The Ethics of Collecting Antiquities

Collectors have a strong demand for antiquities, and the market which has emerged in response has contributed to practices which are harmful to the artifacts, to their study by scholars, and to the modern inhabitants of the regions from which antiquities are harvested.

A portion of the antiquities available for purchase after 1972, when the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property entered into force, almost certainly has been illegally excavated and passed through the black market. Looters and dealers sometimes damage ancient artworks, both unintentionally and intentionally for transport. In addition, information about looted artifacts’ provenience (find spot) and provenance (history of ownership) is often lost or deliberately obscured, making scholarly analysis very difficult, if it is done at all. The refusal of many museums to acquire and of academic journals to publish suspiciously documented artifacts negate them as sources of knowledge about the ancient world.

Finally, the looting of archaeological sites for antiquities to feed the black market relies on the exploitation of often impoverished local populations, who rarely see a portion of the high sale prices and who suffer the loss of cultural patrimony. Moreover, terrorist organizations like ISIS find the trade of plundered antiquities a ready source of funding.

Access the 1970 UNESCO Convention and read a Washington Post article on links between looted antiquities and terrorism on the "To Learn More" page of this website.