In 1985, Prof. Dr. DIETRICH WILDUNG, who was then Secretary of the 4^th International Congress of Egyptology in Munich, prevented the late Dr. ANDREINA COLONNA, then curator of the Mansoor Amarna Collection, from presenting a paper, at the conference, about the Mansoor Collection. He cited as his reason, the following:

What Prof. Dr. Wildung never indicated was, who or what is this " Egyptian art milieu ", (a Secret Society?), and his " WE ", none of whom had ever seen nor examined the Mansoor artifacts, appointed themselves accusers, witnesses, prosecutor, judge, jury and executioner without giving the accused, we, the owner of the artifacts, a chance to defend itself! This act alone unethical as it is, shows the immense power Prof. Dr. Wildung wields in the "Egyptian art milieu" and woe to him, to whoever contradicts him. Witness the following incidents:

According to its web site " THE AMARNA RESEARCH FOUNDATION, is dedicated exclusively to the advancement of interest and research in the Amarna Period". A very commendable slogan, but unfortunately, it falls far short of its goal. When contacted, an official of the A.R.F. did not show much interest in the Mansoor Amarna problem. He did, however, offer Edmond Mansoor a 15- minute interview in Denver, Colorado. A 15-MINUTE interview, to discuss artifacts from a very important period of Ancient Egyptian history! Obviously, Prof. Dr. Wildung, who was at the time on their Advisory Board as an Honorary Trustee, made his voice heard.

Here is another example of Prof. Dr. Wildung’s total control over this "Egyptian art milieu". In the early days of KMT, its editor, Dennis Forbes, visited an exhibit of the Mansoor Collection at San Francisco State University. The beauty of the sculptures impressed him. He writes:" I found the individual pieces………TO BE HIGHLY ATTRACTIVE examples of stone carving in the round and relief………" and even went as far as offering to publish a debate on the Mansoor Collection in " Amarna Letters". He further wrote:" Rather than continue to dismissing the Mansoor El Amarna Collection out of hand and off the record, I would challenge KNOWLEDGEABLE, WELL CREDENTIALED EGYPTOLOGISTS, ART-HISTORIANS to debate on the record why these particular sculptures are either bonafide antiquities or merely audacious antique curiosities". Idealistic as it was, the offer never got off the ground. According to a reliable source, Prof. Dr. Wildung berated Mr. Forbes and told him to never again publish anything regarding the Mansoor Collection. It is true, of course that, the Mansoor Family does not have the clout in the "Egyptian art milieu", which Prof. Dr. Wildung has. Freedom of the Press? Not in this "Egyptian art milieu". So what does Mr. Forbes do? He appoints Prof. Dr. Wildung to the KMT Advisory Board! Such is the vast power of Prof. Dr. Wildung in this "Egyptian art milieu".

And where, you may ask, are these " KNOWLEDGEABLE, WELL CREDENTIALED EGYPTOLOGISTS, ART HISTORIANS? Do they exist? Ask Prof. Dr. Wildung or Mr. Forbes. How about the" AMARNA RESEARCH FOUNDATION"? Why didn’t it interfere? After all it is "DEDICATED EXCLUSIVELY TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF INTEREST AND RESEARCH IN THE AMARNA PERIOD". Some dedication! You would think that they would investigate this matter and try to prove us wrong and put this matter to rest once and for all. What, or who, are they afraid of?

How powerful is Prof. Dr. Wildung in this " Egyptian art milieu?" Recently an acquaintance asked the Director of an important Egyptology Institute in Europe, his opinion about the Mansoor artifacts. His answer? " Ask Prof. Dr. Wildung?

If you wish to find out who and what is this " Egyptian art milieu ", contact Prof. Dr. Wildung at < acmp@smb.spk-berlin.de >. You may also want to contact the A.R.F at < Rtomb10@cs.com >

We are unable to supply the email address of Mr. Forbes, but you may contact him by writing Mr. Greg Reeder at < greg@egyptology.com >

We would appreciate a copy of any response you may get.

Posted July, 2004

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