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RESEARCH PUBLICATION
Artefacts, roots, networks: endangered archeology and trafficking of archaeological objects
The economic and social context of illicit trafficking in archeological goods
The globalisation and acceleration of the antiquities market necessitate responses beyond national borders, requiring at minimum European-level coordination and reflection. Various national and international organisations, associations, and individuals are working to protect sites and artifacts through documentation and disruption of trafficking networks. These illicit activities not only deprive sites of their discoveries but also strip objects of their meaning by severing them from their contextual information.​
The International Symposium (8-9 October 2023) organised by Université de Poitiers (HERMA laboratory) in the framework of the ANCHISE project, highlighted several key challenges in confronting this issue. First, the identification of objects stolen from museums or private collections remains difficult, even when inventories exist, as appearances can be altered and documentation falsified. Second, and perhaps more critically, the market is flooded with looted objects from clandestine excavations – orphaned artifacts with no documented history. These anonymous objects, transformed solely into market commodities with fabricated histories and pedigrees, become nearly impossible to identify as illicit once they enter the legal art market, creating a troubling coexistence of legal and illegal objects.​​
This volume serves multiple purposes:
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to strengthen collective awareness by pooling data and information from Mediterranean-region stakeholders, highlighting both unique and common characteristics;
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to address emerging regional cooperation through various projects;
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to examine collaboration between actors throughout the process, from object identification to legal proceedings.
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"Artefacts, roots, networks: endangered archaeology and trafficking of archeological objects" documents the symposium and aims to shed light on the trafficking of cultural goods. It includes summaries of the main actors and researchers who spoke at the symposium, focused through thematic analyses.
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