Elkins JFA - American Numismatic Society

Journal of Field Archaeology 34.4 (2009)
481
Archaeological Heritage and Ethics
Editorial Introduction
Sale of Coins
=
Looting in Bulgaria
One of our obligations as professional archaeologists is
the dissemination of our research results. This responsibility includes publication in books, academic journals, and
popular magazines, and participation in scholarly meetings, media appearances, and public outreach events. By
hosting open days at archaeological sites, visiting classrooms and community centers, and generally engaging
with the public we can and do illustrate the relevance of archaeology to a wider global community. Public outreach is
one of the most undervalued aspects of our work and yet it
is one of the most important things we do. Nathan Ellans'
article about the Ancient Coins for Education (ACE) program illustrates the importance of such efforts.
Ellans reveals the seediness of the trade in illegally excavated coins from Bulgaria. Looting in Bulgaria is not a new
phenomenon, as Petkova (2004) outlines in her article
"How to Get a 20000/0Profit from Selling an Object." According to Petlcova, the history of looting and archaeological site destruction in Bulgaria can be traced back to the
pillaging of Thracian tombs in antiquity. The first recorded instances of looting were in 1852, when authorities apprehended treasure hunters searching for gold and coins.
Bulgaria, under Ottoman rule, enacted formal heritage legislation in 1869 prohibiting illegal excavation without special permission of the Ottoman Empire; and the sale and
export of archaeological material outside the borders of
Bulgaria was banned (Petlcova 2004: 362). In 1969, a
comprehensive law ensured that permits for archaeological
excavations were to be issued by the Archaeological Institute and its professional members (Vellcov1993), theoretically eliminating the illegal and unregulated excavation of
archaeological sites. Nevertheless, the complex chain of
supply and demand that allows for the movement of illegal
goods is clearly demonstrated by both Ellans and Petlcova,
who show that laws continue to be circumvented with the
assistance of organized crime.
In 2006, after much negotiation, Bulgaria enacted the
Cultural Heritage Act, replacing the 1969 law. The collecting and dealing communities viewed the new Act as too restrictive. Archaeologists called for more concrete definitions' proscriptions, and clear penalties. Recently, the Bulgarian Constitutional Court ruled that a number of provisions in the law are unconstitutional and should be amended. In September of 2009, the new ruling party, the Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria, proposed
a series of amendments. The changes to the law would ease
the documentation of proof requirements, with a simple
sales receipt sufficing as confirmation of purchase (Bivol
2009). The impetus for the amendments came from the
collecting lobby, which includes elements of organized
crime, as illustrated by Ellans and Petkova in their analyses.
The proposed shifts in policy threaten national ownership legislation in Bulgaria. A recent report states, "The
new law disposes the National Institute for Preservation of
the Cultural Heritage from its powers and transfers them
to the Culture Ministry" (Sofia News Agency 2009),
which talces decision malang about the protection of archaeological sites and artifacts out of the hands of experts
and transfers it to the government. At the center of the debate is what constitutes "official documentation" for claiming legal right to heritage. One of the bill's more contentious provisions is that owners of artwork or antiquities
should be able to prove their ownership, and that proof
should be in the form of official State-sanctioned documents. Originally intended to balance the interests of private collectors against the protection of the state's cultural
heritage, the provision states that if ownership cannot be
proven then the artifact/collection would revert to the
State and the collector would become the "caretalcer"of the
item (Bivol 2009).
The ongoing debates surrounding the current legislative
efforts in Bulgaria and the educational efforts of the ACE
program remind us that we should always be aware of the
power of lobbying. The underlying agendas of powerful
lobby groups can impact the protection of archaeological
Journal of Field Archaeology 34.4 (2009)
482 Archaeological Heritage and Ethics
heritage- both on a legal front and in educational circles.
While illustrating the importance of professional engagement with schools, Elkins also cautions us to be wary of the
hidden agendas underlying such outreach efforts.
Bivol, Alex
2009 ''Archaeology's Losing Fight:' The Sofia Echo, 30 October
2009. (http://sofiaecho.com/print. php ?storyid = 806668)
Petkova, Gabriela
2004 "How to Get a 2000% Profit from Selling an Object:' International Journal of Heritage Studies 10: 361-367.
Sofia News Agency
2009 "Bulgaria Parliament Adopts Controversial Cultural Heritage Act:' Sofia News Agency) 7 October 2009. (http://
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=
108615)
Velkov, Volodya
1993 ''Archaeology in Bulgaria:' Antiquity 67(254): 125-127.
MORAG M. KERSEL
CHRISTINA
LUKE
Treasure Hunting 101 in America's
Classrooms
NATHAN T. ELIGNS
YaleUniversity Art Gallery
New Haven, Connecticut
Introducing primary and secondary students to archaeology
can build critical thinking skills and provide entertaining activities at the same time. In doing so) howeveJ;teachers should
take care that they expose their students to archaeology in a
manner that accurately represents the methodological and ethical concerns of the discipline. Educators should be vigilant
when selecting educational activities) since there are groups of
antiquities dealers who sponsorprograms to promote political
agendas and insensitive attitudes in collectin~ which drive
looting and the illicit trade in antiquities. One such program
isAncient Coins for Education (ACE)) which purports to
teach ancient history and archaeology to children by bringing
coin dealers and collectorsinto classrooms to speak about collecting and show children coins. ACE is especiallyfond ofpresenting bulk lots of uncleaned coins to their students. Much of the
material that A CE purchases or solicits in donations originates in Balkan countries where unlicensed excavation and export is illegal. The Ancient Coin Collectors Guild (ACCG)) a
lobby of ancient coin dealers) sponsors the ACE program) with
clear aims to recruit future collectors)dealers) and sympathizers. It is up to the archaeological community to bolsterpartnerships with grade-level educators and increase awareness about
looting and the subversive tactics that profiteers are now
employing.
Introduction
Ancient Coins for Education (ACE) was founded in
2001 as an educational program for secondary school students that teaches archaeology and ancient history. The
program is run by volunteers and collectors who serve on
its board of directors. These representatives and others lecture about coin collecting using looted, uncleaned coins as
instructional materials. ACE's slogan is, "Put history in the
hands of your students:' In addition to inviting dealers and
collectors to speak with students, ACE offers different archaeological simulations and creative ancient world activities. Many of the teachers involved in the program are now
collectors themselves and they encourage their students to
become collectors. The ACE program is widespread
throughout the United States and works mostly with high
school teachers, but also some elementary and middle
school teachers.
Since 2004, ACE has had a close partnership with the
Ancient Coin Collectors Guild (ACCG), a lobby representing dealer interests that opposes import restrictions on
undocumented ancient coins and artifacts and fights for a
"free market for all collector coins" (ACCG 2007). The
ACCG actively lobbies lawmakers locally and in Washington, awarding them "Friends of Numismatics Awards" for
their efforts (Sayles 2005d, 2006b, 2007a, 2007b, 2007c).
In Wisconsin, one dealer and ACCG member convinced
the Republican Party to add "collectors' rights" to the
party's state platform (Sayles 2005d, 2006a).
While teachers who use the ACE programs most lilcely
focus on education, not the political agenda ,behind
ACCG, ACE's programs do not teach archaeology in a responsible or ethical manner and instead encourage the destruction of archaeological sites and historical informfltion
through the use of ancient materials, purchased from an indiscriminate market, as teaching aids. This article surveys
the role that ACE plays in the destruction of the archaeological record, the interests ACE serves, and the agenda behind the ACCG's staunch support of ACE. ACE's operations are chronicled on the internet and the ACCG fights
many of its public relations battles online as well. It is necessary, therefore, to examine internet resources and correspondence in order to gain a full understanding of how
ACE and ACCG operate and the relationship between the
ACE program and the ACCG lobby group.
The Sourcing ofMaterial for ACE
It is ironic that one of the subjects that ACE purports to
teach is archaeology because the ACE program uses re-
Journal of Field ArchaeologyjVol. 34) 2009
cently surfaced and decontextualized material, which contradicts ethical standards in archaeology. One way ACE introduces students to "archaeology" is by placing uncleaned
ancient coins and other objects in sandboxes and setting up
a grid for the students to "excavate" them and then record
and inventory finds, although one can be quite sure the
metal detectorists who first removed them from the
ground used no such grid or recording process (see ACE
2008a for a description of its archaeological simulations
and ACE 2008b for an image of a sandbox simulation).
While ancient coins can be an important teaching tool,
the methods used by ACE and its directors to acquire coins
are suspect. Scott Uhrick, a collector and ACE director
who solicits donations and malees bulle purchases of uncleaned ancient coins from dealers, wholesalers, or importers on behalf of ACE, frequently uses online ancient
coin discussion lists to locate sources (e.g., Uhrick 2007a).
Bulk lots of uncleaned ancient coins are often affectionately referred to as "crusties" by dealers and collectors.
It is likely that the vast majority of coins the program receives through donations or purchases were recently looted and illegally exported from the source country, since
much of the material it procures comes from Balkan
sources, where unlicensed excavation and export are illegal
but common. It is widely known (Center for the Study of
Democracy 2007: 177-197) that much of the material
presently supplying the antiquities and ancient coin market
comes from Balleancountries. When browsing bulle lots of
ancient coins on eBay and the stock of many dealers in
"crusties;' it is apparent from the contents that most of this
material originates from the Balleansand especially Bulgaria. ACE does not hide the fact that the coins used in its program come from the Balleans. In a guide on "Talking Up
Ace;' one ACE director replied to a question about the origins of the coins with the answer "the Balkans, mostly ... "
(Uhrick 2008). The bulle suppliers of ancient coins and antiquities are often Bulgarian nationals living and managing
their businesses in the United States and Western Europe.
A recent report by the Center for the Study of Democracy,
which treats ancient coin and antiquities smuggling alongside other illicit activities such as drug trafficking and international auto theft, estimates that between 30 and 50
such individuals are active, as of 2007, staging the export
of material to market nations (Center for the Study of
Democracy 2007: 186).
The report also analyzes the ways in which Bulgarian nationals smuggle ancient coins and antiquities en masse out
of the country, the structure of their trade networks, and
the gangs of metal detectorists and looters that procure the
objects (Center for the Study of Democracy 2007:
177-197). In the United States, dealers in bulk quantities
483
of ancient coins and antiquities are often referred to as
"wholesalers." These individuals deal in astonishing quantities of "crusties" and appear to supply much of the mainstream market as well as the self-proclaimed "bottom feeders" who enjoy purchasing cheap, uncleaned coins. In other words, the wholesalers import the material and sell more
valuable coins at wholesale prices to mid- and upper-range
ancient coin dealers and then dispose of mass quantities of
4th-century bronzes and other common, damaged, or
worn coins to individuals on eBay or through other channels (Ellans in press, on the relationships between dealers
and suppliers; on problems with the illicit trade in antiquities and internet auctions see Chippindale and Gill 2001).
Figure 1 provides a model of this relationship between
wholesalers, other dealers, auction houses, and collectors.
The Operations of Wholesalers and Suppliers
In assessing the ethical problems associated with ACE's
methods of supplying schools with uncleaned ancient
coins, it is useful to examine how wholesalers and bullesuppliers operate. An example of how damaging the indiscriminate trade in ancient coins can be, especially as fresh
supplies are constantly in demand, is provided by a case in
which customs officials at Frankfurt airport seized a 60 kg
parcel of ancient coins that had been falsely declared on
March 23, 1999. The parcel was destined for a New York
airport and had a New Jersey address on it (Dietrich 2002;
Center for the Study of Democracy 2007: 186). Expert
analysis by academic numismatists at Franlcfurt University
showed that the coins came from the Balkan region. The
estimated market value of only part of the parcel exceeded
€100,000. The whole parcel contained 19,680 coins.
Within the parcel were smaller packages of Bulgarian origin, which contained some already cleaned coins that were
sorted according to size, date, and market value. Other
coins in the parcel were uncleaned. The dealer and shipper- named in the report on organized crime in Bulgaria- had been arrested multiple times for antiquities crimes
and was also the brother of the Bulgarian prosecutor general at the time, who himself faced allegations of corruption. For inexplicable reasons, the prosecutor's office in
Bavaria, to whose jurisdiction tlle case was transferred, released the parcel to its destination. High-level corruption
in Bulgaria and abroad makes it easier for international antiquities smugglers and other international criminals to operate (Dietrich 2002: 295-303; Center for the Study of
Democracy 2007; Martens 2008). Further investigations
by German customs officials revealed that before the random inspection of this parcel, the dealer had smuggled approximately one metric ton of material through the airport
to the United States. According to my estimates, this
484 Archaeological Heritage and Ethics
Source Countries
Looting
Wholesalers I Suppliers
Illicit export/smuggling,
often involving the supplier
I
Auction Houses
~
Sale of \
less
Illicit export/smuggling,
often involving the supplier
va~uable
COinS
directly to
collectors,
often in
bulk
I_COllectors_I
Mid-Range Dealers
~
Figure 1. Model of the relationship between source countries, various classes of dealers, and
collectors. Based on dealer-collector correspondence. Figure by Marta Barford.
would be around 350,000 ancient coins with a market
value in the millions of dollars. This number of coins is
similar to the number recorded in the 41 volumes of Fundmiinzen der rijmischen Zeit in Deutschland (FMRD) published since 1960, which have cataloged approximately
300,000 coins from hundreds of excavations, hoards, surveys, and local collections throughout Germany.
This dealer still works in the United States and actively
supplies both dealers and collectors, selling cheaper coins
in bulk through venues like eBay. Shortly after his multiple
shipments from Bulgaria to the United States arrived, ancient coin collectors and dealers were excited about a "new
source" for ancient coins. In June 1999, one dealer drew
attention to this new source on the Moneta -L ancient coin
collecting discussion list.
There is a new source of uncleaned ancient coins and nice
quality antiquities on eBay, to which I invite your attention ... The dealer is an old friend of mine, and has been
wholesaling to leading dealers in America and Europe for
years, and has decided to enter the retail market on selected items. I personally vouch for the honesty and fairness of
this individual (Burbules 1999a).
In a follow-up message, another dealer asks if it would be
a certain named individual, which was confirmed by Pete
Burbules.
Yes,but PLEASE don't advertise it. He wants to keep a low
profile in dealing with the public. He is uncomfortable in
doing so and has hired a young lady to be the 'face to the
public' on sales (Burbules 1999b).
On the same day, a collector remarked:
[The dealer] had a booth at CICF [The Chicago International Coin Fair] this year for the first time, and I had a
chance to meet him. He wasn't retailing at his booth, he
was strictly selling wholesale. I found myself drawn to his
bags of late Roman bronze and bought them the only way
I could-a handful at a time. Very pretty stuff By mid afternoon of the second day of the show all his LRB [Late
Roman Bronze coins] were gone (Knapp 1999).
Later that year, he had so much inventory that he had to
hire additional help, as announced by a dealer friend who
described him as "a major wholesale supplier to the nation's largest and smallest ancient coin and antiquities businesses from coast to coast" (Burbules 1999c).
One of the most visible dealers and wholesalers in bulle
ancient coins in the United States who also sells on eBay
Journal of Field ArchaeologyjVol. 34) 2009
and has two storefronts on the VCoins.com website is also
a licensed U. S. Customs Broker and has cleared dealers at
JFIZ International Airport in New York. On internet discussion lists, he has advised dealers on how to expedite import of ancient coins and antiquities. In at least one instance, it is certain that the company at which he works has
assisted another ancient coin importer. The dealer testifies:
I import ancient coins and artifacts. MyoId broker had
many problems, uninformed about regulations pertaining
to antiquities and my items were detained for weeks. Since
using Action [Customs, Ltd.], I never had one detained
shipment, and any questions or problems customs had
were satisfied immediately. My first service with them was
fIXing a mistake another broker made. That shipment was
destined for confiscation, due to an error myoId broker
made. Action [Customs, Ltd.] had my items in my hands
two days later (Ancientcoinimports 2007).
In response to a query about supplies of ancient coins from
ACE director Scott Uhrick, the customs broker provided
some insight into the size of his own wholesaling business.
I have a steady supply, with at least 50-60 thousand of
coins on hand, selling an average of 10-15IZ per week
(Chavarria 2006).
In another message he claimed:
We have about 20 thousand uncleaned [H]oly [L]and
coins. These are sold in lots of 100-1000. Since we wholesale these lots to dealers we cannot lower the amount of lot
quantities ... We have roughly 15 bags of 1000 uncleaned
[R]omans from our last shipment, and another 50 thousand [en route] (Chavarria 2004).
It is clear from browsing the inventory that most of the material comes from the Balkan and Middle Eastern regions.
The customs broker's business partner in the dealership
has donated to ACE (Lehman 2004). Some lists of ACE's
donors can be viewed on its website and include a number
of ancient coin dealers and wholesalers (ACE 2008c).
The ACCG-ACE
Partnership as a Cause for Concern
In addition to the material, intellectual, and possible
legal consequences of trading in ancient coins without histories, particularly in mass quantities of uncleaned coins
from the Ball(ans, ACE's activities ought to be of concern
for another reason: the program is clearly being used by individuals wishing to manipulate school children in order to
promote their own private and commercial interests, especially since it became an affiliate member and ally of the
ACCG in 2004.
Wayne Sayles is an ancient coin dealer who has authored
books and articles on collecting ancient coins. He founded
the ACCG in 2004 and is its executive director. Most of the
ACCG's officers, benefactors (donors of $5000 or more),
485
and the majority of patrons (donors of $250 or more) are
dealers in ancient coins. The ACCG is a 501 (c) (4) organization, which means donations to it are not normally tax
deductible, since up to 100% of its funds can be used for
the purposes of political lobbying, unlike 501(c)(3) organizations, to which donations are tax deductible and the
use of funds for political lobbying is very limited. Peter
Tompa, a former president of the ACCG, lobbies Washington politicians on the ACCG's behalf and has also received funds from two ancient coin trade groups, the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG) and the InternationalAssociation of Professional Numismatists (IAPN), to do
likewise (Gill 2008). The ACCG has denied that market
demand for ancient coins directly contributes to looting,
but it nonetheless opposes any legislation designed to curb
looting when the indiscriminate import of ancient coins
may be affected, since it might hinder a "free market for all
collector coins" (ACCG 2007). ACCG is also currently
fighting the U. S. State Department's import restrictions
on certain coins produced in ancient Cyprus, which affects
only those coins with no record before the Memorandum
of Understanding, as requested by the Cypriot government through a pending lawsuit filed under the Freedom
of Information Act. The PNG and IAPN are co-plaintiffs
in the lawsuit. The ACCG is now openly challenging import restrictions with the intent of overturning them after
staging the import or detention of restricted Cypriot and
Chinese coins (ACCG 2009). Mr. Tompa is also lobbying
Washington politicians to oppose emergency import restrictions on material from Iraq as they affect the import of
ancient coins (Bogardus 2008).
The ACCG and certain vociferous leaders of the group
who attempt to portray themselves and their commercial
activities as scholarly are generally resentful of professional
archaeology and routinely attack the ethical standpoints of
many archaeologists and archaeological societies as "radical" (see for example Sayles 2004a; 2004b; 2005a;
2005b), even though they have been universally adopted
amongst the archaeological community.
The ACCG regularly supports ACE's educational activities and donates coins for its programs while representatives from ACE have supported the ACCG's aims of promoting indiscriminate attitudes in the collecting of ancient
coins as a hobby. Representatives from ACE testified with
the ACCG on behalf of coin collectors and dealers at the
hearing in 2005 about import restrictions on undocumented ancient materials from Italy, referencing the educational value of the classroom sandbox activity. The
ACCG's press releases about ACE's affiliate membership
highlight the importance ACE plays in its commercial
agenda (Sayles 2004c, 2005c). The announcement that
486
Archaeological Heritage and Ethics
ACE became an affiliate of the ACCG did not begin with
an explanation of how educationally beneficial the program may be to school children, but rather on the future of
collecting, as constructed by the lobby's founder:
The future of our hobby is in the hands of today's youth.
The attitudes and interests that are developed now will be
critical when these youngsters become the world's decision
mal<:ers.If the hobby, as we know it, is to survive it will be
because the general public is aware of what we do and understands why it is useful to society (Sayles 2004c).
Another article on the ACCG website, regarding support
of ACE "coin museums" in schools, states: "It's hard to
imagine a better way of building goodwill toward the
hobby, or of recruiting well-informed and enthusiastic supporters" (Sayles 2005c). Even statements made by one of
ACE's directors, a collector himself, seem to indicate that
there are fringe benefits of the program that serve private
interests:
[We] have not only helped our hobby educate kids, we
have helped the hobby since many kids and teachers have
gone on to become collectors in their own right (Uhrick
2007a).
I know that some of the teachers and students we have introduced to our hobby have purchased from your store
[that of a donor], and hopefully these coins [which were
donated] will create more new collectors and further
'prime the pump' (Uhrick 2007b).
The remarks made by Wayne Sayles and Scott Uhrick indicate an awareness that the ACE program is an excellent way
to recruit future hobbyists and collectors and to indoctrinate them to the dealer lobby's points of view regarding the
ethics of collecting and the attitudes they wish to impart.
In fact, another ancient coin collector and ACE director,
Mark Lehman, has an article on ACE's webpage advising
teachers to avoid ethical discussions and asserting the superior position of collectors and dealers by rehashing the
same aggressively toned, tired, and nonsensical arguments
made by groups such as the ACCG (Lehman 2008). The
guide itself is entitled "How to address the collector/scholar vs. AIA 'no one but the 'experts' should have access to
antiquities' viewpoints ..?' His guide begins:
streperous tirades will help develop the critical faculties of
high school students.
Contrary to the assertions made by members of the
commercial lobby, ancient coins are important archaeological objects that are invaluable historical sources when systematically excavated and recorded; the study of coins in
context is at the fore of developing numismatic and archaeological research. In addition to providing dates for
stratigraphy, coins from archaeological contexts shed light
on many dimensions of the ancient world, including absolute chronologies, trade, the economy, settlement patterns, demographic movement, military dispositions,
topography, ritual, political ideology, etc., while decontextualized material provides more limited information
(Ellans 2008, in press). The volume edited by von I(aenel
and I(emmers (2009) provides methodological essays and
case studies that discuss and demonstrate the value of developing contextual research methods in numismatics.
ACE's activities and its partnership with the ACCG do
not reflect a genuine interest in education. Although many
collectors and dealers have unsuccessfully argued for ancient coins as a special case to be excluded from what are
considered archaeologically significant materials (e.g.,
Tompa 1998; Tompa and Brose 2005), ancient coins are
routinely found at archaeological sites and they are frequently looted from them (Ellans 2008, in press; Elkins
and Gill are planning a more thorough and complete
study). For decades, numismatists have been aware of the
differing interests and goals of academia and the trade
community. Since the time of the ancient historian
Theodor Mommsen (1817-1903), there has been a clear
separation between critical historical inquiry via ancient
coins on the one hand and a commercial and amateur interest on the other (von I(aenel1994, 1995). In his letter
to accept the medal of the Numismatic Society of London
(now the Royal Numismatic Society), Mommsen himself
identified this separation.
... so I came to study numismatics. But very soon I saw that
what I wanted was not to be found in a literature which,
after Eckhel [1737-1798], has been left mostly to dilettanti and shopmen; and, as a young man and a rash one, I tried
to write, myself, what I wanted to get written. I am fully
aware that my numismatic works are far from satisfactory;
nevertheless, they have contributed to bridge over the
chasm between numismatics and history (Mommsen
1895).
My first, and most important advice to you is to avoid these
discussions like the very plague. I cannot possibly stress this
strong enough. Many persons in the AIA camp (and a few
in the collector camp as well) are possessors of the surety of
opinion owned only by those vested in the certainty of 'the
true faith' and absolutely nothing, no matter the logic or
facts, is likely to sway them in these, their cherished beliefs... (Lehman 2008).
Sir John Evans, the president of the Numismatic Society of
London at the time, seems to have also understood
Mommsen's sentiments in his response.
It is hard to imagine that such agenda-driven and ob-
Noone numismatist is able to boast of a thorough knowledge of all the multifarious branches of this wide study nor
Journal ofFieldArchaeologyjVol. 34) 2009
do we all seek from coins the same sort of information.
Some of us consult them as grammar of art and archaeology, others admire them as galleries of portraits, others have
recourse to them as a storehouse of mythological lore,
while others, again, are interested in them chiefly as illustrating the history of currency in past ages, and some others' simply as an article of commerce to be turned into the
currency of the present day, at a profit (Evans 1895).
Since that time, many numismatists have commented on
the negative consequences of clandestine looting for ancient coins (Butcher and Gill 1990; GobI 1987: 74-75;
von I(aenel 1994, 1995; Beckmann 1998; Elkins 2008;
Witschonke 2009). Even as early as the 1970s, numismatists and historians referenced the problems associated with
the growing antiquities trade (IZraay 1976: xxiv; Finley
1975: 96; Walker 1977).
Conclusion
ACE's current practices of obtaining material for its educational activities play an antagonistic role in the preservation of scientific information and archaeological context.
While purporting to teach archaeology, the program's
practices directly sponsor criminal activities in source
countries, such as Bulgaria, and the destruction of archaeological and cultural heritage. The ACCG's partnership
with ACE and the statements it has made regarding the
program higWight the ideological and practical role that
ACE plays in its anti -archaeology and commercial agenda.
It is up to us, the community of numismatists and professional archaeologists, to increase our dialog with primary
and secondary educators and to mal(e our abundant resources and services known and available to them. Commercial interests have already taken their case to the public
via aggressive weblogs, self-solicited media attention, and
by touting programs such as ACE. This underscores the urgent need for archaeologists to play a more active role in
the public arena.
American archaeological societies, such as the AIA,
ASOR, and the SAA, have extensive outreach and educational resource programs and we must be more proactive
in our partnerships with primary and secondary educators
in order to counter the disingenuous strategies deployed
by private interests to indoctrinate and recruit future unconcerned collectors and sympathizers. A coordinated plan
of action by the educational and outreach departments of
these organizations, with perhaps the addition of resources
from numismatic societies, such as the American N umismatic Society (ANS), or university museun1S with numismatic study collections, would provide an alternative to
scientifically and archaeologically erosive programs, as currently embodied by ACE and its existing practices and relationship with the dealer lobby.
487
Archaeology can be taught responsibly without encouraging the destruction of archaeological sites and a number
of resources for teachers are publicly and freely available to
aid them in developing a curriculum that incorporates archaeology. Commercial interests are increasingly fighting
for public-recognized legitimacy and they frequently attempt to veil their activities in the guise of archaeology and
scholarship, but one should not be deceived (c£ Hall
2007). The teacher who wishes to introduce archaeology
or ancient numismatics to students in a classroom setting
should be on guard when searching for resource information. Teachers should be aware that some groups are attempting to undermine real archaeology in order to assert
their individual and commercial interests in programs that
are deliberately targeting the malleable minds of school
children.
Replicas of ancient coins and other objects are readily
available, affordable, and could be incorporated into classroom education. Extensive online catalogs of various coin
cabinets, such as the those of the ANS, the Miinzkabinett
der Staatlichen Museen in Berlin, and the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge are accessible online and could be used
in classroom discussions and activities on ancient coins. It
may also be worthwhile for professional archaeological and
numismatics organizations, such as the AIA and the ANS,
to develop and coordinate programs whereby numismatic
material from the ANS collection or local university collections could be lent out to schools or to educators traveling
to schools, so that students might experience the thrill of
physically handling ancient objects without being deliberately encouraged to contribute to the problems wrought
by buying bull( lots of earth-encrusted coins. In the past,
ancient coins have been offered on loan by the ANS for
traveling educational programs and so there is somewhat
of a precedent for this type of program.
Nathan T. Elkins (MA. 2003) University of Reading) is a
Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Missouri. He is currently employed at the Department of Coins and Medals at the
Yale University Art Gallery as a postgraduate associate. He
was previously employed as a Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter at
the I nstitut fur Archiiologisches Wissenschaften Abt. II of the
Goethe Universitdt in Frankfurt am Main) Germany. His
principal research interests include ancient Greek and Roman
coinage; Roman art and archaeology; Roman sport) spectacle)
and entertainment venues; and the illicit trade in antiquities.
Mailing address: Department of Coins and Medals) Yale
University Art Gallery) P.O. Box 208271) New Haven) CT
06520-8271. E-mail: [email protected]
488 Archaeological Heritage and Ethics
ACCG
2007
2009
"Objectives:' Ancient Coin Collectors Guild, February 5.
(http://www.accg.us/about/objectives/)
"Coin Collectors to Challenge State Department on Import
Resrictions;'
Ancient
Coin Collectors Guild.
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''Archaeological Heritage and Ethics" is a regular feature of the Journal of Field Archaeology. Its aim is to
provide news and commentary on the illicit traffic in
antiquities and on other issues of cultural heritage.
Potential contributors are urged to submit pieces for
publication to Christina Luke, Journal of Field Archaeology) Boston University, 675 Commonwealth
Avenue, Boston, MA 02215. E-mail: [email protected]