Bones of the Ancestors: The Ambum Stone

(Paperback)

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Description

The 3,000-year-old Ambum Stone, from Papua New Guinea, is the focus of several archaeological stories. The stone itself is an interesting artifact, an important piece of art history that tells us something about the ancient Papuans. The stone is also at the center of controversies over the provenance and ownership of ancient artifacts, as it was excavated on the island of New Guinea, transferred out of the country, and sold on the antiquities market. In telling the story of the Ambum Stone, Brian Egloff raises questions about what can be learned from ancient works of art, about cultural property and the ownership of the past, about the complex and at times shadowy world of art dealers and collectors, and about the role ancient artifacts can play in forming the identities of modern peoples.

Reviews

Reading this book was like going on a walk with the promise of finding an exciting treasure....Every university library and anyone concerned with the anthropology, archaeology and cultural heritage of Papua New Guinea, or indeed of the Pacific should possess a copy....There is a great deal of information about illegal export of cultural material from Papau New Guinea but little has been published and it is to Egloff's credit that he has risked an almost certain backlash from dealers, collectors and museums to draw a few examples to our attention. His research on the Ambum stone demonstrates that due diligence can provide the information that is so carefully concealed by those wanting to circumvent cultural property legislation....This fine achievement of Egloff's brings the adventures and misadventures of the Ambum stone to our awareness. Every university library and anyone concerned with the anthropology, archaeology, and cultural heritage of Papau New Guinea, or indeed of the Pacific, should possess a copy. -- Barry Craig x * Archaeology In Oceania *
Egloff presents the complexity and challenges of protecting cultural heritage and negotiating multiple regimes of value among drastically different societies and contexts....The author is especially well qualified to unravel this tale of negotiation and sometimes intrigue....These are important arguments, compellingly presented as a case study....This book will be a useful read for museum professionals and scholars of Pacific cultures....It is an important contribution to the larger discussion of the worldwide trade in art, cultureal heritage preservation, and the tensions between global and local perspectives on these issues. -- Kathleen Barlow, 2010 * Museum Anthropology *
There are two threads to Brian Egloff's story of the Ambum Stone, a 3,500-year-old sandstone carving from Papua New Guinea that appeared on the ancient art market in London in the mid -1960s. One is the story of the stone itself, which resembles carvings found in more recent times by Papuan villagers and assimilated into local cults as stones of power. The other is the story of the legal and financial complexities of the international trade in antiquities, as the stone was removed from Papua New Guinea in the early 1960s and bought by the National Gallery of Australia in 1977. Egloff tells these riveting stories with fine balance, showing how the gnarled histories of objects like the Ambum Stone are manifestations of modern concerns with the protection of cultural heritage. -- Jack Golson, Emeritus Professor, Department of Archaeology and Natural History, Australian National University

Author Bio

Brian Egloff is adjunct associate professor of cultural heritage studies at the University of Canberra, in Australia.