CPAC held a meeting on November 16th, 2011 regarding Bulgarian cultural property. One of the speakers arguing for import restrictions that include coins was Nathan Elkins an Assistant Professor of Art History (Greek and Roman art) at Baylor University. Wayne Sayles has recently made an interesting post regarding a private collection of biblical artifacts that have been extensively studied by Baylor professor Dr. Scott Carroll. As Wayne points out to follow the stringent guidelines that archaeologists have set for licit and ethical uses of cultural property the collection would need to have some of the world's most thorough documentation ever assembled. However, it appears more likely that so long as the access is useful for an academic then the rules need not apply. Personally I have no problem at all with scholarship based on private collections but in this case it does point out potential hypocrisy.
Perhaps this is a phenomena peculiar to Baylor. Prof. Elkins was not averse at all in dealing with coin collectors and dealers when doing research for his MA, researching articles , and working on his Ph.D. Elkins began his attack on most forms of collecting publicly with this piece. I urge the reader to notice the paragraph about collecting in Pliny; it is precisely the same question he asked as a student on Moneta-L. More importantly is the reference to Bulgarian coins and ebay, it is basically the same reference he makes in his statements to CPAC four years later. I will discuss the validity of waving around print outs from ebay shortly.
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I am sorry, but it is not very clear here what PRECISELY you are accusing Baylor's Dr Carroll of "hypocrisy" over, and the nature of the problems you perceive in him working with material from the collection of Steve Green. Are you suggesting that there are objects of questionable provenance in that collection? If so, on what grounds?
ReplyDeleteShould Dr Carroll fear for his job now both you and Wayne Sayles have framed some vague accusations concerning him and the Green Collection?
The question of provenance in that collection can be made on the same grounds that certain archaeologists use to question the provenance of ancient coins. Is there in fact provenance for every item in that collection? It would seem to be a hard task to keep that much documentation.
ReplyDeleteWell, you have not answered my question, what PRECISELY you are accusing Baylor's Dr Carroll of "hypocrisy" and "double standards" over?
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know, the Green Collection is mostly of printed books and modern manuscripts. As a collector of dugup artefacts you say that it "seems" to you that there may be problems with provenance of the material in the collection, but you have not ascertained that. Instead you use your assumption as the basis for accusing Dr Carroll and his university of "double standards". Why?
Have you heard of satire? Combine that with the assumptions you make about licit coins in the US marketplace and you will have your answer
DeleteNo, this is not "satire". You are making rather bold accusations about Dr Carroll, and the question I asked deserves either an answer or a retraction.
ReplyDeleteDon't change the topic, what I regard as licit business practice has no relation whatsoever to whatever you are accusing Dr Carroll of.
Now, what is it you accuse him of doing that involves his "double standards"?
I will answer you more thoroughly in a new post, please comments on that one after you read it.
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