Two articles from the Basler Zeitung (also here), written by Raphael Suter, October 31, 2017 (in German). See also the Tageswoche (also German). Um die Verfahrenskosten zu decken, verkauft der Kanton Basel-Stadt einige Kunstgegenstände unsicherer Provenienz. Macht sich der Staat so nicht selber zum Hehler? Die rechtliche Situation ist klar, die moralische sehr viel komplexer.…
From Al-Monitor, written by Hani Sameer, November 21, 2017. Egypt recently recovered another cache of smuggled antiquities, bringing attention once again to the challenges of protecting the country’s ancient artifacts. Earlier this month, customs officers at Sharjah International Airport in the United Arab Emirates confiscated 354 artifacts dating from different eras of ancient Egyptian and…
From Euroweekly, written by Karl Smallman, November 18, 2017. POLICE officers in Spain who raided the home of a couple have discovered a hoard of several thousands of archaeological pieces. At the property in San Fernando, Cadiz, Guardia Civil agents found coins from the Roman to the medieval period, buttons, keys, beads, thimbles, rings, bullets…
25 Etruscan objects and some forgeries were recovered by the police; a 29 year old was reported. From the Quotidiano del Litorale November 21, 2017 (in Italian). C’è la skyphos o coppa ma anche un oinochoe e una kylix, la classica coppa per il vino, nell’inventario dei reperti sequestrati ad un giovane intercettato dai carabinieri…
Mafia and the passion of Messina Denaro for archaeology. From MeridioNews, written by Salvo Catalano, Novembre 20, 2017 (in Italian). Il sequestro al mercante d’arte Becchina riporta all’attenzione una storia che affonda le sue origini nel secolo scorso e che viene ripercorsa da diversi pentiti, recentemente sentiti dai magistrati. «Il vecchio Messina Denaro aveva questo hobby, la sua…
From Il Vibonese, written by Giuseppe Baglivo, November 20, 2017. In Italian. Un grande mercato internazionale, molti vantaggi e poche regole. Il Vibonese è da tempo al centro di traffici di reperti archeologici che abbracciano mezza Europa e si propagano sin negli Stati Uniti. Un sottobosco di “professionisti”, legati a un circuito di distribuzione su scala…
From The Guardian, November 22, 2017. A multimillion-dollar trade in fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls fuelled by a surge in interest from wealthy evangelicals in the US includes a significant number of suspected forgeries, two prominent experts have said. On scholar said the problem was so serious that up to 90% of the 75…
ARCA’s Postgraduate program in Art Crime and Cultural Heritage Protection is now accepting applications. Information copied from the ARCA’s homepage. In 2009 ARCA started the first of its kind, interdisciplinary, approach to the scholarly study of art crime. Representing a unique opportunity for individuals interested in training in a structured and academically diverse format, the…
Dr. Christos Tsirogiannis, affiliated researcher at The Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, University of Glasgow, has just identified today, November 20, 2017, the kylix (cup) lot 62 at the forthcoming antiquities auction of Gorny & Mosch in Munich, Germany (Auction 252 – 13.12.2017: Ancient Art: An important collection of Greek vases and parts…
The Italian Journal 24ore, Campobello-News, and Palermo.repubblica noted today, November 15, 2017, that the property of Gianfranco Becchina (here more info in Italian) was confiscated due to links to the Sicilian Cosa Nostra, namely its boss Matteo Messina Denaro: authorities have seized the noble house and Becchina’s bussiness (Olio Verde, Demetra srl, Becchina & company…
EAA-Committee on the Illicit Trade in Cultural Material 