Ancient Art in Today’s World Around the world, ancient artifacts/sites are threatened. Some sites ...
Ancient Art in Today’s World Around the world, ancient artifacts/sites are threatened. Some sites are being loved to death, literally, as millions of visitors compromise the fragile atmosphere of caves or walk away with “souvenirs” from ancient sites. Coastal areas are threatened by sea level rise. Other sites have been and will be paved over by increased development. And fire knows no geographic or political boundaries Looting, as old as the pyramids, still occurs on every continent, with political/economic upheaval resulting in the theft and sale of priceless treasures. Some items are sold on the black market; others have made their way into world museums. Religious beliefs have led to the wholesale destruction of sites as well.. It's impossible to calculate the losses: UNESCO estimates over 50% of archaeological sites across the globe have been looted, with thousands of items stolen each day. And the moment an object is taken from its site, invaluable contextual information is lost forever. What can be done, and where do these items belong today? Choose one artifact/site that is or has been under imminent threat from environmental, political, or religious reasons and present its case in a 750 word essay. -What is the artifact/site and why is it important? Give a contextual overview, with detailed information on the culture, time period, site, and how it represents its culture. Describe the work in detail in terms of what it looks like (or one element of the site you are discussing). In order to do this, one of your sources should be on the work itself--or make sure to use the assigned/suggested readings on that work. -Why is it under threat? Explain factors leading to its threatened status: was it taken during the colonial era, like the Benin heads, or sold, like the Elgin marbles? Stolen from a site, or destroyed by war, or religious zealots? Threatened by environmental factors, or millions of tourists? -What can be done? Should works that were looted or bought in the past be returned to their countries of origin? How can works be preserved from further theft/destruction, or re-created after destruction? This is due the last day of class, but can be submitted at any time during the semester. You will be graded on the following-1 point for each of these elements (use as a checklist) Introduction which presents your topic to the reader. Why is this object/site under threat or in question? Describe the work in question. Use details to give a visual snapshot to the reader. Put the work in historical context. What is going on in history or art at the time? Put the issue in historical context—what are the causes of the problem? What are some possible solutions? What is the opinion of experts in the field? What is your opinion, after reviewing the literature? Conclusion which summarizes your main points and thesis. Writing style. Your paper should be free of grammatical/punctuation errors. Bibliography/Citations. You should have at least 2 academic sources properly cited. See Writing Resources module for guidance. 10 points total
