ID :
119024
Tue, 04/27/2010 - 17:21
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http://m.oananews.org//node/119024
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UK archeologist protests Cyrus Cylinder delay
London, April 27, IRNA – A renowned British archeologist and peace activist has protested at the British Museum for failing to lend the Cyrus Cylinder to Iran, saying the “excuse” for not lending the cylinder is “specious”.
“You must realise your decision runs contrary to all accepted behaviour under the International Council of Museums,” Nicholas Wood wrote in his letter to British Museum director Neil MacGregor.
Wood urged MacGregor to “strongly reconsider” his decision to delay sending the Cyrus Cylinder to Iran, saying the decision is “contrary to your promise in a loan agreement in January 2009”.
The British Museum has delayed lending the cylinder, believed to be the first human rights declaration, to Iran on the basis of doing further studies with regards to “recently-discovered associated fragments of clay tablet” in British Museum.
“I find the excuse…specious since it is perfectly possible for you to make computer generated facsimiles, with your expertise, and micro photographs of each word and letter, to which you can match the new fragments,” Wood said.
Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organisation has demanded that the British Museum pay 300,000 dollars in compensation after it refused to lend the Cyrus Cylinder. Iran said it had spent the money on preparations for displaying the cylinder.
“As you are aware, setting up an exhibition requires considerable work and expenditure which will be wasted... Iran will of course send details to ICOM and UNESCO,” Wood told MacGregor.
Underlining the need to have cultural exchanges between Iran and Britain, Wood said “spreading knowledge and goodwill and overcoming ignorance is extremely important in these troubled times in order to prevent terrorism and war, which flourish on fear and ignorance.”
Wood, author of “The House of The Tragic Poet” and maker of the Pompeian House model in the Leipzig University Antiken Museum, further hinted that cultural affairs should not be mixed with politics and become politically-motivated.
“It would be a wonderful thing if cultural exchanges continued between Iran and the UK and USA. It would be splendid if President Obama could spend a two-day holiday with his wife visiting Tehran, Isfahan, a children’s school, and the beautiful mountains of Western Iran, and see a culture that abhors overt sexuality and materialism,” he said.
“I am thinking especially of the British imperial period when many objects were simply crated up and sent to Britain. In the Ottoman period of rule in what was Assyria and the Hittite Empire, the archaeologist Sir Leonard Wooley used a revolver to obtain a firma from the Turkish authorities to excavate.”
“Wooley tossed a rupee with Gertrude Bell…to determine what artifacts would be left in Baghdad, and what would be sent to the British Museum. Iran would almost certainly hold that artifacts obtained [by Britain] under the rule of the Shah, imposed by Britain and the USA in the coup of 1953, were invalid,” the British archeologist said./end
“You must realise your decision runs contrary to all accepted behaviour under the International Council of Museums,” Nicholas Wood wrote in his letter to British Museum director Neil MacGregor.
Wood urged MacGregor to “strongly reconsider” his decision to delay sending the Cyrus Cylinder to Iran, saying the decision is “contrary to your promise in a loan agreement in January 2009”.
The British Museum has delayed lending the cylinder, believed to be the first human rights declaration, to Iran on the basis of doing further studies with regards to “recently-discovered associated fragments of clay tablet” in British Museum.
“I find the excuse…specious since it is perfectly possible for you to make computer generated facsimiles, with your expertise, and micro photographs of each word and letter, to which you can match the new fragments,” Wood said.
Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organisation has demanded that the British Museum pay 300,000 dollars in compensation after it refused to lend the Cyrus Cylinder. Iran said it had spent the money on preparations for displaying the cylinder.
“As you are aware, setting up an exhibition requires considerable work and expenditure which will be wasted... Iran will of course send details to ICOM and UNESCO,” Wood told MacGregor.
Underlining the need to have cultural exchanges between Iran and Britain, Wood said “spreading knowledge and goodwill and overcoming ignorance is extremely important in these troubled times in order to prevent terrorism and war, which flourish on fear and ignorance.”
Wood, author of “The House of The Tragic Poet” and maker of the Pompeian House model in the Leipzig University Antiken Museum, further hinted that cultural affairs should not be mixed with politics and become politically-motivated.
“It would be a wonderful thing if cultural exchanges continued between Iran and the UK and USA. It would be splendid if President Obama could spend a two-day holiday with his wife visiting Tehran, Isfahan, a children’s school, and the beautiful mountains of Western Iran, and see a culture that abhors overt sexuality and materialism,” he said.
“I am thinking especially of the British imperial period when many objects were simply crated up and sent to Britain. In the Ottoman period of rule in what was Assyria and the Hittite Empire, the archaeologist Sir Leonard Wooley used a revolver to obtain a firma from the Turkish authorities to excavate.”
“Wooley tossed a rupee with Gertrude Bell…to determine what artifacts would be left in Baghdad, and what would be sent to the British Museum. Iran would almost certainly hold that artifacts obtained [by Britain] under the rule of the Shah, imposed by Britain and the USA in the coup of 1953, were invalid,” the British archeologist said./end
