The
American University in Cairo is to transfer nearly 5,000 Islamic, Coptic,
Pharaonic, Greco-Roman artifacts to the possession of the Egyptian state.
Written By/ Nevine El-Aref.
 |
| Coins |
AUC
has been in legal possession of these antiquities since the 1960s, ensuring
their preservation. “Though we legally possessed these artifacts and
scrupulously preserved and protected them over so many years, we took the
initiative to transfer these important antiquities to the Ministry of
Antiquities because we felt that this should be their rightful home,” said AUC
President Francis J Ricciardone. “Egyptology
has been one of AUC’s most beloved fields over many years. In collaboration
with the ministry, we have always strived to advance the field globally,
through both our scholarship and our demonstration of responsible stewardship,”
he added.
Former
Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs Zahi Hawass commended this
collaboration. “I am thrilled to know that AUC gave its antiquities collection
to the Ministry of Antiquities as a gift,” said Hawass, who had officially
stated in 2011, while serving as minister, that all artifacts in AUC’s storage
were registered and documented with the ministry.
 |
An Islamic clay lamp
|
The
nearly 5,000 pieces were registered and reviewed in collaboration with the
Ministry of Antiquities. They date from a time when archaeological material,
after a stringent review, did not have to remain exclusively in the hands of
the Egyptian Antiquities Organisation (now the Supreme Council of Antiquities).
The
bulk of the materials consisted of fragments of everyday pottery, such as
bowls, ulnas, jars and lusterware vessels. Most of the materials could be dated
back to the 10th and 11th centuries. Some of the objects in the collection had
been legal gifts to the university.
“The materials from the excavation often
seem humble, but they help fill in the blanks to understand what people ate,
their social class and trade in the region,” said Distinguished University
Professor Salima Ikram and head of the Egyptology unit at AUC’s Department of
Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology and Egyptology.
 |
Clay fragments
|
“The
pots, for example, can point to how people lived and the technologies used at
the time, and can demonstrate artistic influence on ceramic production and
decoration.”
Specifically,
AUC acquired most of these artifacts during joint excavations in the Fustat
area led by the late George Scanlon, professor emeritus in AUC’s Department of
Arab and Islamic Civilisations who became a prominent name in the field of
Islamic archaeology. “George Scanlon’s work at Fustat was invaluable, as it set
the stage for Islamic archaeology in Egypt,” said Ikram.
“He
and his colleagues helped create the discipline, fusing art history,
archaeology and texts in an effort to understand the administrative, sacred and
secular lives of the inhabitants of Fustat, one of the first Muslim capitals of
Egypt.”
Ikram
had reviewed the Pharaonic materials in AUC’s possession, while Scanlon was responsible
for the Fustat materials. The objects were regularly checked against the list
made by AUC and the Egyptian Antiquities Organisation. “The
Fustat objects had already been catalogued by Dr Scanlon, who excavated them,
so they were fully recorded,” said Ikram. The discovery of these artifacts was
shared between Egypt and the American mission at that time.
 |
A ceramic tile
|
After
this excavation, the diverse antiquities were brought to AUC, and the
university came to legally possess these artifacts in accordance with the
Egyptian Antiquities Law No 215 for 1951, which previously allowed foreign
excavations in Egypt to keep 50 percent of their findings. The remaining 50
percent of the artifacts went to the Egyptian state. Throughout AUC’s period of
custody over the collection, the materials were kept under close surveillance,
and were securely stored to prevent damage. The
special storage room, locked behind two secure doors, was equipped with
protected cupboards to ensure the safekeeping of the materials.
The
same committee from the Ministry of Antiquities responsible for the recent
handover had collaborated closely with AUC over the years to conduct reviews of
the collection twice a year, keeping records of the inventory and maintaining
photographic documentation.
In
May 2017, the Ministry of Antiquities assigned a special committee to review
the inventory of antiquities at AUC, comparing it to its own government
records. They worked with AUC’s Office of Legal Affairs to ensure that all
antiquities were preserved and documented in the handover. “This
[transfer] is incredible news, and I hope that any institution that owns
antiquities not shown in museums would give them back,” said Hawass.
“AUC
President Francis Ricciardone will be remembered in history because of his
courage, power and honesty to take this decision,” Hawass added.
