For years Zahi Hawass was a superstar among Egyptologists and one would say, archaeologists in general. Even those who weren’t archaeologists or in related fields were familiar with him. Not only did he have his own program on the History Channel, he appeared frequently on shows on the Discovery and National Geographic channels. He was an author and a passionate advocate for cultural preservation. Held in favor by the Egyptian government—even appointed as the Minister of Antiquities in 2011 by President Hosni Mubarak—he was lauded for raising Egypt’s profile in the world. However, fortune and politics can be lethal twins. After the toppling of the Mubarak government, Hawass became a persona non grata in his own country. He lost his TV show, was arrested by the Egyptian government (and later released) and was heaved unceremoniously out of his office and the spotlight. And with the ongoing unrest in Egypt, he has much to ponder as to the future of his country and the fate of Egyptian heritage. Continue reading
Tag Archives: cultural preservation
Calling All Teachers! Showcase Your Best Ideas With AntiquityNOW!
Author: Shirley K. Gazsi, President of AntiquityNOW
As we all know, teachers are some of the hardest working, most dedicated
professionals around. In the last few days I saw firsthand the caliber and quality of this field at the National Council for the Social Studies conference.
St. Louis Gateway Arch
AntiquityNOW was selected from more than 90 proposals to give a poster session on our organization and our prototype Yesterday’s Child, which is a comprehensive, culturally immersive curricular series about ancient cultures and their legacies today. I also attended the conference to understand the prevailing issues in teaching social studies today and to gain an appreciation of how AntiquityNOW can serve as a resource to the educational community. At our poster session and the many gatherings I attended, I discussed collaborative opportunities with teachers as well as other folks from nonprofit organizations representing a broad array of interests. Continue reading
Cultural Racketeering and Why it Matters: Robbing the World of History
*Below is a Huffington Post article by Deborah Lehr, Chair of the Capitol Archaeological Institute. AntiquityNOW is an affiliate of the Institute. The article raises critical points elucidating the nexus of cultural heritage, economic viability and criminal racketeering—issues reflecting a sad and ancient saga of looted treasures and lost inheritance.
Many of us are familiar with crimes committed by organized gangs, from drug running, the weapons trade, to the sex trade. However, there is one kind of crime, the looting and trade of antiquities that is on par with these abhorrent black market businesses, yet seldom discussed. The illegal trade in art and antiquities or cultural racketeering is one of the top five most profitable illegal global businesses. It ravages cultural icons and deprives local communities of their heritage. If we don’t take a stand, we are not just allowing these criminals to steal our common history, but also the future economic potential of these communities. Continue reading
Download Our Printable Bookmarks and Support the Importance of Cultural Preservation
The mission of AntiquityNOW is to raise awareness of the importance of preserving our cultural heritage by demonstrating how antiquity’s legacy influences and shapes our lives today and for generations to come. Our goal is to illustrate that humankind’s commonalities are stronger than its differences, and to share this knowledge to promote mutual understanding, tolerance and peaceful co-existence among our global family.
You can help support this message by downloading, printing and sharing our high-resolution, printable bookmarks. Continue reading
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