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Ethics in Archaeology

This week while learning about the Silk Road, I ended up obsessively pondering ethics (or lack thereof) in archeology. I attempted to research further, to dig myself out of this negative thought spiral but at this point I doubt I'll be able to walk through a museum without questioning if all of the artifacts on display were obtained nefariously. I guess the best way to explain how I got to this point is to start where I began, the Silk Road. 

The Silk Road was made up of numerous trade routes that enabled the flow of goods and ideas between the Middle East, Asia, and Europe from 130 BCE and 1453 CE. Among the many outposts that existed along these routes was Dunhuang, China, which would become a hub for Buddhism along the Silk Road with 15 monasteries by the 10th century. This wasn't unusual since many religions spread along the trade routes but what made this stop exceptional were the caves that Buddhists carved out to serve as places of worship.

Dunhuang (Mogao) Caves

The incredible Mogao Cave system in Dunhuang is one of five cave systems created in Dunhuang, which contained a vast amount of Buddhist art and documents. "The caves were painted with Buddhist imagery, and their construction would have been an intensely religious process, involving prayers, incense, and ritual fasting." (UNESCO) Adorned with Buddhist art, the caves also held a large number of ancient Buddhist texts, including the Diamond Sutra which is the earliest dated printed books known, having been printed on May 11, 868 CE.  However, despite serving as a center for cultural and commercial trade, the Dunhuang Caves would eventually be abandoned as sea-routes replaced the Silk Road. The end of the Silk Road temporarily spelled the end of the Dunhuang Caves leaving the caves, the religious artifacts within, and the history they represented, forgotten for centuries. 

Statue of Maitreya Buddha in cave 275

The unlikely person who re-sparked the world's interest in the caves was the abbot of a nearby Daoist monastery named Wang Yuanlu in 1900. Wang Yuanlu happened upon the so-called "Library Cave" (Cave 17 in the Mogao complex) which contained an estimated 50,000 documents. Wang named himself the caretaker for the site and reached out to local officials in an attempt to garner enough attention to raise money to restore the caves. Local officials responded by ordering Wang to reseal the caves but word of Wang's discovery was not so easily contained. Other countries heard of the priest's discovery and descended on the forgotten ruins. "With no strong government to control research in the area, freebooting self-styled "archaeologists" in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries ransacked the region, plundering everything they could find." (Bresnan 379)  

Wang Yuanlu

The video "The Silk Road: Where East Meets West" goes into more detail about Wang and one archaeologist in particular, Hungarian-British archaeologist Marc Aurel Stein. The video describes Stein "charming" Wang into selling 29 cases of ancient Buddhist documents and art, pried off the walls, for just 130 pounds in 1907, approximately 21,479.89 US dollars in 2020. Aurel Stein certainly wasn't alone in taking advantage of the lack of governmental oversight of the Dunhuang Caves. "Aurel Stein was no worse, certainly no better, than the other archaeologists from Germany, France, Russia, who saw China's weakness in those years as an opportunity to plunder her past." (Silk 31:38 - 31:50). 

Marc Aurel Stein

Stein and the other archaeologists are now rightfully maligned by many for their part in pilfering the Buddhist caves but Wang Yuanlu's place in history is more nebulous. "Wang Yuanlu, who sold off the treasures, was a dupe or a traitor, who traded his nation's patrimony for a few dollars." (Carter)  In other articles, Wang is described as an illiterate who was unaware of the value of the items he sold and/or as a benefactor to the ancient site, looking to raise awareness and funds to restore it to its original glory. In my opinion, no matter how good the intentions, Wang happened upon the caves, named himself their caretaker, and sold goods that were never his to offer. 

The bleeding out of artifacts improved in the 1940s when the Research Institute of Dunhuang Art was established to care for the site. In 1987, the Mogao Caves were named one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. Excavation continues and the caves are a tourist hot spot for those who want to see the Buddhist artwork and statues that remain. There is also an international collaboration underway to upload images of Dunhuang art and documents onto the internet. While many have benefited from being able to see these pieces of history, I can't help but think about the copy of the Diamond Sutra "purchased" by Aurel Stein. The earliest known printed copy, over 1,100 years old, was bought for pennies from someone who had no claim to ownership, and is still sitting in the British Library in London, over 4,000 miles from home. 


Works Cited

"Dunhuang." UNESCO, https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/content/dunhuang. Accessed 09 Nov 2021.

Bresnan, Patrick S. Awakening: An Introduction to the History of Eastern Thought. 6th ed., Routledge, 2018.

“The Silk Road: Where East Met West: Episode 1.” Films On Demand, Films Media Group, 2016, fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=237206&xtid=124992. Accessed 8 Nov. 2021.

Wikipedia contributors. "Mogao Caves." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 29 Oct. 2021. Web. 9 Nov. 2021.

Carter, James. "Abbot Wang Yuanlu of Dunhuang: Villain or ...?" SupChina, 23 June 2021, https://supchina.com/2021/06/23/abbot-wang-yuanlu-of-dunhuang-villain-or/. Accessed 09 Nov 2021. 

Bank of England Inflation Calculator. Bank of England, https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator. Accessed 10 Nov 2021.

Exchange Rates UK. Exchange Rates UK, https://www.exchangerates.org.uk/Pounds-to-Dollars-currency-conversion-page.html. Accessed 10 Nov 2021.








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