Thoughts about the missing Egyptian artifacts
Bookworm on Feb 14 2011 at 9:39 am | Filed under: Uncategorized
The narrative has long been in place: For centuries, the predatory West raped the ancient world — Egypt, Greece, the Fertile Crescent, Persia — of her culture. Greedy treasure hunters and archeologists stole her mummies, her statuary, her carvings, her jewels and her wall paintings. Their museums gained world renown because of these ill-gotten gains, while the countries of origin moldered, deprived not only of their natural riches, but also of their historic legacy. With the end of colonialism after World War II, the situation started righting itself, as now-properly abashed Western countries began returning these stolen treasures to their true homes.
The actual story is a bit different. The cultures that had created those treasures had long vanished by the time the Western collectors showed up and started sniffing around. Where once had been glory, now was abysmal poverty. More than that, there was a profound disinterest in the past. The citizens of Egypt, Greece, the Ottoman Empire, etc., cared nothing for the treasures beneath their feet. Those that they couldn’t see, they forgot; those that they could see, they recycled. They broke down ancient structures and used their stones to build their homes; they melted down ancient jewelry, and refashioned the gold in modern design. The Egyptian mummies to which thieves had easy access had long since vanished — some within days of being interred — especially since their wrappings made good paper and, for centuries, their dust was thought to have curative powers.
What made these remnants of the past valuable was the interest the West had in the ancient world’s past. To the Middle East, they were raw material; to the Westerners, things of beauty and wonder. And so the West took them away, to museums and private collections. In terms of what was happening in the Middle East 200 years ago or 100 years ago, Western activity was akin to digging in the garbage to collect someone else’s discards. The only thing that bespoke value in the regions themselves was gold, so the archeologists figured out that, if they gave to the fellahin who unearthed the ancient gold a sum of money equal to that object’s weight, the latter cheerfully parted with their cultural past.
The relics, once in the West, were treated with a reverence denied them in the lands from which they emerged. They were cleaned, restored, maintained, studied and much visited. And of course, as their status rose, the people who had so cavalierly parted with them realized that they had lost something of value. When they had achieved some measure of moral power, they demanded them back. Often, the West complied with those demands.
I don’t know if that compliance was the right thing to do. On the one hand, you could say of the artifacts that they “belonged” to the Egyptians or Iranians, because they came from their lands, and ended in the West only because the Westerners, though imperialism, systematically depleted those lands of their treasures — oil, agriculture, minerals, and historic artifacts. That’s a good argument. But there’s also much to be said for the fact that the modern Middle Eastern custodians of these treasures had done such an execrable job valuing and caring for them, and had parted with them so freely, that they lost the right to call them their own.
Be that as it may, many ended up back at home, in lands governed by dictatorships. These, no matter how long they last, invariably seem to end in a welter of violence, flames, vandalism and theft. Is it a surprise, then, that when a dictatorship ends, it’s often the case that the treasures, once ignored and abused, then revered in foreign lands, and then returned to their natal soil, should be amongst the first casualties?
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26 Responses to “Thoughts about the missing Egyptian artifacts”
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I am not aware of any culture other than Judeo-Western culture that had museums to celebrate history and study the past. Does anyone know differently?
Good question, Danny. If it’s not Islamic, it’s erased.
Reminder: Afghanistan 2001
” To the northeast of the royal city there is a mountain, on the declivity of which is placed a stone figure of Buddha, erect, in height 140 or 150 feet. Its goldern hues sparkle on every side, and its precious ornaments dazzle the eyes by their brightness … To the east … there is a standing figure of Sakya Buddha … in height 100 feet.”
Hsuan-tsang – the renound Chinese pilgrim, 7th century.
http://www.gandhara.com.au/afghan.html
Tribal cultures tend to tell history by oral tradition. Which means, it tends to get garbled more via individual bias and blood feuds than contains any actual historical analysis.
Museums are built by actual civilizations that have progressed beyond the oral tradition into something called reading and writing.
My first thought was of the Bamiyan Buddhas as well. All of these artifacts that these now-Muslim countries are complaining about are from the Jahiliyya, the time of ignorance, and so have no value. The Mufti Ebrahim Desai, my favorite Muslim, says that statues and idols should be destroyed: http://www.islam.tc/cgi-bin/askimam/ask.pl?q=2494&act=view and http://www.islam.tc/cgi-bin/askimam/ask.pl?q=2478&act=view
Given the Muslim hatred of images of any living creature, I feel sure that the only reason Muslim countries want their “treasures” back is to make money off the kuffar who want to see them.
This is why, although Europe deserves to be left to its own devices, I would like to get the art evacuated before Europe falls under Islamic darkness.
I’m not too much concerned about artwork or works of gold.
My interests rests in pure military logistics. Manpower, food, resources, and logistical pipelines. If it can’t be used to make war machines or weapons of mass destruction, it’s of little use to me.
Museums are an odd dynamic. I suppose before Alexander – who sent plundered stuff home from wherever he was (so he was at least a collector if not a preserver), and the Romans, both of whom must be counted as Western I suppose, museums don’t seem to have been much of a concept.
China and Japan of course preserved their cultures, but they tended to do it by maintaining ancient places with their collections (if that’s the word, they weren’t really “collections” as we understand the word) intact for daily use. They kept ancient shrines, temples, etc. painted, swept out, the grass mowed, and the roof repaired for ongoing use, but the net effect was more or less the same.
One of the problems was, I suspect, that they observed the world around them. They had experience, and they knew history. Their forefathers watched Sumeria, Babylon, Persia, Nubia, the Hyksos, the Illyrians, the Etruscans, the Hittites, the Thracians, the Mitannians, Elamites, Amorites, Assyriuans, Akkadians, Arameans – it’s an incredibly long list of little fiefdoms and pretty big empires that were defeated, subsumed, fell apart, or otherwise vanished into the shifting sands. What would have been the point of such a thing as a museum? If your culture produced beautiful things, collecting them and putting them in a museum would be tantamount to drawing a bull’s-eye on them. If you really had something so splendid you wanted to preserve it and pass it along to future generations, your best reaction would probably be to bury it out in the desert somewhere.
To indulge in museums you have to have faith that your culture’s going to endure for a while, and not be conquered, overrun and destroyed the next time the pharoah/emperor/king/tyrant mounts up and rides out at the head of his troops. A museum is a function of stability. Pre-Rome, outside the orient there wasn’t remotely that much stability – and everybody knew it. (Greece was pretty good there for a couple of centuries, but then one day the Spartans got sick of listening to the Athenians blather about how the world should be run, and they dismantled Athens – and carried off whatever wasn’t nailed down that was museum-worthy. So even in as stable a society as the city-state of Athens, there’d have been, ultimately, no point at all to a museum.)
I don’t know, I wasn’t there, but that may well be a part of the reason why no one bothered with such a concept as “musuem.” All it would do would be target #1 for the bad guys, and the world was swarming with bad guys. Even post-Rome Europe watched empires and realms fail and crash – beginning with Rome and running through the Golden Horde, the Visigoths, the Franks, the Burgundians – city after city looted, burned, sown with salt. Hard to see a place for a museum.
This is a good reminder, Book, of what the West has done well (since we’re always hearing about our faults).
This reminded me of the National Palace Museum in Taipei, which I was fortunate enough to visit during a business trip to Taiwan. The museum houses one of the largest collections of ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks – the jade collection alone is incredible. The museum contains about 25% of the original Palace museum’s holdings (founded in Bejing in 1925); the remainder of which was seized by the Communist army in 1948 before it could be shipped to safety in Taiwan. This was to protect the collection from the destruction unleashed during Mao’s Cultural Revolution. So it’s not just the Islamicists who believe in destroying their predecessor’s history and culture. Oh, and the PRC now says that the collection was stolen and that it legitimately belongs in China.
Tonestaple raises a worthy concern: If Europe falls to the darkness of Islam, will the wholesale destruction of its great art be far behind? Yes, as Tonestaple observes, the greatest objects would probably be preserved to attract kaffir tourist dollars, but the small gems all over the continent would eventually be stripped of their art and turned into mosques, stables, and latrines.
Could America—if we survive Obama—rescue Europe’s art? Could we send a vast fleet of ships and planes, protected by warriors, to move the art to safe places in the United States until Europe deals decisively with its Muslims?
An anecdote: During the aftermath of the first Gulf War I had the interesting opportunity to meet an Arts & Monuments officer. He was a reservist, and in civilian life was an archeologist. Part of his job was to make sure that no cultural sites were destroyed. Iraq was a signatory to a UN treaty not to attack cultural sites, and in turn, not to use them for military purposes. However, Saddam built an airfield next to the Ziggurat of Ur, and put antennas on top of it. This was a clear violation of the treaty and released the Allies from the obligation not to attack it. They decided, in any case, to attack the infrastructure around it, and the ziggurat survived.
More to the point, I saw a lot of museums in Turkey, and later in other spots. Whether they were targeted to the local populace, or tourists, I don’t know. Tourism is certainly big business, and they were hurting after the war. I believe museums are a luxury and don’t have much appeal until you can stop worrying where your next meal is coming from. While the middle east as a culture doesn’t have the reverence for these things that the west does, they have not had the stability and prosperity to allow them to build museums for very long.
In Turkey I saw farmers knocking down roman aqueduct to use the gravel and stone for their own building projects. I also saw lots of local school children visiting museums, and was once politely reminded not to use flash photography where it was prohibited. I’m sure we could see the same differing behaviors in this country.
The difference in looting activity between the museums in Baghdad and Cairo is, to my mind, directly proportional to the relative affluence and security felt by the local populace. We can pat ourselves on the back, but think about what would have happened if the Metropolitan museum had been located in New Orleans during Katrina?
Although I can understand purely utilitarian points of view, I don’t sympathize with them. We should preserve the art to show that it is possible. It is part of our culture, and it’s beautiful and should be kept for that alone.
Anyone ever read an Asimov story called Nightfall? I think about that in connection with Europe from time to time.
It’s relatively easy. All you have to do is to give everyone a 25% commission or bounty on whatever they bring back from Europe.
Dunkirk and the Manhattan evacuation by sea were both carried out spontaneously by citizens. If you actually give them a profit motive, they will evacuate the entirety of all artworks in Europe, prompto.
You just have to make sure they get paid.
Of course, you’d better ride the Left over with a steam truck. They’ll get in the way. If you let them, nothing will be saved.
Libby, Mao had this idea that he was going break free from all the traditionalists, including Confuciasm, Chinese martial arts, Taoism, and anybody else that would get in the Revolution’s way. This meant Mao went around killing martial artist families, destroying scrolls containing ancient knowledge, and being like the modern day Leftist. Burn whatever you can’t use or own.
To add to the list of items and sites saved by the West:
Having been to the British Museum in London, I was struck by how much of it is really a “world” museum. All, or certainly most, of which would have been lost if it were not for the British.
The Taj Mahal – In India; the Taj Mahal was in a very sad state of disrepair until a British Viceroy order that it be repaired and the gardens around it be restored. There are several other sites around India that the British also saved. There are many more that the British did not and today they are still in decline. Despite the fact that so many would make great tourist attractions (i.e., money makers) the Modern Indians have no interest in them.
Also in India there are several places that were destroyed by Muslim invaders; yet there are Jain temples that were spared because the Muslims didn’t realize that the tall towers on a Jain temple were NOT minerets.
Sub-Saharan Art – One of the best places to research sub-Saharan African art is NOT in Africa; rather, one of the best collections can be found in Belgium. The Belgians saved much of the art from the Congo when they were there. Undoubtly this art would be lost today if it weren’t for those “pesky” Belgians.
The Dead Sea Scrolls – while in the hands of the Jordanians they were not readily available to Western (i.e. non-Muslim) scholars. After Israel captured them when taking over the West Bank the Dead Sea Scrolls became available to all scholars. Perhaps, Muslims were afraid of others discovering the truth within the scrolls while Israel had nothing to hide?
Kyoto – the ancient capital of Japan was on the list of cities chosen by the US War Dept to be targeted for the atomic bombs. Henry Stimson, the then Sec of War, removed it from the list as he felt it was too beautiful a city with too great a heritage to be lost to war. This was the idea of the “enemy” of Japan while the Japanese leaders at that time would have gladly sacrificed the city along with its residents just like they sacrificed young men to be suicide pilots.
and the list could go on and on . . .
In answer to Danny’s question. I believe that museums started as private collections, usually in the hands of the nobility and the very wealthy. With these private collections considered as “museums” then it isn’t just western cultures that include museums. The treasures of the Forbidden City in Peking come to mind. Many such sites also existed in India. In both places, India and China, these collections were not just for the ruler’s pleasure, items were available for scholars to study. So, I will include them as “museums,” or in the very least “places of learning.” So, in that case I will say no museums are not just a western concept.
However, if we narrow the definition of a museum to mean a place that is also meant for the common man, then I would say that, yes, it is an idea that originated in the west. Elsewhere around the world museums are too often used for political purposes, not just for the education and enjoyment of the common person.
Libby, I lived in Taiwan for several years and went to the National Palace Museum too many times to count. It was a great place to take vistors for a day trip outside Taipei. Were you aware of the fact that the museum is built on a mountainside so that most of it is stored underground? Several years ago several items from the museum went on a tour across the US. It was quite interesting, to me, to see everyone ohh and ahh over the items, while my reaction was “man, they sent nothing on this tour but junk!” Clearly, they were afraid that the PRC might have the artwork confiscated by the US legal system as “stolen” goods.
Charles Martel: Could America—if we survive Obama—rescue Europe’s art? Could we send a vast fleet of ships and planes, protected by warriors, to move the art to safe places in the United States until Europe deals decisively with its Muslims?
Sure. Just rape, er, liberate Europe of its cultural heritage. Can’t see where that would be a problem.
Ymarsakar: Of course, you’d better ride the Left over with a steam truck. They’ll get in the way. If you let them, nothing will be saved.
While you’re at it.
Martel & Y
Suddenly, I have urge to sing – Pop goes the weasel.
Ah, our beloved pest, Zach, has returned, showing for the umpteernth time his inability to understand what he has read.
Son, I preceded the snippet you so clumsily wave off with your hand (echoes are a bitch, no?) with the premise that Islam has taken over Europe and Muslims are beginning to do what they do almost anywhere they come into power: destroy works of art through expropriation or desecration. Thus, my musing that perhaps the United States would be called on to save European art until Europe decided to properly deal with Islam’s existential threat.
SADIE: It is a Bourbon—it neither learns nor forgets.
Charles Martel: I preceded the snippet you so clumsily wave off with your hand (echoes are a bitch, no?) with the premise that Islam has taken over Europe and Muslims are beginning to do what they do almost anywhere they come into power: destroy works of art through expropriation or desecration.
Yes, you wrote that. You also wrote this, indicating something more eminent.
Charles Martel: Could America—if we survive Obama—rescue Europe’s art?
Perhaps Europe should expropriate America’s museums, to protect it from the ‘Leftist’ takeover. Sounds rather silly.
More “eminent,” eh? What did you have in mind, a party hosted by God?
“imminent”
Zach, could you send us your non-college student version? We really do need a higher level of consciousness and literacy if we are to engage you.
Perhaps Europe should expropriate America’s museums, to protect it from the ‘Leftist’ takeover. Sounds rather silly.
How can Europe expropriate anything when it ceases to exist. Have you and the borg collective been smoking crack or something?
Sadie; Here’s some updated lyrics; everyone else just hum along.
All around the Bookworm’s room,
Commenter’s clubbed the weasel.
The weasel thought it was all in fun.
Pop! Goes the weasel.
A penny for your thoughts on this thread,
A hex upon the monkey’s head.
That’s the way the words pop out.
Pop! Goes the weasel.
Y-man’s got his jugular vein,
Martel’s got the hammer.
T’is the way the story ends,
The weasel’s got a Stammer.
I think we gotta Grammy entry for next year. LOL
Now taking suggestions for the name of the Bookworm’s band ..
The Hammer and Hummers
“Martel’s got the hammer.” Charles, I’ve been walking around with a big smile on my face (and a song in my head) ever since reading that. Thank you; funny stuff!
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