The problem of illicit antiquities: an ethical dilemma for scholars (original) (raw)

Looting, the Antiquities Trade, and Competing Valuations of the Past

Annual Review of Anthropology, 2018

Looting and spoliation of archaeological sites represent a known crisis in many parts of the world, and it is widely acknowledged that despite what we know about the scale of site destruction, the reality is worse. Available evidence suggests that the scale and severity of looting are increasing. Legal and ethical remedies exist but have not proven adequate to reduce the impact of looting and antiquities trafficking. This reflects, in part, inadequate resources and uneven enforcement, and also the pressures of rising prices for antiquities, growing market demand, severe economic depression, and lawlessness, particularly in conflict zones. But it also reflects expanding ideological causes for site destruction by others, as well as competing epistemologies and deontological expectations within the discipline itself challenging the site preservation imperative in archaeology. More than ten years ago, a previous review of these topics found the response inadequate; a decade later, matters are worse. 455

2010 Archaeological looting and economic justice

Phyllis M. Messenger and George S. Smith (eds), Cultural Heritage Management, Policies and Issues in Global Perspective. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 261–77., 2010

The illegal and destructive appropriation and trade of archaeological heritage is a well-documented phenomenon. It causes economic loss and cultural dislocation for the dispossessed "source" communities and countries, balanced by corresponding economic and cultural gains for the acquiring communities and countries. States and international NGOs have developed legal and other normative instruments aimed at controlling the trade, and relevant professional bodies are beginning to explore the ethical dimension. Nevertheless, laws and ethics have fallen short of their purpose, and the problem persists. The design of more appropriate legal and ethical responses is hampered by a poorly developed conceptual framework (with an imprecise terminology to match) founded upon a patchy evidence base of uncertain reliability. There is an urgent need for more empirical research and some innovative theoretical input.

New insights into the antiquities illicit trade in the Eastern Mediterranean

Proceedings of the 10th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, 2018

Eastern Mediterranean is a place with rich cultural heritage including well known and also unknown archaeological sites scattered everywhere. Archaeological crime is threatening all the archaeological sites, museums, private collections. Looting of ancient sites, shipwrecks, stealing of private collections, museums and churches and finally large scale destruction is the worst enemy of our cultural heritage. The practice of stealing cultural objects it is known since the rise of the first societies (Cooper 2011, 46; Calvani 2008, 28; Mackenzie 2005, 250), but the scale of this destruction in our time is something that must be concerned. Agricultural activities, natural disasters, wars and of course looters are threaten world’s cultural heritage (Brodie and Renfrew 2005, 343-44; Renfrew and Bahn 2001, 566-67). The previous years the world experienced extreme and brutal acts from ISIS/DAESH in Syria and Iraq. A series of murders, such as Khaled al-Asaad, kidnappings and demolitions of archaeological and religious sites like Palmyra and Nineveh revealed the great danger our societies are facing from such groups (Danti 2015, 132-36; Bauer 2015, 1). The situation showed that antiquities smuggling phenomenon has more consequences than it seemed at the past. Beside the loss of important scientific information about humanity’s past societies our society, with the destruction of the context (Renfrew and Bahn 2001, 567; Calvani 2008, 32; Bailey 1993, 5; Campbell 2013, 114-15; Brodie and Renfrew 2005, 349; Brodie et all 2000, 8-11; Herscher 1987, 213; Gill 2012, 37), is facing a series of parallel effects which are not only limited in the cultural level. There are also important consequences connected with the social life of a country. Profit coming from antiquities smuggling actions could easily be used for bribes of government officials, further engagement with looting and crime that eventually would undermine the social web of a country (Brodie et all 2000, 11-17; Brodie and Contreras 2012, 9).

The Trade in Looted Antiquities and the Return of Cultural Property: A British Parliamentary Inquiry

International Journal of Cultural Property, 2002

The British parliamentary report on Cultural Property: Return and Illicit Trade was published in 2000. Three key areas were addressed: the illicit excavation and looting of antiquities, the identification of works of art looted by Nazis, and the return of cultural property now residing in British collections. The evidence presented by interested parties—including law enforcement agencies and dealers in antiquities—to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee is assessed against the analysis of collecting patterns for antiquities. The lack of self regulation by those involved in the antiquities market supports the view that the British Government needs to adopt more stringent legislation to combat the destruction of archaeological sites by looting.