Sites for Sale

We have often spoken in class about antiquities that have been bought and sold, but rarely have we spoken about actual sites that have been put on the market.

A recent article from BBC news talks about a site in Cissbury Ring in West Sussex. It is here where a site is being put on the market because the previous owner (who wanted the site to remain public) had passed away. The site was so be sold as agricultural land. 

This resulted in public outcry and protest which resulted in the real-estate agency deciding to review the decision to sell.

The land itself is not the archaeology site, but the Iron Age fort near by is. According to the 400 people who gathered to protest the sale of the land feel as though the land has as much archaeological significance as the fort and is also a huge part of their heritage.

This isn't the first time I have wondered about the ethics of historical sites being put up for sale. More often than not, homes with rich history are sold off to the highest bidder. Sometimes historical homes are made into libraries or schools. Is this ethical? Or should all historical sites become museums and open to the public? How does one decide what is important to the public and what can be sold privately? In the case of Cissbury Ring, locals came out to protest, but how rarely to local citizens fight for their local heritage?

I will end this entry with an interesting website I found while roaming around the internet. It is apparently a 13th century Templar castle for sale in Italy. Is it ethical to sell such a historic site? Or is it merely just a house for sale to anyone willing to buy?

http://www.castles-for-sale.com/sale/Perugia/index.htm

BBC article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/sussex/8360572.stm