Pre Lab 9 Archy 205 - Kiara Anderson
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ARCHY 205 NAME Kiara Anderson
Winter 2023 SECTION AC
LAB 9: ARCHAEOLOGICAL ETHICS – PRE-CLASS RESEARCH
People have long been interested in selling artifacts for profit. Today, sales of illegal antiquities
total at least $7.8 billion annually. Artifact sales comprise the third most profitable black market
in the world (ranked behind only drugs and weapons). Artifacts pass through international
networks of plunder: people purchase archaeological artifacts in shops, on the Internet, and at
private and public auctions. Buyers rarely know or care how a $2.99 Native American arrowhead
or a $75,000 Egyptian sarcophagus managed to come into their possession.
Your job is to find an artifact for sale on the internet. Try to find an artifact from a famous site
that you have heard of in this class or sites that you have read about elsewhere. You can use any
website that sells objects. You might try: http://www.artemission.com or www.ebay.com (try
https://www.ebay.com/b/Ethnographic- Antiques/2207/bn_1865604) (Note: try to find
something other than an arrowhead and feel free to look for artifacts in various regions around
the world!)
Attach a photo of your artifact to this worksheet, answer the questions, and bring them to
your lab section.
Print this assignment if possible, but if not please have it ready on your device in class. You will
submit this assignment on Canvas by Sunday, March 5th. There will be a separate group
assignment in class.
1)
What
type of artifact did you find and how much does it cost?
Viking Solid Silver “Hammer of Thor” or Mjölnir Pendant, c. 11th Century A.D.
$1400 USD
Where
did you find it?
https://www.artemission.com/viewitemdetails.aspx?ItemNumber=32.37019&page=1
Who
is selling the artifact? Are they located here in the US, or in another country? Do you trust
the site of the seller? Why or why not?
Provenance: Private UK collection, acquired prior to 2002.
I do not really trust the website, only because they did not give any sort of authenticity
guarantee, or any sort of specific information on where how, or when this artifact was collected.
While it does say it was acquired from a private UK collection, personally I feel that that is very
“fishy” and therefore does not create a lot of trust between me and this seller. They said it's
from the 11th century but a simple google search states that the original legend of Thor's story
is from the 11th century, so it just seems a little right on the nose.
2) What kind of background information was available about the artifact (does the website talk
about a particular culture or where the artifact was recovered?)?
The website description was simply, “Thor hammer or Mjölnir, made of silver and decorated
with typical square and round punching as well as fine dots marks.”
Furthermore, they stated that “Thor, a major Nordic god associated with thunder. The hammer
of Thor is distinctively shaped, Mjölnir is depicted in Norse mythology as one of the most
fearsome weapons, capable of levelling mountains. Though generally recognized and depicted
as a hammer, Mjölnir is sometimes referred to as an axe or club.”
3) Does the web page present substantial information about the artifact’s provenience/context?
What information is missing that will make it hard to create interpretations of the artifacts and
the sites they came from?
It only says it's from a private seller in the UK. this to me is a red flag, because they have
conveniently stopped any form of the trail to follow by saying it is a private seller. They also said
it was acquired prior to 2002, meaning there was less technology, and more likely a paper
contract, making it even harder to follow a lead.
4) Is it possible that this artifact is a forgery or reproduction? What kind of information about
authenticity can you find on the page for this artifact?
I see no authenticity guarantee. My first thought was that someone could have easily made this
today, and just outdated it a little bit to make it appear older than it is.
5) Do a little Google research about the region of the world in which this artifact originated.
What is the political and economic situation like in that region at the moment? What might
motivate looting and/or the sale of cultural material in this region?
There are problems with looting artifacts from Yemen in the UK according to this article titled
“Researchers fear UK Sale of Artefacts could include items looted from Yemen” as stated in the
link down below.
Researchers fear UK sale of artefacts could include items looted from Yemen | Middle East Eye
There have been hundreds and 1000s of items stolen from war-torn countries in the middle east
especially Yemen and Iraq. The British Museum has been called out in numerous articles for not
doing enough to stop criminal looting. They say they do their due diligence in making sure
artifacts they bring in are not listed on websites such as Art Loss Register, but many claims that
this apparent due diligence is just a façade.
Part II
: To familiarize yourself with archaeological ethics, read these very short articles: From the
PBS show Antiques Roadshow, “Indigenous Artifacts: Understanding the Law”:
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/stories/articles/2014/4/7/indian-artifacts-
understanding-law/
From the UN, Trafficking in cultural property ‘source of enormous illicit profits’:
https://news.un.org/en/story/2015/11/514712-trafficking-cultural-property-source-enormous-
illicit-profits- un-official-tells).
Part III:
Review the Prohibited Acts according to the Historic Preservation Code, from the
Statutes of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (FINAL January 25, 2016)
No person shall engage in the following acts on tribal lands:
A. Intentional archaeological survey and or archaeological excavation without a permit;
B. Surface collection of archaeological resources without a permit;
C. Trafficking in archaeological resources;
D. Development or ground disturbance without obtaining cultural resources clearance as
required by Chapter
5;
E. Unauthorized disclosure of confidential cultural resources information;
F. Violation of any permit issued pursuant to this Code;
G. Vandalism or otherwise intentionally damaging or altering cultural resources of the
Confederated Tribes;
H. Negligent damage to cultural resources of the Confederated Tribes;
I. Intentional or negligent disturbance of burials or cairns
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