
The Destruction Of Ancient Monuments And Artworks By The Taliban In Afghanistan And The Islamic State In Iraq And Syria Has Shocked Observers Worldwide. Yet Iconoclastic Erasures Of The Past Date Back At Least To The Mid-1300s Bce, During The Amarna Period Of Ancient Egypt's 18th Dynasty. Far More Damage To The Past Has Been Inflicted By Natural Disasters, Looters, And Public Works. Art Historian Maxwell Anderson's Antiquities: What Everyone Needs To Know® Analyzes Continuing Threats To Our Heritage, And Offers A Balanced Account Of Treaties And Laws Governing The Circulation Of Objects; The History Of Collecting Antiquities; How Forgeries Are Made And Detected; How Authentic Works Are Documented, Stored, Dispersed, And Displayed; The Politics Of Sending Antiquities Back To Their Countries Of Origin; And The Outlook For An Expanded Legal Market. Anderson Provides A Summary Of Challenges Ahead, Including The Future Of Underwater Archaeology, The Use Of Drones, Remote Sensing, And How Invisible Markings On Antiquities Will Allow Them To Be Traced. Written In Question-and-answer Format, The Book Equips Readers With A Nuanced Understanding Of The Legal, Practical, And Moral Choices That Face Us All When Confronting Antiquities In A Museum Gallery, Shop Window, Or For Sale On The Internet.
This book investigates the complex legal, ethical, and practical challenges surrounding the preservation, trade, and destruction of ancient artifacts. Maxwell L. Anderson, an experienced art historian, utilizes his professional background to synthesize historical context with contemporary issues. He presents a framework that balances the protection of cultural heritage against the realities of the global antiquities market and the persistent threats posed by both human conflict and environmental factors.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Experts and readers frequently note the accessibility of the question-and-answer format, which distills complex legal and ethical debates into manageable segments. The text is widely regarded as a foundational primer for those seeking to understand the multifaceted pressures facing modern museums and the global art market.
Page Count:
240
Publication Date:
2016-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190614943
ISBN-13:
9780190614942
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