"Orphan" Antiquities Study
The Cultural Policy Research Institute, a think tank formed last year "to build a viable legal framework for the protection of world historical remains", has issued its first research study. It focuses on "orphan" artifacts: archaeological material or ancient art in private hands that the AAMD's recently-adopted guidelines exclude from being acquired by Member museums because these artifacts lack clear provenance showing they were outside their country of probable modern discovery before 1970 (or were exported legally after 1970). This first pilot study limited itself to Greek, Roma

Blanding sentencing: a missed opportunity?
It’s hard to say whether the guilty pleas in two looting cases in the Four Corners region represented a victory or a loss for cultural heritage. The United States has strong laws designed to protect and preserve its archaeological patrimony, and it is fortunate to have prosecutors and law-enforcement agents capable of doing the research necessary to bring a meaningful case. But the sentencing of Jeanne and Jericca Redd of Blanding, Utah, was so lenient, the case may have an effect quite the opposite of the one legislators hoped for when they wrote those laws, encouraging rather than deterring future thieves.It’s sur

"Wonderful objects with clear provenance continue to perform exceedingly well at auction"
In June this year G. Max Bernheimer, Christie's International Department Head of Antiquities, commented on the June 3 sale of antiquities that raised $3.4 million. He spoke positively about the sale: “Today’s strong results show that wonderful objects with clear provenance continue to perform exceedingly well at auction.” It now appears that two of the lots have been seized by agents of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). [For initial story with pictures see he

Oscar Muscarella's "Fifth Column" of Plunder Culture
All too often, debates about cultural property are made to look simply like battles between curators/collectors/dealers and archaeologists. In an article, "The Fifth Column Within the Archaeological Realm: The Great Divide," Dr. Oscar White Muscarella looks at the net

Prison time, felony charges rare for relic looters in USA
The strength of the market for antiquities and the consistent failures of the US legal system to deal with those committing offences against the 1979 Archaeological Resources Protection Act, together with a lack of manpower and other priorities for investigators, means that the US is currently "witnessing the wholesale stripping and selling off for scrap our collective American heritage". Despite a push in recent decades to get tougher on artifact looters, there are no significant signs that prosecutions or punishments are having any major effect on looting, especially those that steal for commercial purposes, writes Mike Stark Associated Press writer ("