FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
Date: February 28, 2006

Contact: Jane C. Waldbaum, President, Archaeological Institute of
America, 414-229-3334  OR 414-517-7558 OR [log in to unmask] 

RE: Museum Acquisitions Policies

ARCHAEOLOGISTS RECOMMEND RESPONSIBLE MUSEUM ACQUISITIONS POLICIES

In response to the AAMD's new guidelines on the loan of archaeological
artifacts and ancient artworks, the Archaeological Institute of
America
(AIA) today issued a statement pointing out its shortcomings and
proposed a set of principles for future acquisitions or loans of
antiquities by American museums.

"The AIA applauds the efforts of the museum community to promote the
ethical acquisitions of antiquities," says Jane Waldbaum, President of
the AIA.  "However, we think that the AAMD guidelines fall short in
several areas and do not adequately address the unique nature of
archaeological artifacts and contexts."

The AIA statement points out that the AAMD's guidelines do not conform
to the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Code of Ethics of 2001
and fail to require that acquisitions comply with the laws of the
country of origin and of any intermediary countries through which an
artifact has been transferred.   Although the AAMD guidelines
recommend
that museums not acquire artifacts that have been removed from
official
excavation sites, the guidelines ignore clear evidence that most
undocumented antiquities come from unrecorded or unexcavated sites
that
are most likely to be looted.  "The need for museums to adopt
acquisitions policies that recognize the connection between their
acquisitions and the problem of looting of archaeological sites is
pressing," says Patty Gerstenblith, Chair of the AIA's Cultural
Property
Legislation and Policy Committee and Professor of Law at De Paul
University. "Sites are a non-renewable cultural resource. The looting
of
archaeological sites damages the cultural heritage of both the country
where the sites are located and the heritage of everyone."

"The recent Italian repatriation claims have shown that the time is
ripe
for the adoption of good new acquisition policies in American
museums,"
says Malcolm Bell, III, AIA Vice President for Professional
Responsibilities and Professor at the University of Virginia. "The
AAMD
guidelines are too permissive; what is called for is a rigorous policy
that excludes acquisition of recently looted art.  We need to protect
the sites!" The Archaeological Institute of America recommends four
basic principles that should govern collection-building in the field
of
ancient art:

1.	Museums should adopt a written policy on the acquisition of
antiquities.  These policies should be made available to the public on
a
museum's website and be widely disseminated.
2.	Museums should refuse to acquire objects that are likely to
have
been looted in recent times, i.e. those that are not accompanied by
legitimate export documentation from the country of origin.
3.	Museum acquisitions policies should include a date before which
an antiquity being considered for acquisition must have been
documented
if it is not accompanied by proof of legitimate export from its
country
of origin.
4.	Museums should exercise due diligence in determining whether an
antiquity possesses legitimate documentation that meets acquisition
standards.
 

The AIA's statement and principles on acquisition of antiquities were
approved by its Executive Committee today. The full texts may be found
on its website at www.archaeological.org.quotes).

John
Boise, ID

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