WHAT EXACTLY IS LOOTING!? ⚒
Everyone knows the generalized meaning of “looting,” but in fact, looting is to loot from a certain place; an action typically taken during wars or riots. Whereas stealing is to steal belongings of others without permission or legal rights. There is actually a huge difference between these two words.
Looting is derived from:
loot (n.)
"goods taken from an enemy, etc.," 1839, Anglo-Indian, from Hindi lut, from Sanskrit loptram, lotram "booty, stolen property," from PIE *roup-tro-, from root *reup- "to snatch" (see rip (v.)).
loot (v.)
"to plunder; carry off as loot," 1821, from loot (n.). Related: Looted; looting.
https://www.etymonline.com/word/loot
Why would we be talking about looting…. In Archaeology? Well, archaeology is the study of ancient humankind, right? About cultures through their material remains and settlements and foraging patterns, right?
You do think recording of these archaeological sites are especially important, right? You would think there are laws and some kind of protection in place for cultural remains, right? But there are only so many archaeologists in this world to document these resources. We also depend on the public to inform us of any possible discovery…. But do they?
Looting is, unfortunately, heavily rooted in Archaeology. There are instances of looting in Prehistory as well as in our recent history. Looted artifacts from archaeological sites are sold to antique markets, weapon dealers, and sometimes (more often than not, if I’m being truthful), even renowned museums (e.g. The British Museum, Looter-turned-Safekeeper).
In Archaeology, looting is defined as “the illegal removal of culturally significant materials from archaeological sites for commercial gain, the act of which destroys archaeological context or evidence needed to learn from the site” (Blythe et al 2013). Looting is a criminal offense and there are currently international and nationwide laws to prosecute. It is true that looting typically occurs more often in countries with “archaeologically rich resources” such as Egypt, Syria, and Mexico but no country is immune. 😅
And…… Is this over? Is this all there is to learn about looting? Nope! Stay tuned for Part 2: Top 10 Looted Archaeological Sites! Check out these links below if you’re interested in learning further, or to read current reports! http://atharproject.org/report2019/ https://www.britishmuseum.org/our-work/departments/egypt-and-sudan/circulating-artefacts https://www.artcrimeresearch.org/ (@art.crime.research ) #archaeology #deafarchaeologist #archaeologist #archaeologists #femalearchaeologists #femalearchaeologist #womenarchaeologists #womanarchaeologist #womeninculture #womeninarchaeology #deafwomenarchaeologists #colorado #coloradoarchaeologist #rpa #registerofpublicarchaeologists #publicarchaeology #educationalvideos #educationalarchaeology #education #archaeologyeducation #culturalresourcemanagement #archaeologyinthecommunity #archaeologycommunity #deafcommunity #deafpeople #deafatwork #ameliathearchaeologist #archaeologing
Comments