Will a Syrian victory at a posh London auction house accelerate Global Cultural Protections?
by Franklin Lamb | National Museum, Damascus
April 10, 2014
Over the past three years not many victories in Syria have been witnessed by this observer. Indeed some developments
have even brought to mind Plutarch’s description of the Greek King Pyrrhus’ defeat of the Roman legions some while back. But an achievement by the Syrian government and its people on 4/3/14 in an auction
house in London is neither Pyrrhic, nor of the 'Another such victory and I am undone’ variety.
The case involves an ancient black basalt stele (a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected as a monument, very often for funerary or
commemorative purposes). The artifact is of the Assyrian king Adad-Nerari III, who ruled Syria 2,800 years ago. With a
weight of 830 kg, it measures 137.5 cm high, by 75 cm wide by 27 cm in depth. Many Syrian and international antiquities
specialists believe it was stolen from Syria in 2000 after standing for nearly three thousand years in the temple of the
god Sulmanu, in the ancient city of Dur Katlimmu, now known as Tell Sheikh Hamad. The tell is situated near the historic
Khabour River between Hasaka and Deir al-Zour in eastern Syria, not far from Palmyra which this observer has visited
recently.
Recently the object appeared in the possession of the British auction house, Bonhoms, a development that caused angst
among archeologists in Syria and internationally. Exactly what happened next is a bit unclear, but the legal/political
case was encapsulated in an urgent letter addressed to Dr. Maamooun Abkulkarem, the indefatigable Director-General of
Antiquities and Museums (DGAM) in Syria’s Ministry of Culture, from a correspondent in Berlin. The letter arrived at
DGAM on March 23, 2014.
“Dear Dr. Maamoun,
In the attachment I send you documentation on the stele of Tell Sheikh Hamad which is being offered for sale at Bonhams
Auction house in London for April 3, 2014. According to my information UNESCO has already informed your government about
this case. The only way to prohibit it from being sold is that your government responds to UNESCO, addresses Interpol,
and request an investigation by the London police.
May I urge you Sir to inform your government quickly and act respectively before April 3!
Please note also this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVucfdFWTdc
Yours sincerely,”
(Privacy of signer respected)
Dr. Maamoun and his dedicated Syrian nationalist team have been working nonstop (and some without pay for more than two
years) to preserve, protect and plan for reconstruction of Syria’s, and by extension the world’s, cultural heritage.
They and others are committed to stopping archeological theft, a phenomenon which has become more rampant since the
current crisis erupted. The thefts have not been restricted solely to the rebel-held north or other areas not always
under government control; they have also been a problem near Syria’s borders with Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon, and to a
lesser extent Iraq, and in some cases, stolen treasures have also been smuggled out of Syria by aircraft.
Despite these crimes, the past few weeks have seen commendable cooperation between Lebanon and Syria leading to hundreds
of Syrian antiquities being returned to Syria. On Syrian and Lebanese roads these days, soldiers at the frequent
checkpoints not only look for explosives, wanted persons, and weapons, but they have orders at Syrian-Lebanon borders to
search for more than 4000 stolen Syrian antiquities. A few hundred objects were returned to Syria this past year, and
some are back on display in the garden of the National Museum in Damascus, where this observer photographed them.
Unfortunately there has been little, if any, help in stopping the flow of stolen Syrian antiquities into Jordan or
Turkey, whose governments reportedly continue to turn a blind eye, ignoring their international obligations for reasons
of politics and profit. In the case of Jordan, it has been widely alleged that King Abdullah’s government is condoning
shipments of stolen Syrian artifacts, via Israeli drug and antiquities mafia operations. These international criminal
enterprises then forward the global cultural treasures from Israeli ports and Tel Aviv airport to lucrative
international markets—museums, auction houses, or private collectors in New York, London, Switzerland, Germany, Spain
and elsewhere. With respect to Turkey, much of the 500 mile border is open to excavation teams sent in to strip Syria of
her archeological treasures, again with widespread charges of Turkish government involvement.
The lower part of the stele of Adad-Nerari III is now at Bonhams auction house, where it was scheduled to be sold on
4/3/14, though initially the artifact came to public notice in 2000 at Christie's auction house. The two houses are
often competitors, but increasingly have become collaborators, as they witness a flood of stolen Syrian antiquities
available to them and their clients. They and other auction houses, museums and dealers sometimes employ means to
deceive prospective private purchasers, other museums, governments, and police agencies. One tactic is to obfuscate
provenance and source of the particular Syrian antiquity.
The evidence for the date of removal from Syria of the stele of Adad-Nerari III is not flimsy. The report of 19th
century archaeologist Hormuzd Rassam admits that he was not able to find it during his investigations in 1879. He
reported that the upper part, which he sent to the British Museum, had been removed by local villagers from the area of
a “venerated grave on top of the mound,” so that its pagan presence would not defile the grave. Rassam, quite correctly
as it turned out, believed that the lower part of the King’s statue was still buried on top of the mound near the grave
but the gentleman died before he could return to excavate it.
Both Bonhams and Christies sale notices state that the lower part of the stele was in the possession of the seller's
father by the 1960's. This was a patently false representation by both houses.
For the 2014 Bonham's sale, provenance is listed as "Private collection, Geneva, Switzerland, given as a gift from
father to son in the 1960s." This is also false, and neither auction house provided any documentation for the ownership
history. In point of fact, the stele is not mentioned in any publication prior to its listing by Christies in 2000. The complete
publication, by A. K. Grayson, of the royal inscriptions of King Adad-Nerari III appeared in 1996, and all Grayson does
is list the upper (British Museum) part of the stele. He makes no mention of the lower part. Publications in this series
include every known inscription of each Syrian king.
This observer submits that if any scholar had seen the stele prior to 1996, it would have been listed in the 1996
publication. Furthermore, it is extremely unlikely that an inscription of this importance would not have become known to
scholars, since it is well known even among the general public that owners of inscribed monuments, especially ones of
this value and size, quite naturally seek scholarly opinions about their property.
Moreover, probative and material evidence in found in a report from the current director of excavations at Tell Sheikh
Hamad, Prof. Dr. Hartmut Kühne, of the Freie Universität, Berlin. Dr. Huhne has directed survey and excavations at the
site of Tell Sheikh Hamad in cooperation with DGAM since 1978. According to the professor, his is the only excavation at
this site that has been authorized by the Syrian government. On 25 September 1999, Prof. Kühne sent a report to DGAM
stating that some unknown person excavated illegally on top of the mound, near the venerated grave, during the night of
14 September 1999. Prof. Kühne provided photos of the looter excavations and he opined that the looter pit is just large
enough to have contained the lower part of the stele. Prof. Kühne notes that the German mission was not excavating on
the mound in 1999, and in fact had not worked there since 1988.
Last but not least, the location of the 1999 looter pits on top of the mound is precisely where Rassam, back in the 19th
century, wrote that the lower part was buried. The first announcement of the existence of the stele, as noted above, was
at the 2000 Christie's sale—less than a year after the reported looting incident at Tell Sheikh Hamad!
This observer submits that there is adequate Syrian law and international law and British law on the books, if applied,
to makes things a bit tough legally for the auction houses of Bonhom and Christie and many others. Their lawyers
apparently agree. It’s as though the Assyrian King might yet exact some sort of revenge on them from his grave. Or
wherever the gentleman might be these days given local lore from the Tell Sheikh Hamad area.
Public awareness was raised with respect to this archeological criminal case by the people and government of Syria and
others, and an international campaign mobilizing public opinion has ensued. The Directorate General of Antiquities and
Museums (DGAM) of the Syrian Ministry of Culture urged their colleagues at the Syrian Ministry of Interior, the Syrian
Department of Criminal Security, and Interpol to “work to stop the sale of the piece and return it to Syria.” As
reported by Nadine Kaanan, the Saade Institute created a video entitled “Stop the theft and sale of Syrian antiquities,” in which it urges that “all necessary legal measures be taken to return this important monument to Syria when security
conditions permit.” The institute said it had decided to raise its voice to “preserve our countries’ artifacts and the
story of human history, and also out of respect for the laws of the United Nations and for the sake of Lebanon, Syria
and Iraq.”
Long story made short, King Adad-Nerari III’s rare stele, prominently displayed in Bonhams auction house-with more than
a few museums and investors interested in buying it, suddenly was stamped in Bonhoms to be sold catalog: “Withdrawn.” Some in attendance were not happy, and Bonhams administrative office is ‘holding consultations’ this week in light of
expected public and trade journal reactions. Bonhams had planned to net around 1.3 million USD had the sale taken place.
Protecting the memory of King Adad-Nerari and preserving his place in the world’s cultural heritage may appear a modest
victory given the nearly unimaginable suffering imposed daily on the people of the proud Syrian Arab Republic. But what
happened to stop one auction house—from selling one stolen Syrian antiquity—was made possible by the people of Syria and
others of good will who greatly value our Global Cultural Heritage. Hopefully, as international public awareness
continues to increase about this aspect of the conflict in Syria, this case will enter the law books; maybe also it will
result in legal statues and, consequently, a major advance toward preserving our Global Cultural Heritage.
May the people of Syria achieve many more such victories while ending this painful chapter in this ten millennia old
Cradle of Civilization.
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Franklin Lamb has been doing research in Syria visiting, where and when possible, various locals across Syria and
assessing damage to the seven UNESCO Global Heritage sites while emphasizing the key role of international law and
transnational public cooperation to preserve protect and restore our Global Cultural Heritage.