When I was in high school, I was in a handful of Humanities classes, one of which was Humanities Art. We learned about ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman art, the masters, such as Van Dyke and Gaugan, and how to tell the difference between a Monet (landscapes, small strokes) and a Manet (people, color contrast). We also dabbled in architecture and performance art, among other things.
I lived in Staten Island NY at the time, and we were just a bus, car or ferry ride away from Manhattan. So our class had a few field trips into “the city” to see stuff in person.
For me, one of the highlights of the class was our visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where we saw The Temple of Dendur, which was given to the United States by Egypt in 1965 and awarded to the MMoA in 1967 (they built a whole wing for it).
From Wikipedia:
The Temple of Dendur is a Roman Egyptian religious structure originally located in Tuzis, Nubia about 80 kilometres south of modern Aswan. Around 23 BCE, Emperor Augustus commissioned the temple dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis and deified brothers Pedesi and Pihor from Nubia.
When we went to see the Temple of Dendur and its gate, our teacher, Mr. S. (he’s still around, BTW. He’s a Facebook friend of mine) specifically told us to look for the ancient graffiti on these two ancient buildings. We did, and there was a lot of it.
PC: Burn the asylum / wikimedia / CC-BY-SA 3.0
My 17 year old brain, which was used to be something of a goody two shoes that followed the rules, was blown away at people who had carved their names into what was, even in the early 1800s, ancient history.
Back then, people didn’t get in trouble for essentially showing proof that “they were there.” Nowadays? It’s another story. Case in point…
You may have read the other day that Italian officials were searching for a man who was seen carving “Ivan + Hayley 23” onto one of the walls of the Colosseum, in Rome.
Vandalizing a 2,000 year old Unesco World Heritage Site is not cool (on the original video, dated June 23rd, the cameraman, who just happened to come across the guy as he was defacing the wall, said, “Are you serious man? That’s f**ked up. Stupid a**hole.”)
Since then, the footage has caused outrage around the world. Multiple furious commentators said how disrespectful the act was, and they hoped the culprit would be found and arrested for what he did.
Fortunately, Italian authorities now think they know who did it.
A spokesman for the Carabinieri (Italian military corp) said: “Following investigations, subsequent to the complaint presented by the Colosseum Park Authority, the Carabinieri of the Command of Rome Piazza Venezia, coordinated by the Public Prosecutor of Rome, have identified, through traditional investigations and photographic comparison, the person seriously suspected of be responsible for engraving his own name and that of his partner, at the Colosseum, filming the scene, then published on social media.
“The Carabinieri have ascertained that it is a couple, man and woman, residing in England.
“It should be noted that the proceeding is in the preliminary investigation phase, therefore the suspect must consider himself innocent until a final sentence is issued.”
The Carabinieri believe that the tourist in question is named Ivan Dimitrov (a.k.a. Ivan Hawkins at times), a fitness instructor of Bulgarian origin who lives in the UK, according to Italian police. They’ve been able to track down his details, including where he and his longterm girlfriend, Hayley Bracey were staying. However officers also believe the couple have already left Italy.
Police have said it’s only Dimitrov who would be in trouble, since he was the one who defaced the Colosseum; Bracey “is not part of the investigation.”
They’ve also stated that there is going to be a trial for this act, and if things go badly for Dimitrov, he could face some serious punishments.
The Daily Mail reports that the police have been in contact with Dimitrov, and he has, “expressed his apologies and sincere remorse.”
Italian police said: “He had contacted us after we secured his mobile telephone from hotel records and left a message for him to call us.
“He was naturally worried about the legal implications, and these were all explained to him.”
When the authorities were talking with Dimitrov, they told him he could face a fine of up to €15,000 ($16,382) and could even end up in jail for between two to five years.
Italian Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, said: “This act was offensive to everyone around the world who appreciates the value of archaeology, monuments and history.
“I am grateful to the Carabinieri for having swiftly identified the person who is alleged to be responsible for this act, uncivilized as it was absurd, which was committed at the Colosseum.
“I hope that the justice system will now run its course and rigorously apply the law. Those who cause damage will pay.”
The government minister also said Italy would be tightening its laws on people found guilty of damaging historical sites.
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