Tag: Italy

Artifactual Incentives

Stevie Miller makes an interesting comparison in a piece in Reason, The Dreadful Policies Halting Archeological Discoveries between England and Italy in their handling of the discovery of antiquities. First, he notes how new technologies are quite literally unearthing access to sacred texts and ancient cities. But then he remarks that there are few incentives for individuals to pursue the time-consuming search, Indiana Jones style.

To understand the dynamics, it is necessary to understand the groups. There are landowners who typically, through property rights, own objects found on their property. Antiquities are deemed a special type of thing, as they have a pubic significance.

The case of Italian antiquities policy is paradigmatic. Since the 1930s, Italy-along with Greece, Turkey, and Egypt-has vested ownership of all antiquities in the state. Commerce in freshly unearthed artifacts is outlawed, and unauthorized excavation is punishable by hefty fines and sometimes prison time. Even using a metal detector requires a permit.

I think most people would agree that these items, by nature, are jointly owned by the larger cultural group. So, it makes sense. But the asymmetric access to the buried items by landowners sets up an incentive for the private party to collect and hoard the artifacts. Laws that thwart natural incentives often encourage a black market, where the artifacts are sold.

British model provides a striking contrast. Since the 1996 Treasure Act, British law has required that significant archaeological finds be reported. Instead of simply seizing them, if the state wishes to retain an item, it must compensate the finder and landowner at its full market value.

The English allow actors to participate in the preservation of artifacts at the public level. Although they are individuals they act in the spirit of a team. They can also come in and out of service to the cause. Whereas in the Italian model, the artifacts are packed up and access is restricted.

One system recognizes two groups and two incentive structures. The other does not, which pushes actionable responses underground to a black market.

The Great Stagnation of physical archaeology is a choice. The failure of policymakers to get the basics right– to make physical archaeology worth anyone’s time– renders the richest landscapes fallow.

Maps and stories

I’ve been rereading Hemingway’s Farewell to Arms which rekindled an interest in the history of WWI. The story’s debut is based on the author’s experience in the war as he drove an ambulance for the International Red Cross. After serious injury from mortar fire, he returned home unlike his lead character, Lt Frederic Henry.

While clicking around to find out more about the Italian campaign, I came across this excellent article in Vox: 40 maps that explain WW1. I find visuals so useful. There is far more information indicated by shadings, lines and labels within the four boundaries of a map than a writer can pound out on a keyboard . Although this passage sums up pretty well how devasting the war was.

One hundred years ago today, on August 4, 1914, German troops began pouring over the border into Belgium, starting the first major battle of World War I. The Great War killed 10 million people, redrew the map of Europe, and marked the rise of the United States as a global power. Here are 40 maps that explain the conflict — why it started, how the Allies won, and why the world has never been the same.

VOX

Hemingway cites enough geographic references to encourage the reader to look up exactly where his ambulance was called into service. Or, at least, I’m curious enough to look up Gorizio where he returns to base camp before he is sent on to Caporetto. In the passage about the retreat, as the Germans advance into Italy, Lt Henry’s goal is to reach Udine.

Further on in the book, Lt Henry and his sweet Catherine must flee to Switzerland in a row boat. The journey takes them along the coastline of the famous Lake Como. The porter who helps arrange their escape assures them the winds will be at their backs pushing them along the 35 kilometer journey.

Wartime stories have so much to offer. There’s conlict and suspense. There’s heartbreak. But most interestingly is the sudden change in circumstances creates a back lighting to social arrangements, making their properties just that much more apparent.