The Phnom Penh Post reported that the discovery of ancient ironworks last week at Khav village in Siem Reap’s Chi-kreng district may provide valuable insight into early iron production during the Angkorian era between the 11th and 13th centuries, as well as additional details of the ancient Kouy people who inhabited the region at that time and whose descendants live there today, Apsara Authority officials said Sunday.
Seung Kong, vice director general of Apsara Authority – the government body tasked with administering Cambodia’s
Angkor Wat temple complex and surrounding historic sites – said archaeologists found the site by accident while excavating last week but haven’t precisely dated their discovery.
“We have collected ancient works such as pots, cooking utensils and smelting tools used to stoke the fires used to melt iron ore,” he said, adding that researchers hope to finish excavating the site and create a model of the iron-manufacturing
complex for further study.
The discovery represents a historic first for the Kingdom. “It is the first time we have found such a site in Cambodia,
though we have studied several in Thailand near the Cambodian border,” Seung Kong said.
The site could help archaeologists better understand how raw materials were processed during the Angkorian period. It might also help them discover additional sites in the area and elsewhere. Study of the site is still in its early stages, but early signs indicate that it may have been an important centre for the manufacturing of not only domestic items but also arms. “The iron ore smelted at this site could have been used to manufacture
weapons such as swords and javelins,” Seung Kong said.
The discovery also gives researchers hope that other ancient
treasures lay in store, and Apsara intends to work hard to find them, Seung Kong said. Im Sokrithy, an archaeologist with the Apsara Authority and Heritage Watch Board Member, said Sunday that artefacts collected so far indicate the site specialised in the production of household goods such as axes, knives and chisels used by the ancient Kouy people.
“This site could have belonged to the Kouy, who made all these iron items, but we cannot be certain of that yet. We need to conduct further study and catalogue all the artifacts,” he said. Researchers believe Khav commune was home to at least five such ironworks, but some may be unrecoverable.
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The Phnom Penh Post reported on July 2nd that a man suspected of illegally hunting for ancient artefacts at Angkor Wat was sent to Siem Reap provincial court.
"We sent him to the provincial court already, but we don't know how long it will be until the court charges him," said Li Hok Seng, a deputy director of the Heritage Police.
Chea Sophart, also a deputy director of the Heritage Police, said Sunday the 34-year-old Banteay Meanchey man identified only as Ryn was arrested while using an electric-powered machine to collect artefacts about 400 metres northeast of Takeo temple on Sunday.
Police quoted Ryn as saying that on 10 previous occasions he had collected statues and other artefacts from the Banteay Chhmar temple compound in Banteay Meanchey province, which he sold to Thai clients.
"We always allow our Heritage Police to check the forest every two days because we are afraid that we'll have people gathering ancient artefacts," said Li Hok Seng.
Pheoung Chindareth, head of Penal Police in Siem Reap, said an investigation into a suspected gang of artefact thieves was now under way and that it wasn't the first case of thievery at the temple.
"At present, we still have people who are illegally trafficking ancient artefacts, but we haven't found them yet," he added.
According to Chea Sophart, Ryn could face a prison term of between one and three years if convicted.
This article in its original context and form is found at http://phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2009070226886/Siem-Reap-Insider/angkor-tomb-raider-nabbed-by-police.html
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Statement of Concern and Appeal for International Cooperation
To Save Ancient Kashgar
THROUGH COORDINATED ACTION AND MEASURED DIALOG, THE UNDERSIGNED BELIEVE
THAT WE CAN SAVE ONE THE JEWELS OF THE SILK ROAD BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.
Mr. Francesco Bandarin
Director
UNESCO World Heritage Centre
7, place de Fontenoy
75352 Paris, France
Dear Mr. Bandarin:
We write to convey our profound concern for the ancient city of Kashgar in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of Northwest China and urge you to exert your influence to have the city included in the Chinese portion of the Silk Road being considered for the World Heritage List.
Reportedly, 85% of the ancient portion of the city is under demolition. The stated reason is that the old buildings are susceptible to earthquakes and pose a danger to residents. Though we support taking measures to ensure the safety of citizens, we are concerned that the demolition of Old Kashgar will deal a serious blow to the cultural heritage and archaeological patrimony of the Uyghur people, China, and all mankind.
Since Old Kashgar was a key transit point on the Northern Steppe Route of the Silk Road, it is startling to discover that this fabled oasis city has not been included in the World Heritage List proposal. Besides having been an important Silk Road trading post, Old Kashgar is an historic center of Islamic and Uyghur culture, being the home of China’s largest mosque as well as the holiest Muslim site in Xinjiang, the tomb of Abakh Khoja. According to historian George Mitchell, author of the 2008 book Kashgar: Oasis City on China’s Old Silk Road, Old Kashgar is “the best preserved example of a traditional Islamic city to be found anywhere in Central Asia.”
Given the city’s vast tangible and intangible cultural heritage, we believe that considering the Silk Road for the World Heritage List without including Old Kashgar would be an incomplete designation. According to the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, “To be deemed of outstanding universal value, a property must also meet the conditions of integrity and/or authenticity and must have adequate protection and management system to ensure its safeguarding.” We believe Old Kashgar meets the criteria for cultural heritage under the Assessment of Outstanding Universal Value.
China’s present treatment of Kashgar is all the more perplexing when one considers that as recently as 2007, the country appeared to be committed to preserving the old city in a way that respected its heritage and complied with international expectations. In that year, according to published reports, the Xinjiang Construction Department organized a group of experts to begin assessing an urban preservation plan for Kashgar. Among the topics discussed were how to preserve the old town, how to further study the relationship between Kashgar’s modern condition and its rich cultural past, and how to protect Kashgar’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
The fact that this seminar was held with official sanction proves that China is capable of protecting historical sites within its borders if it so chooses. In fact, Chinese law supports our view. Articles 16-18 of the Law of the People’s Republic of China for the Protection of Cultural Relics, as amended and adopted in 2002, stipulate that protective measures for immovable cultural relics must be taken before beginning any and all construction activities, including drilling, digging, or blasting. These articles also require that devices for the preservation of cultural relics must be included in the design plan of any new construction project undertaken.
So China has a demonstrable commitment to protecting her past. What the country needs now is international support. Thus we ask the World Heritage Convention to confer with its colleagues in China to clarify the plans for Kashgar's fate, and also to reconsider including this important historical site as part of the Chinese portion of the Silk Road nominated for World Heritage Site status.
In addition, we respectfully urge the World Heritage Convention to try to persuade the Chinese authorities to heed the Xinjiang Construction Department’s suggestions to either preserve Kashgar or conduct salvage archaeology to mitigate the destruction. For example: has a detailed photographic survey or documentation of Old Kashgar been conducted so that it would be possible to reconstruct the ancient quarter?
Finally, we urge the Chinese government to consider conducting a serious evaluation of the cultural and historical importance of what is left of Old Kashgar, utilizing professional archaeologists in the area and volunteer experts who, we are convinced, will consult if given the opportunity. Not doing so would violate the spirit and letter of the World Heritage Convention.
In so many other contexts, the Chinese government has shown it knows the country’s past belongs to all the Chinese people and indeed all the people of the world. It is important that the material remains of China’s long and illustrious past be protected, conserved, and studied so that the world might know of her great contributions to human society. Destroying the ancient portions of Kashgar without first undertaking a comprehensive photographic survey and salvage archaeology will damage China’s reputation for scholarship and result in the loss of an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of China’s role in the history of Central Asia. It is for these reasons what we voice our very grave concerns about the destruction of Old Kashgar.
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The Phnom Penh Post reported June 18th that "Thailand will ask UNESCO to review its decision to list Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site when the world body meets in Spain next week, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Wednesday, according to Thai state media.
Abhisit has ordered the Thai World Heritage Committee representative Suwit Khunkitti to object to the 2008 listing of the Angkorian temple when the committee meets for its 33rd session in Seville, Spain, from Monday.
According to the report from the Thai News Agency, Thailand will protest on the grounds that the listing has brought about conflict and losses between the two countries - something that runs counter to UNESCO's aim in having international heritage sites.
"I personally want to see peace in the area and peoples of both countries receive benefit from the historical heritage site," Abhisit said.
Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said that with the11th-century temple already inscribed on UNESCO's list, the international community was unlikely to fall for Thailand's "uncivilised" ruse.
He added that he was unsurprised by Abhisit's announcement, saying the Thais had tried various means - including a troop buildup and public demonstrations - to block the listing of the temple prior to its official inscription as a World Heritage site in July 2008.
"They have been making challenges since the first-round inscription," Phay Siphan said.
"Since that time, the Thais have challenged [the listing] in the same way, using their own unilateral maps."
Original story; http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2009061826553/National-news/Thailand-to-lodge-PV-heritage-complaint.html
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Christopher Shay of the Phnom Penh Post reported on June 15th that Five foreign donors handed over five Khmer artefacts at a ceremony Friday to celebrate a new electrical and lighting system at the National Museum.
"Cambodia has lost a lot in the last 20 to 30 years. Anything that is given back to them of any value is of great importance," Douglas Latchford, a collector of Khmer antiquities, told the Post shortly before giving his speech in Khmer.
Son Soubert, a former lecturer at the faculty of archaeology at Royal University of Fine Arts, pointed to a pendant donated by Latchford as a particularly important antiquity.
An inscription on the pendant dates the piece from 1218 as part the royal collection of a princess under the reign of Jayavarman VII at the height of the Angkorian empire.
The piece, or ones very similar to it, can be seen in Angkorian carvings, but the actual amulet is a unique addition to the National Museum.
"It's exactly what we've seen in the carvings," Son Soubert said. "It's a reality."
In a speech at the event, Deputy Prime Minister Sok An thanked the donors for their "kind and generous contribution", saying that now "the National Museum will be able to continue to improve its storytelling".
Decades of looting and antiquities smuggling have led to many stolen pre-Angkorian and Angkorian-era artefacts ending up on the international market.
One torso of a female divinity, donated by New York antiques dealer Doris Wiener, is on a UNESCO-sponsored list of 100 objects stolen from Angkor.
Sok An also hailed the new electric wiring and lighting as an important step to protect the 89-year-old museum and create a "more fruitful experience" for the visitor.
"The renewal of the electrical system will significantly enhance ... the beauty of the artefacts," he told the audience.
The old lighting, according to Him Chhem, minister of culture and fine arts, was a serious fire hazard.
"Old wiring lay loose in the roof space on top of the timber ceiling. It was largely unprotected by conduit," Him Chhem said.
The new electrical lighting system cost US$192,500 and the money came from 22 foreign donors, many of whom were in attendance at the ceremony.
Original story: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2009061526476/National-news/Foreign-dealers-collectors-return-Angkorian-antiquities.html
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