The looting: the great enemy of archaeology

INTRODUCTION

Throughout our lives, we have probably heard from family members, friends, and acquaintances that they possess some Roman coins or pieces of pottery, or even collections of relics... What does this have to do with looting?

If we look up the meaning of looting in the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), we find it is the «action or omission that puts at risk loss or destruction of all or some of the values of the assets that make up Spain's historical heritage, or disrupts their social function.» Similarly, if we look at Article 4 of the Spanish Historical Heritage Law of 1985, it makes the same definition of looting, specifying that each autonomous community must take measures to prevent these illegal practices.

DISTINCTION BETWEEN ARCHAEOLOGY AND LOOTING

And what does this have to do with archaeology? We know that archaeology is the discipline that studies past societies through material remains that are preserved. If, unfortunately, these material remains are not handled by professionals, history is destroyed. In other words, the methodology used by archaeologists is designed to obtain as much information as possible, taking into account the context of all archaeological assets.

For archaeologists, looting hinders the study of sites in their entirety because manipulating these remains «extinguishes» the entire context in which they are found and thus the «life» they had in the past. The following image is a clear example of the difference between archaeology and looting:

TYPOLOGY OF ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES

After seeing the image, could you identify which illegal activities are linked to looting? To give you an idea, there are several types to highlight:

Use of metal detectors and illegal prospecting. These are the most reported activities in all Spanish autonomous communities. The use of metal detectors must be authorized at all times by the competent authorities and communicated to security forces, as it is a tool that allows locating archaeological remains among other uses¹. Also, prospecting requires administrative authorization and should be carried out by professionals. Source (LPHA, 2007)

¹To learn more about the authorization of metal detectors and other instruments, see Article 60 of Law 14/2007, dated November 26, on Historical Heritage in Andalusia.

Destruction of archaeological sites and archaeological remains. Through construction works mainly, as in many cases emergency and systematic archaeological interventions are not carried out. They generally occur in areas with high population density, urban spaces, and industrial zones.

Illegal buying and selling of archaeological objects, illicit trade in objects derived from looting. They are often found at collector auctions, on second-hand sale websites. If a person buys an object that comes from looting, they commit the same crime as the looter.

Obtaining archaeological remains (terrestrial or underwater), looting of underwater sites such as the famous Odyssey shipwreck case or the Cástulo site case (Jaén), one of the most looted sites in Andalusia.

Obtaining paleontological remains, which also form part of heritage and are evidence of past life on Earth based on fossil remains.

LOOTERS' TYPES

After observing the types of looting activities carried out in our country, we cannot forget about the people behind these illegal practices. Who are they and what is their purpose?(Guash Galindo, 2017: 8-11)

Occasional looters: They are usually «hobbyists» who carry out these practices to have a personal collection. They do not sell and if they are reported, they do not repeat the offense.

Professional looters: They are motivated by economic reasons and generally have resources (documentation, maps, bibliography) and more «sophisticated» tools to carry out illegal activities. They work in organized groups and know well the illicit trade of pieces on a small and large scale. They often have connections with intermediaries who buy these objects and with major collectors.

«Afficionado archaeologists» and local scholars: Their passion for local history leads them to carry out illegal acts outside the law. They portray themselves as «saviors of local culture» and unique knowers due to the «neglect» of administration. Sometimes, prestigious researchers contact them for access to local information, negatively affecting their local prestige.

Can you identify someone based on the characteristics of looters' types? If so, prevent these illegal practices and remember that heritage belongs to everyone. The Civil Guard, through SEPRONA, has been fighting against looting since 1988 and dismantles infractors as previously mentioned.

CONCLUSION

After seeing the difference between archaeology and looting, and the typological variety of looters and illegal activities, we can see the sense of this article's title. Looting is a great enemy for archaeology as it seriously affects sites and the entire set of archaeological finds that provide professionals, archaeologists, with numerous data and information about cultures or communities that lived in a specific space in the past. The decontextualization of pieces makes it impossible to «reconstruct» history.

Furthermore, it is important to educate people on heritage and make them understand there are no «amateur archaeologists». If we take other professions as an example, it doesn't make sense to say amateur doctor or amateur architect. Would you let a «hobbyist doctor» prescribe any type of medication or perform open-heart surgery on you? And would you leave your house plans in the hands of an «amateur architect»?

Archaeology is a profession and to this day, there still exists a romantic notion about archaeological finds. The «value» of pieces lies in their context and in the information provided by the set of pieces from a site.

Therefore, it's important to emphasize that a Roman coin has no value on someone's bookshelf. Decoratively speaking, it would be similar to a replicated piece made by an artisan, for example. So, let’s not rob our land of its identity because archaeological pieces have been in the same place for thousands of years; leave history reconstruction to professionals.

Protect Our History, Protect Heritage!