Return of Ancient Cultural Property: Principles, Actors and Processes

Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of major principles and concepts in ancient cultural property restitution.
2. Analyze restitution cases with a critical lens.
3. Interpret the role of various stakeholders in the identification of a stolen artwork and the process of its restitution.
4. Develop analytical skills in evaluating legal and ethical aspects of ancient cultural property return.
5. Enhance research and writing skills for academic analysis and policy reports in cultural heritage

Required Readings:

1. Watson Peter and Cecilia Todeschini (2007). ’’The Medici Conspiracy’’. New York: Public Affairs.
2. O'Keefe, P. J. (2007). "Commentary on the UNESCO 1970 Convention on Illicit Traffic." Institute of Art and Law.
3. Brodie, N. (2014) Auction houses and the antiquities trade. In S. Choulia-Kapeloni (ed.), 3rd International Conference of Experts on the Return of Cultural Property. Athens: Archaeological Receipts Fund, 71-82.3.
4. Forrest, C. (2010). "International Law and the Protection of Cultural Heritage." Routledge.
5. Greenfield, J. (2007). "The Return of Cultural Treasures." Cambridge University Press.

Further Readings:

1. Brodie, Neil, Jennifer Doole & Colin Renfrew (eds). 2001. Trade in illicit antiquities: the destruction of the world’s archaeological heritage. Cambridge: McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research.
2. Elia, Ricardo. 2001. Analysis of the looting, selling, and collecting of Apulian red-figure vases: a quantitative approach, in Neil Brodie, Jennifer Doole & Colin Renfrew (ed.): 145-153.
3. Felch, Jason & Ralph Frammolino. 2011. Chasing Aphrodite. Boston (MA): Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
4. Hoving, Thomas. 1993. Making the mummies dance. New York (NY): Simon and Schuster.
5. Isman, Fabio. 2009. I predatori dell’arte perduta. Il saccheggio dell’archeologia in Italia. Milano: Skira.
6. Krosney, Herbert. 2006. The lost gospel: the quest for the Gospel of Judas Iscariot. Washington (DC): National Geographic Society.
7. McNall, Bruce. 2003. Fun while it lasted: my rise and fall in the land of fame and fortune. New York (NY): Hyperion.
8. Meyer, Karl E. 1977. The Plundered Past. Atheneum (NY): Hamish Hamilton.
9. Renfrew, Colin A. 2006. Loot, legitimacy and ownership. London: Duckworth.
10. Silver, Vernon. 2010. The lost chalice. New York (NY): Harper.
11. Watson, Peter. 1998. Sotheby’s: inside story. London: Bloomsbury.
12. Prott, L. V., & O'Keefe, P. J. (1989). "'Cultural Heritage' or 'Cultural Property'?" International Journal of Cultural Property, 1(2), 307-320.
13. Gillman, D. (2010). "The Idea of Cultural Heritage." Cambridge University Press.
14. Toman, J. (1996). "Cultural Property in War: Improvement in Protection." UNESCO Publishing.
15. Shyllon, F. (2013). "Cultural Heritage Law and the Restitution of Cultural Property." In Cultural Heritage Law and Management (pp. 141-160). Edward Elgar Publishing.
16. Sandholtz, W. (2019). "Prohibiting Plunder: How Norms Change." Oxford University Press.
17. Hoffman, B. T. (2006). "Art and Cultural Heritage: Law, Policy and Practice." Cambridge University Press.
18. Cuno, J. (2008). "Who Owns Antiquity?: Museums and the Battle over Our Ancient Heritage." Princeton University Press.
19. Appiah, K. A. (2006). "Whose Culture Is It, Anyway?" In Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers (pp. 115-136). W.W. Norton & Company.
20. Merryman, J. H. (1986). "Two Ways of Thinking About Cultural Property." The American Journal of International Law, 80(4), 831-853.

Journals:

1. International Journal of Cultural Property
2. American Journal of Archaeology.

Notes and slides in electronic form via the electronic platform
Discussions via an online platform
Weblinks

The overall academic performance of students is based on the assessment of a written assignment, on a formative assessment and their performance in the final exams. A passing mark in the mid-term assignment is not a prerequisite for his/her participation in the final exams. The final grade awarded to each student is the sum of the grades awarded for the assignment and the final exams. Both the assignments and the final exams are marked in the scale 0 (complete failure) to 100 (absolute success). In order to get a passing mark in the Course, a student must receive a passing mark in the final exams. In a nutshell:

• The grade awarded for the assignment represents the 20% of the Course’s final grade.
• The grade awarded for the formative assessment activities represents the 20% of the Course’s final grade
• The grade awarded for the final exams represents the 60% of the Course’s final grade.
• In order to get an overall passing mark, a student must be graded with at least 50/100 in the final exams.