From the Observer, by Noah Charney, November 7, 2018 It is unfortunately a well-known fact that the art trade has occasionally been infiltrated by unscrupulous characters—art forgers, flippers and thieves are among the first to come to mind. In modern art history, the cases of outright art theft are rare and newsworthy. But in the…
From Montreal Gazette, November 4, 2018 Italy’s populist government is to introduce tough new penalties for art and antiquities crimes as it aims to crack down on cultural theft as part of its nationalist agenda. The announcement comes after several high-profile restitutions of antiquities taken to London and New York and recovered only after being…
From The Antiquities Coalition, November 5, 2018. The Illicit Art Trade From plundering during the Crusades to Napoleon’s loot of Egypt, antiquities have long been symbols of worldliness and status. In today’s world, antiquities have become go-to investments for art consumers and market speculators. However, individuals with certain statuses, including those blacklisted and on sanctions…
In the frame of the Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (CAA) 2019 Conference with the topic ‘Check Object Integrity’, which will take place in Krakow on April 23-27, 2019, we would like to inform you about a session on ‘Chasing heritage thieves: digital methods and approaches to contrasting trafficking and looting of cultural…
After very lengthy debates within the SAA itself, the statement on working with “responsible and responsive” stewards (artefact collectors, artefact hunters etc), is finally agreed and published! Society For American Archaeology Statement On Collaboration With Responsible And Responsive Stewards Of The Past Download Statement In the United States there are many people with an enthusiastic…
On July 26, 2018, the 3-Member Appeal Penal Court of Athens gave its verdict on the Schinoussa case, in which Dr. Christos Tsirogiannis has been one of the main witnesses for the Greek State against the Papadimitriou family (heir of the dealer Christos Michaelides, partner of Robin Symes, antiquities dealers). According to an email from…
Source: Archaeology and Arts [May 16, 2018] The ‘history’ of Ionian shipwrecks emerges after three cases of antiquity smuggling in one month were investigated by the Ioannina Police and two Germans living for 30 years in the coastal town of Perdika in Thesprotia were arrested, as well as a scuba diver in Igoumenitsa and a…
From the UNESCO-Homepage, published March 28, 2018 When it comes to the global art market, Europe is reportedly the largest exporter of art and antiquities, and the second largest importer. While most of the estimated USD 14.6 billion European trade is licit or “clean”, there is no doubt that it also falls victim to organized…
International conference on the legislation, strategies and principles for the inclusion of the amateur archaeologists & metal detectorists into the scientific research and heritage protection schemes, and consolidation of the legal framework and practical measures for the prevention of looting and illegal trade in antiquities Place: Ljubljana Date: 5th/6th April 2018 Venue: National museum of…
From Reuters, written by Angus McDowall, February 2, 2018 Ancient sculptures that were missing for decades after being stolen during Lebanon’s civil war are to go on display in Beirut thanks to a global fight against antiquities smuggling that has been stepped up since wartime looting in Iraq and Syria. The five marble statues were…
EAA-Committee on the Illicit Trade in Cultural Material 