Professor David Gill is Honorary Professor in the Centre for Heritage at the University of Kent, and Honorary Research Fellow in the School of History at the University of East Anglia (UEA). He is a former Rome Scholar at the British School at Rome, and was a Sir James Knott Fellow at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He was previously a member of the Department of Antiquities at the Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge, and Reader in Mediterranean Archaeology at Swansea University (where he also chaired the university's e-learning sub-committee). He was awarded his chair in Archaeological Heritage through UEA, and was Director of the Heritage Futures Research Unit at the University of Suffolk. He is a former Visiting Professor in the School of Humanities at the University of Southampton. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries (FSA). He is the holder of the 2012 Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) Outstanding Public Service Award, and the 2012 SAFE Beacon Award. Address: Centre for Heritage Kent Law School University of Kent Canterbury CT2 7NS UK
The RSA published its latest iteration of the Heritage Index in the autumn of 2020. This updates ... more The RSA published its latest iteration of the Heritage Index in the autumn of 2020. This updates the data from 2016. The purpose of the Index is to assist with data-informed decision making for the heritage sector in the United Kingdom. The data are grouped around six main themes: Historic Built Environment; Museums, Archives and Artefacts; Industrial Heritage; Parks and Open Spaces; Landscape and Natural Heritage; and Cultures and Memories.
The RSA published its latest iteration of the Heritage Index in the autumn of 2020. This updates ... more The RSA published its latest iteration of the Heritage Index in the autumn of 2020. This updates the data from 2016. The purpose of the Index is to assist with data-informed decision making for the heritage sector in the United Kingdom. The data are grouped around six main themes: Historic Built Environment; Museums, Archives and Artefacts; Industrial Heritage; Parks and Open Spaces; Landscape and Natural Heritage; and Cultures and Memories.
The RSA published its latest iteration of the Heritage Index in the autumn of 2020. This updates ... more The RSA published its latest iteration of the Heritage Index in the autumn of 2020. This updates the data from 2016. The purpose of the Index is to assist with data-informed decision making for the heritage sector in the United Kingdom. The data are grouped around six main themes: Historic Built Environment; Museums, Archives and Artefacts; Industrial Heritage; Parks and Open Spaces; Landscape and Natural Heritage; and Cultures and Memories.
Dr John Disney (1779-1857) was the benefactor of the first chair in archaeology at a British univ... more Dr John Disney (1779-1857) was the benefactor of the first chair in archaeology at a British university. He also donated his major collection to the University of Cambridge. The sculptures continue to be displayed in the Fitzwilliam Museum.
The Disney family traced its origins back to the Norman invasion of England, and the family home was at Norton Disney in Lincolnshire. Disney’s father, the Reverend John Disney DD (1746-1816) left the Church of England to become a minister at the Unitarian Essex Street Chapel in London. A major sponsor of the chapel was Thomas Brand-Hollis of The Hyde, Essex, who bequeathed the house and his Grand Tour collection (formed with Thomas Hollis) on his death in 1804 to the Reverend Disney. Disney inherited part of the classical collection of his uncle and father-in-law Lewis Disney-Ffytche, owner of the 18th century pleasure gardens, Le Désert de Retz, outside Paris. Disney’s brother-in-law was Sir William Hillary, founder of the RNLI.
Context Matters is based on the twenty essays contributed to the Journal of Art Crime over its fi... more Context Matters is based on the twenty essays contributed to the Journal of Art Crime over its first ten years of publication. The contributions are supplemented by articles and review articles that were published alongside them. The chapters were written as museums in Europe and North America were facing a series of claims on recently acquired objects in their collections in the light of the photographic dossiers that had been seized from dealers in Switzerland and Greece. They engage with some of the recent debates over cultural property that include the Ka Ka Nefer mummy mask currently in the St Louis Art Museum, and the Leutwitz Apollo acquired by the Cleveland Museum of Art. Two of the essays reflect on the recent and controversial metal-detecting finds in England, the so-called Crosby Garrett helmet and the Lenborough Hoard. The volume contributes to the wider discussion about the appropriate due diligence process that should be conducted prior to the acquisition of archaeological material.
Winifred Lamb was a pioneering archaeologist in the Aegean and Anatolia. She studied classics at ... more Winifred Lamb was a pioneering archaeologist in the Aegean and Anatolia. She studied classics at Newnham College, Cambridge, and subsequently served in naval intelligence alongside J. D. Beazley during the final stages of the First World War. As war drew to a close, Sydney Cockerell, Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, invited Lamb to be the honorary keeper of Greek antiquities. Over the next 40 years she created a prehistoric gallery, marking the university’s contribution to excavations in the Aegean, and developed the museum’s holdings of classical bronzes and Athenian figure-decorated pottery. Lamb formed a parallel career excavating in the Aegean. She was admitted as a student of the British School at Athens and served as assistant director on the Mycenae excavations under Alan Wace and Carl Blegen. After further work at Sparta and on prehistoric mounds in Macedonia, Lamb identified and excavated a major Bronze Age site at Thermi on Lesbos. She conducted a brief excavation on Chios before directing a major project at Kusura in Turkey. She was recruited for the Turkish language section of the BBC during the Second World War, and after the cessation of hostilities took an active part in the creation of the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara.
In the tradition of The First Urban Christians by Wayne Meeks, this book explores the relationshi... more In the tradition of The First Urban Christians by Wayne Meeks, this book explores the relationship between the earliest Christians and the city environment. Experts in classics, early Christianity, and human geography analyze the growth, development, and self-understanding of the early Christian movement in urban settings.
The book's contributors first look at how the urban physical, cultural, and social environments of the ancient Mediterranean basin affected the ways in which early Christianity progressed. They then turn to how the earliest Christians thought and theologized in their engagement with cities. With a rich variety of expertise and scholarship, The Urban World and the First Christians is an important contribution to the understanding of early Christianity.
The XVII Annual Colloquium for Board Game Studies was hosted at the University Campus Suffolk, Ip... more The XVII Annual Colloquium for Board Game Studies was hosted at the University Campus Suffolk, Ipswich, 20–24 May, 2014.
This volume contains a selection of papers presented at the 2014 colloquium in a revised form suitable for publication as proceedings, along with an appendix showing a full list of participants and a list of the papers presented in Ipswich.
The British School at Athens opened in 1886 “to promote all researches and studies” which could “... more The British School at Athens opened in 1886 “to promote all researches and studies” which could “advance the knowledge of Hellenic history, literature, and art from the earliest age to the present day”. Over the next thirty years the School initiated a major programme of excavations, initially on Cyprus, then at Megalopolis, on Melos, and at Sparta. School students took part in the work of the Cretan Exploration Fund and in the major regional surveys of the Asia Minor Exploration Fund.
Most of the students who were admitted to the School in this period had been educated at either Cambridge or Oxford. Women, mostly from Cambridge, took part in the School’s activities including the excavations at Phylakopi. The students’ research interests included Greek pottery, Aegean prehistory, and epigraphy. The experience of Greece prepared the students for later work in British universities and in other professions. Many extended their archaeological experience in Greece to fieldwork in Britain, Egypt, and India.
During the First World War former students were involved in intelligence work in the eastern Mediterranean through the activities of the Arab Bureau in Cairo.
Greek vases fill whole wings of museums - from New York to Malibu, from Munich to Paris and Londo... more Greek vases fill whole wings of museums - from New York to Malibu, from Munich to Paris and London. There has, however, been an important change of emphasis of late - largely initiated by Michael Vickers and David Gill - as a result of which gold and silver have been restored to their central position as markers of wealth and taste. Painted ceramic has now been shown to be a high quality substitute for use in contexts where precious metal would have been inappropriate, notably in tombs, which are the source of the most number of pots that survive complete. This book demonstrates how Greek pottery first came to be regarded as a high value commodity in the eighteenth century thanks to clever, if not fraudulent, sales techniques; it examines the primary sources, both literary and epigraphic, to find what materials the ancients did consider to be important; and it explores the ways in which work in gold and silver influenced painted pottery. This challenging and important study calls for a radical reappraisal of the ways that the material culture of Greece is presented and discussed today.
This volume locates the Book of Acts within the framework of the Roman Empire in the eastern Medi... more This volume locates the Book of Acts within the framework of the Roman Empire in the eastern Mediterranean. Drawing on recent archaeological field work and epigraphic discoveries, the author contextualizes the Book of Acts by illuminating such areas as the Roman legal system, Roman religion, and the problem of transport and travel.
A catalogue for an exhibition of antiquities acquired on the Grand Tour and subsequently acquired... more A catalogue for an exhibition of antiquities acquired on the Grand Tour and subsequently acquired by the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. The material includes part of the sculpture collection given by Dr John Disney, as well as the series of casts placed in the main entrance hall.
Cultural Property Crime and the Law: Legal Approaches to Protection, Repatriation, and Countering Illicit Trade, May 2024
In 1952 Mohammed Zakaria Goneim, chief inspector of antiquities, excavated an Egyptian mummy and ... more In 1952 Mohammed Zakaria Goneim, chief inspector of antiquities, excavated an Egyptian mummy and mask at Saqqara. This mummy mask was acquired by the St Louis Art Museum (SLAM) in 1998 from Phoenix Ancient Art. The purchase led to a legal claim by the Egyptian authorities: The outcome was that the court confirmed the ownership with the museum. The release of internal documents from the museum reveals a story that suggests that key members of the museum’s curatorial team were aware of sensitivities relating to the history of the mask. There are two parallel and irreconcilable accounts of the mask between 1952 and 1998. The vendor had acquired a statement from Charly Mathez in 1997 that claimed that the mummy mask had been seen by him in Brussels in 1952 (or 1958). The Egyptian authorities claimed that the mask had been recorded in the archaeological store in Saqqara in 1959. The SLAM case raises the issue that legal challenges may not be the most effective way to reclaim cultural property. The way ahead may be to develop a more rigorous due diligence process for museum acquisitions that would enhance the legal ownership of objects acquired through the market.
The English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk are home to a wide range of heritage from the prehist... more The English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk are home to a wide range of heritage from the prehistoric flint mines at Grimes Graves to the Cold War installations on Orford Ness. These heritage assets are owned and managed by a spectrum of institutions including English Heritage, the National Trust and the Church of England. The contribution of these assets to the character and economy of East Anglia is assessed through the RSA Heritage Index that drew on open source data. The DCMS Taking Part Survey suggests that there is strong regional engagement with heritage, and this is reflected in the contribution of heritage for the regional tourism strategy.
Life Writing in the History of Archaeology: Critical Perspectives
Dr John Disney, through his benefaction of the eponymous chair of archaeology at the University o... more Dr John Disney, through his benefaction of the eponymous chair of archaeology at the University of Cambridge, has been a major influence on the discipline of archaeology. The origins of his interest in archaeology and antiquarianism, as well the sources for his income, have not always been apparent but have now been revealed through a study of the printed and archive sources relating to his family. This study will explore the sources that can be used to reconstruct Disney’s life. They include the printed material, notably Museum Disneianum, being a description of a collection of ancient marbles, in the possession of John Disney, esq., F.R.S. F.S.A., at The Hyde, near Ingatestone (1846), the printed catalogue of his classical collection that formed the basis of his gift to the University of Cambridge; his ‘marbles’ are now displayed in the Fitzwilliam Museum. This catalogue drew on A Catalogue of some Marbles, Bronzes, Pictures and Gems, at The Hyde, Near Ingatestone, Essex (1807) the privately printed catalogues of the family home in Essex, that was prepared by his father, the Reverend John Disney. The Reverend Disney resigned his clerical livings in the Church of England and had become a minister at the Essex Street Unitarian Chapel in London. The archive at Dr Williams’s Library demonstrate the links between the Reverend Disney and Thomas Brand-Hollis, whose house, The Hyde, was bequeathed to Disney. The Disney family’s ancestral home at Norton Disney was in Lincolnshire, and some of the papers are located in the Lincolnshire county archives. The documents relating to The Hyde are located in the Essex Record Office. The genealogical history of the family came be derived from the county histories relating to the Disney estates in Lincolnshire, Essex and Dorset. The family graves in Essex reveal the close connections with Thomas Brand-Hollis. Disney, as a local magistrate and local benefactor, appears in the Essex newspapers on a regular basis. Further information is available through the societies that he supported notably the Chelmsford Philosophical Society and the Essex Archaeological Society.
The RSA published its latest iteration of the Heritage Index in the autumn of 2020. This updates ... more The RSA published its latest iteration of the Heritage Index in the autumn of 2020. This updates the data from 2016. The purpose of the Index is to assist with data-informed decision making for the heritage sector in the United Kingdom. The data are grouped around six main themes: Historic Built Environment; Museums, Archives and Artefacts; Industrial Heritage; Parks and Open Spaces; Landscape and Natural Heritage; and Cultures and Memories.
The RSA published its latest iteration of the Heritage Index in the autumn of 2020. This updates ... more The RSA published its latest iteration of the Heritage Index in the autumn of 2020. This updates the data from 2016. The purpose of the Index is to assist with data-informed decision making for the heritage sector in the United Kingdom. The data are grouped around six main themes: Historic Built Environment; Museums, Archives and Artefacts; Industrial Heritage; Parks and Open Spaces; Landscape and Natural Heritage; and Cultures and Memories.
The RSA published its latest iteration of the Heritage Index in the autumn of 2020. This updates ... more The RSA published its latest iteration of the Heritage Index in the autumn of 2020. This updates the data from 2016. The purpose of the Index is to assist with data-informed decision making for the heritage sector in the United Kingdom. The data are grouped around six main themes: Historic Built Environment; Museums, Archives and Artefacts; Industrial Heritage; Parks and Open Spaces; Landscape and Natural Heritage; and Cultures and Memories.
Dr John Disney (1779-1857) was the benefactor of the first chair in archaeology at a British univ... more Dr John Disney (1779-1857) was the benefactor of the first chair in archaeology at a British university. He also donated his major collection to the University of Cambridge. The sculptures continue to be displayed in the Fitzwilliam Museum.
The Disney family traced its origins back to the Norman invasion of England, and the family home was at Norton Disney in Lincolnshire. Disney’s father, the Reverend John Disney DD (1746-1816) left the Church of England to become a minister at the Unitarian Essex Street Chapel in London. A major sponsor of the chapel was Thomas Brand-Hollis of The Hyde, Essex, who bequeathed the house and his Grand Tour collection (formed with Thomas Hollis) on his death in 1804 to the Reverend Disney. Disney inherited part of the classical collection of his uncle and father-in-law Lewis Disney-Ffytche, owner of the 18th century pleasure gardens, Le Désert de Retz, outside Paris. Disney’s brother-in-law was Sir William Hillary, founder of the RNLI.
Context Matters is based on the twenty essays contributed to the Journal of Art Crime over its fi... more Context Matters is based on the twenty essays contributed to the Journal of Art Crime over its first ten years of publication. The contributions are supplemented by articles and review articles that were published alongside them. The chapters were written as museums in Europe and North America were facing a series of claims on recently acquired objects in their collections in the light of the photographic dossiers that had been seized from dealers in Switzerland and Greece. They engage with some of the recent debates over cultural property that include the Ka Ka Nefer mummy mask currently in the St Louis Art Museum, and the Leutwitz Apollo acquired by the Cleveland Museum of Art. Two of the essays reflect on the recent and controversial metal-detecting finds in England, the so-called Crosby Garrett helmet and the Lenborough Hoard. The volume contributes to the wider discussion about the appropriate due diligence process that should be conducted prior to the acquisition of archaeological material.
Winifred Lamb was a pioneering archaeologist in the Aegean and Anatolia. She studied classics at ... more Winifred Lamb was a pioneering archaeologist in the Aegean and Anatolia. She studied classics at Newnham College, Cambridge, and subsequently served in naval intelligence alongside J. D. Beazley during the final stages of the First World War. As war drew to a close, Sydney Cockerell, Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, invited Lamb to be the honorary keeper of Greek antiquities. Over the next 40 years she created a prehistoric gallery, marking the university’s contribution to excavations in the Aegean, and developed the museum’s holdings of classical bronzes and Athenian figure-decorated pottery. Lamb formed a parallel career excavating in the Aegean. She was admitted as a student of the British School at Athens and served as assistant director on the Mycenae excavations under Alan Wace and Carl Blegen. After further work at Sparta and on prehistoric mounds in Macedonia, Lamb identified and excavated a major Bronze Age site at Thermi on Lesbos. She conducted a brief excavation on Chios before directing a major project at Kusura in Turkey. She was recruited for the Turkish language section of the BBC during the Second World War, and after the cessation of hostilities took an active part in the creation of the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara.
In the tradition of The First Urban Christians by Wayne Meeks, this book explores the relationshi... more In the tradition of The First Urban Christians by Wayne Meeks, this book explores the relationship between the earliest Christians and the city environment. Experts in classics, early Christianity, and human geography analyze the growth, development, and self-understanding of the early Christian movement in urban settings.
The book's contributors first look at how the urban physical, cultural, and social environments of the ancient Mediterranean basin affected the ways in which early Christianity progressed. They then turn to how the earliest Christians thought and theologized in their engagement with cities. With a rich variety of expertise and scholarship, The Urban World and the First Christians is an important contribution to the understanding of early Christianity.
The XVII Annual Colloquium for Board Game Studies was hosted at the University Campus Suffolk, Ip... more The XVII Annual Colloquium for Board Game Studies was hosted at the University Campus Suffolk, Ipswich, 20–24 May, 2014.
This volume contains a selection of papers presented at the 2014 colloquium in a revised form suitable for publication as proceedings, along with an appendix showing a full list of participants and a list of the papers presented in Ipswich.
The British School at Athens opened in 1886 “to promote all researches and studies” which could “... more The British School at Athens opened in 1886 “to promote all researches and studies” which could “advance the knowledge of Hellenic history, literature, and art from the earliest age to the present day”. Over the next thirty years the School initiated a major programme of excavations, initially on Cyprus, then at Megalopolis, on Melos, and at Sparta. School students took part in the work of the Cretan Exploration Fund and in the major regional surveys of the Asia Minor Exploration Fund.
Most of the students who were admitted to the School in this period had been educated at either Cambridge or Oxford. Women, mostly from Cambridge, took part in the School’s activities including the excavations at Phylakopi. The students’ research interests included Greek pottery, Aegean prehistory, and epigraphy. The experience of Greece prepared the students for later work in British universities and in other professions. Many extended their archaeological experience in Greece to fieldwork in Britain, Egypt, and India.
During the First World War former students were involved in intelligence work in the eastern Mediterranean through the activities of the Arab Bureau in Cairo.
Greek vases fill whole wings of museums - from New York to Malibu, from Munich to Paris and Londo... more Greek vases fill whole wings of museums - from New York to Malibu, from Munich to Paris and London. There has, however, been an important change of emphasis of late - largely initiated by Michael Vickers and David Gill - as a result of which gold and silver have been restored to their central position as markers of wealth and taste. Painted ceramic has now been shown to be a high quality substitute for use in contexts where precious metal would have been inappropriate, notably in tombs, which are the source of the most number of pots that survive complete. This book demonstrates how Greek pottery first came to be regarded as a high value commodity in the eighteenth century thanks to clever, if not fraudulent, sales techniques; it examines the primary sources, both literary and epigraphic, to find what materials the ancients did consider to be important; and it explores the ways in which work in gold and silver influenced painted pottery. This challenging and important study calls for a radical reappraisal of the ways that the material culture of Greece is presented and discussed today.
This volume locates the Book of Acts within the framework of the Roman Empire in the eastern Medi... more This volume locates the Book of Acts within the framework of the Roman Empire in the eastern Mediterranean. Drawing on recent archaeological field work and epigraphic discoveries, the author contextualizes the Book of Acts by illuminating such areas as the Roman legal system, Roman religion, and the problem of transport and travel.
A catalogue for an exhibition of antiquities acquired on the Grand Tour and subsequently acquired... more A catalogue for an exhibition of antiquities acquired on the Grand Tour and subsequently acquired by the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. The material includes part of the sculpture collection given by Dr John Disney, as well as the series of casts placed in the main entrance hall.
Cultural Property Crime and the Law: Legal Approaches to Protection, Repatriation, and Countering Illicit Trade, May 2024
In 1952 Mohammed Zakaria Goneim, chief inspector of antiquities, excavated an Egyptian mummy and ... more In 1952 Mohammed Zakaria Goneim, chief inspector of antiquities, excavated an Egyptian mummy and mask at Saqqara. This mummy mask was acquired by the St Louis Art Museum (SLAM) in 1998 from Phoenix Ancient Art. The purchase led to a legal claim by the Egyptian authorities: The outcome was that the court confirmed the ownership with the museum. The release of internal documents from the museum reveals a story that suggests that key members of the museum’s curatorial team were aware of sensitivities relating to the history of the mask. There are two parallel and irreconcilable accounts of the mask between 1952 and 1998. The vendor had acquired a statement from Charly Mathez in 1997 that claimed that the mummy mask had been seen by him in Brussels in 1952 (or 1958). The Egyptian authorities claimed that the mask had been recorded in the archaeological store in Saqqara in 1959. The SLAM case raises the issue that legal challenges may not be the most effective way to reclaim cultural property. The way ahead may be to develop a more rigorous due diligence process for museum acquisitions that would enhance the legal ownership of objects acquired through the market.
The English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk are home to a wide range of heritage from the prehist... more The English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk are home to a wide range of heritage from the prehistoric flint mines at Grimes Graves to the Cold War installations on Orford Ness. These heritage assets are owned and managed by a spectrum of institutions including English Heritage, the National Trust and the Church of England. The contribution of these assets to the character and economy of East Anglia is assessed through the RSA Heritage Index that drew on open source data. The DCMS Taking Part Survey suggests that there is strong regional engagement with heritage, and this is reflected in the contribution of heritage for the regional tourism strategy.
Life Writing in the History of Archaeology: Critical Perspectives
Dr John Disney, through his benefaction of the eponymous chair of archaeology at the University o... more Dr John Disney, through his benefaction of the eponymous chair of archaeology at the University of Cambridge, has been a major influence on the discipline of archaeology. The origins of his interest in archaeology and antiquarianism, as well the sources for his income, have not always been apparent but have now been revealed through a study of the printed and archive sources relating to his family. This study will explore the sources that can be used to reconstruct Disney’s life. They include the printed material, notably Museum Disneianum, being a description of a collection of ancient marbles, in the possession of John Disney, esq., F.R.S. F.S.A., at The Hyde, near Ingatestone (1846), the printed catalogue of his classical collection that formed the basis of his gift to the University of Cambridge; his ‘marbles’ are now displayed in the Fitzwilliam Museum. This catalogue drew on A Catalogue of some Marbles, Bronzes, Pictures and Gems, at The Hyde, Near Ingatestone, Essex (1807) the privately printed catalogues of the family home in Essex, that was prepared by his father, the Reverend John Disney. The Reverend Disney resigned his clerical livings in the Church of England and had become a minister at the Essex Street Unitarian Chapel in London. The archive at Dr Williams’s Library demonstrate the links between the Reverend Disney and Thomas Brand-Hollis, whose house, The Hyde, was bequeathed to Disney. The Disney family’s ancestral home at Norton Disney was in Lincolnshire, and some of the papers are located in the Lincolnshire county archives. The documents relating to The Hyde are located in the Essex Record Office. The genealogical history of the family came be derived from the county histories relating to the Disney estates in Lincolnshire, Essex and Dorset. The family graves in Essex reveal the close connections with Thomas Brand-Hollis. Disney, as a local magistrate and local benefactor, appears in the Essex newspapers on a regular basis. Further information is available through the societies that he supported notably the Chelmsford Philosophical Society and the Essex Archaeological Society.
Seleukeia: Studies in Seleucid History, Archaeology and Numismatics in Honor of Getzel M. Cohen, 2019
Numismatic evidence collected from the lower extension of Euesperides had suggested that there wa... more Numismatic evidence collected from the lower extension of Euesperides had suggested that there was a gradual withdrawal from the site to the new location of Berenice. However a stratified coin from the penultimate phase of occupation in a house on the east side of the Sidi Abeid provides a terminus post quem of 261-258 BC (‘Magas reconciled with Ptolemy II Philadelphus’). This is comparable to other finds on the Sidi Abeid. The absence of Soter/Libya coins suggests that the final phase of Euesperides was short-lived and that the city was abandoned not long after 258 BC. Euesperitans appear in papyri from Egypt dated to the second half of the third century BC. However the individuals are likely to have been recruited for Ptolemaic forces before the abandonment of Euesperides or the adoption of the new name of Berenice.
The journalistic investigation into the activities of a major London auction house in the 1990s l... more The journalistic investigation into the activities of a major London auction house in the 1990s led directly to the seizure of an important cache of documentation and images at the Geneva Freeport. As a result over 350 items have been returned to Italy from dealers, galleries and auction houses, North American public museums and private collectors. The 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property has provided a benchmark for claims on the return of cultural property. There is a need to enhance the due diligence process undertaken by the market. Although some North American museums have changed their acquisition policies, some curatorial staff display open hostility towards enhanced ethical responsibilities and an unwillingness to comply with further investigations.
Amal Khreisheh (ed.), With Fresh Eyes. The Museum Archaeologist 36. Conference Proceedings Portsmouth 2013 and Colchester 2014, 2017
Dr John Disney presented his sculpture collection to the University of Cambridge in 1850. Parts o... more Dr John Disney presented his sculpture collection to the University of Cambridge in 1850. Parts of the collection had been formed by Thomas Hollis and Thomas Brand-Hollis on their Grand Tour. the pieces were subsequently displayed at The Hyde, near Ingatestone in Essex. Disney was also a member of the Chelmsford Philosophical Society and the Colchester Archaeological Society.
The importance of studying the market
The sources for the market
Metal detecting
Creative account... more The importance of studying the market The sources for the market Metal detecting Creative accounts Fakes The acquirers The impact of the Medici Conspiracy The scale of the market
Hippodamos came from Miletos, a city that had been destroyed during the Ionian revolt. Its recons... more Hippodamos came from Miletos, a city that had been destroyed during the Ionian revolt. Its reconstruction in the decades after the termination of the Persian wars may have inspired Hippodamos, though there is no evidence that he was in any way involved.
Gill, D. W. J., and C. Tsirogiannis. 2016. "Polaroids from the Medici dossier: continued sighting... more Gill, D. W. J., and C. Tsirogiannis. 2016. "Polaroids from the Medici dossier: continued sightings on the market." In Art crime: terrorists, tomb raiders, forgers and thieves, edited by N. Charney: 229-39. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
In J. Boardman, A. Parkin, and S. Waite (eds.), On the Fascination of Objects: Greek and Etruscan Art in the Shefton Collection (Oxford: Oxbow, 2016), 95-106., Jan 2016
An Attic black-glossed bolsal dating to the mid 430s BC in the Great North Museum, Newcastle upon... more An Attic black-glossed bolsal dating to the mid 430s BC in the Great North Museum, Newcastle upon Tyne, is derived from the collection once displayed at Nostell Priory in Yorkshire. This is one of the earliest examples of the shape. The paper considers the use of stamped decoration to recreate workshop groups.
‘The Nostell Priory bolsal’, in J. Boardman, A. Parkin, and S. Waite (eds.), On the Fascination of Objects: Greek and Etruscan Art in the Shefton Collection (Oxford: Oxbow, 2015), 95-106.
Several million dollars’ worth of Egyptian antiquities are sold on the market every year. The maj... more Several million dollars’ worth of Egyptian antiquities are sold on the market every year. The majority of these items seem to have surfaced for the first time since 1973, the date of the Archaeological Institute of America’s ‘Resolution of the Acquisition of Antiquities by Museums’. Some of the material appearing on the market appears to have been removed from archaeological stores in Egypt. There is also clear evidence that reliefs and other items are being removed from recorded tombs. Many other items, such as the Akhmim stelae, come from previously unknown sites, and their removal has led to a loss of knowledge about the original contexts. The scandals surrounding the return of antiquities to Italy has resulted in more rigorous acquisition policies being developed by North American museums. This is likely to suppress the market for Egyptian objects that do not have recorded collecting histories.
"Looting Matters" issued its first post on 17 July 2007. This publication considers how the blog ... more "Looting Matters" issued its first post on 17 July 2007. This publication considers how the blog emerged from an established research project with Christopher Chippindale on the material and intellectual consequences of collecting. The Medici Conspiracy gave an impetus to the blog and posts were able to comment on the objects identified from major North American museums. "Looting Matters" was featured in a media project with PR Newswire (and press releases form an appendix to the chapter) and material used on the blog forms the basis of a regular column, "Context Matters", for the Journal of Art Crime (published by ARCA).
In Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, vol. 15: 538-40. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 200... more In Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, vol. 15: 538-40. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
Robertson, M., and D. W. J. Gill. 2004. In Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, vol. 4: 683-8... more Robertson, M., and D. W. J. Gill. 2004. In Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, vol. 4: 683-85. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
The Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University has returned, or transferred the title of, two b... more The Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University has returned, or transferred the title of, two batches of antiquities: one to Italy, and the other to Greece. This is surprising in that the university museum during the 1980s had made a prominent ethical stand by developing an exhibition programme known as “The Emory University Museum International Loan Project” (EUMILOP). The nature of the returns and transfers for objects that were acquired largely in the wake of the EUMILOP initiative raises questions about the Carlos Museum’s commitment to a rigorous due diligence process prior to recommendations. The acquisition process needs to include the identification of authenticated documentation that would support the reconstruction of the history of the object as it passed through the market and the hands of individual collectors. This article examines this set of returns and how it might apply to other institutions in a similar situation.
In May 2021 a group of 96 classical antiquities was seized from Fordham University where they had... more In May 2021 a group of 96 classical antiquities was seized from Fordham University where they had formed part of their museum collection. The seizure was directly linked to the investigation by US authorities of objects that had been handled by the dealer Edoardo Almagià. The Fordham material was dominated by objects derived from Italy: Apulian, Campanian and Paestan figure-decorated pottery; red-on-white ware associated with Crustumerium in Lazio; Etruscan pottery, architectural terracottas and terracotta votives. The objects were all donated to Fordham by William D. Walsh, and had largely been acquired at auctions or through a narrow group of Manhattan galleries.
Many of the known Cycladic figures – the late prehistoric human-shaped sculptures from the Aegean... more Many of the known Cycladic figures – the late prehistoric human-shaped sculptures from the Aegean archipelago – came from twentieth-century illicit excavations, especially in the 1960s and 1970s. It is also known that figures were being faked at the time and perhaps also earlier: a few fakes have been identified, whilst other figures are under suspicion. Interviews with a man who faked Cycladic figures in the 1980s and 1990s give us a first insider’s autobiographical account of the forging business. This article offers, step-by-step, the method that two forgers developed to create fake figures, to treat them so that they appeared ancient, and to sell them on. The forger has identified a few of these forgeries from photographs of figures; his story is consistent with other information and seems to ring true. By verifying various elements in the forger’s testimony – from names of well-known figures in the modern antiquities market to small details and dates – we have been able to evaluate the validity of the narrative; to use it in order to uncover the true paths that fake objects followed into various collections; and to highlight valuable provenance information that no one involved in trading these objects was ever willing to provide.
It has been more than 20 years since the raids on the premises at the Geneva Freeport linked to G... more It has been more than 20 years since the raids on the premises at the Geneva Freeport linked to Giacomo Medici. The seizure of photographic records led to a major investigation of acquisitions by museums and private collectors. This was expanded following the confiscation of archives from Robin Symes and Gianfranco Becchina. Over 350 items have been returned to Italy from North American public and private collections, as well as auction houses and galleries. This paper reviews the returns and identifies some of the major themes. It also notes some of the unresolved cases both in North America and in Europe and Japan.
The first formal guidebooks for historic sites placed in state guardianship in the United Kingdom... more The first formal guidebooks for historic sites placed in state guardianship in the United Kingdom appeared in 1917. There was an expansion of the series in the 1930s and 1950s. However from the late 1950s the Ministry of Works, and later the Ministry of Public Buildings and Works, started to produce an additional series of illustrated souvenir guides. One distinct group covered Royal Palaces: The Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Queen Victoria’s residence of Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, and Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. This was followed by guides for the archaeological sites such as Stonehenge and Avebury, the Neolithic flint mines at Grime’s Graves, the Roman villa at Lullingstone, and Hadrian’s Wall. In 1961 a series of guides, with covers designed by Kyffin Williams, were produced for the English castles constructed in North Wales and that now form part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of ‘Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd’. These illustrated guides, some with colour, prepared the way for the fully designed guides now produced by English Heritage, Cadw, and History Scotland.
The ancient monuments of Wales and Monmouthshire in the guardianship of the Office of Works (and ... more The ancient monuments of Wales and Monmouthshire in the guardianship of the Office of Works (and its successors) were interpreted through the preparation of some 50 guidebooks and leaflets from the 1920s to the formation of the Department of the Environment in 1970. The initiative lay with the Chief Inspector, (Sir) Charles Reed Peers, who prepared the guide for Caernarfon Castle. One of the most prolific authors was C. A. Ralegh Radford, the Inspector, who wrote some 21 guides for sites in Wales. Although most guides covered the major castles and ecclesiastical structures in Wales, from the 1930s interpretative guides were written for a number of prehistoric and Roman sites, including the amphitheatre at Caerleon by (Sir) Mortimer Wheeler.
In February 2013 Christos Tsirogiannis linked a fragmentary Athenian red-figured cup from the col... more In February 2013 Christos Tsirogiannis linked a fragmentary Athenian red-figured cup from the collection formed by Dietrich von Bothmer, former chairman of Greek and Roman Art at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, to a tondo in the Villa Giulia, Rome. The Rome fragment was attributed to the Euaion painter. Bothmer had acquired several fragments attributed to this same painter, and some had been donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art as well as to the J. Paul Getty Museum. Other fragments from this hand were acquired by the San Antonio Museum of Art and the Princeton University Art Museum. In January 2012 it was announced that some fragments from the Bothmer collection would be returned to Italy, because they fitted vases that had already been repatriated from North American collections. The Euaion painter fragments are considered against the phenomenon of collecting and donating fractured pots.
Harry Pirie-Gordon (1883-1969) was responsible for the preparation of a series of Guide-Books pub... more Harry Pirie-Gordon (1883-1969) was responsible for the preparation of a series of Guide-Books published by the Palestine News immediately after the First World War. The information had been prepared for the British attack on Palestine. Pirie-Gordon first went to Syria in 1908 ostensibly to study Crusader Castles. He took part in the survey of the Syrian coast around Alexandretta and worked as a foreign correspondent for The Times. Pirie-Gordon was commissioned in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) and initially worked through the Arab Bureau in Cairo. After a spell in Salonica, he was commissioned in the Army, returned to Cairo and took responsibility for the publication of the Palestine News for the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. Allenby’s campaign in Palestine drew on the developing technology of aerial photography to prepare accurate maps of troop dispositions.
The Fitzwilliam Museum holds material brought back by some of the early nineteenth-century travel... more The Fitzwilliam Museum holds material brought back by some of the early nineteenth-century travellers to Greece including Edward Daniel Clarke and William Martin Leake. However, it was not until the later nineteenth century, with the founding of such organisations as the British School of Athens and the Cyprus Exploration Fund, that the Museum's collections started to be enriched through material excavated or otherwise acquired in Greece by archaeologists and other students. This article maps the impact of the emerging discipline of archaeology on the Fitzwilliam's collections in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It also demonstrates how the Museum profited from the close connections between students, archaeologists and museum officers of the period.
The Gallipoli campaign in 1915 revealed remains of the cemeteries of the Greek settlement of Elai... more The Gallipoli campaign in 1915 revealed remains of the cemeteries of the Greek settlement of Elaious. French troops from the Corps expéditionnaire d’Orient were assigned to investigate the site, often under Turkish gunfire. This work was supervised by former students of the École française d’Athènes. Detailed plans were made, the finds catalogued, and a published report issued. During the subsequent campaign in Macedonia the French team made a detailed study of the archaeological remains and objects discovered in the French sector. Ernest Gardner, the former director of the British School at Athens, had been posted to Salonica as a member of the Eastern Mediterranean Special Intelligence Bureau (EMSIB). He studied the finds from the British sector and created a museum for the finds in Salonica. Some other archaeological work continued in Greece during the war years though not close to the front. Such dedicated archaeological work in a battlefield situation was the precursor to more specialised units that developed during the Second World War.
The series of returned antiquities to Italy have been a reminder of the role of Giacomo Medici in... more The series of returned antiquities to Italy have been a reminder of the role of Giacomo Medici in the movement of antiquities to North American public and private collections. A dossier of images was seized during a series of raids on premises in the Geneva Freeport linked to Medici. Such images have made it possible for the Italian authorities to make identifications with recently surfaced antiquities. In spite of the publicity some involved with the trade of antiquities continue to offer recently-surfaced objects that can be traced back to Medici and his consignments to the London market.
See also:
The Portable Antiquities Scheme and the Treasure Act: Protecting the Archaeology of Eng... more See also: The Portable Antiquities Scheme and the Treasure Act: Protecting the Archaeology of England and Wales? Reply to Austin, Barford, Moshenska, Renfrew and Worrell
A discussion of the Roman copy of Polykleitos' Doryphoros acquired by the Minneapolis Institute o... more A discussion of the Roman copy of Polykleitos' Doryphoros acquired by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA) in 1986 for $2.5 million. It surfaced in Munich in the 1970s as the ‘Doryphoros aus Stabiae’ implying that it had been found in the vicinity of the Bay of Naples.
A discussion of the two Roman portrait heads excavated in southern Italy and that surfaced throug... more A discussion of the two Roman portrait heads excavated in southern Italy and that surfaced through PIASA in Paris. One entered a private North American collection, and the other was sold by a Swiss-based dealer to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Both portraits were returned to Italy in 2017.
Review of Duncan Chappell and Saskia Hufnagel (eds.). Contemporary perspectives on the detection,... more Review of Duncan Chappell and Saskia Hufnagel (eds.). Contemporary perspectives on the detection, investigation and prosecution of art crime: Australasian, European and North American perspectives. xiv+276 pages. 2014 Farnham & Burlington (VT): Ashgate; 978-1-4094-6313-9 hardback £70. Louise Grove and Suzie Thomas (eds.). Heritage crime: progress, prospects and prevention. xiv+235 pages, 13 b&w illustrations. 2014. Basingstoke & New York (NY): Palgrave Macmillan; 978-1-137-35750-2 hardback £65.
Review article of James B. Cuno, Who owns antiquity? Museums and the battle over our ancient heri... more Review article of James B. Cuno, Who owns antiquity? Museums and the battle over our ancient heritage (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2008), in American Journal of Archaeology 113, 1 (January 2009).
(with Christopher Chippindale) ‘The illicit antiquities scandal: what it has done to classical ar... more (with Christopher Chippindale) ‘The illicit antiquities scandal: what it has done to classical archaeology collections’, review article of P. Watson and C. Todeschini, The Medici conspiracy: the illicit journey of looted antiquities from Italy's tomb raiders to the world's great museums (New York: Public Affairs, 2006), in American Journal of Archaeology 111 (2007), 571-74.
Review article of Craig, A. Evans, Jesus and the ossuaries (Waco, Texas: Baylor University Press ... more Review article of Craig, A. Evans, Jesus and the ossuaries (Waco, Texas: Baylor University Press 2003), in Evangelical Quarterly 77, 4 (2005), 354-58.
‘Sotheby’s, sleaze and subterfuge: inside the antiquities trade’, review article of P. Watson, So... more ‘Sotheby’s, sleaze and subterfuge: inside the antiquities trade’, review article of P. Watson, Sotheby’s: inside story (London: Bloomsbury, 1997), in Antiquity 71 (1997), 468-71.
‘Connoisseurship in context’, review article of B.A. Sparkes, The Red and the Black: Studies in G... more ‘Connoisseurship in context’, review article of B.A. Sparkes, The Red and the Black: Studies in Greek Pottery (London: Routledge, 1996), and N. Spivey, Understanding Greek Sculpture: Ancient Meanings, Modern Readings (London: Thames & Hudson, 1996), in Antiquity 70 (1996), 988-91.
Review of Hellenic Histories. The Cultural, Ideological and Political Issues of the Archaeology o... more Review of Hellenic Histories. The Cultural, Ideological and Political Issues of the Archaeology of Ancient Greece (London: Routledge, 2006), in Journal of Hellenic Studies 128 (2008), 296-97.
Review of Anna Lemos, Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum, Greece 10: Rhodes, Archaeological Museum 1: Atti... more Review of Anna Lemos, Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum, Greece 10: Rhodes, Archaeological Museum 1: Attic Black Figure (Athens: Academy of Athens, 2007), in American Journal of Archaeology 112, 4 (2008).
Review of T. Melander, Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum, Danemark 9: Thorvaldsens Museum (Collection des... more Review of T. Melander, Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum, Danemark 9: Thorvaldsens Museum (Collection des Antiquités Classiques) 1 (Copenhagen: Thorvaldsens Museum / Académie Royale des Sciences et des Lettres du Danemark, 1999), and A. Mlasowsky, Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum, Deutschland 72: Hannover, Kestner-Museum 2 (Munich: C.H. Beck, 2000), in Journal of Hellenic Studies 127 (2007), 226-27.
Review of A. Papanastasiou, Relations between red-figured and black-glazed vases in Athens of the... more Review of A. Papanastasiou, Relations between red-figured and black-glazed vases in Athens of the 4th century B.C. (BAR international series, vol. 1297; Oxford: British Archaeological Reports, 2004), in Journal of Hellenic Studies 127 (2007), 225-26.
Review of E. Robson, L. Treadwell, and L. Gosden (eds.), Who owns objects? The ethics and politic... more Review of E. Robson, L. Treadwell, and L. Gosden (eds.), Who owns objects? The ethics and politics of collecting cultural artefacts (Oxford: Oxbow, 2006); and N. Brodie, M. M. Kersel, C. Luke, and K. W. Tubb (eds.), 2006. Archaeology, cultural heritage, and the antiquities trade (Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 2006), in Journal of Field Archaeology 32.1 (2007), 103-06.
Review of R.E. Leader-Newby, Silver and Society in Late Antiquity: Functions and Meanings of Silv... more Review of R.E. Leader-Newby, Silver and Society in Late Antiquity: Functions and Meanings of Silver Plate in the Fourth to Seventh centuries (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2004), in Classical Review 57, 1 (2007), 226-28.
Review article of Craig, A. Evans, Jesus and the ossuaries (Waco, Texas: Baylor University Press ... more Review article of Craig, A. Evans, Jesus and the ossuaries (Waco, Texas: Baylor University Press 2003), in Evangelical Quarterly 77, 4 (2005), 354–58.
Review of William D.E. Coulson, Ancient Naukratis. Volume II. The survey at Naukratis and environ... more Review of William D.E. Coulson, Ancient Naukratis. Volume II. The survey at Naukratis and environs. Part I. The survey at Naukratis (Oxbow monograph, vol. 60. Oxford: Oxbow. 1996), in Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 89 (2003) 278–80.
Review of Vinnie Nørskov, Greek Vases in New Contexts. The Collecting and Trading of Greek Vases ... more Review of Vinnie Nørskov, Greek Vases in New Contexts. The Collecting and Trading of Greek Vases - An Aspect of the Modern Reception of Antiquity (Aarhus: Aarhus University Press, 2002), in Culture Without Context 12 (Spring 2003), 21–23.
This report reviews the contribution of heritage to the region defined by the counties of Kent, E... more This report reviews the contribution of heritage to the region defined by the counties of Kent, Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk. It identifies four key themes that link the heritage in the region: coastal defence; Christian heritage; historic houses; and historic landscapes and natural heritage. The region contains one UNESCO World Heritage Site at Canterbury. Heritage is supported by the development of several Heritage Action Zones and High Street Heritage Action Zones across the four counties. Heritage features in the strategies for the two regional Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP), as well as countywide and local authority heritage and cultural strategies. The report identifies examples of good practice. Several research themes have been identified that link to the interests of the three sponsoring universities of East Anglia, Essex, and Kent. Coastal heritage across the four counties is facing the threat of the climate crisis and assets are being lost due to coastal erosion. The impact of rising sea levels is also assessed. Heritage and cultural property crime affects the sustainability of heritage and cultural property across the region. Five case studies are presented: damage to churches, including lead roof theft; illegal metal-detecting and the disposal of finds; architectural theft; vandalism; and the use of technology to facilitate crime against heritage assets. The third research theme relates to the way that the DCI sector works with heritage organisation to record and interpret assets. The development of a county based Digital Heritage Strategy for Suffolk is highlighted. The economic benefits of heritage are explored through the award of National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) grants to heritage projects. Between 2013 and 2020 the EARC region was awarded over £190 million for heritage projects by NLHF. In addition, the report explores visitor trends and identifies the impact of COVID-19 on the tourism economy for the region. Historic England estimates that the heritage sector accounted for 140,000 jobs in the south east, and eastern England in 2019. The social benefits of heritage align with the UK Government’s Levelling-Up agenda. This is explored through a number of sub-themes: health and well-being; pride in place; digital connectivity; education and skills. The report concludes with a reflection on the challenges facing heritage across the region. This includes encouraging public participation with museums and archives.
The report builds on the data brought together in the RSA Heritage Index (2020). It identifies fo... more The report builds on the data brought together in the RSA Heritage Index (2020). It identifies four key heritage themes in Kent: coastal heritage; Christian heritage; historic houses; and natural heritage and historic landscapes. These themes embrace elements such as the Roman forts of the Saxon Shore; Dover Castle; the artillery forts of Henry VIII; coastal resorts; the UNESCO World Heritage site of Canterbury; the cathedral city of Rochester; historic houses including Knole and Chartwell; and the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
Three case studies relating to local authorities are presented: Canterbury, Dover, and Folkestone and Hythe. These show how each of the areas has been able to use its heritage assets to develop its tourism economy, and to attract significant funding from the NLHF.
A summary of the key themes of heritage strategies from local authorities across Kent is provided to indicate how local heritage assets are perceived as part of their local communities.
A consideration of the social benefits of heritage includes a reflection on the UK Government’s Levelling-Up agenda and its interaction with the heritage sector. The economic benefits of heritage are underlined by the scale of NLHF awards made to projects in Kent, as well as the value of tourism, in part driven by heritage attractions and assets. Heritage projects in Kent were awarded over £79 million in grants from NLHF from 2013 to 2020. The largest amounts were for £13.7 million for the Canterbury Journey awarded to Canterbury Cathedral, £4.8 million for Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, £4.6 million for the Maison Dieu in Dover, £4.6 million for the Sheerness Dockyard Church project, and £3.4 million for Chartwell.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a major fall in income from tourism for the county from £4.1 billion in 2019 to £1.6 billion in 2020. This included a fall of 61 per cent on day trips, and 60 per cent on overnight trips. This had an impact on employment in the tourism sector accounting for a drop of 39 per cent to 50,026 individuals. The fall in income due to the pandemic is particularly noticeable for Canterbury with a loss of over £300 million, while Medway and Thanet both saw losses over around £200 million.
The report reflects on the challenges facing heritage in Kent. In particular, it considers the way that the public have been engaging with built heritage, museums, and archives. Solutions include integrating the historic built environment with related objects and documents that can be found in museums and archives within the county.
A report on the state of the Historic Environment for East Anglia has been prepared by Professor ... more A report on the state of the Historic Environment for East Anglia has been prepared by Professor David Gill. The report is based on the analysis of data derived from the RSA Heritage Index (2020). It presents the heritage rankings for authorities in the region, and then explores the main themes of the Index: Historic Built Environment; Museums, Archives and Artefacts; Industrial Heritage; Parks and Open Spaces; Landscapes and Natural Heritage; Culture and Memories. There are additional sections on Participation in Heritage, National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) Grants, and Heritage and the Tourism Economy. Links to open source data are provided. This summary extracts the information for North Norfolk.
A report on the state of the Historic Environment for East Anglia has been prepared by Professor ... more A report on the state of the Historic Environment for East Anglia has been prepared by Professor David Gill. The report is based on the analysis of data derived from the RSA Heritage Index (2020). It presents the heritage rankings for authorities in the region, and then explores the main themes of the Index: Historic Built Environment; Museums, Archives and Artefacts; Industrial Heritage; Parks and Open Spaces; Landscapes and Natural Heritage; Culture and Memories. There are additional sections on Participation in Heritage, National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) Grants, and Heritage and the Tourism Economy. Links to open source data are provided. Ipswich is ranked at 87 out of 316 local authorities in England.
This summary report on the state of the Historic Environment for Swansea has been compiled by Pro... more This summary report on the state of the Historic Environment for Swansea has been compiled by Professor David Gill based on the analysis of data derived from the RSA Heritage Index (2020). It presents the heritage rankings for Swansea through the main themes of the Index: Historic Built Environment; Museums, Archives and Artefacts; Industrial Heritage; Parks and Open Spaces; Landscapes and Natural Heritage; Culture and Memories. There are additional sections on Participation in Heritage, National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) Grants, and Heritage and the Tourism Economy. Swansea is ranked at 13 out of 22 local authorities in Wales. This is a slight decrease from 12 in the 2016 Index. Cardiff is placed at 12, Carmarthenshire at 14, and Neath Port Talbot at 19.
This bibliography highlights key publications relating to chronological issues. This includes dat... more This bibliography highlights key publications relating to chronological issues. This includes dating the early colonisation of Cyrenaica (with special reference to Euesperides), the down-dating of the the temple of Aphaia on Aegina, Egyptian or Egyptianising material in Italy, and the implications of lower dates for the Nike Temple Decree and the horoi for the Piraeus.
Analysis of visitor data from Visit Britain and ALVA for the Eastern ARC region (Norfolk, Suffolk... more Analysis of visitor data from Visit Britain and ALVA for the Eastern ARC region (Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Kent, and Sussex).
Newton’s time at the British Museum coincided with a new approach to acquiring classical sculptur... more Newton’s time at the British Museum coincided with a new approach to acquiring classical sculpture that was derived from specific sites rather than old collections. His work in Anatolia and the Aegean islands enabled the British Museum to acquire key pieces of sculpture for its growing collection: among them fragments of the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos; the seated figures from the Sacred Way at Didmya near Miletos; and finds from the sanctuary of Demeter at Knidos. This made a marked change from the formation of Grand Tour collections that had been created from random digging at classical sites such as Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli. The University of Cambridge acquired the sculptures collected by E. Daniel Clarke during his travels in the Aegean: among them was one of the Caryatids from the Propylon at Eleusis. These pieces were to be displayed alongside the Disney Marbles in the newly created Fitzwilliam Museum. In Oxford, the Ashmolean Museum displayed the Arundel marbles. In France, the Louvre had acquired the statue of Aphrodite found on the island of Melos in 1820, and later purchased some sculptures found at the Samian Heraion in 1875. Munich had displayed the sculptures removed from the temple of Aphaia on the island of Aegina in 1811, and then sold to King Ludwig of Bavaria. In Berlin, finds from the German excavations at the Samian Heraion were put on display. This were supplemented by the dramatic sculptural finds of the altar of Zeus from the acropolis at Pergamon that were excavated from 1878.
Newton was an active member of the Archaeological Institute following its split with the British ... more Newton was an active member of the Archaeological Institute following its split with the British Archaeological Association in 1845. The choice of the designation ‘Institute’ was influenced by the Institut de Paris, and brought with it the educational values of its French counterpart. Newton served as the Institute’s secretary alongside other colleagues from the Departments of Antiquities and Manuscripts at the British Museum. His experience of excavating around the Aegean brought him into contact with the École française in Athens, and he served as a correspondent of the Society of the Dilettanti. On his return to London after his excavations in Anatolia and his time in Rome, he worked with George A. Macmillan to establish the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies in 1879. He was subsequently involved with the formation of the Egypt Exploration Fund in 1882, and the British School at Athens in 1886 that promoted the newly formed science of archaeology.
The issue of acquiring fragmented Athenian pottery has frequently been overlooked. Yet the patter... more The issue of acquiring fragmented Athenian pottery has frequently been overlooked. Yet the pattern of acquisitions presents a rather more complicated narrative about the working of the market. The pattern of donating a fragment followed by the purchase of further pieces, sometimes from a number of vendors, raises ethical issues about the working of the antiquities market.
The British prehistorian Winifred Lamb (1894–1963) was one of the first women to direct an archae... more The British prehistorian Winifred Lamb (1894–1963) was one of the first women to direct an archaeological excavation in Turkey. She had taken part in the excavations at Mycenae under Alan Wace and Carl Blegen, and then worked on prehistoric mounds in Macedonia under Walter A. Heurtley. She became interested in the connection between the Balkans and Anatolia and identified the Bronze Age site of Thermi on Lesbos as a key site to investigate. In 1929 she was able to visit Blegen’s excavations at Troy. With the encouragement of V. Gordon Childe, she undertook a major journey in western Anatolia to identify a suitable site that connected the Aegean with central Anatolia, and this led to her work at Kusura from 1935 to 1937. With the outbreak of the Second World War, Lamb was recruited by Sir Leonard Woolley in April 1940 to work for the BBC, initially in the Greek section; in 1942 she moved into the Turkish section where she compiled monthly briefing papers on broadcasts to Turkey. She was involved with the creation of Halkevi in Fitzhardinge Street, London to promote Anglo-Turkish relations. Following the end of the Second World War, Winifred was one of the key people alongside John Garstang who helped to establish what became the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara; she became its honorary secretary from 1948 to 1957. Although she did not excavate again, she was active in questions about the links between eastern Anatolia and the Aegean and conducted two trips to eastern Turkey in the early 1950s.
A double-sided decree found on the north slope of the Athenian acropolis made provision for the c... more A double-sided decree found on the north slope of the Athenian acropolis made provision for the construction of a temple and altar for Athena Nike, and for the selection of a priestess (IG I3 35); on the reverse, arrangements were made for the first payments to the priestess (IG I3 36). There is unambiguous evidence that a statue of Athena Nike, repaired in the second half of the fourth century, was derived from booty gained during the campaigns in north-west Greece in 426/5 (IG II2 403).
While the provisions for the salary for the priestess can be dated to 424/3, the decree appointing Kallikrates to the project is dated by R. Osborne and P.J. Rhodes (no. 137) to ‘438–435 or 450–445’. Yet it now seems likely that the decision to build the temple on a raised bastion—brought effectively to the height of the south-west wing of the Propylaia—was taken after the decisive victory over the Spartans at Sphacteria in 425. There is a strong case to be made that the captured Spartan shields were mounted on the outer walls of the sanctuary, and that a descending Nike, similar to that created by Paionios at Olympia to mark the victory at Sphacteria, was mounted as the central acroterion for the temple. Is there compelling evidence that work on the renewed sanctuary had been initiated before the start of the construction of the Propylaia in 438? Or is the decree appointing Kallikrates best placed in 425, perhaps within weeks of the great reassessment of tribute (IG I3 71)?
The expansion of the sanctuary, especially with the cladding on the bastion, may have caused concern that the project was intruding on the sacred area of the Pelargikon at the western end of the acropolis. Is this the context for Lampon’s rider to the First Fruits Decree (IG I3 78)?
In the early 1980s four Roman bronzes, probably originally displayed on a monumental chariot, sur... more In the early 1980s four Roman bronzes, probably originally displayed on a monumental chariot, surfaced on the London antiquities market. Two were purchased by the J. Paul Getty Museum in 1984, one by the Cleveland Museum of Art in the same year, and the fourth was sold to a North American private collector (and then sold to the Getty in 1985). All four were exhibited in the Cleveland exhibition, The Gods Delight: the Human Figure in Classical Bronze in 1988 where it was observed that they had ‘traveled through the art market and conceivably found with [the other three]’. The scientific study of the corrosion products shows that three of the figures had fibrous malachite crystals on the surface suggesting that they had shared a similar ‘burial environment’. In addition, the four bronzes are linked by the presence of ‘relatively homogenous’ fragments of red brick or tile embedded in their surfaces. Do these characteristics suggest that the figures had been extracted from their archaeological deposit(s) illicitly, or was it just chance that brought them together on the market?
Presentation to the Suffolk Strategic Heritage Forum looking at the RSA Heritage Index data for S... more Presentation to the Suffolk Strategic Heritage Forum looking at the RSA Heritage Index data for Suffolk.
Winifred Lamb (1894–1963) was a pioneering archaeologist conducting fieldwork in Greece and Turke... more Winifred Lamb (1894–1963) was a pioneering archaeologist conducting fieldwork in Greece and Turkey. She read classics at Newnham College, Cambridge, where Dorothy Garrod was her contemporary, before joining Room 40 at the Admiralty in the later stages of the First World War. She was admitted as a student of the British School at Athens in the autumn of 1920 and excavated at Mycenae with Alan J.B. Wace and Carl Blegen. She subsequently worked on the British excavations at Sparta (1924) and in Macedonia (1925, 1929), before directing her own excavation at Thermi on Lesbos (1929–33). Her work on Lesbos was recognised by her election as a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries on 25 February 1932, and later by the award of a ScD from the University of Cambridge (1940). After work on Chios (1934), she directed the excavation of the Bronze Age site of Kusura in western Turkey (1935–37).
Winifred Lamb, who grew up at Winterslow near Salisbury, served as honorary keeper of Greek antiq... more Winifred Lamb, who grew up at Winterslow near Salisbury, served as honorary keeper of Greek antiquities at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge from 1920 to 1958. She first met Sir Sydney Cockerell, the Director of the Fitzwilliam, at the sale of the Hope antiquities at Christie’s in July 1917. Later that year she was invited to join Room 40, part of Naval Intelligence, where she worked alongside the academic (Sir) John Beazley who encouraged her interest in Greek pottery. Cockerell invited her to work on the Greek collections at the Fitzwilliam, before offering her the role of honorary keeper. One of her first tasks was to create a prehistoric gallery where finds from excavations sponsored by the British School at Athens were displayed. In parallel to this she was admitted to the British School at Athens where she worked on the excavation of Mycenae, Sparta, and prehistoric sites in Macedonia. She then funded her own excavation of the Bronze Age site of Thermi on the island of Lesbos before turning her attention to the site of Kusura in western Turkey. During the Second World War she was a member of the Turkish monitoring section of the BBC. Lamb was a pioneering archaeologist and one of the most important benefactors of the Greek and Roman Department of the Fitzwilliam.
Organisations are faced with the challenge of forming effective project groups that will deliver ... more Organisations are faced with the challenge of forming effective project groups that will deliver on their objectives. The seminar will consider the decision recorded in a fifth century BC Athenian decree that recommends that the group formed to deliver a major building project at the sanctuary of Demeter at Eleusis should be like the ones formed for the delivery of ‘the temple and the statue’. The paper will seek to demonstrate the identity of these two projects, and to review the public accounts for them in which the committee membership is listed. The project groups do not draw on a democratic model that would have included representatives from each of the tribes that formed the citizen body, but rather a more closely defined membership that embraced relevant expertise.
Winifred Lamb served as honorary keeper of Greek antiquities at the Fitzwilliam Museum from 1920 ... more Winifred Lamb served as honorary keeper of Greek antiquities at the Fitzwilliam Museum from 1920 to 1958. At the same time she was an active field archaeologist excavating at Mycenae, Sparta and in Macedonia, and then directing projects at Thermi on Lesbos, on Chios, and at Kusura in western Turkey. Her biography can be approached through her publications, her acquisitions for the Fitzwilliam, her private diaries and notebooks, and her photographic diaries. Her wartime work for the BBC is revealed through the monthly intelligence briefings on Turkey. Her parallel careers throw light on the development of the collections at the Fitzwilliam, the role of the British School at Athens during the inter-war years, and the creation of the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara after the conclusion of the Second World War.
Winifred Lamb served as honorary keeper of Greek antiquities at the Fitzwilliam Museum from 1920 ... more Winifred Lamb served as honorary keeper of Greek antiquities at the Fitzwilliam Museum from 1920 to 1958. One of her first tasks was to create a prehistoric gallery at the Fitzwilliam where finds from British excavations at Phylakopi on Melos, Palaikastro on Crete, and various sites on Cyprus could be displayed. This work was informed by involvement in the British School’s excavations at Mycenae, and then her own work at Thermi on Lesbos. She developed a strong research interest in small bronzes, in part informed by her work at Sparta, as well as Greek figure-decorated pottery.
Winifred Lamb served as honorary keeper of Greek antiquities at the Fitzwilliam Museum from 1920 ... more Winifred Lamb served as honorary keeper of Greek antiquities at the Fitzwilliam Museum from 1920 to 1958. She first met Sir Sydney Cockerell at the sale of the Hope antiquities at Christie’s in July 1917. Later that year she was invited to join Room 40, part of Naval Intelligence, where she worked alongside the academic (Sir) John Beazley who encouraged her interest in Greek pottery. Cockerell invited her to work on the Greek collections at the Fitzwilliam, before offering her the role of honorary keeper. One of her first tasks was to create a prehistoric gallery where finds from excavations sponsored by the British School were displayed. She developed an interest in Greek and Roman bronzes, and then made a series of purchases in preparation for the publication of the two Cambridge fascicules of the Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum. In the post-war years she helped to consolidate the classical collections across the different museums in Cambridge.
Analysis of visitor numbers for a range of heritage sites and museums across Suffolk from 2011 to... more Analysis of visitor numbers for a range of heritage sites and museums across Suffolk from 2011 to 2016.
The presentation will consider the contribution of heritage to the economy of the Eastern ARC reg... more The presentation will consider the contribution of heritage to the economy of the Eastern ARC region (Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Kent). It will consider some of the challenges facing the sector.
In 2022 EARC commissioned a report looking at the value of, opportunities for and challenges to h... more In 2022 EARC commissioned a report looking at the value of, opportunities for and challenges to heritage assets in the Eastern Arc area. Working with the RSA and other stakeholders, the report was well-received and provided a comprehensive picture of the heritage environment in the region.
In 1952 Mohammed Zakaria Goneim, chief inspector of antiquities, excavated an Egyptian mummy and ... more In 1952 Mohammed Zakaria Goneim, chief inspector of antiquities, excavated an Egyptian mummy and mask at Saqqara. This mummy mask was acquired by the St Louis Art Museum in 1998 from Phoenix Ancient Art for $499,000. The purchase led to a legal claim by the Egyptian authorities. However, the outcome was that the court confirmed the ownership with the St Louis Art Museum. The release of internal documents from the museum reveals a story that suggests that key members of the museum’s curatorial team were aware of sensitivities relating to the history of the mummy mask. There are two parallel and irreconcilable accounts of the mask between 1952 and 1998. The vendor had acquired a statement from Charly Mathez in 1997 that claimed that the mummy mask had been seen by him in Brussels in 1952 (or 1958). The mask is then reported to have been part of the collection of Suzana Jelinek in Zagreb, before moving into an anonymous Swiss private collection. The mask was then reported to have been displayed for a short time in Geneva’s Musées d’art et d’histoire in 1997 prior to its sale. The Egyptian authorities claimed that the mask had followed a different path and that it was recorded in the archaeological store in Saqqara in 1959. It then moved to the Cairo Museum from 1959 to 1962 when it returned to the store in Saqqara. It went back to Cairo in 1966, and was finally noted as missing in 1973. It appears to be significant that the personal name in hieratic script that was visible on the right hand of the mask when excavated had been removed by the time that the piece passed through the dealer in Switzerland as demonstrated by publicity photographs taken around 1997. The museum does not appear to have responded to suggestions (in January 2006) that it should check with the Egyptian authorities to ensure that the mask had not been stolen from the Saqqara store. Zahi Hawass, the then Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, raised his concerns about the mask in February 2006. This was supported by well-documented instances of thefts from the Saqqara stores, including two alabaster ducks that were returned to Egypt. The legal case developed in January 2011, and a case for forfeiture was filed in March 2011; this was dismissed on 31 March 2012 by a US District Judge. A parallel case for declamatory relief was finally withdrawn in June 2014. It does not appear to have been disclosed during the hearings that John H. Taylor, an Egyptologist at the British Museum, had raised his concerns about the mask to SLAM curators in February 1999. Such concerns were apparently left uninvestigated by the museum or the legal teams. The SLAM case raises the issue that legal challenges may not be the most effective way to reclaim cultural property. In contrast the Italian government has managed to secure the return of several hundred objects from North American public museums and private collections through the effective use of the media that has placed moral pressure on museums, auction houses and private individuals. The way ahead may be to develop a more rigorous due diligence process for museum acquisitions that would enhance the legal ownership of objects acquired through the market.
In 1994 the publication of Artful Crafts by Michael Vickers and David Gill drew attention to the ... more In 1994 the publication of Artful Crafts by Michael Vickers and David Gill drew attention to the evocation of lost Athenian gold-figured silver plate by Athenian red-figured pottery. Some of the best-preserved examples of gold-figured plate had come from the Thracian burial mounds at Duvanli: they included a phiale and kantharos. The weight of these pieces suggest that they had been made to weigh a round number of Attic drachmae: the phiale, for example, was the equivalent of 1 mina (100 drachmae). Other undecorated silver plate had close links with Attic black-glossed pottery, perhaps suggesting that ancient silver was kept in a patinated condition. For example, the (lost) silver cup with gold tondo from the Chemyrev mound is very close to the Attic black-glossed acrocups that appear to be cheaper copies; and the silver mug from Duvanli finds frequent parallels in black-glossed pottery. Over the last quarter of a century other gold-figured silver plate has surfaced, often in private collections. The pieces include a phiale decorated with a hunt scene in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art that weighed approximately 1 mina. A series of gold-figured silver plate from the Bojkov collection includes stemless Rheneia cups, kantharoi, and a further phiale. Although items of gold and silver plate are well known from classical texts as well as their listing in temple inventories, classical archaeologists have continued to privilege Athenian red-figured pottery. The recent major exhibition ‘celebrating’ the work attributed to the anonymous pot decorator known as the Berlin painter failed to take proper account of ancient price inscriptions that provide appropriate evidence for the value of figure-decorated pottery. Even the metalworker’s relief on the Athenian acropolis continues to be presented as the dedication of a wealthy potter.
Winifred Lamb (1894-1963) was honorary keeper of Greek antiquities at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Uni... more Winifred Lamb (1894-1963) was honorary keeper of Greek antiquities at the Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge from 1920 to 1958. The holdings at the Fitzwilliam include items from her own and her family's collections, notably pieces from the sale of the Hope collection in July 1917. Lamb helped to develop the Fitzwilliam's collections over some 40 years by creating a prehistoric gallery, and acquiring Etruscan, Greek and Roman bronzes, as well as Athenian figure-decorated pottery. Winifred prepared two fascicules of the Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum (one containing the loan collection of Charles Ricketts and Charles Shannon), and in 1926 she invited Betty Burn of Newnham College to prepare the catalogue of ancient gems (although this was never published due to lack of funds).
One of the aims for organisations within the heritage sector is to engage with a wider and specif... more One of the aims for organisations within the heritage sector is to engage with a wider and specifically younger audience. The three national heritage bodies of English Heritage, Cadw, and Historic Environment Scotland have dedicated activities for schools and young people. These include ‘expert’ interpretations, children-led tours, and carefully constructed sessions that tie to the school curriculum. Cadw has been working with the Welsh Government to develop a ‘passport’ scheme that includes Cadw sites, the National Museum of Wales, and the National Library of Wales. The National Trust have developed a range of children’s activities such as ’50 things to do before you are 11 ¾”. National and local authority museums also have dedicated activities for school and young people.
The last 20 years have provided concrete evidence for the illicit trafficking of cultural propert... more The last 20 years have provided concrete evidence for the illicit trafficking of cultural property. The seizure of photographic archives and objects in the Geneva Freeport in 1995, followed by further raids in Basel and on the Greek island of Schinoussa, provided compelling information about how newly surfaced archaeological objects moved from their countries of origin to public and private collections. Over 300 items have been returned to Italy from North American collections since 2006. All had been acquired since the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. Some of the objects were acquired after the 1983 acceptance of the Convention by the US Government. The reputational damage created by these returns has seen a call for greater transparency over museum acquisitions. This is particularly important when it is realised that information about collecting histories has in some cases been fabricated. There is a renewed urgency for a change in attitude over acquisitions given the generally accepted looting that has been associated with armed conflicts in the Middle East.
Introduction
Greece has faced serious economic and social challenges during the present economic ... more Introduction Greece has faced serious economic and social challenges during the present economic crisis. Heritage sites are seen as a major asset in the tourism strategy for Greece to generate income from outside the country. There are 15 World Heritage sites in Greece: in Attica (the Athenian Akropolis), central Greece (Delphi), the Peloponnese (Bassae, Epidauros, Mycenae and Tiryns, Mystras, Olympia), Macedonia (Vergina, Thessalonika), and the islands (Delos, Rhodes, Chios, Corfu, Samos, Patmos). Methods The project has analysed the visitor figures and income generation for archaeological sites and museums, including the key World Heritage sites, in Greece. These data are available from the Hellenic Statistical Service. In recent years detailed figures are no longer reported for every site and museum in Greece. However it is possible to identify trends for the Athenian Akropolis, Delphi, Epidauros, Mycenae (but not Tiryns), Mystras, and Olympia. Some major archaeological sites such as Knossos on Crete are not designated as World Heritage Sites but do attract large numbers of visitors (632,288 in 2015). Findings There were 23.5 million arrivals by non-residents in Greece in 2015, and increase from 22 million in 2014. Visitors from Germany, the UK, France and Italy account for some 8 million in 2015. In 2015 there were 10.3 million visits to (paid) archaeological sites, and 4.4 million visits to museums. This was an increase from 2014 with 14.1 million combined visits. Back in 2008 the same figures showed that only 8 million visits were made. The core World Heritage sites in Greece attracted more than 3.77 million visitors in 2015: this reflects an increase of more than 1 million visits over a decade (2.7 million in 2006). There has been a marked resurgence since the low point of 1.9 million visits in 2010. In 2015 heritage sites and museums generated more than 56 million Euros in ticket sales alone; in 2014 the total revenue was 54.6 million Euros. The lowest point was 2012 with an income of only 40.5 million Euros. However there are some sites and museums, especially on more remote islands or in the mountains of the Peloponnese, where visitor numbers are extremely low. Conclusion There are clearly heritage 'hot-spots' with Athens (Akropolis; Akropolis Museum; National Archaeological Museum), Knossos, Rhodes and Olympia leading the way. The figures suggest that visitors tend to enjoy visiting sites rather than museums, though at Delphi nearly two-thirds of visitors also make their way to the museum to see the finds from the excavations. The figures suggest that heritage (including museums) are positive attractions in the tourist offer for Greece, and provide a key income stream for preserving this part of the universal heritage. Key sites, and especially those designated as World Heritage Sites, are key in the economic strategy to protect important sites and archaeological collections that are less well visited in Greece.
References Gill, David W.J. 2013. Cultural tourism in Greece at a time of economic crisis. Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology & Heritage Studies 1: 233-42. Timothy, Dallen J. 2014. Contemporary Cultural Heritage and Tourism: Development Issues and Emerging Trends. Public Archaeology 13, 1-3: 30-47. Hellenic Statistical Service. http://www.statistics.gr/ UNESCO: World Heritage Sites in Greece. http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/gr
The Saxon Shore research project will explore the transformation of East Anglia from the Late Rom... more The Saxon Shore research project will explore the transformation of East Anglia from the Late Roman period to the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. The lecture will consider the contribution of the Anglo-Saxon heritage to the tourism economy of the region. In particular it will consider the HLF funded project to enhance the visitor experience at Sutton Hoo, the UK Government railway tourism project to link Sutton Hoo with the finds at the British Museum, and the work of the Woodbridge Riverside Trust and the reconstruction of the Sutton Hoo ship. The paper will indicate the likely growth in visitor numbers to four key heritage locations linked to the project, and their value to the local economies.
In the Late Roman period the east coast was known as 'The Saxon Shore'. The Anglo-Saxon ship-buri... more In the Late Roman period the east coast was known as 'The Saxon Shore'. The Anglo-Saxon ship-burial at Sutton Hoo now attracts over 100,000 visitors a year. How can we attract more tourists to Suffolk on a short term basis to explore Suffolk's rich heritage? How can we encourage visitors to the Sutton Hoo displays at the British Museum to make their way to the Deben? What impact will this have on the development of the Woodbridge Waterfront, the Anglo-Saxon displays at the Ipswich Museum, and the role of the proposed Heritage Centre ('The Hold') in the Ipswich Marina? Are there opportunities to use new technologies to spread the economic benefits of these visits?
Early Christian communities emerged in a range of urban communities found across the Roman provin... more Early Christian communities emerged in a range of urban communities found across the Roman provinces around the eastern Mediterranean. Some were established in formal Roman colonies such as Pisidian Antioch, Philippi, and Corinth. The urban landscape deliberately evoked Rome, urban officials were known by their Latin terminology, and Latin was the formal language. The colonial contexts provided early Christian communities with a hierarchical structure where Roman citizenship and its related status was highly valued. There was a strong element of personal patronage, such as the likely introduction of Paul to Pisidian Antioch through his encounter with Sergius Paulus the Roman governor of Cyprus. Civic elites from polities such as Sparta are known to have gravitated towards provincial centres such as Corinth during the first century AD. These colonial settings contrast with other poleis such as Athens and Thessalonike that echoed their Hellenistic pasts with their traditional forms of magistracies and cults. It is important to look beyond these colonial settings to the dispersed rural communities within their provinces and their relationship with the urban populations.
This paper will explore art crime from the perspective of classical archaeology and in particular... more This paper will explore art crime from the perspective of classical archaeology and in particular the movement of material culture from source countries such as Italy and Greece.
The problem of the looting of archaeological sites in Italy has been highlighted by the high profile seizures of 'stock' from Japanese and Sicilian dealers in Switzerland. The raid on the Geneva Freeport provided photographic evidence that has led to the return of several hundred items from North American public and private collections. A careful study of the collecting histories of these returned pieces has shown the movement of material from dealers in Switzerland and then to London and New York. Sometimes the find-spots of the objects is unknown, but occasionally objects can be placed in specific archaeological contexts. One of the countries that is attracting much interest at the moment is Syria and it is possible to identify classical items that are surfacing on the market.
The issue of looted classical antiquities has been highlighted by exhibitions such as 'Nostoi' in Rome and Athens. Finally the scale of the market can be indicated through a study of objects surfacing on the market.
Students arrive at university with a range of digital skills but these do not always contribute t... more Students arrive at university with a range of digital skills but these do not always contribute to their studies. How do we encourage discernment in the authority of online resources? How do we use electronic tools to conduct collaborative
learning? How do students capture contemporary debates and themes in their subject areas? How do lectures use innovative technologies to enhance the learning process while retaining an intellectual rigour? Can we encourage students to interact in a constructive way during lectures?
This paper will draw on the 2-evaluate Project at Swansea University. This JISC funded ‘Building Capacity’ project explored how Web 2.0 technologies could be deployed in the HE setting. The project used both (ancient) historical texts and archaeological material, and allowed students to create ‘digital assets’ that could be reused within the VLE. The approach has been developed with heritage students at UCS in the field of site interpretation and evaluation.
The Suffolk Heritage Strategy has highlighted the strength of the Anglo-Saxons for the county. In... more The Suffolk Heritage Strategy has highlighted the strength of the Anglo-Saxons for the county. In the Roman period a string of fortresses---known as 'The Saxon Shore'---protected the eastern counties from Norfolk to Hampshire. Suffolk has a number of important Anglo-Saxon sites: the ship burial at Sutton Hoo; the Anglo-Saxon village at West Stow; the newly excavated palace site at Rendlesham; and Ipswich has been promoted as the 'oldest Anglo-Saxon town'. This paper will explore how a network of Late Roman and Anglo-Saxon sites could be identified to allow visitors to the region to understand how 'Anglia Became England'.
Dr John Disney continues to be remembered for his benefaction of a chair in archaeology at Cambri... more Dr John Disney continues to be remembered for his benefaction of a chair in archaeology at Cambridge University. He also donated his collection of classical (and mostly Roman) sculpture to Cambridge. Disney's father, the Reverend John Disney DD, inherited the Grand Tour collection of antiquities from Thomas Brand-Hollis who displayed them at his home, The Hyde, near Ingatestone in Essex. The display reflected the republican values of Brand-Hollis and his benefactor and close friend Thomas Hollis. Dr John Disney was involved with the Chelmsford Philosophical Society and helped to create the Chelmsford Museum. He was a key figure in the formation of the Essex Archaeological Society, and in the exploration of Roman Colchester.
The collecting of "ancient art" since the 1960s has important intellectual consequences especiall... more The collecting of "ancient art" since the 1960s has important intellectual consequences especially when archaeological contexts are lost, destroyed or fabricated. This paper will focus on a number of case studies including: marble figures from the Cycladic islands; the Sarpedon [Euphronios] krater; the Roman imperial portraits from Bubon in Turkey. The Leutwitz Apollo, now on display in the Cleveland Museum of Art, raises issues about the original display, collecting, and museum presentation and interpretation.
Winifred Lamb was a pioneering archaeologist who worked at various sites around the Aegean and in... more Winifred Lamb was a pioneering archaeologist who worked at various sites around the Aegean and in Anatolia during the 1920s and 1930s. Lamb was educated at Newnham College, Cambridge, and after work in Naval Intelligence (Room 40) she was admitted as a student of the British School at Athens (BSA). She took part in the BSA excavations at Mycenae and by the second year was assistant to Alan J.B. Wace. She then assisted with the work at the archaic and classical site of Sparta while also taking part in the prehistoric excavations in Macedonia. Lamb developed a strong interest in prehistory and this led to the discovery and excavation of the site of Thermi on Lesbos. The subsequent publication formed the basis of her Cambridge ScD. She also led work at Antissa on Lesbos and Kato Phana on Chios, before developing a major prehistoric project at Kusura in western Anatolia. This active fieldwork was conducted purely on the basis of private means as Lamb only held an honorary keepership at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. This paper will explore archive material that has shed light on the Lamb family background. This includes major mining interest in Northumberland and Co Durham, and cotton mills in Manchester.
Satellite images reveal the extent to which sites of important historical interest have been loot... more Satellite images reveal the extent to which sites of important historical interest have been looted in Syria. Some of these are in areas controlled by Islamic State where looters are believed to pay a tax to allow them to operate. Iraqi military say evidence from a senior IS member revealed the group is making millions of pounds from the trafficking of looted antiquities
Simon Cox investigates the global trade in stolen artefacts and traces smuggling routes through Turkey and Lebanon and onto the international antiquities market.
He hears concerns that dealers and collectors are not doing enough to verify the provenance of ancient works of art and asks whether the authorities in the UK and elsewhere are doing enough to prevent the trade.
Why, for example, does the UK remain the most significant military power not to have ratified a UN convention to protect cultural property during armed conflict?
Reporter: Simon Cox Producer: Paul Grant.
In the tradition of The First Urban Christians by Wayne Meeks, this book explores the relationshi... more In the tradition of The First Urban Christians by Wayne Meeks, this book explores the relationship between the earliest Christians and the city environment. Experts in classics, early Christianity, and human geography analyze the growth, development, and self-understanding of the early Christian movement in urban settings. The book's contributors first look at how the urban physical, cultural, and social environments of the ancient Mediterranean basin affected the ways in which early Christianity progressed. They then turn to how the earliest Christians thought and theologized in their engagement with cities. With a rich variety of expertise and scholarship, The Urban World and the First Christians is an important contribution to the understanding of early Christianity.
In February 2013 Christos Tsirogiannis linked a fragmentary Athenian red-figured cup from the col... more In February 2013 Christos Tsirogiannis linked a fragmentary Athenian red-figured cup from the collection formed by Dietrich von Bothmer, former chairman of Greek and Roman Art at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, to a tondo in the Villa Giulia, Rome. The Rome fragment was attributed to the Euaion painter. Bothmer had acquired several fragments attributed to this same painter, and some had been donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art as well as to the J. Paul Getty Museum. Other fragments from this hand were acquired by the San Antonio Museum of Art and the Princeton University Art Museum. In January 2012 it was announced that some fragments from the Bothmer collection would be returned to Italy, because they fitted vases that had already been repatriated from North American collections. The Euaion painter fragments are considered against the phenomenon of collecting and donating fractured pots.
The series of returned antiquities to Italy have been a reminder of the role of Giacomo Medici in... more The series of returned antiquities to Italy have been a reminder of the role of Giacomo Medici in the movement of antiquities to North American public and private collections. A dossier of images was seized during a series of raids on premises in the Geneva Freeport linked to Medici. Such images have made it possible for the Italian authorities to make identifications with recently surfaced antiquities. In spite of the publicity some involved with the trade of antiquities continue to offer recently-surfaced objects that can be traced back to Medici and his consignments to the London market.
"Skeuomorphs. Transmaterial Design in the Ancient and Medieval Mediterranean"
International Confe... more "Skeuomorphs. Transmaterial Design in the Ancient and Medieval Mediterranean" International Conference, Freiburg University, 17-19 November 2021
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The Disney family traced its origins back to the Norman invasion of England, and the family home was at Norton Disney in Lincolnshire. Disney’s father, the Reverend John Disney DD (1746-1816) left the Church of England to become a minister at the Unitarian Essex Street Chapel in London. A major sponsor of the chapel was Thomas Brand-Hollis of The Hyde, Essex, who bequeathed the house and his Grand Tour collection (formed with Thomas Hollis) on his death in 1804 to the Reverend Disney. Disney inherited part of the classical collection of his uncle and father-in-law Lewis Disney-Ffytche, owner of the 18th century pleasure gardens, Le Désert de Retz, outside Paris. Disney’s brother-in-law was Sir William Hillary, founder of the RNLI.
The book's contributors first look at how the urban physical, cultural, and social environments of the ancient Mediterranean basin affected the ways in which early Christianity progressed. They then turn to how the earliest Christians thought and theologized in their engagement with cities. With a rich variety of expertise and scholarship, The Urban World and the First Christians is an important contribution to the understanding of early Christianity.
This volume contains a selection of papers presented at the 2014 colloquium in a revised form suitable for publication as proceedings, along with an appendix showing a full list of participants and a list of the papers presented in Ipswich.
Most of the students who were admitted to the School in this period had been educated at either Cambridge or Oxford. Women, mostly from Cambridge, took part in the School’s activities including the excavations at Phylakopi. The students’ research interests included Greek pottery, Aegean prehistory, and epigraphy. The experience of Greece prepared the students for later work in British universities and in other professions. Many extended their archaeological experience in Greece to fieldwork in Britain, Egypt, and India.
During the First World War former students were involved in intelligence work in the eastern Mediterranean through the activities of the Arab Bureau in Cairo.
The Disney family traced its origins back to the Norman invasion of England, and the family home was at Norton Disney in Lincolnshire. Disney’s father, the Reverend John Disney DD (1746-1816) left the Church of England to become a minister at the Unitarian Essex Street Chapel in London. A major sponsor of the chapel was Thomas Brand-Hollis of The Hyde, Essex, who bequeathed the house and his Grand Tour collection (formed with Thomas Hollis) on his death in 1804 to the Reverend Disney. Disney inherited part of the classical collection of his uncle and father-in-law Lewis Disney-Ffytche, owner of the 18th century pleasure gardens, Le Désert de Retz, outside Paris. Disney’s brother-in-law was Sir William Hillary, founder of the RNLI.
The book's contributors first look at how the urban physical, cultural, and social environments of the ancient Mediterranean basin affected the ways in which early Christianity progressed. They then turn to how the earliest Christians thought and theologized in their engagement with cities. With a rich variety of expertise and scholarship, The Urban World and the First Christians is an important contribution to the understanding of early Christianity.
This volume contains a selection of papers presented at the 2014 colloquium in a revised form suitable for publication as proceedings, along with an appendix showing a full list of participants and a list of the papers presented in Ipswich.
Most of the students who were admitted to the School in this period had been educated at either Cambridge or Oxford. Women, mostly from Cambridge, took part in the School’s activities including the excavations at Phylakopi. The students’ research interests included Greek pottery, Aegean prehistory, and epigraphy. The experience of Greece prepared the students for later work in British universities and in other professions. Many extended their archaeological experience in Greece to fieldwork in Britain, Egypt, and India.
During the First World War former students were involved in intelligence work in the eastern Mediterranean through the activities of the Arab Bureau in Cairo.
The sources for the market
Metal detecting
Creative accounts
Fakes
The acquirers
The impact of the Medici Conspiracy
The scale of the market
‘The Nostell Priory bolsal’, in J. Boardman, A. Parkin, and S. Waite (eds.), On the Fascination of Objects: Greek and Etruscan Art in the Shefton Collection (Oxford: Oxbow, 2015), 95-106.
from photographs of figures; his story is consistent with other information and seems to ring true. By verifying various elements in the forger’s testimony – from names of well-known figures in the modern antiquities market to small details and dates – we have been able to evaluate the validity of the narrative; to use it in order to uncover the true paths that fake objects followed into various collections; and to highlight valuable provenance information that no one involved in trading these objects was ever willing to provide.
The Portable Antiquities Scheme and the Treasure Act: Protecting the Archaeology of England and Wales? Reply to Austin, Barford, Moshenska, Renfrew and Worrell
Heritage features in the strategies for the two regional Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP), as well as countywide and local authority heritage and cultural strategies. The report identifies examples of good practice.
Several research themes have been identified that link to the interests of the three sponsoring universities of East Anglia, Essex, and Kent. Coastal heritage across the four counties is facing the threat of the climate crisis and assets are being lost due to coastal erosion. The impact of rising sea levels is also assessed. Heritage and cultural property crime affects the sustainability of heritage and cultural property across the region. Five case studies are presented: damage to churches, including lead roof theft; illegal metal-detecting and the disposal of finds; architectural theft; vandalism; and the use of technology to facilitate crime against heritage assets. The third research theme relates to the way that the DCI sector works with heritage organisation to record and interpret assets. The development of a county based Digital Heritage Strategy for Suffolk is highlighted.
The economic benefits of heritage are explored through the award of National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) grants to heritage projects. Between 2013 and 2020 the EARC region was awarded over £190 million for heritage projects by NLHF. In addition, the report explores visitor trends and identifies the impact of COVID-19 on the tourism economy for the region. Historic England estimates that the heritage sector accounted for 140,000 jobs in the south east, and eastern England in 2019.
The social benefits of heritage align with the UK Government’s Levelling-Up agenda. This is explored through a number of sub-themes: health and well-being; pride in place; digital connectivity; education and skills.
The report concludes with a reflection on the challenges facing heritage across the region. This includes encouraging public participation with museums and archives.
Chartwell; and the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
Three case studies relating to local authorities are presented: Canterbury, Dover, and Folkestone and Hythe. These show how each of the areas has been able to use its heritage assets to develop its tourism economy, and to attract significant funding from the NLHF.
A summary of the key themes of heritage strategies from local authorities across Kent is provided to indicate how local heritage assets are perceived as part of their local communities.
A consideration of the social benefits of heritage includes a reflection on the UK Government’s Levelling-Up agenda and its interaction with the heritage sector. The economic benefits of heritage are underlined by the scale of NLHF awards made to projects in Kent, as well as the value of tourism, in part driven by heritage attractions and assets. Heritage projects in Kent were awarded over £79 million in grants from NLHF from 2013 to 2020. The largest amounts were for £13.7 million for the Canterbury Journey awarded to Canterbury Cathedral, £4.8 million for Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, £4.6 million for the Maison Dieu in Dover, £4.6 million for the Sheerness Dockyard Church project, and £3.4 million for Chartwell.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a major fall in income from tourism for the county from £4.1 billion in 2019 to £1.6 billion in 2020. This included a fall of 61 per cent on day trips, and 60 per cent on overnight trips. This had an impact on employment in the tourism sector accounting for a drop of 39 per cent to 50,026 individuals. The fall in income due to the pandemic is particularly noticeable for Canterbury with a loss of over £300 million, while Medway and Thanet both saw losses over around £200 million.
The report reflects on the challenges facing heritage in Kent. In particular, it considers the way that the public have been engaging with built heritage, museums, and archives. Solutions include integrating the historic built environment with related objects and documents that can be found in museums and archives within the county.
While the provisions for the salary for the priestess can be dated to 424/3, the decree appointing Kallikrates to the project is dated by R. Osborne and P.J. Rhodes (no. 137) to ‘438–435 or 450–445’. Yet it now seems likely that the decision to build the temple on a raised bastion—brought effectively to the height of the south-west wing of the Propylaia—was taken after the decisive victory over the Spartans at Sphacteria in 425. There is a strong case to be made that the captured Spartan shields were mounted on the outer walls of the sanctuary, and that a descending Nike, similar to that created by Paionios at Olympia to mark the victory at Sphacteria, was mounted as the central acroterion for the temple. Is there compelling evidence that work on the renewed sanctuary had been initiated before the start of the construction of the Propylaia in 438? Or is the decree appointing Kallikrates best placed in 425, perhaps within weeks of the great reassessment of tribute (IG I3 71)?
The expansion of the sanctuary, especially with the cladding on the bastion, may have caused concern that the project was intruding on the sacred area of the Pelargikon at the western end of the acropolis. Is this the context for Lampon’s rider to the First Fruits Decree (IG I3 78)?
There are two parallel and irreconcilable accounts of the mask between 1952 and 1998. The vendor had acquired a statement from Charly Mathez in 1997 that claimed that the mummy mask had been seen by him in Brussels in 1952 (or 1958). The mask is then reported to have been part of the collection of Suzana Jelinek in Zagreb, before moving into an anonymous Swiss private collection. The mask was then reported to have been displayed for a short time in Geneva’s Musées d’art et d’histoire in 1997 prior to its sale.
The Egyptian authorities claimed that the mask had followed a different path and that it was recorded in the archaeological store in Saqqara in 1959. It then moved to the Cairo Museum from 1959 to 1962 when it returned to the store in Saqqara. It went back to Cairo in 1966, and was finally noted as missing in 1973. It appears to be significant that the personal name in hieratic script that was visible on the right hand of the mask when excavated had been removed by the time that the piece passed through the dealer in Switzerland as demonstrated by publicity photographs taken around 1997.
The museum does not appear to have responded to suggestions (in January 2006) that it should check with the Egyptian authorities to ensure that the mask had not been stolen from the Saqqara store. Zahi Hawass, the then Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, raised his concerns about the mask in February 2006. This was supported by well-documented instances of thefts from the Saqqara stores, including two alabaster ducks that were returned to Egypt.
The legal case developed in January 2011, and a case for forfeiture was filed in March 2011; this was dismissed on 31 March 2012 by a US District Judge. A parallel case for declamatory relief was finally withdrawn in June 2014. It does not appear to have been disclosed during the hearings that John H. Taylor, an Egyptologist at the British Museum, had raised his concerns about the mask to SLAM curators in February 1999. Such concerns were apparently left uninvestigated by the museum or the legal teams.
The SLAM case raises the issue that legal challenges may not be the most effective way to reclaim cultural property. In contrast the Italian government has managed to secure the return of several hundred objects from North American public museums and private collections through the effective use of the media that has placed moral pressure on museums, auction houses and private individuals. The way ahead may be to develop a more rigorous due diligence process for museum acquisitions that would enhance the legal ownership of objects acquired through the market.
Greece has faced serious economic and social challenges during the present economic crisis. Heritage sites are seen as a major asset in the tourism strategy for Greece to generate income from outside the country. There are 15 World Heritage sites in Greece: in Attica (the Athenian Akropolis), central Greece (Delphi), the Peloponnese (Bassae, Epidauros, Mycenae and Tiryns, Mystras, Olympia), Macedonia (Vergina, Thessalonika), and the islands (Delos, Rhodes, Chios, Corfu, Samos, Patmos).
Methods
The project has analysed the visitor figures and income generation for archaeological sites and museums, including the key World Heritage sites, in Greece. These data are available from the Hellenic Statistical Service.
In recent years detailed figures are no longer reported for every site and museum in Greece. However it is possible to identify trends for the Athenian Akropolis, Delphi, Epidauros, Mycenae (but not Tiryns), Mystras, and Olympia.
Some major archaeological sites such as Knossos on Crete are not designated as World Heritage Sites but do attract large numbers of visitors (632,288 in 2015).
Findings
There were 23.5 million arrivals by non-residents in Greece in 2015, and increase from 22 million in 2014. Visitors from Germany, the UK, France and Italy account for some 8 million in 2015.
In 2015 there were 10.3 million visits to (paid) archaeological sites, and 4.4 million visits to museums. This was an increase from 2014 with 14.1 million combined visits. Back in 2008 the same figures showed that only 8 million visits were made.
The core World Heritage sites in Greece attracted more than 3.77 million visitors in 2015: this reflects an increase of more than 1 million visits over a decade (2.7 million in 2006). There has been a marked resurgence since the low point of 1.9 million visits in 2010.
In 2015 heritage sites and museums generated more than 56 million Euros in ticket sales alone; in 2014 the total revenue was 54.6 million Euros. The lowest point was 2012 with an income of only 40.5 million Euros. However there are some sites and museums, especially on more remote islands or in the mountains of the Peloponnese, where visitor numbers are extremely low.
Conclusion
There are clearly heritage 'hot-spots' with Athens (Akropolis; Akropolis Museum; National Archaeological Museum), Knossos, Rhodes and Olympia leading the way. The figures suggest that visitors tend to enjoy visiting sites rather than museums, though at Delphi nearly two-thirds of visitors also make their way to the museum to see the finds from the excavations.
The figures suggest that heritage (including museums) are positive attractions in the tourist offer for Greece, and provide a key income stream for preserving this part of the universal heritage. Key sites, and especially those designated as World Heritage Sites, are key in the economic strategy to protect important sites and archaeological collections that are less well visited in Greece.
References
Gill, David W.J. 2013. Cultural tourism in Greece at a time of economic crisis. Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology & Heritage Studies 1: 233-42.
Timothy, Dallen J. 2014. Contemporary Cultural Heritage and Tourism: Development Issues and Emerging Trends. Public Archaeology 13, 1-3: 30-47.
Hellenic Statistical Service. http://www.statistics.gr/
UNESCO: World Heritage Sites in Greece. http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/gr
The problem of the looting of archaeological sites in Italy has been highlighted by the high profile seizures of 'stock' from Japanese and Sicilian dealers in Switzerland. The raid on the Geneva Freeport provided photographic evidence that has led to the return of several hundred items from North American public and private collections. A careful study of the collecting histories of these returned pieces has shown the movement of material from dealers in Switzerland and then to London and New York. Sometimes the find-spots of the objects is unknown, but occasionally objects can be placed in specific archaeological contexts. One of the countries that is attracting much interest at the moment is Syria and it is possible to identify classical items that are surfacing on the market.
The issue of looted classical antiquities has been highlighted by exhibitions such as 'Nostoi' in Rome and Athens. Finally the scale of the market can be indicated through a study of objects surfacing on the market.
learning? How do students capture contemporary debates and themes in their subject areas? How do lectures use innovative technologies to enhance the learning process while retaining an intellectual rigour? Can we encourage students to interact in a constructive way during lectures?
This paper will draw on the 2-evaluate Project at Swansea University. This JISC funded ‘Building Capacity’ project explored how Web 2.0 technologies could be deployed in the HE setting. The project used both (ancient) historical texts and archaeological material, and allowed students to create ‘digital assets’ that could be reused within the VLE. The approach has been developed with heritage students at UCS in the field of site interpretation and evaluation.
Simon Cox investigates the global trade in stolen artefacts and traces smuggling routes through Turkey and Lebanon and onto the international antiquities market.
He hears concerns that dealers and collectors are not doing enough to verify the provenance of ancient works of art and asks whether the authorities in the UK and elsewhere are doing enough to prevent the trade.
Why, for example, does the UK remain the most significant military power not to have ratified a UN convention to protect cultural property during armed conflict?
Reporter: Simon Cox Producer: Paul Grant.
International Conference, Freiburg University, 17-19 November 2021