Dr. Christos Tsirogiannis identified recently another antiquity likely of illicit origin at the Royal-Athena Galleries, New York, on February 17, 2017. Royal-Athena Galleries is the same New York gallery recently in the news about an illicitly trafficked sarcophagus fragment. The provenance and sales details listed for the amphora recently seized was stated on the gallery’s…
A private exhibition archaeological objects by of A.L. in Olbia, Italy, rises again the discussion on who is allowed to keep and exhibit such objects.About 77 objects of Etruscan and Roman origin were found. In Italy, private persons are obliged to proof the legal ownership of the archaeological objects, and have to inform the Soprintendenza in…
The University of Padoa, Italy, organises an international winter school on Anthropology of Forgery 13-17 February 2017. The schhol takes places at the University of Padoa, the Gallerie d’Italia in Vicenza, and the Palazzo Zuckermann, Padoa. You can find the program and further information here: program_winter-school_anthropology-of-forgery_2017
Europol has joined forces with law enforcement authorities from 18 countries, INTERPOL, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the World Customs Organization (WCO) to tackle the theft and illicit trafficking of cultural goods. Operation Pandora, as EUROPOL just noticed in a press release on January 23, 2016, was successfully led by…
La Repubblica.it and other journals informs today, January 18, 2017 that 12 persons were arrested since they were caught to be involved in plundering archaeological sites in Crotone, Calabria (Southern Italy) since years and selling their finds on the black market. The group of tombaroli was lead by numismatic prof. P. G. Attianese. With him arrested was…
A Roman marble fragment currently on sale at the Royal-Athena Galleries, owned by Dr. Jerome Eisenberg, New York, has a more than doubtful history. The fragment of this sarcophagus, which presents a battle between Greeks and Trojans, is depicted in four Polaroid images (see below) and is referred to in three handwritten notes, in the…
This Monday, November 7, our committee member Dr. Christos Tsirogiannis, senior archaeologist at the Cambridge Archaeological Unit, University of Cambridge, identified an Etruscan terracotta antefix (lot 14) in the forthcoming Bonhams auction in London, on November 30th, 2016, as deriving from the Medici archive (see images on the right). But the collecting history given by…
The University of Padoa organises an international Winter School “Anthropology of forgery. A multidisciplinary approach to the study of archaeological fakes“. The school will take place February 13-17, 2017 in Padua and gather a pool of international scholars who are committed to the study of, and to the fight against, illegal activities within the sphere…
The Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio recently sold nearly 70 antiquities from Egypt, Italy, and Cyprus for $1.2 million. New York auction house Christie’s said Thursday the total comes from live and online auctions this week. Egyptian officials earlier this week sought to stop the auction and wanted the items from Egypt returned there.…
A new master in archaeological law and crimes against the cultural heritage is offered by the Centro per gli Studi Criminologici, giuridici e sociologici and the Dipartimento di Beni Culturali ed Archeomafie, in cooperation with the Osservatorio Internazionale Archeomafie. Lectures will be held in Italian and take place at the Istituto Internazionale di Formazione METAFORM…
EAA-Community on the Illicit Trade in Cultural Material 