Unfortunately, a multidisciplinary analysis and study of the
type you describe in your first point is now impossible. This marine site is totally despoiled, the data contained in that context and its relevance to our understanding of
history is irrevocably lost to humanity. A tragic missed opportunity. I make no moral or ethical judgements in this; it is simply a statement of fact. It simply serves to highlight the failure and bankruptcy of current thinking on the preservation of cultural heritage. Various cultural heritage laws (national and international) do not address the underlying issue which has its origins in desperate poverty, underfunded (or even non-existent) cultural heritage institutional infrastructure and the corruption that contributes to these two factors.
The second point you raise can be addressed, albeit with considerable associated uncertainty, via salvage
numismatics, attempting the reconstruct the find from coins dispersed in commerce. This was a frequent occurrence in the past; witness the various
Coin Hoards volumes (vols. 1-10) published every 5-10 years, but now longer forthcoming. Now, the situation is fraught with problems and issues for anyone attempting salvage
numismatics of a
hoard in commerce. Perversely, this arises from modern cultural heritage law and approaches that seeks mitigate looting in all its forms by "closing the gate long after the looters have bolted."
Twenty years ago, many dealers would alert academic numismatists to the existence of a
hoard in commerce and assist in its documentation. This is no longer the case. Draconian penalty and vilification are now risks in this approach. In certain academic circles cancel culture runs deep for any
numismatist who undertakes salvage
numismatics. Many journals refuse to consider such
work, arguing that the analysis of unprovenanced material (i.e. that outside established
museum collections or controlled excavation) is illegitimate and worthy of the ultimate academic sanction. To quote the
AJN's guidelines on the matter as an example, (some journals are even more restrictive):
Quote
Publication of Previously Unpublished Material
The
AJN supports laws designed to discourage fraudulent collectibles and the illicit trade in antiquities. Objects originating before ca. 1500 whose
history cannot be traced before the adoption of the UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illegal Import, Export, and Transfer of
Cultural Property of November 14, 1970, are subject to certain limitations for publication in
AJN, if they have not previously been published in a scholarly (non- commercial) publication. If the object is in an institutional
collection, has been reported to an official finds recording system (e.g., the
Portable Antiquities Scheme), or has entered the marketplace legally (e.g., after review under the Treasure
Act in the
United Kingdom), there are no restrictions. Otherwise, if the information has a verifiable source such as a prior publication, a published sale
catalogue, or a named owner, it may be used in publication as
part of a larger discussion (e.g., a die study, a typological study, etc.) but not as the sole focus of the article. If no such source can be cited, the object is not suitable for publication.
AJN reserves the option to reject any contribution that appears to publish recently looted or stolen material, especially from recent conflict zones, even if it otherwise meets these conditions. Unquote
Thus, with regard your second point, the possibility exists, but few if any scholars would be prepared take up the daunting challenge in the
face of the risk of academic sanction in studying any material that originates outside of a museum
collection or controlled excavation.
These are some of the reasons I found the BBC story on the Offshore Gaza
Hoard so interesting and offered it for consideration on the
Forum Discussion Board.
I offer no judgement or solutions, other than to suggest that the BBC story on the Offshore Gaza
Hoard serves as a great case study to illustrate the bankruptcy of current academic and legal thinking on the subject of cultural heritage preservation. In this there may be a better article for
KOINON?