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I have no ethical problems with compensating people for getting priceless cultural artifacts outside of war zones. I similarly have no problems with evangelical

I have no ethical problems with compensating people for getting priceless cultural artifacts outside of war zones. I similarly have no problems with evangelical Christians paying for archaeological research that no one else seems to be bothered to do. There are worse places for these artifacts to be. Yes, I'm aware this is a business model for ISIL. I wish them as much success in this endeavor as they can achieve. Please nobody tell them that they're never going to be able to outspend the US Government. We wouldn't want them to stop.

beloch 9y ago
Context is king in archaeology. The precise location of an artifact in relation to other artifacts and features around it tells us far more than just examining the artifacts on their own. ISIL is not conducting rigorous digs, recording context, and publishing data. They're just digging stuff up and selling it. Every dollar paid to ISIL for what they dig up directly funds the destruction of history. It would actually be a lesser crime to pay them to leave stuff in the ground. Studying these artifacts now is damage control. We could have learned more from them if we knew their context, but we never will. However, there's no reason not to confiscate and study them. I sincerely hope Lobby Hobby is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. People need to understand that what they did destroys history rather than preserves it.
- vinceguidry 9y ago
  Are they really digging this stuff up? Sounds like a lot of work. I was under the impression that they were taking it from existing museums and private collections.
  - Manu1987 9y ago
    Here's some good article about their vandalism: https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/stealing-from-history-the-looting-and-destruction-of-iraqi-and-syrian-heritage-concern-us-all-1.308011 https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/stealing-from-histor...
lancefisher 9y ago
Yes, smuggling them out of war zones does seem better than having them destroyed like these: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/150901-isis-destruction-looting-ancient-sites-iraq-syria-archaeology/ https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/150901-isis-dest...

beloch 9y ago

Context is king in archaeology. The precise location of an artifact in relation to other artifacts and features around it tells us far more than just examining the artifacts on their own. ISIL is not conducting rigorous digs, recording context, and publishing data. They're just digging stuff up and selling it. Every dollar paid to ISIL for what they dig up directly funds the destruction of history. It would actually be a lesser crime to pay them to leave stuff in the ground. Studying these artifacts now is damage control. We could have learned more from them if we knew their context, but we never will. However, there's no reason not to confiscate and study them. I sincerely hope Lobby Hobby is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. People need to understand that what they did destroys history rather than preserves it.

vinceguidry 9y ago
Are they really digging this stuff up? Sounds like a lot of work. I was under the impression that they were taking it from existing museums and private collections.
- Manu1987 9y ago
  Here's some good article about their vandalism: https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/stealing-from-history-the-looting-and-destruction-of-iraqi-and-syrian-heritage-concern-us-all-1.308011 https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/stealing-from-histor...

lancefisher 9y ago

Yes, smuggling them out of war zones does seem better than having them destroyed like these: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/150901-isis-destruction-looting-ancient-sites-iraq-syria-archaeology/ https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/150901-isis-dest...