Preserving Ancient Cultural Heritage in a New State: Montenegro and the Looting of Doclea, 1882

Abstract

This article deals with the first example of measures taken by the state of Montenegro to preserve its ancient cultural heritage. Based on archival material from the State Archives of Montenegro, it deals with the period after the international recognition of this small Balkan state at the Congress of Berlin in 1878. In July 1882, some local residents invaded the most important ancient site in Montenegro, Doclea (Duklja), and robbed one of the site's most important tombs. Then, they took the excavated finds to Shkodër (Skadar) – which is part of present-day Albania but belonged to the Ottoman Empire at the time – with the intention of selling everything. The Montenegrin government launched an investigation, arrested two suspects and launched a manhunt for the other two who were in Shkodër to return the artefacts they had taken. Previously unused archival sources show that the Montenegrin government was prepared to make maximum efforts to retrieve its stolen cultural heritage. The case thus sheds light on the emerging government policy of the preservation of old cultural heritage in the new state.