Books by David W J Gill
Artwashing the Past: Context Matters contributes to the wider discussion about the appropriate du... more Artwashing the Past: Context Matters contributes to the wider discussion about the appropriate due diligence process that should be conducted prior to the acquisition of cultural objects. 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Swansea Festival Exhibition 1996, Glynn Vivian Art Gallery
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Book section by David W J Gill
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.
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Life Writing in the History of Archaeology: Critical Perspectives, Jul 1, 2023
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Excavations at Sabratha 1948–1951, 1986
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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.
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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.
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Books by David W J Gill
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.
Book section by David W J Gill
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