It’s Friday, and you’ve just finished your third week of digging, with one week left to go. Fede texts you just as you and your team are putting a tarp over your trench to protect it during the weekend.
You text back to say you think it would probably be just fine if she visited on Saturday or Sunday, because during the weekends, the excavation always pauses and people usually either go to Rome or travel to another place until digging starts again on Monday morning. She texts back that she’s excited to see the site, and that she’ll meet you there tomorrow morning.
(click: "tomorrow morning")+(t8n:'dissolve')[You spend the night in the little motel where you and the rest of the people working on the dig have been staying. It’s a simple place, small but reasonably comfortable, in the center of the tiny downtown area of Casavenere. There’s not much there aside from the motel, a coffee bar, a trattoria that specializes in local cuisine, a post office, and a small museum. You wonder if any of the artifacts that you or others have dug nearby will end up there.
You wake up early the next day, as has been your habit (digging begins at sunrise in order to get plenty of work in before the summer heat really kicks in). You get coffee and a cornetto at the coffee bar, then watch as almost every one of your colleagues working at the dig walks down to the bus station toting large backpacks or duffel bags, on their way to spend the weekend in Rome, Florence, Venice, Puglia, Sicily, or other destinations throughout Italy. ]
(click: "throughout Italy")+(t8n:'dissolve')[You enjoy a slow morning at the coffee bar, scrolling through an online newspaper called //La Reppublica//, which you’ve taken to reading in order to improve your Italian.
<iframe width="896" height="515" src="https://www.repubblica.it/" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer" allowfullscreen></iframe>
As you’re reading, you hear “//Ciao//!” and look up to see Fede approaching your table with a big smile on her face.
She gives you one, two... three //baci//, or kisses, switching from one cheek to the other — just as you’ve become accustomed to seeing close Italian friends do when they greet each other. ]
(click: "Italian friends")+(t8n:'dissolve')[She orders an espresso at the bar as you catch up with her. She tells you that she’s almost done with her dissertation and that if it’s accepted, she’ll get her PhD. She seems both nervous and excited as she tells you about it, adding that if her committee signs off on her dissertation, she’ll be the first person in her family to get a PhD.
You congratulate her as she throws back her espresso, and then the two of you leave the coffee bar and walk the few blocks to the edge of the town of Casavenere. From there, you walk down a dirt road and through a recently plowed field [[to the dig site.]] ]
(set: $progress to 1)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]You tell Fede about how you and your team have carefully documented each step in the excavation process and have uncovered several artifacts in your area of the dig site, including roof tiles, coins, pottery and fresco fragments, and, most notably, a mosaic. Her eyes open wide as you pull off the dark green tarp that covers your trench, revealing the vividly colored artwork underneath.
(click: "pull off the dark green tarp")+(t8n:'dissolve')[<img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/f9fa2300af647b5db2d732c33060963a/a86aac0f97d13a31-0f/s540x810/86dcec326a571bc4efce7cb943898d0c6fd43724.png" style="width:100%;max-width:896px">
“How beautiful,” Fede cries as she crouches down to scrutinize the mosaic. “When will the conservator arrive to help you remove the mosaic?”
“In a few days, I think,” you say.
<img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/28e35f10b6aedfd2c371ceaab212ddb5/8c1ca589d8463586-09/s540x810/ec1fe0aaae36b33df64b10e108a4fe4f6e63d5ba.png" style="width:100%;max-width:896px">
You then show Fede a trench nearby, where your colleagues have unearthed animal bones and votives next to what appears to be a rectangular stone altar. Then you move on to another trench, where a team has discovered what they believe to be a medieval lime kiln, in which they found several fragments of ancient marble statues, columns, and funeral reliefs — all of which are now housed in the excavation’s local storeroom. ]
(click: "local storeroom")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“Sì, sì,” Fede says. “I have seen medieval lime kilns such as these. They are tragic, in a sense, but understandable as well.”
“I’ve heard a little about them,” you say, “but I’ve been so busy with my own trench that I haven’t had a chance to research them yet.”
“During the Late Antique and medieval periods, these lime kilns were quite common in and around Rome. The people at that time would often take marble and travertine in the form of statues and perhaps columns, and then break them into pieces and burn them in kilns until they became a powder. This valuable lime powder could then be mixed with water and sand to create a durable mortar for constructing new buildings.”]
(click: "durable mortar")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“To think they broke and burned ancient statues and reliefs, just for mortar,” you say. “It’s too horrible to imagine.”
“Much was lost, it is true,” Fede agrees. “But to them, using the statues in this way meant making shelters that could provide warmth and protection for their families.”
You then take Fede on a tour of the larger area, showing her what may have been the temple area, another portion of what you and your colleagues have been calling the villa area (where your roof tiles and mosaic were found), and an area nearby where the remains of an ancient tomb were found.
After touring the dig site, you and Fede have lunch at the local trattoria together. You walk her to the bus station, where she makes you promise to have dinner with her when you are next back in Rome.
You spend the rest of the weekend catching up on your sleep and working on your excavation documentation. Before you know it, it’s [[Monday morning.]] ]
(set: $progress to 2)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]Your alarm sounds, and you groggily refrain from hitting the snooze button, just as you have for the last few weeks. You made a promise to yourself that you’d be one of the first to arrive at the site each morning, and you intend to see that promise through for this last week of the dig.
You make yourself a quick coffee with the electric moka pot on your dresser, then quickly get ready and walk to the edge of town and through the field, making it to the dig site just as the sun is beginning to rise.
(click: "sun is beginning to rise")+(t8n:'dissolve')[No one else has arrived yet — at least no one that you can see. You walk toward your trench, and in the dim orange sunlight, you see that the green tarp has already been removed. When you arrive at the trench, you look inside, blinking in disbelief at what you see. Pieces of the mosaic have been cut out — sawed, it looks like — and surrounding your trench, which is littered with cigarette butts, you see a series of deep and narrow holes, seemingly dug at random. ]
(click: "Pieces of the mosaic have been cut out")+(t8n:'dissolve')[<img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/780fba9ac76c51dd408f78ac6468f8bc/0cecfd5d758ccd5a-29/s540x810/4b2e52960635e4c7aa9f1176a95de7db0d8c856c.jpg" style="width:100%;max-width:896px">
You rush over to the other nearby trenches and see that those ones also look like they’ve been disturbed. Deep, narrow holes have been dug around those trenches too, as well as in other places all around the site.
You pull out your phone, wondering who you should call — your advisor, or maybe the police? Just at that moment, you see Professor Moro, with her signature pink bandana on her head, driving up in the old pickup truck with tools and other equipment in the back. While she parks the truck, you run over to tell her about the terrible damage to the site.
“//Tombaroli//,” she says grimly. “Somehow they must have learned about the artifacts we’ve found here.”
[[A few hours later...|hours later]] ]
(set: $progress to 3)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]
A few hours later, you and your team are still doing what you can to repair the damage to your trench, while Rossella Forza, the //soprintendente//, is surveying the scene with officers from the special Italian police unit known as the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage.
Just before lunchtime, you see Professor Moro waving you over, so you climb out of your trench and walk up to her. Up close, you see how tired and upset she looks. She tells you that she’s going to accompany the //soprintendente// and Carabinieri to Rome to file an official report. She asks you to send her all the documentation you have on your trench... and when you ask her about the chances of any of the artifacts — like the mosaic — being found, she only shakes her head.
(click: "the mosaic")+(t8n:'dissolve')[You and the other trench leaders decide to shut down the excavation earlier than usual that afternoon so that you can hold a meeting to talk about what has happened, and what you can do as supervisors to address the situation going forward.
So, after you’ve showered and scraped off the dirt and a bit of the malaise caused by the dramatic events of the day, you meet the other trench leaders at the coffee bar.
As you join the others at the table, you see that a few of your colleagues sag glumly in their seats, while others are clearly angry, speaking with sharp voices. After a thorough investigation of the site, it seems that several well-preserved terracotta votives (that had just been uncovered and were still present in the trench) were stolen, as well as a number of coins and fragments of statues, reliefs, frescoes, and mosaics... not to mention the damage done to the context of the trenches and other areas — damage to the context that can never be reassembled, meaning that knowledge is lost forever. ]
(click: "damage to the context")+(t8n:'dissolve')[A discussion ensues in which you all hash out plans to patrol the dig site at night in shifts so that another raid will be impossible.
Several of you are also struggling to understand exactly what happened and why, and so are the undergraduate students working under you. The most senior trench leader, Ash, who has participated in several digs before this one, distributes a few articles to you all, saying that reading them will help you understand the //tombaroli// and related issues involving the black market for antiquities.
You order another drink from the coffee bar and settle into a comfortable seat by the window to read. You decide to take notes while going through the articles in order to easily find the things you think are most important to tell your undergrad team members later. ]
(click: "tell your undergrad")+(t8n:'dissolve')[1) Listen to the NPR podcast version of “Facebook Has Moved to Ban Sales of Looted Antiquities. Will It Make a Difference?” (7 minutes). If you’d rather read this instead, the written article is below.
<iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W_3yNbVFNMPMyN_eSg7tqxbeiNryF807/preview" style="width:100%;max-width:896px;" height="100"></iframe>
Written version of the NPR piece:
//(To download the PDF, click on the “pop-out” button in the upper right corner of the document. That will open a new window, and from there you can read and/or download the PDF.) //
<iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E5RZhi7QjFzfa_iY6ZQPK1BAFNaleREr/preview" style="width:100%;max-width:896px;height:672px"></iframe>
2) “My Life As A Tombarolo” by Cristina Ruiz in //The Art Newspaper//.
//(To download the PDF, click on the “pop-out” button in the upper right corner of the document. That will open a new window, and from there you can read and/or download the PDF.) //
<iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/16aVhN-_p8qt9tKpNYaNuQTJnHXFYaSz3/preview" style="width:100%;max-width:896px;height:672px"></iframe>
3) “The Looting of Archaeological Sites” by Giovanni Pastore (Chapter 19 of Trade in Illicit Antiquities, edited by Brodie, Doole, and Renfrew). (Don’t read the parts crossed out in red.)
//(To download the PDF, click on the “pop-out” button in the upper right corner of the document. That will open a new window, and from there you can read and/or download the PDF.) //
<iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1u0sGS5-c7pub1yObZPqZJdmzyWJ9zhyL/preview" style="width:100%;max-width:896px;height:672px"></iframe>
You finish reading and get up to stretch your legs. You walk up to the counter, thinking you might want something sweet — a //dolce//, as the Italians say. As you consider the options — there are a few flavors of homemade //gelato//, as well as //ciambelline al vino// and cannoli — you hear a voice behind you say, “I’d go for the cannoli. The woman who owns this place is from Sicily, and she makes them herself.” ]
(click: "from Sicily")+(t8n:'dissolve')[You turn and see Ash — the most senior trench leader — looking over your shoulder at the selection of //dolce// under the glass counter in front of you. “Is that what you’re getting?” you ask.
Ash looks at his watch in surprise. “Whoa! It’s dinnertime already. The //dolce// should probably wait.”
You sigh, looking at the //dolce// under the counter, and silently promise to come back after dinner to have one. Then you follow Ash outside.
As you’re walking back to the motel where you have group dinners every night, Ash asks, “Did those articles help at all? I mean, do you understand all the types of people and groups involved in illicit trade and looting?”
[[“Yes,” you say. “It seems like there are the Carabineri on one side, and then the tomb robbers on the other.”|carabinieri tomb]]
[[“Yes,” you say. “It seems like there’s something like an organized gang, then a middleman, a dealer, and a buyer...”|right buyer]] ]
(set: $progress to 4)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]
“There are the Carabineri on one side and tomb robbers on the other, right?”
“It’s a little more complicated than that,” Ash says. “There are the //tombaroli//, the middlemen, the dealers who do the selling, and then of course the buyers. The laws in Italy used to be a little strange,” he explains. “You used to be punished more for taking something from the supermarket than for stealing from an archaeological site.”
(click: "archaeological site")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“I remember that from the reading,” you say. “It’s crazy to think about. I also remember that the holder of the object doesn’t have to prove legal provenance, but rather the prosecutor has to prove it’s illegal. Seems so biased in favor of looting and //tombaroli// to me.”
“Yes,” Ash says. “The laws need serious work! Anything that is found on Italian land, public or private, technically belongs to Italy. So, on our excavation, all the artifacts we find belong to Italy, and we can’t bring them back to the US to study them. That’s part of why illicit trade has been booming — museums and institutions and private collectors want artifacts from other countries that they may never be able to get legally, so they find other means to get them.”
“Another thing that struck me while I was reading was how many of the //tombaroli// seem to especially like digging at tombs. Why is that?”
“Why do you think?” Ash asks.
[[“The //tombaroli// are after human remains, since they bring the most value.”|human remains]]
[[“Tombs preserve artifacts well because they’re underground and hidden.”|underground]] ]
(set: $progress to 5)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]
“Yes,” you say. “It seems like there’s an organized gang, a middleman, a dealer, a buyer... it’s complicated.”
“It is,” Ash says. “And the laws in Italy used to be a little strange — you used to be punished more for taking something from the supermarket than for stealing from an archaeological site.”
(click: "archaeological site")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“I remember that from the reading,” you say. “It’s crazy to think about. I also remember that the holder of the object doesn’t have to prove legal provenance, but rather the prosecutor has to prove it’s illegal. Seems so biased in favor of looting and //tombaroli// to me.”
“Yes,” Ash says. “The laws need serious work! Anything that is found on Italian land, public or private, technically belongs to Italy. So, on our excavation, all the artifacts we find belong to Italy, and we can’t bring them back to the US to study them. That’s part of why illicit trade has been booming — museums and institutions and private collectors want artifacts from other countries that they may never be able to get legally, so they find other means to get them.”
“Another thing that struck me while I was reading was how many of the //tombaroli// seem to especially like digging at tombs. Why is that?”
“Why do you think?” Ash asks.
[[“The //tombaroli// are after human remains, since they bring the most value.”|human remains]]
[[“Tombs preserve artifacts well because they’re underground and hidden.”|underground]] ]
(set: $progress to 5)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]
“The //tombaroli// are after human remains, since they bring the most money.”
“Well,” Ash says, “while it’s true that human remains, under certain circumstances, can command a lot of cash, that’s not the main reason the //tombaroli// here in Italy like to raid tombs. One of the greatest things about tombs — for both the //tombaroli// and archaeologists — is that they preserve artifacts so well, because they’re underground and hidden. For example, have you ever seen a portrait of the emperor Septimius Severus — a very famous circular one called the Severan Tondo?”
[[“I remember that!”|remember tondo]]
[[“Could you refresh my memory?”|refresh tondo]]
(set: $progress to 6)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]“Tombs preserve artifacts well because they’re underground and hidden, and have the right climate for preservation,” you say.
“You’re on the right track,” says Ash. “Have you ever seen that portrait of the emperor Septimius Severus — the circular one?”
[[“I remember that!”|remember tondo]]
[[“Could you refresh my memory?”|refresh tondo]]
(set: $progress to 6)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]
“Yes, I remember that — it’s the one where the face of the brother who was murdered was scratched out. The //damnatio memoriae//.”
“That’s right,” says Ash. He types something into his phone, then holds it up for you to see.
(click: "holds it up for you to see")+(t8n:'dissolve')[<img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/3dfe0da63c8941495be36274702fcce3/e0afba719788b4dd-d4/s1280x1920/cdedcd86c402226d449aa2ec1697cb5ec5457fe8.jpg" style="width:100%;max-width:896px">
“Yup, that’s the one I was thinking of,” you say. “That’s Emperor Septimius Severus in the upper right, with his wife and sons. The son on the right, Caracalla, murdered his brother and had ordered that the brother’s face be scratched out of the portrait.” ]
(click: "be scratched out")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“That’s right,” Ash says. “The reason I brought up the Severan Tondo is that it’s made of wood, and it was really well preserved because it was in Egypt, where the climate is very dry and without moisture that destroys wood. Similarly, tombs have a protected environment for artifacts because they don’t let in outside air. Think of all that has been found in the tombs of Egypt! Here in Italy, in large expensive tombs, people tended to be buried with fancy grave goods — so, you can find some impressive objects in them. They’re seen as treasure troves, sadly, for //tombaroli//. "
"But the issue for us as archaeologists and scholars is that they’re destroying any chance we might have to learn about the people who used the site, or the history of the site and the objects themselves. Oftentimes, //tombaroli// think they’re like archaeologists, since they dig for a living. But they pay no attention to context — they break parts of statues or objects to disguise them, or even to bargain for more money from the middlemen they sell to. It makes me mad when I think about all the objects that have been looted, and the sites destroyed that we’ll never get to learn more about.”
[[“It makes me mad, too. I wish there was a way to stop them!”|mad]]
[[“It makes me sad. It seems almost impossible to make it stop.”|sad]] ]
(set: $progress to 7)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]
“Could you refresh my memory about that?” you ask.
“Sure, here you go,” says Ash, typing into his phone and holding it up for you to see.
(click: "holding it up for you to see")+(t8n:'dissolve')[<img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/3dfe0da63c8941495be36274702fcce3/e0afba719788b4dd-d4/s1280x1920/cdedcd86c402226d449aa2ec1697cb5ec5457fe8.jpg" style="width:100%;max-width:896px">
“Yup, that’s the one I was thinking of,” you say. “That’s Emperor Septimius Severus in the upper right, with his wife and sons. The son on the right, Caracalla, murdered his brother and had ordered that the brother’s face be scratched out of the portrait.” ]
(click: "be scratched out")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“That’s right,” Ash says. “The reason I brought up the Severan Tondo is that it’s made of wood, and it was really well preserved because it was in Egypt, where the climate is very dry and without moisture that destroys wood. Similarly, tombs have a protected environment for artifacts because they don’t let in outside air. Think of all that has been found in the tombs of Egypt! Here in Italy, in large expensive tombs, people tended to be buried with fancy grave goods — so, you can find some impressive objects in them. They’re seen as treasure troves, sadly, for //tombaroli//. "
"But the issue for us as archaeologists and scholars is that they’re destroying any chance we might have to learn about the people who used the site, or the history of the site and the objects themselves. Oftentimes, //tombaroli// think they’re like archaeologists, since they dig for a living. But they pay no attention to context — they break parts of statues or objects to disguise them, or even to bargain for more money from the middlemen they sell to. It makes me mad when I think about all the objects that have been looted, and the sites destroyed that we’ll never get to learn more about.”
[[“It makes me mad, too. I wish there was a way to stop them!”|mad]]
[[“It makes me sad. It seems almost impossible to make it stop.”|sad]] ]
(set: $progress to 7)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]
“It makes me mad,” you say. “There must be some way to stop the //tombaroli//, right?”
Ash sighs. “As long as there’s a demand for ancient artifacts, there will be a ready supply. This is one of the many sad things about illegal looting. You almost have to stop it on the demand side of things. It’s an industry now, selling ancient artifacts. People sell them on the internet — on eBay, on Facebook; they’re even smuggled into the US by stores! Recently, there was a scandal involving the Hobby Lobby chain, which had smuggled in hundreds of illegal artifacts. It’s happening all the time now, especially with the instability caused by the wars in places like Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Cultural heritage and archaeological sites are not protected. Looting has become a main source of income for people who are selling on the black market. But remember, it’s not just the looters: there are private collectors and some museums that want particular artifacts, even if they don’t know the provenance.”
(click: "provenance")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“What’s ‘provenance’ mean, exactly?” you ask. “Especially because I know there’s another, similar word... ‘provenience,’ right? Do you know how those two are different? Or do they mean the same thing?”
Ash nods. “I used to get confused by those, too. So, basically, ‘provenience’ is more precise, and it’s used more by archaeologists. It means an exact find spot in the dirt at a specific archaeological excavation. ‘Provenance,’ on the other hand, tends to be used a bit more generally to try to understand ownership by looking at the object’s life history. So, to take the coin you found on your excavation as an example, its provenience is stratigraphic unit 2, trench 1, area A, at site Casavenere. But its provenance, or life history, on the other hand, is more what happens to it once it gets out of the ground — where it goes, who buys it, who owns it.”
“Okay,” you say. “So, for the coin we found in our trench — what’s its provenance, exactly?” ]
(click: "for the coin")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“It starts with it being dug up here in Casavenere, in our very legal and responsible excavation. Now the coin belongs to the Italian government, but say they decide to sell it — maybe they have a ton of similar coins and feel they’ve studied it enough and don’t have space for it anymore, who knows — and they sell it to an antiquities dealer named Guidobaldo, who sells it to another dealer in New York, who in turn sells it to the Getty Museum in Malibu. All that history would be its provenance. Not the nitty-gritty details about the specific stratum and specific trench — those deal more with provenience. But the place and time of our dig, and the fact that it was dug up legally, sold legally, and exported legally, then sold a couple more times, both legally — all that is its provenance. And this is important, because when you know an object’s provenance, the value of the object goes way up.”
“Is that because we know the context?”
“Yup, exactly,” says Ash. “If we know an object’s life history — from where it was found to where it is now — we can gather other information about it, like what objects it was found with, a possible date, even a possible function. That’s one of the saddest things about looting and illegal trade — we completely lose all context for the artifact in question. When artifacts hit the art market, they are admired and valued for their age, their beauty, and at times their uniqueness, but they don’t have any other information or specific history that can help us learn about them, or other objects like them, or the site where they were found, even. Here, look at this.” ]
(click: "look at this")+(t8n:'dissolve')[Ash types into his phone again and hands it to you so you can scroll through the listing.
Scroll through the website below:
<iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eDBMbNiG3V2_ZG9__nEgyrQtSzyIp5J3/preview" style="width:100%;max-width:896px;height:672px"></iframe>
“This is a listing from a Sotheby’s auction,” Ash says. “The artifact is a Cycladic Figurine. It’s tiny. Could fit in your palm. These types of figurines were incredibly common, and they come from the islands of Greece around 3000 to 2000 BCE. Here, I can show you a picture of different types and sizes of these figurines.”
He gestures for you to give him his phone back, so you do, and then he types into it again and shows you an image: ]
(click: "you an image")+(t8n:'dissolve')[<img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/8880aca2c7db254685f04ef03cb6a3ee/b15fcf6301611e9b-a7/s1280x1920/4bdb5e22d81b2fe1fb27343d00448f5f1bbc2e8f.jpg" style="width:100%;max-width:896px">
“Tragically,” Ash continues, “about 90% of the known Cycladic figurines are without a context — no provenience or provenance, at least nothing that can help us learn anything meaningful about the figurine. And when we do know the context, the value of the object increases exponentially. Think about the Sotheby’s listing: its asking price is between $300,000 and $500,000, but it sold for over $1,000,000, largely because it had a known provenance!” ]
(click: "sold for over")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“Whoa,” you say. “That’s quite a difference in value. But even if we do know its provenance, what if it had been illegally dug up and smuggled out of Greece? Is it okay as long as that happened before the year of the 1970 Convention? That’s the cut-off date, right?”
“Yes,” Ash says. “Seems crazy, I know, but that’s the line that people are currently respecting. If something was acquired before 1970, even illegally, it’s considered okay to keep it; but after 1970, it’s not. Now, that line is pretty arbitrary, and awful in a lot of ways, but it’s a big improvement over how things used to be. Not long ago, a lot of museums would buy ancient artifacts if they had provenance saying they’d been sold as late as the 1990s. In comparison, that 1970 date doesn’t look so bad. Some museums, like the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, have been voluntarily sending artifacts acquired before 1970 back to source countries as well. Museums like this are especially diligent.”
“All this makes me feel like people just shouldn’t be buying ancient artifacts at all.” ]
(click: "buying ancient artifacts")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“I have to agree,” says Ash. “If no one bought them, then the //tombaroli// would stop digging them up because they’d never get paid for their work. But I think we’ve got a ways to go before that happens. Until then, we’ll take things one step at a time.”
“Yeah, but how do we do that?”
He shrugs. “Do you know anybody at Facebook you can talk to about shutting down the sale of antiquities on their site?”
“Nope,” you say.
“Do you know anyone who buys ancient artifacts? If you do, you could try to convince them to stop.”
“I don’t,” you say.
“How ’bout //tombaroli//?” Ash says with a joking smile. “You meet any of them this summer?”
After dinner, [[you return to your room.]] ]
(set: $progress to 8)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]
“It makes me so sad,” you say. “The situation feels so hopeless. They’ve been trying to stop it for so many years, and it just keeps happening.”
Ash sighs. “As long as there’s a demand for ancient artifacts, there will be a ready supply. This is one of the many sad things about illegal looting. You almost have to stop it on the demand side of things. It’s an industry now, selling ancient artifacts. People sell them on the internet — on eBay, on Facebook; they’re even smuggled into the US by stores! Recently, there was a scandal involving the Hobby Lobby chain, which had smuggled in hundreds of illegal artifacts. It’s happening all the time now, especially with the instability caused by the wars in places like Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Cultural heritage and archaeological sites are not protected. Looting has become a main source of income for people who are selling on the black market. But remember, it’s not just the looters: there are private collectors and some museums that want particular artifacts, even if they don’t know the provenance.”
(click: "provenance")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“What’s ‘provenance’ mean, exactly?” you ask. “Especially because I know there’s another, similar word... ‘provenience,’ right? Do you know how those two are different? Or do they mean the same thing?”
Ash nods. “I used to get confused by those, too. So, basically, ‘provenience’ is more precise, and it’s used more by archaeologists. It means an exact find spot in the dirt at a specific archaeological excavation. ‘Provenance,’ on the other hand, tends to be used a bit more generally to try to understand ownership by looking at the object’s life history. So, to take the coin you found on your excavation as an example, its provenience is stratigraphic unit 2, trench 1, area A, at site Casavenere. But its provenance, or life history, on the other hand, is more what happens to it once it gets out of the ground — where it goes, who buys it, who owns it.”
“Okay,” you say. “So, for the coin we found in our trench — what’s its provenance, exactly?” ]
(click: "for the coin")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“It starts with it being dug up here in Casavenere, in our very legal and responsible excavation. Now the coin belongs to the Italian government, but say they decide to sell it — maybe they have a ton of similar coins and feel they’ve studied it enough and don’t have space for it anymore, who knows — and they sell it to an antiquities dealer named Guidobaldo, who sells it to another dealer in New York, who in turn sells it to the Getty Museum in Malibu. All that history would be its provenance. Not the nitty-gritty details about the specific stratum and specific trench — those deal more with provenience. But the place and time of our dig, and the fact that it was dug up legally, sold legally, and exported legally, then sold a couple more times, both legally — all that is its provenance. And this is important, because when you know an object’s provenance, the value of the object goes way up.”
“Is that because we know the context?”
“Yup, exactly,” says Ash. “If we know an object’s life history — from where it was found to where it is now — we can gather other information about it, like what objects it was found with, a possible date, even a possible function. That’s one of the saddest things about looting and illegal trade — we completely lose all context for the artifact in question. When artifacts hit the art market, they are admired and valued for their age, their beauty, and at times their uniqueness, but they don’t have any other information or specific history that can help us learn about them, or other objects like them, or the site where they were found, even. Here, look at this.” ]
(click: "look at this")+(t8n:'dissolve')[Ash types into his phone again and hands it to you so you can scroll through the listing.
Scroll through the website below:
<iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eDBMbNiG3V2_ZG9__nEgyrQtSzyIp5J3/preview" style="width:100%;max-width:896px;height:672px"></iframe>
“This is a listing from a Sotheby’s auction,” Ash says. “The artifact is a Cycladic Figurine. It’s tiny. Could fit in your palm. These types of figurines were incredibly common, and they come from the islands of Greece around 3000 to 2000 BCE. Here, I can show you a picture of different types and sizes of these figurines.”
He gestures for you to give him his phone back, so you do, and then he types into it again and shows you an image: ]
(click: "you an image")+(t8n:'dissolve')[<img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/8880aca2c7db254685f04ef03cb6a3ee/b15fcf6301611e9b-a7/s1280x1920/4bdb5e22d81b2fe1fb27343d00448f5f1bbc2e8f.jpg" style="width:100%;max-width:896px">
“Tragically,” Ash continues, “about 90% of the known Cycladic figurines are without a context — no provenience or provenance, at least nothing that can help us learn anything meaningful about the figurine. And when we do know the context, the value of the object increases exponentially. Think about the Sotheby’s listing: its asking price is between $300,000 and $500,000, but it sold for over $1,000,000, largely because it had a known provenance!” ]
(click: "sold for over")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“Whoa,” you say. “That’s quite a difference in value. But even if we do know its provenance, what if it had been illegally dug up and smuggled out of Greece? Is it okay as long as that happened before the year of the 1970 Convention? That’s the cut-off date, right?”
“Yes,” Ash says. “Seems crazy, I know, but that’s the line that people are currently respecting. If something was acquired before 1970, even illegally, it’s considered okay to keep it; but after 1970, it’s not. Now, that line is pretty arbitrary, and awful in a lot of ways, but it’s a big improvement over how things used to be. Not long ago, a lot of museums would buy ancient artifacts if they had provenance saying they’d been sold as late as the 1990s. In comparison, that 1970 date doesn’t look so bad. Some museums, like the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, have been voluntarily sending artifacts acquired before 1970 back to source countries as well. Museums like this are especially diligent.”
“All this makes me feel like people just shouldn’t be buying ancient artifacts at all.” ]
(click: "buying ancient artifacts")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“I have to agree,” says Ash. “If no one bought them, then the //tombaroli// would stop digging them up because they’d never get paid for their work. But I think we’ve got a ways to go before that happens. Until then, we’ll take things one step at a time.”
“Yeah, but how do we do that?”
He shrugs. “Do you know anybody at Facebook you can talk to about shutting down the sale of antiquities on their site?”
“Nope,” you say.
“Do you know anyone who buys ancient artifacts? If you do, you could try to convince them to stop.”
“I don’t,” you say.
“How ’bout //tombaroli//?” Ash says with a joking smile. “You meet any of them this summer?”
After dinner, [[you return to your room.]] ]
(set: $progress to 8)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]You go back to your room. You’re tired after the long, trying day, and you plan on going to bed early. But you give your email a quick check before turning off the light, and there’s a message from Professor Moro with the word “Update” in the subject line. You open it quickly, hoping for some good news. Maybe the Carabinieri have a lead on your mosaic and the other artifacts that were taken from the dig site?
The first half of the email looks like it was cut and pasted from a group email to everyone working on the dig; it gives a few details about the process of filing a report, but if the Carabinieri have any leads, Professor Moro doesn’t mention them.
The second half of the email is definitely written to you personally:
(click: "to you personally")+(t8n:'dissolve')[<iframe src="https://gauchocast.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Embed.aspx?id=a2fa6a37-7d84-4fc3-b242-afba014c9ec2&autoplay=true&offerviewer=false&showtitle=false&showbrand=false&captions=false&interactivity=none" height="0" width="0" style="border: 1px solid #464646;" allowfullscreen allow="autoplay"></iframe>(t8n: "dissolve")+(t8n-delay:1s)[<img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/430938066045d9bcfbe682c86657b821/0e6f4ba117f7a05d-6d/s1280x1920/604a11c9b9ab2a68807d5247bc9b3ddd12e9c633.pnj" style="width:100%;max-width:1024px">]
//Click here to expand the email text for more accessible reading//
(click: "Click here to expand the email text for more accessible reading")[
''Update''
Hello all,
The report of what happened at the site has been filed with the appropriate authorities. As per the dig agreement, basic contact information of everyone that was present have been also given to the Carabinieri. I do not expect anyone to be contacted as this is mostly a formality, and they will come to me first if anyone needs to be contacted for additional information. Since we have already given them most of this context, I am only relaying this so everyone is aware.
(text-colour:black)+(bg:yellow)[''Specifically for you''], on another note, Dr. Forza, the soprintendente, asked me to relay a message. She says that just before the two of you met at Centrale Montemartini, she believes she saw you in the company of a woman named Federica Massi, who is a graduate student at La Sapienza University. Dr. Forza wanted me to ask you if you are indeed acquainted with Federica, and if you may have inadvertently given her information regarding the excavation.
Dr. Forza’s concern is based on charges that were brought by the Carabinieri against Federica and her brother, Dario Massi, four years ago. It’s important to note that the charges were later dropped for lack of evidence. I don’t know all the details, but according to Dr. Forza, Federica’s family-owned land close to Veii (just north of Rome) where they grew grapes on top of several Etruscan tombs. Many of these tombs were broken into by tombaroli while the family was living there. Dr. Forza suggested to me that if Federica, as an advanced graduate student, is suspected of being involved with the tombaroli, this could put her doctoral degree in jeopardy on ethical grounds. Criminal charges could, of course, follow as well.
On a personal note, even if you know Federica and have spoken to her about our excavation, I’m very wary of casting suspicion on any person without proof. I felt obliged to pass on Dr. Forza’s message to you, but I’ll support whatever decision you make as to what you would like to reveal to Dr. Forza in terms of any relationship you may or may not have with Federica Massi.
Having said that, if there’s a way that we might retrieve some or all of our artifacts and thus lessen the heartbreaking damage to our excavation, that, of course, would be very welcome.
Best,
Valeria ]
You flop down on the bed and close your eyes, pondering what to do. You’re not tired anymore after reading the email, and it’s still early — only 8:00 PM, which is the time that most restaurants in Rome open. You sit up and text Fede, asking if she can meet for dinner.
She responds a few minutes later, saying she’s at Claudio’s restaurant and asking if you’d like to meet her there. You rush to get dressed for dinner and catch the bus into the city. About an hour later, you’re jumping off the bus and running through Campo de’ Fiori, which is crowded with people eating and drinking at tables outside restaurants and bars.
You wind quickly through the streets surrounding the Campo, and before you know it, you’re walking through the front door of [[Claudio's bustling restaurant.]] ]
(set: $progress to 9)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]Once inside the restaurant, you begin looking for Fede. She’s not in the main dining room, so you walk toward the office with the various different antiquities — or reproductions, as Claudio called them on your first visit to the restaurant. You think of all the boxes that lined the walls of the office and wonder: were they really filled with wine and olive oil, or something else?
When you get to the door of the office, you see that it is closed. You don’t hear voices inside.
You decide to
[[knock.]]
[[open the door.]]
[[look downstairs in the basement dining rooms.|downstairs look]]
(set: $progress to 10)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]You knock, but no one answers. You decide to
[[open the door.]]
[[look downstairs in the basement dining rooms.|downstairs look]]
(set: $progress to 11)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]You put your hand on the doorknob and try to turn it, but it’s firmly locked. As you begin to withdraw your hand, a deep voice behind you says, “What you do here?” You turn and see Claudio staring down at you, frowning.
You reply:
[["I'm looking for Fede."]]
[["Can I see your office? I had a question about one of your beautiful reproductions."|beautiful reproductions]]
[["Did you steal our mosaic?"|mosaic]]
(set: $progress to 11)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]You walk back through the restaurant toward the stairs. As you descend the circular marble staircase, you wonder what you should say to Fede when you see her. What if she had nothing to do with the //tombaroli// raiding your site? Then again, you think, there’s quite a coincidence in timing, since the //tombaroli// came right after you gave her the tour. Still, you suspect that’s not the kind of evidence that would stand up in court.
Coming out of the stairway, you see Fede wave to you from the same table you sat at for your last meal there, in front of the niche with the anatomical terracotta votives. You sit down and exchange greetings, and then you reach for the menu and say, “The dig site was raided by //tombaroli// last night.”
Fede looks up, wide-eyed. “What?”
(click: "wide-eyed")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“They likely stole coins, votives, pieces of frescoes, statues, reliefs, and that beautiful mosaic I showed you. They also dug holes all over the site, severely damaging the contexts in our trenches and other areas around the site — so much that what we might have learned is gone forever!”
She stares at you. “This is terrible news,” she says, shaking her head. “The //tombaroli// make a horrific mess when they are hurried. But perhaps the holes they dug will help you to find artifacts you otherwise may have missed? Some of the //tombaroli// are skilled, in their own way.”
“You sound like you know a lot about them,” you say.
[[“Are you one of them?”|one of]]
[[“Do you know anyone who could help us recover our artifacts?”|help us]] ]
(set: $progress to 13)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]“I’m looking for Fede,” you say, “and I thought she might be in your office.”
He looks at you suspiciously for a moment, then nods curtly. “Fede, she is down //la scala// — the stair.”
“Thanks,” you say, as coolly as you can. “I’ll look for her there.” You pass him, heading for the stairs that lead to [[the basement dining rooms.|downstairs look]]
(set: $progress to 12)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]“I was hoping to have another look at the beautiful artifacts you have in your office,” you say, trying your best to sound innocent.
“No,” Claudio says sharply. “This place is //privato//. Not for you.”
“Oh, that’s too bad,” you say. “In that case, do you know where Fede is? I was supposed to meet her here.”
“Fede, she is down //la scala// — the stair.”
“Thanks,” you say, as coolly as you can. “I’ll look for her there.” You pass him, heading for the stairs that lead to [[the basement dining rooms.|downstairs look]]
(set: $progress to 12)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]“Did you steal our mosaic?” you ask straightforwardly.
Claudio raises his eyebrows. “I do not understand.”
“I think you do,” you say.
Claudio frowns and points to his office door. “This is //privato//. Not for you.”
“Sure,” you say. “Do you know where Fede is? I was supposed to meet her here.”
“Fede, she is down //la scala// — the stair.”
“Thanks,” you say, as coolly as you can. “I’ll look for her there.” You pass him, heading for the stairs that lead to [[the basement dining rooms.|downstairs look]]
(set: $progress to 12)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]“Are you one of them?”
“A //tombarolo//?” Fede asks.
“Yes, and maybe a forger, too?” you say, pointing to the anatomical votives in the wall behind her.
<img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/b0699740832e91ece5445a44bcb0d100/0ca6a980f5fcb7ca-ac/s640x960/4967a194c34b4545ac8bbe3e76e67a90f151e96a.png" style="width:100%;max-width:896px">
Fede takes in a short breath. “How could you say such a thing?”
(click: "you say such a thing")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“The raid came the day after I showed you the site,” you respond. “And I heard from a reputable source that you were charged by the Carabinieri for working with the //tombaroli// a few years back... digging up tombs on your old vineyard. I’m just putting two and two together.”
“Who told you this?” Fede says, her eyes flashing with anger.
“Is it true?” you ask.
“That was...” Fede’s voice sounds anguished. “Those were false accusations which were later withdrawn.” ]
(click: "false accusations which were later withdrawn")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“So the charges didn’t stick. But did you dig up tombs in your vineyard with the //tombaroli//? And are you working with them now to dig things up at excavations like mine?”
“The tombs were on our land,” Fede says. “//Our// land! And if I did cooperate with the //tombaroli//, it would have been out of desperation, solely to gain money enough to pay for an expensive treatment in Switzerland.”
“I’m very sorry about your brother,” you say.
[[“But that doesn’t justify the destruction of archaeological sites and the sale of artifacts on the black market.”|not justified]]
[[“We need to get our artifacts back. Can you help us?”|really help us]] ]
(set: $progress to 14)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]“Can you, or someone you know, help us get our artifacts back?”
“I am very sorry, but I simply cannot,” Fede says.
“But don’t you know any //tombaroli//? I heard from a reputable source that you were charged by the Carabinieri for working with the //tombaroli// a few years back to dig up tombs on your old vineyard. I’m not saying any of this to hurt you, but I have a responsibility to my excavation colleagues to do everything I can to repair the damage the //tombaroli// did to our site.”
(click: "the damage")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“Who told you this, about me and the //tombaroli//?” Fede asks, her eyes flashing with anger.
“Please, Fede, don’t be angry with me for asking. I’m in a difficult position, and I need to know if it’s true that you have a connection with the //tombaroli//.”
“On the vineyard, that was...” Fede’s voice sounds anguished. “Those were false accusations which were later withdrawn.” ]
(click: "false accusations which were later withdrawn")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“But did you dig up tombs in your vineyard with the //tombaroli//? If you did, maybe you had your reasons, important ones. But if you’re working with the //tombaroli// now to dig things up at excavations like mine, that affects me and people and issues that I care about very much.”
“The tombs were on our land,” Fede says. “//Our// land! And if I did cooperate with the //tombaroli//, it would have been out of desperation, solely to gain money enough to pay for an expensive treatment in Switzerland.”
“I’m very sorry about your brother,” you say.
[[“But that doesn’t justify the destruction of archaeological sites and the sale of artifacts on the black market.”|not justified]]
[[“We really need to get our artifacts back. Can you help us?”|really help us]] ]
(set: $progress to 14)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]“I understand wanting to help your brother,” you say, “but that doesn’t justify destroying sites and selling ancient artifacts on the black market.”
“I did not do that,” Fede says cautiously. “I only said that I would have dug on my own land in order to help my family.”
“What does that mean?” you say. “Have you done it since — are you doing it now? — in order to help your dad? There must be terrible financial strain...”
(click: "help your dad")+(t8n:'dissolve')[Fede’s mouth tightens. Just then, a waiter approaches your table, smiling. “//Buona sera—//”
Fede cuts him off. “//Un attimo, per favore//.”
The man nods. “//Va bene//,” he says, turning away and going over to check on another table.
“I cannot help you in this,” Fede says firmly.
[[“I understand how difficult this must be for you, Fede, but please, I need your help!”|understand plea]]
[[“If I tell Dr. Forza that you knew about the excavation, she will destroy your academic career and possibly put you in jail.”|destroy jail]] ]
(set: $progress to 15)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]
“I know this must be hard for you, Fede, but I really need your help, please.”
Fede’s face seems to soften somewhat. “I am truly sorry your excavation was damaged and your artifacts taken.”
“Thank you,” you say graciously. “And I should also tell you that Dr. Forza, the soprintendente, has been asking about you.”
Fede looks alarmed. “Dr. Forza?”
You nod. “She saw us together at Centrale Montemartini. She’s put me in a difficult position. She wants to know if I told you anything about the excavation.”
(click: "the excavation")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“What have you told her?” Fede asks nervously.
“Nothing so far. But I have to tell her something. And if I lie, I could get in trouble for that. So could my advisor — I think, anyway. We might even lose our permit to dig... I don’t know.”
Fede stares at you for a moment, thinking. Then she abruptly gets up. “I will return in a moment.”
You look through the menu as you wait, but you’re not sure you really want anything. You just want to resolve the situation you’re in. ]
(click: "resolve the situation")+(t8n:'dissolve')[Some minutes later, Fede arrives back at the table and sits down. Her face is flushed, her eyes are moist, and her voice is shaky. “I am confident that you will find most, if not all, of the artifacts at the excavation site tomorrow morning.”
“Most?” you say.
“It may be impossible for all to be returned. And some could be... altered. For this I am dreadfully sorry. It is everything I can do. I promise the truth of this, on the soul of my brother.”
[[“But we need all of them back, just as they were! It’s bad enough that we’ll never get the context back.”|as they were]]
[[“Sounds like you’ve done everything humanly possible. We have a deal. And I have one more thing to ask of you.”|deal]] ]
(set: $progress to 16)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]
“If I tell Dr. Forza that you knew about the excavation, she will destroy your academic career and possibly put you in jail,” you say.
Fede looks alarmed. “Dr. Forza?”
You nod. “She saw us together at Centrale Montemartini. She’s put me in a difficult position. She wants to know if I told you anything about the excavation.”
(click: "the excavation.")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“What have you told her?” Fede asks nervously.
“Nothing so far. But I have to tell her something. And if I lie, I could get in trouble for that. So could my advisor — I think, anyway. We might even lose our permit to dig... I don’t know.”
Fede stares at you for a moment, thinking. Then she abruptly gets up. “I will return in a moment.”
You look through the menu as you wait, but you’re not sure you really want anything. You just want to resolve the situation you’re in. ]
(click: "resolve the situation")+(t8n:'dissolve')[Some minutes later, Fede arrives back at the table and sits down. Her face is flushed, her eyes are moist, and her voice is shaky. “I am confident that you will find most, if not all, of the artifacts at the excavation site tomorrow morning.”
“Most?” you say.
“It may be impossible for all to be returned. And some could be... altered. For this I am dreadfully sorry. It is everything I can do. I promise the truth of this, on the soul of my brother.”
[[“But we need all of them back, just as they were! It’s bad enough that we’ll never get the context back.”|as they were]]
[[“Sounds like you’ve done everything humanly possible. We have a deal. And I have one more thing to ask of you.”|deal]] ]
(set: $progress to 16)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]
“But we need them all back, with no alterations, no nothing. Just as they were!” you shout. “It’s bad enough we’ll never get the context back, and everything we could learn from that!”
A few people at surrounding tables turn to look at you. Fede answers calmly, and a little sadly, “I cannot do the impossible.”
[[“If that’s your position,” you say, “then I have to tell Dr. Forza about your involvement, which could destroy your career and put you in jail.”|destroy jail 3]]
[[“Fine. I’ll keep your secret from Dr. Forza. But there is one other thing I need from you.”|deal]]
(set: $progress to 16)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]“What else must I do?” Fede asks. You can see the fear in her eyes.
“You must swear never to work with the //tombaroli// again.”
“But I am not working with them now,” she says carefully.
“Then it should be easy,” you say. “Swear it.”
(click: "Swear it")+(t8n:'dissolve')[Fede does this convincingly. You leave the restaurant shortly after that, and as you ride the bus back to Casavenere, you can’t help wondering if you can truly trust that she’ll keep her word.
There is also the matter of answering Dr. Forza. It’s a complex and difficult decision, with no easy answer. You decide to wait to see if Fede has kept at least part of her side of the bargain.
Before going to sleep, you text the other trench leaders not to patrol the site that night — if the //tombaroli// come to return the artifacts they stole, you don’t want anyone else there to scare them away. After much back and forth, the other leaders agree to your plan, and you lie down on your bed, drifting off into a fitful sleep.
You wake up with a start the next morning, dress hurriedly, and rush out to [[the dig site.]] ]
(set: $progress to 17)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]You’re the first to arrive at the site, just as the sun is rising, and you see, with a mixture of delight and sorrow, that most of the artifacts have indeed been returned. Some are in the trenches, and some are wrapped in newspaper and packed into old wine boxes.
The Venus mosaic once again rests on the floor of your trench, but it has been cut into several pieces, each perfectly sized to be framed and adorn someone’s living room wall.
(click: "perfectly sized to be framed")+(t8n:'dissolve')[<img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/604dcc2d991380ffdaa1d4bbe5c9446e/31072cc98e5718f9-d1/s1280x1920/53f2e9cd0c91b5a1debae60cd24e978c12a7dacd.jpg" style="width:100%;max-width:896px">
Fede has kept her word so far, but you’re feeling conflicted, and there’s still the matter of answering Dr. Forza’s questions. As you unpack more items, finding some in excellent shape but others intentionally broken — perhaps because they’re easier to smuggle or sell that way — you carefully consider your response to Dr. Forza. You think of the importance of preserving dig sites, knowledge, and artifacts; you think, too, about your promise to Fede and what could happen to her, as well as to her father.
You realize there is no easy answer. In the end, you decide to
[[tell Dr. Forza that you showed Fede the dig site the night before the //tombaroli// raided.|tell Forza]]
[[tell Dr. Forza that, unfortunately, you don’t have any helpful information for her.|no tell Forza]] ]
(set: $progress to 18)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]
You decide to tell Dr. Forza all about Fede, knowing that this is the only way to be sure she won’t help the //tombaroli// to raid more archaeological sites in the future. You feel a little bad about it, but you believe it’s necessary.
You then decide to
[[tell the Carabinieri that Claudio is likely storing looted ancient artifacts in his restaurant near Campo de’ Fiori.|Claudio tell]]
[[finish your last week of the dig in peace.|last week peace]]
(set: $progress to 19)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]You decide to tell Dr. Forza that you simply don’t have any useful information for her. Although it’s impossible to know for sure what Fede will do in the future, you decide to trust her.
A thought then occurs to you. You remember from one of the readings that the //tombaroli// and their middlemen are usually caught through anonymous tips. Of course, if you do this, it might hurt Fede, or have other unintended consequences.
You decide to
[[give the Carabinieri an anonymous tip that Claudio is likely storing looted ancient artifacts in his restaurant near Campo de’ Fiori.|Claudio tell 2]]
[[finish your last week of the dig in peace.|last week peace]]
(set: $progress to 19)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]You also make sure that Dr. Forza knows about Claudio, who you think may be the middleman, or //ricettatore//, and who is likely storing looted antiquities in his restaurant. You hope that this doesn’t get Fede into too much trouble, but you think the recovery of looted artifacts is worth the risk, and it should prevent Claudio from getting involved in any future looting.
You turn your attention back to your own trench, which you and your small team continue to excavate for the remainder of the week. Your work reveals a few minor artifacts, but nothing as dramatic as the mosaic, which Dr. Forza has taken to an expert conservator who, she says, will lovingly treat and research it.
(click: "the mosaic")+(t8n:'dissolve')[Dr. Forza also provides you and your colleagues with the old Italian excavation journals from the digs that went on in Casavenere from 1966 to 1974. These constitute a pile of old files and loose pages, roughly bundled together. When Rosario he sees them, he sighs and remarks that some archaeologists during that period had questionable documentation practices. He kindly offers to help you go through them in search of information that might help you understand more about the Getty statue. You find nothing in what appear to be the main journals themselves, unfortunately — possibly because several are in poor condition and others seem incomplete and unorganized.
Just when you’re beginning to lose hope, Rosario finds a collection of loose papers in the bundle marked //artefatti persi//, which he tells you translates to “Lost Artifacts.”]
(click: "Lost Artifacts")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“What does that mean?” you ask. “That these were artifacts that were dug up by the team and then stolen?”
Rosario smiles. “Perhaps stolen. Perhaps misplaced.”
“You think the //tombaroli// were involved?”
Rosario shrugs. He sifts through the loose yellow papers, several of which have pencil drawings of objects on them. A coin, an amphora, three relief fragments, what looks like a fragment of an elaborately designed fresco... and a statue of a sleeping boy.
“This looks a whole lot like my statue,” you say. “What do the words underneath the drawing say?” ]
(click: "like my statue")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“Eh... it say //statua di un ragazzo addormentato//. The statue of the boy who sleep.”
“Is there any way we can find a date? Did they dig it up in 1966? Or ’74?”
Rosario shakes his head. “No date. The person who do this, he put all the //artefatti persi// for all the years of the dig in this one place.”
“So it could have been dug up during any of the years of the dig.”
“Sì,” he says, handing you the drawing. ]
(click: "handing you the drawing")+(t8n:'dissolve')[That night, you’re sitting at the tiny desk in your motel room. You’ve just read emails from all three of the members of your team — each of them asking in their own way for help understanding who the tombaroli are, and what the main issues are regarding the looting and sale of ancient artifacts. You’re all following each other on Instagram, so you decide that after you go back and revisit the three readings you got from Ash, the best way to teach the team about these issues would be to compose an Instagram post with at least one image. To stay within Instagram’s character count limit, you target between 200 and 300 words in length. You also want to be sure to take a firm stance in your argument, whatever it may be.]
(click: "compose an Instagram post")+(t8n:'dissolve')[//To download the writing assignment for Chapter 8, click on the “pop-out” button in the upper right corner of the document. That will open a new window, and from there you can read and/or download the assignment. //
<iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/14gta_H5xOyjf-9PFdA4kk6ThXScXXQvP/preview" style="width:100%;max-width:896px;height:672px"></iframe>]
(set: $progress to 20)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]
You turn your attention back to your own trench, which you and your small team continue to excavate for the remainder of the week. You work reveals a few minor artifacts, but nothing as dramatic as the mosaic, which Dr. Forza has taken to an expert conservator who, she says, will lovingly treat and research it.
(click: "the mosaic")+(t8n:'dissolve')[Dr. Forza also provides you and your colleagues with the old Italian excavation journals from the digs that went on in Casavenere from 1966 to 1974. These constitute a pile of old files and loose pages, roughly bundled together. When Rosario he sees them, he sighs and remarks that some archaeologists during that period had questionable documentation practices. He kindly offers to help you go through them in search of information that might help you understand more about the Getty statue. You find nothing in what appear to be the main journals themselves, unfortunately — possibly because several are in poor condition and others seem incomplete and unorganized.
Just when you’re beginning to lose hope, Rosario finds a collection of loose papers in the bundle marked //artefatti persi//, which he tells you translates to “Lost Artifacts.”]
(click: "Lost Artifacts")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“What does that mean?” you ask. “That these were artifacts that were dug up by the team and then stolen?”
Rosario smiles. “Perhaps stolen. Perhaps misplaced.”
“You think the //tombaroli// were involved?”
Rosario shrugs. He sifts through the loose yellow papers, several of which have pencil drawings of objects on them. A coin, an amphora, three relief fragments, what looks like a fragment of an elaborately designed fresco... and a statue of a sleeping boy.
“This looks a whole lot like my statue,” you say. “What do the words underneath the drawing say?” ]
(click: "like my statue")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“Eh... it say //statua di un ragazzo addormentato//. The statue of the boy who sleep.”
“Is there any way we can find a date? Did they dig it up in 1966? Or ’74?”
Rosario shakes his head. “No date. The person who do this, he put all the //artefatti persi// for all the years of the dig in this one place.”
“So it could have been dug up during any of the years of the dig.”
“Sì,” he says, handing you the drawing. ]
(click: "handing you the drawing")+(t8n:'dissolve')[That night, you’re sitting at the tiny desk in your motel room. You’ve just read emails from all three of the members of your team — each of them asking in their own way for help understanding who the tombaroli are, and what the main issues are regarding the looting and sale of ancient artifacts. You’re all following each other on Instagram, so you decide that after you go back and revisit the three readings you got from Ash, the best way to teach the team about these issues would be to compose an Instagram post with at least one image. To stay within Instagram’s character count limit, you target between 200 and 300 words in length. You also want to be sure to take a firm stance in your argument, whatever it may be.]
(click: "compose an Instagram post")+(t8n:'dissolve')[//To download the writing assignment for Chapter 8, click on the “pop-out” button in the upper right corner of the document. That will open a new window, and from there you can read and/or download the assignment. //
<iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/14gta_H5xOyjf-9PFdA4kk6ThXScXXQvP/preview" style="width:100%;max-width:896px;height:672px"></iframe>]
(set: $progress to 20)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]
“I understand wanting to help your brother,” you say, “and I also understand wanting to help your father. You must be under a terrible financial strain right now. And if someone offered you money that would allow you to help your dad, I can imagine that it would be hard to say no.”
(click: "help your dad")+(t8n:'dissolve')[Fede’s mouth tightens. Just then, a waiter approaches your table, smiling. “//Buona sera—//”
Fede cuts him off. “//Un attimo, per favore//.”
The man nods. “//Va bene//,” he says, turning away and going over to check on another table.
“I cannot help you in this,” Fede says firmly.
[[“I understand how difficult this must be for you, Fede, but please, I need your help!”|understand plea]]
[[“If I tell Dr. Forza that you knew about the excavation, she will destroy your academic career and possibly put you in jail.”|destroy jail]] ]
(set: $progress to 15)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]“If that’s your position,” you say, “then I have to tell Dr. Forza about your involvement, which could destroy your career and put you in jail.”
“You demand the impossible,” Fede says.
“I only ask for what’s right. What’s fair.”
“There is some damage which cannot be undone,” Fede says sadly. “But I will try again.”
“You have to get everything back in good shape,” you say. “And that’s not all: you have to swear not to work with the //tombaroli//.”
“But — but I am not working with them.” she says carefully.
“Then it should be easy,” you say. “Swear it.”
(click: "Swear it")+(t8n:'dissolve')[Fede does this convincingly. You leave the restaurant shortly after that, and as you ride the bus back to Casavenere, you can’t help wondering if you can truly trust that she’ll keep her word.
There is also the matter of answering Dr. Forza. It’s a complex and difficult decision, with no easy answer. You decide to wait to see if Fede has kept at least part of her side of the bargain.
Before going to sleep, you text the other trench leaders not to patrol the site that night — if the //tombaroli// come to return the artifacts they stole, you don’t want anyone else there to scare them away. After much back and forth, the other leaders agree to your plan, and you lie down on your bed, drifting off into a fitful sleep.
You wake up with a start the next morning, dress hurriedly, and rush out to [[the dig site.]] ]
(set: $progress to 17)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]
Because you’re unsure about your Italian language skills, you ask Rosario to help you give the Carabinieri an anonymous tip, which he agrees to do. The tip identifies Claudio as a middleman, or //ricettatore//, who is involved in acquiring and selling stolen ancient artifacts, several of which might be stored in his restaurant. You hope this tip doesn’t get Fede into too much trouble, but you think the recovery of looted artifacts is worth the risk, and it should prevent Claudio from getting involved in any future looting.
You then turn your attention back to your own trench, which you and your small team continue to excavate for the remainder of the week. You work reveals a few minor artifacts, but nothing as dramatic as the mosaic, which Dr. Forza has taken to an expert conservator who, she says, will lovingly treat and research it.
(click: "the mosaic")+(t8n:'dissolve')[Dr. Forza also provides you and your colleagues with the old Italian excavation journals from the digs that went on in Casavenere from 1966 to 1974. These constitute a pile of old files and loose pages, roughly bundled together. When Rosario he sees them, he sighs and remarks that some archaeologists during that period had questionable documentation practices. He kindly offers to help you go through them in search of information that might help you understand more about the Getty statue. You find nothing in what appear to be the main journals themselves, unfortunately — possibly because several are in poor condition and others seem incomplete and unorganized.
Just when you’re beginning to lose hope, Rosario finds a collection of loose papers in the bundle marked //artefatti persi//, which he tells you translates to “Lost Artifacts.”]
(click: "Lost Artifacts")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“What does that mean?” you ask. “That these were artifacts that were dug up by the team and then stolen?”
Rosario smiles. “Perhaps stolen. Perhaps misplaced.”
“You think the //tombaroli// were involved?”
Rosario shrugs. He sifts through the loose yellow papers, several of which have pencil drawings of objects on them. A coin, an amphora, three relief fragments, what looks like a fragment of an elaborately designed fresco... and a statue of a sleeping boy.
“This looks a whole lot like my statue,” you say. “What do the words underneath the drawing say?” ]
(click: "like my statue")+(t8n:'dissolve')[“Eh... it say //statua di un ragazzo addormentato//. The statue of the boy who sleep.”
“Is there any way we can find a date? Did they dig it up in 1966? Or ’74?”
Rosario shakes his head. “No date. The person who do this, he put all the //artefatti persi// for all the years of the dig in this one place.”
“So it could have been dug up during any of the years of the dig.”
“Sì,” he says, handing you the drawing. ]
(click: "handing you the drawing")+(t8n:'dissolve')[That night, you’re sitting at the tiny desk in your motel room. You’ve just read emails from all three of the members of your team — each of them asking in their own way for help understanding who the tombaroli are, and what the main issues are regarding the looting and sale of ancient artifacts. You’re all following each other on Instagram, so you decide that after you go back and revisit the three readings you got from Ash, the best way to teach the team about these issues would be to compose an Instagram post with at least one image. To stay within Instagram’s character count limit, you target between 200 and 300 words in length. You also want to be sure to take a firm stance in your argument, whatever it may be.]
(click: "compose an Instagram post")+(t8n:'dissolve')[//To download the writing assignment for Chapter 8, click on the “pop-out” button in the upper right corner of the document. That will open a new window, and from there you can read and/or download the assignment. //
<iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/14gta_H5xOyjf-9PFdA4kk6ThXScXXQvP/preview" style="width:100%;max-width:896px;height:672px"></iframe>]
(set: $progress to 20)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')](set: $progress to 1)
(float-box: "x====", "Y====")+(css: "font-size: 60%;")[Progress
(print: '<progress value="' + (text: $progress) + '" max="20"></progress>')]