Penso che tutti i soci del "Zerzura Club" sottoscriveranno senza riserve quanto segue, e di conseguenza si atterrà alle sue raccomandazioni, tratto dal Heinrich-Barth-Institute (ente diretto da Rudolph Kuper), emanazione dell'Università di Colonia:
One word before you start into the desert.
Every year thousands of people visit the Sahara in order to do research, to work or just because they have been attracted by the fascination of the desert. Many of them bring home at least one arrow head or other stone implements for souvenir and doing so they spoil, for the most part unknowingly and often apparently justified by scientific interest, an important source of historical reference from one of the poorest and least known countries of Africa.
Certainly, the number of archaeological sites seems to be inexhaustible, as once did the number of whales or the tropical forest in the world. But even today there are already regions, where not one stone age settlement has been left untouched. The just one tool taken could be the crucial link in a chain of information decoding a message from prehistory. An historical document missing an unknown number of pages is virrtually as worthless as the pages themselves when they are taken out of context. African history is mainly unwritten history and thus in particular relies on archaeological sources.
Today, there are surely greater problems facing the countries concerned than these. But later gemerations will blame our time for the ruin of their cultural heritage that is more final than the looting of art during colonial times.
One does not have to be an archaeologist to recognize these consequences of an uncontrolled passion for collecting. Ralph Baagnold pointed out this problem in awarning which is supported here by Professor Théodore Monod and Dr. Hans Rhotert. All three belong to the pioneers who in the first half of the century opened up vast parts of the Sahara. Their joint appeal is aimed to those who love the desert as they did and likewise feel responsible for this legacy of the past – which only seems inexhaustible.
Take care that your journey does not contribute to the further ruination of a rich but currently unwritten chapter of cultural history. The loss to futur generations can never be reclaimed.
PROTECT THE SAHARAN HERITAGE!
Heinrich – Barth – Institut
The Stone Age Legacy of the Desert
Taken from the foreword to „Desert Landforms in Southwest Egypt“ (El-Baz & Maxwell, eds., NASA, Washington 1982) discussing the exploitation of the Sahara, where after the despoiling of water and fuel now also the archaeological wealth is threatened.
„The desert is vulnerable to Man’s activities in another, very different sense. Having been subjected to wind erosion for a great period of time, evidence of ist past successive human occupations are all concentrated togehter on the present surface. Hence if appreciable progress is ever to be made in the interpretation of the human past in this desert it seems probable that special methods involving comparative statistics concerning the surface density and distribution of the various types of artifacts will be necessary ...
... But, alas, human nature, is such that the temptation to pick up and remove ancient artifacts seen lying on the ground is almost irresistable. Even now the original statistical pattern of artifact distribution must in some places have already spoilt ...
... There is, in this wonderful desert, unlimited scope for many more scientific expeditions ... But for the sake of posterity it is to be more hoped (I fear probably in vain) that mankind’s craving for exploitation will not lead to the exhaustion of the accumulated past, wether of water or archaeology, in the same way as is now happening in the case of fossil fuels.“
Hence give up all claim to souvenirs, keep your inquiring mind in check and help to save the past for the future!
Ralph A. Bagnold O.B.E., F.R.S.
Blackheath, London SE3 )EF
Professor Dr. Théodore Monod
F – 75231 Paris
Dr. Hans Rhotert
D – 8221 Siegsdorf
Le desert et son legs de l’age de la Pierre
Dans la préface de „Desert Landforms in Southwest Egypt“ (El-Baz & Maxwell, eds., NASA, Washington 1982) qui parle de l’exploitation du Sahara, R. A. Bagnold constante que maintenant, aprés l’abus de l’easu et du pétrole, les richesses archéologiques du sol sont aussi gravement menacées.
Le désert est également remarquable sous un autre aspect: les activités passée de l’homme. En effet, il a été soumis durant de longues périodes à l’érosion éolienne, avec ce résultat que les differentes phases de ces industries se retrouvent aujourd’hui côte à côte sur la surface du sol. C’est pourquoi, afin d’atteindre des résultats précis dans l’histoire de ces industries successives, des méthodes prticulières doivent être utilisées, comme l’emploi de statistiques comparatives, pour permettre une étude des caractéristiques ces differentes industries et de leur distribution...
... Mais la nature humaine est ainsi faite que presque chacun apercevant sur le sol ces objects, résiste mal à la tentation de les ramasser et les emporter. Il est déjà impossible de déterminer les caractéristiques statistiques originelles de tel ou tel gisement...
... Dans ce merveilleux désert, il subsiste encore de larges possibilités d’effectuer des campagnes scientifiques... Mais pour le profit de l’avenir, on peut seulement espérer (et je souhaite ne pas me tromper) que l’appétit de l’humanité pour l’exploitation de la planète n’aboutisse pas, tant dans le domaine de l’eau que dans celui de l’archéologie, à un épuisement de l’heritage légué par le passé.
Pour cette raison: Renoncez aux souvenirs, maîtrisez vos passions de chercheur et aidez à garder le passé au futur!
Ralph A. Bagnold O.B.E., F.R.S.
Blackheath, London SE3 )EF
Professor Dr. Théodore Monod
F – 75231 Paris
Dr. Hans Rhotert
D – 8221 Siegsdorf
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