Looting Forum

In the Editors’ Page of the July/August 2002 issue, editor Hershel Shanks wrote an open letter on archaeological looting to the distinguished British archaeologist Colin Renfrew of Cambridge University. Lord Renfrew then responded to Shanks in Looting Forum, sidebar to The Forum, AO 05:06.

Dear Professor Renfrew,

Thank you for your—I think—courteous response to my open letter to you regarding archaeological looting. The reason for the hesitation expressed in the previous sentence is that I’m not sure you believe me when I assert that I abhor archaeological looting as much as you do. As a matter of fact, I think you don’t believe me. You twice refer to my statement to this effect, the first time adding that “I don’t think you realize the damage done by prominent museums and their curators when they pay large sums of money for obviously looted antiquities.” The second time you say that if I don’t agree with your criticism of specific museums concerning specific acquisitions, then “perhaps” you would give a “discourteous answer to [my] question: ‘Can you believe that I abhor looters as much as you do?’ ” That makes a difficult start to a discussion you say you “welcome.”

Well, let me jump in at the risk of eliciting a discourteous response and say that I don’t think the museums were necessarily wrong. The problem of looting is a terribly complicated one. Different situations require different answers. This is not a one-size-fits-all situation. This is not like elastic socks, Professor Renfrew.