Looting Matters: Why are Ancient Coins From Cyprus Featured in a Suit Against the...

Looting Matters: Why are Ancient Coins From Cyprus Featured in a Suit Against
the US Department of State?

SWANSEA, Wales, June 26 /PRNewswire/ -- David Gill, archaeologist, considers
the recent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) suit on the US Department of
State.

The FOIA suit was served in November 2007 by three numismatic organizations;
one of the three is based in Brussels, Belgium. The alliance objected to the
US Cultural Property Advisory Committee (CPAC) restricting the import of
ancient coins minted in Cyprus as part of a wider memorandum of understanding
(MOU). CPAC was responding to concerns by the Government of Cyprus that the
illicit searching for ancient objects (including coins) was destroying the
archaeological heritage of the Mediterranean island. CPAC states, "The MOU
offers the opportunity for the U.S. and Cyprus to cooperate in reducing the
incentive for further pillage thereby protecting the context of intact sites
for scientific study."

Coin collectors were also concerned about the 2009 MOU with China. This
agreement also restricted the import of certain categories of coins.

As a result, one of the three numismatic organizations decided to test the
resolve of the US Department of State in April 2009 by attempting to import a
small number of coins from Cyprus and China in defiance of the newly
established laws. These items were detained when their flight from London
touched down in Baltimore.

Are these aggressive legal tactics really for the benefit of collectors, or
are there other factors at work?

http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2009/06/antiquities-ancient-coins-and-changing.html

SOURCE Looting Matters

David Gill of Looting Matters, d.w.j.gill@swansea.ac.uk