The Journal of Art Crime, Fall 2011: Derek Fincham's Column "The Empty Frame" looks at "Cerveteri: a Vulnerable Ancient Masterpiece"

ARCA's Academic Director Derek Fincham writes a column "The Empty Frame" for The Journal of Art Crime. In the Fall 2011 issue, Dr. Fincham looks at "Cerveteri: a Vulnerable Ancient Masterpiece". His introduction is reposted here:

Just north of Rome, a few kilometers in from the coast, sits one of the world’s great treasures. This was a powerful commercial center at the time. The Etruscan civilization ruled over central Italy before the Romans. For over six centuries the people here created a massive city to house the deceased. Massive tombs and cities are laid out, cut from the soft native tufa rock. Visitors to the necropolis see the town and architectural planning of an ancient civilization in a way which feels comforting and familiar as any city, with streets, small neighborhoods and architectural elements. The round tombs were perhaps borrowed from the Etruscans by the Romans for Hadrian’s mausoleum, though in typical Roman fashion, they made it grander and bigger, almost pompous. Only part of the site has been protected and fenced off—the Necropoli della Banditaccia. The Banditaccia has been excavated, and is cared for as a UNESCO World Heritage site. This band has been fenced off and protected from looters. But why cannot the whole complex be protected? The answer of course is limited resources and a massive area in need of protection. Thousands of tombs have been excavated outside Cerveteri, which date from the 9th century BCE until the late Etruscan age.

Derek Fincham is an Assistant Professor of Law at South Texas College of Law. He also serves as the Academic Director of ARCA’s Master’s Certificate program in Art Crime and Cultural Heritage Protection and is a member of the Association’s Board of Trustees. His research focuses on the intersection of law with art and antiquities. He holds a Ph.D. in cultural heritage law from the University of Aberdeen, and a J.D. from Wake Forest University. He maintains a scholarly weblog on cultural heritage issue at http://illicit-cultural- property.blogspot.com which has been cited by the New York Times, Time Magazine, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and NPR affiliate KPCC.

You may order a subscription to The Journal of Art Crime through the ARCA website here.