Wednesday 18 January 2012

More Imaginary Bogeymen for the Coineys

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In an apparent effort to show his "Cultural Property Observer" blog to be wholly irrelevant to the current situation on the US no-questions-asked antiquities market, the dealers' paid lobbyist breaks his silence to write about (in connection, his tag proclaims, with: "the Greek MOU") the fact that the Greeks might rent out the Athens Acropolis for commercial use (Tuesday, January 17, 2012, "Acropolis for Rent ). Wholly moronic is his opening line:
In a move that will no doubt leave archaeological purists aghast, [...]
Who are these mythological "archaeological purists"? Do they really exist, or are they another of those coiney made-up bogeymen with which the coiney lobbyists aim to scare childlike and uncritical collectors? Are these US "archaeological purists" or "Yuropeen" ones?

I would have thought the current situation threatening the whole US dugup coin market would be an ample reason for dealers' paid mouthpieces to stop talking of made-up problems, but addressing the real ones with which the US collector of dugup artefacts on his hands is likely to be faced in the coming year. It is not the "MOU" which is US dugup and undocumented coin collecting's greatest problem any more, when are the ACCG and its camp-followers going to admit that? Or do they believe that in this too, that an ignored problem will simply go away? Like toothache?

UPDATE 19.01.12
All right, I'll have to say this before Tompa does. It seems I was wrong; Tom Flyn says it is "sacrilege". Does that make him an "archaeological purist"? He is entitled to his opinion of course, but I really think he is over-reacting. We have many examples of films for examples involving real ancient monuments as settings. I have in mind for example "Death on the Nile" which (surely bits of it were) filmed at Karnak, and if I've got that wrong, then there is the classic "Night of the Counting of the years" (deserves to be better known) . I seem to recall a Doctor Who episode which was filmed at one of the megalithic monuments, many a BBC costume drama is filmed against a backdrop of some stately pile or another - which is cheaper than plasterboard and paint. A number of churches feature in films ("Four Weddings and a Funeral" for one, using a church near where I had the misfortune to live for a while). I really cannot see anything wrong with that if the incumbent and congregation do not. Then there was the comedy-drama series "Chasing mummies" ...

Anyway, as reported just now on Museum Security Network,
Greek Minister of Culture and Tourism, P. Yeroulanos, has stated that any claims by the press that the Acropolis will be rented out are false. (This was tweeted by the Minister himself, Pavlos Yeroulanos @P_Yeroulanos)
- which I suppose raises the question, why on earth not if its done properly?

UPDATE 19.01.12:
As Tom Flynn now reports:

The source of the almost instantly viral rumour that the Greeks were considering renting out the Acropolis and other archaeological sites to help pay off the country's sovereign debt seems to have been a Conservative former Greek Minister — Gerasimos Giakoumatos. ‎"It's better to rent the Acropolis to private companies than to cut wages and pensions," Giakoumatos told the press. "Rent the Parthenon, the Delphi, the Temple of Apollo, Knossos and let the money flow into the public funds.” That recommendation, which had cultural heritage experts choking into their cornflakes, was endorsed by another Greek MP, Nea Dimokratia.

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