

The Cultural Property Advisory Committee at the U.S. Department of State is asking for additional public comment on the inclusion of ancient coins in the Cypriot request for import restrictions.

Joint Statement of Principle on the Protection of Archaeological Sites, Monuments and Museums

An unprecedented international agreement to combat the destruction of the archaeological record and the depredations caused by looting and the illegal trade in undocumented antiquities was signed at the Annual Meeting by the AIA, German Archaeological Institute, and the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Letter in Support of Cyprus’s Request

Patty Gerstenblith, president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation

Letter in Support of Peru’s Request

Patty Gerstenblith, president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation

AIA Supports Cypriot Import Restrictions

As President of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA), I am writing to express my strong support on behalf of the AIA for the request by the Government of Cyprus to renew the U.S.-Cyprus MOU imposing import restrictions on Classical and Pre-Classical archaeological materials and on Byzantine ecclesiastical material from Cyprus under Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention.

Getty Museum Strengthens Acquisition Policies

The Archaeological Institute of America congratulates the J. Paul Getty Museum for its recent decision to strengthen its acquisition policies for works of art including ancient art and archaeological materials.

Archaeologists Call on Mid-East Combatants To Honor Hague Convention of 1954

The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) and the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR) deplore the loss of innocent life in northern Israel and Lebanon and profoundly wish for a quick resolution of the armed hostilities in the area.

Legislative Alert: National Historic Preservation Act

A proposed amendment to the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), now under consideration by Congress, may jeopardize the protected status of as yet undiscovered archaeological sites.

Archaeologists Call For Responsible Museum Acquisitions Policies

In response to the Association of Art Museum Directors’ (AAMD) new guidelines on the loan of archaeological artifacts and ancient artworks, the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) today issued a statement pointing out its shortcomings and proposed a set of principles for future acquisitions or loans of antiquities by American museums.

Legislation to Protect Afghan Antiquities

The deadline to submit letters in support of H.R. 915 has now passed. All letters submitted both in support and against the Bill are available online at: http://waysandmeans.house.gov/hearings.asp?formmode=comment&hearing=440.

U.S.-Italy Bilateral Agreement to Protect Italian Antiquities up for Renewal

The public hearing of the Cultural Property Advisory Committee on the renewal of the U.S.-Italy bilateral agreement took place in Washington D.C. on September 8, 200. AIA President Jane Waldbaum and Vice President for Professional Responsibilities, Malcolm Bell, III both attended and presented testimony on behalf of renewal. Links to PDFs of their letters to the committee are posted below.

Archaeologists Teach U.S. Troops Iraq and Afghan Heritage

The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) announces a new educational program first implemented earlier this year at the Marine Corps base at Camp LeJeune in North Carolina. In the first four months some 2,000 troops en route to Iraq and Afghanistan have benefited from presentations on the archaeology, history and cultural heritage of the region by experts in the field.

Hill of Tara Threatened by Roadway Construction

The Hill of Tara is one of the most important archaeological sites in Ireland. In use since ca. 4000 B.C., at first as a burial ground and religious center, it was also a center of Irish kingship and a key medieval site. It stands in the midst of a larger landscape containing a wealth of related sites and monuments. Now, Tara and the surrounding landscape are threatened by a proposed major highway (the M3) that will cut through the landscape and divorce Tara from the related sites that surround it.

Support for U.S.-China Agreement

In response to ongoing looting of their archaeological and cultural heritage, the People’s Republic of China has requested a bi-lateral agreement with the United States under Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention and implemented by the U.S. Cultural Property Implementation Act. The agreement was supported by the AIA and SAFE.

AIA Supports the US Funding Proposal for Archaeological Site Protection in Iraq

The unprecedented magnitude of the current plague of archaeological site destruction by looters in Iraq is documented in satellite images, aerial photographs taken by Coalition personnel, and in accounts by journalists and antiquities officials working in Iraq.

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