Museum Education and Archaeological Ethics: An Approach to the Illicit Trade of Antiquities
<p class="p1">Many museum educational programs and exhibitions worldwide, designed to communicate to the public the importance of archaeology, adopt a treasure hunt approach often inspired by emblematic mass culture figures, such as Indiana Jones or Lara Croft. Alternatively they org...
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doaj-2089180b49264ec68e29a58503b8e6772020-11-25T01:03:52ZengUbiquity PressJournal of Conservation and Museum Studies2049-45721364-04292014-02-0112110.5334/jcms.102121060Museum Education and Archaeological Ethics: An Approach to the Illicit Trade of AntiquitiesVasilike Argyropoulos0Eleni Aloupi-Siotis1Kyriaki Polikreti2Rea Apostolides3Wafaa El Saddik4Raymund Gottschalk5Mona Abd el Nazeer6Marina Vryonidou-Yiangou7Peter Ashdjian8Maria-Christina Yannoulatou9Stefan Simon10Wolfgang Davis11Vasiliki Kassianidou12Technological Educational InstituteTHETIS Authentics LTD, AthensHellenic Ministry of CultureANEMON PRODUCTIONSChildren’s Alliance for Tradition and Social EngagementChildren’s Alliance for Tradition and Social EngagementEgyptian Museum of CairoPierides-Laiki Bank MuseumPierides-Laiki Bank MuseumDepartment of Educational Programmes, The Benaki Museum, AthensRathgen Research LaboratoryVisitor’s Service, National Museums BerlinArchaeological Research Unit, Department of History and Archaeology, University of Cyprus<p class="p1">Many museum educational programs and exhibitions worldwide, designed to communicate to the public the importance of archaeology, adopt a treasure hunt approach often inspired by emblematic mass culture figures, such as Indiana Jones or Lara Croft. Alternatively they organize exhibitions on the identification of fakes in the spirit of TV series such as 'X-files' or 'CSI'. <p class="p1"> These programs usually avoid dealing with a fundamental issue in archaeological practice, which pertains to the paramount importance of context and the scientific consequences of its destruction through, among others, the illicit trade of antiquities. The hesitation in promoting this sensitive topic may be due to the fact that many objects in major museum collections are often unprovenanced. Although the 'ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums' (2006, section 4.5) advises against displaying material of questionable origin, most museums do host such antiquities. <p class="p2"> The paper explores how museums can begin to discuss the issue of context using the materials produced by the European Culture project 'Witness the Past' (WTP): film documentaries or educational kits and related activities aimed at children on the topic of the importance of context and the destructive effects of the illicit trade of antiquities. The WTP project was implemented in three European museums as well as in Egypt and Jordan.http://www.jcms-journal.com/articles/77Museum educationillicit trade of antiquitiesethicschildrenWitness the Past |
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DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Vasilike Argyropoulos Eleni Aloupi-Siotis Kyriaki Polikreti Rea Apostolides Wafaa El Saddik Raymund Gottschalk Mona Abd el Nazeer Marina Vryonidou-Yiangou Peter Ashdjian Maria-Christina Yannoulatou Stefan Simon Wolfgang Davis Vasiliki Kassianidou |
spellingShingle |
Vasilike Argyropoulos Eleni Aloupi-Siotis Kyriaki Polikreti Rea Apostolides Wafaa El Saddik Raymund Gottschalk Mona Abd el Nazeer Marina Vryonidou-Yiangou Peter Ashdjian Maria-Christina Yannoulatou Stefan Simon Wolfgang Davis Vasiliki Kassianidou Museum Education and Archaeological Ethics: An Approach to the Illicit Trade of Antiquities Journal of Conservation and Museum Studies Museum education illicit trade of antiquities ethics children Witness the Past |
author_facet |
Vasilike Argyropoulos Eleni Aloupi-Siotis Kyriaki Polikreti Rea Apostolides Wafaa El Saddik Raymund Gottschalk Mona Abd el Nazeer Marina Vryonidou-Yiangou Peter Ashdjian Maria-Christina Yannoulatou Stefan Simon Wolfgang Davis Vasiliki Kassianidou |
author_sort |
Vasilike Argyropoulos |
title |
Museum Education and Archaeological Ethics: An Approach to the Illicit Trade of Antiquities |
title_short |
Museum Education and Archaeological Ethics: An Approach to the Illicit Trade of Antiquities |
title_full |
Museum Education and Archaeological Ethics: An Approach to the Illicit Trade of Antiquities |
title_fullStr |
Museum Education and Archaeological Ethics: An Approach to the Illicit Trade of Antiquities |
title_full_unstemmed |
Museum Education and Archaeological Ethics: An Approach to the Illicit Trade of Antiquities |
title_sort |
museum education and archaeological ethics: an approach to the illicit trade of antiquities |
publisher |
Ubiquity Press |
series |
Journal of Conservation and Museum Studies |
issn |
2049-4572 1364-0429 |
publishDate |
2014-02-01 |
description |
<p class="p1">Many museum educational programs and exhibitions worldwide, designed to communicate to the public the importance of archaeology, adopt a treasure hunt approach often inspired by emblematic mass culture figures, such as Indiana Jones or Lara Croft. Alternatively they organize exhibitions on the identification of fakes in the spirit of TV series such as 'X-files' or 'CSI'. <p class="p1"> These programs usually avoid dealing with a fundamental issue in archaeological practice, which pertains to the paramount importance of context and the scientific consequences of its destruction through, among others, the illicit trade of antiquities. The hesitation in promoting this sensitive topic may be due to the fact that many objects in major museum collections are often unprovenanced. Although the 'ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums' (2006, section 4.5) advises against displaying material of questionable origin, most museums do host such antiquities. <p class="p2"> The paper explores how museums can begin to discuss the issue of context using the materials produced by the European Culture project 'Witness the Past' (WTP): film documentaries or educational kits and related activities aimed at children on the topic of the importance of context and the destructive effects of the illicit trade of antiquities. The WTP project was implemented in three European museums as well as in Egypt and Jordan. |
topic |
Museum education illicit trade of antiquities ethics children Witness the Past |
url |
http://www.jcms-journal.com/articles/77 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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