For this assignment, you are:
1. asked to identify an archaeological item or group of such items possessed by a museum, public institution, or private collector which was obtained through criminal activities (such as the Euphronios Krater), through an act of colonial or imperialist cultural appropriation (the Benin Bronzes or the Elgin Marbles), or looted as the spoils of war (such as works of art and archaeological materials in the Louvre Museum in Paris added by Napoleon Bonaparte https://blog.napoleon-cologne.fr/en/napoleon-bonaparte-and- the-louvre/), whose ownership is currently contested. This could also include human remains, which fill the storerooms of many museums across the world and are sometimes put on display, despite the objections of descendant communities (https://icom.museum/en/news/international-repatriation-of-human-remains-of- indigenous-peoples/);
2. describe in detail the physical makeup of the contested archaeological materials (what they are, what they are made of, where they are from, when they were made, how they are decorated, how they were made, etc.);
3. describe (if possible) the process by which the archaeological item(s) came to be removed from an archaeological site and transferred to a particular museum, public institution, or private collection;
4. describe how the archaeological item(s) is/are displayed by the museum, public institution, or private collector who possesses/possessed it/them;
5. describe which living community/communities claim ownership of this item and want it returned or repatriated;
6. present the argument used by the museum, public institution, or private collector for not returning (repatriating) the archaeological item(s) to the living community that claims ownership of it/them;
7. discuss what you think should be done with the archaeological item(s) and why. Here are links to useful resources on Repatriation: The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History https://naturalhistory.si.edu/research/anthropology/programs/repatriation-office The Society for American Archaeology’s website on repatriation https://www.saa.org/government-affairs/repatriation
As for format, please use 10 to 12-point font, Times New Roman, with reasonable margins. You are asked to use 1.5 or 2.0 spacing for your document (except for your inventory, which can be single- spaced: see below for information about the inventory). Files may be submitted in Word of PDF format. You may submit a Case Study that is 3 – 5 pages in length. If you include images, you may exceed the maximum limit but the images will not count towards meeting the minimum page length requirement. Assignments will be uploaded to the requisite folder on Brightspace, which will close after the due date (and time). Late submissions will not be accepted without a documented excuse. The rubric that I use for grading these assignments will be made available to you via Brightspace. Feel free to draw on the course textbook, lectures, and assigned videos for this assignment. You will also be required to engage with other source material available through the Patrick Power library (electronic or hard copies). I ask that you cite your sources and provide a bibliography (which will not count towards the 3 – 5 page limit for this assignment) I also ask that you cite your sources and provide a bibliography. In particular, you are required to use the Chicago-style Author-Date system (https://www.smu.ca/academics/citations-refworks.html#Chicago). For help with research, you can make use (either virtually or in person) of our reference librarians (https://www.smu.ca/academics/research-help.html). . In particular, you are required to use the Chicago-style Author-Date system (https://www.smu.ca/academics/citations-refworks.html#Chicago). For help with research, you can make use (either virtually or in person) of our reference librarians (https://www.smu.ca/academics/research-help.html). The Assignment The Elgin Marbles (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elgin_Marbles), the Benin Bronzes (https://www.britishmuseum.org/about-us/british-museum-story/contested-objects- collection/benin-bronzes) and other works of African art in European and American museum collections (https://momaa.org/repatriation-of-african-art/), and the Euphronios Krater (https://traffickingculture.org/encyclopedia/case-studies/euphronios-sarpedon-krater), are all