The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently held a conference that showcased new technologies for excavating ships in deep water—whether ancient Phoenician merchantmen or modern vessels like the Titanic, which lies on the ocean floor 2½ miles below the surface.
If scientists can do it, looters are not far behind. In ordinary terrestrial archaeology, the interest of the looters differs from that of the academics, and a conflict has developed between the parties. In underwater archaeology, the looters are called “salvors,” except many salvors are not exactly looters. At times they control well-organized, multi-million dollar operations that have governmental approval—and they maintain that their work is just as scientific, and as much in the public interest, as the work of academic excavators.
The MIT conference was mostly stacked against the salvors. Perverse character that I am, I would have liked to hear from them. I may reject what they say, but I’d at least like to hear it. Listening to these anti-salvor talks, moreover, I got the feeling that there ought to be more joint ventures—or at least conversations—between academics and salvors.
Robert Grenier, chief underwater archaeologist with the Canadian park service, said the problem stemmed from “greed and money.” Well, if the solution lies in eliminating greed and money, the problem isn’t going to be solved. That’s for sure. Even Grenier, who has little sympathy for the salvors, conceded that if a wreck lies in water between 4 and 8 feet deep, it is “not feasible to protect it.” If that’s the case, it would seem preferable to try to work out some deal with a salvor, especially if the academic community cannot raise enough money to excavate it themselves.
Ioannis Sapountzis of Tufts University had few—if any—good things to say about salvors, but he too grudgingly concluded that partnerships with salvors are sometimes justified.
John Broadwater, manager of the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, was the most forthright of the speakers. “We’ve got to sit down with the salvors,” he said, “and see if there’s some way to reach common ground.” He proposed that they reach “pragmatic agreements,” though he did not specify what principles should be embodied in such agreements.
Most of the speakers discussed international conventions, which, everyone seemed to agree, do not work. Robert Blumberg of the U.S. State Department said he spent three years leading the U.S. team that tried to negotiate a UNESCO convention on the subject; the title of his talk was “Convention for the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage—UNESCO’s Failed Effort.” The draft convention has little, if any, chance of being adopted and has no effective enforcement mechanism even were it to become law.
It would surely make more sense to develop a suitable plan for working with salvors when appropriate. When would it be appropriate? Whenever 062there is a significant chance that a site may be looted. Rather than have the site looted, wouldn’t it be better to make a detailed contractual agreement with a responsible salvor?
Such contracts would also provide funds for research. Grenier said the problem is that scientific excavation “doesn’t make a profit.” But sites that won’t make a profit are unlikely to be looted, and many sites do have an enormous potential for profit. Why shouldn’t some of those funds support scientific research?
Problems there will be. I don’t mean to minimize them. However, as this conference amply demonstrated, it is nearly impossible to control underwater looting through law or international convention. Why not harness market forces to reduce looting and support scientific research? It’s worth a shot.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently held a conference that showcased new technologies for excavating ships in deep water—whether ancient Phoenician merchantmen or modern vessels like the Titanic, which lies on the ocean floor 2½ miles below the surface. If scientists can do it, looters are not far behind. In ordinary terrestrial archaeology, the interest of the looters differs from that of the academics, and a conflict has developed between the parties. In underwater archaeology, the looters are called “salvors,” except many salvors are not exactly looters. At times they control well-organized, multi-million dollar operations that have governmental […]
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