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Warning: a museum guard in Lima taught me more about looting in 10 minutes than any class
Two summers ago I was at the Museo Larco in Lima staring at a Moche pot when a guard walked over and pointed at a crack near the rim. He said looters dig straight down into tombs with a metal rod, and the rod punch is why so many pots show up broken in the same spot. He showed me three more pieces on that shelf with the same mark, all from the north coast. Now I spot those puncture holes in auction photos every time. Has anyone else had a site worker or guard point out grave robber damage you would have walked right past?
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patricia_bennett265d ago
I always figured that damage on old pots was just from time and handling, so I never gave those little cracks a second look. The rod punch detail really got me though, because it makes so much sense once you see it, one sharp hit in the same spot over and over. A guy selling textiles near Cusco showed me the same kind of thing on some huacos, and now those marks jump out at me in blurry auction listings too. Did the guard say if the holes show up on gold work the same way, or mostly on the pottery?
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