A looter's pit (left) at the ancient Sumerian city of Kish, Iraq. Fragments of pottery (right) are scattered near the pit
Archaeological looting is the illicit removal of artifacts from an archaeological site. Such looting is the major source of artifacts for the antiquities market.[1] Looting typically involves either the illegal exportation of artifacts from their country of origin or the domestic distribution of looted goods.[2] Looting has been linked to the economic and political stability of the possessing nation, with levels of looting increasing during times of crisis,[3] but it has been known to occur during peacetimes and some looters take part in the practice as a means of income, referred to as subsistence looting.[4] However, looting is also endemic in so-called "archaeological countries" like Italy, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and other areas of the Mediterranean Basin, as well as many areas of Africa, South East Asia and Central and South America, which have a rich heritage of archaeological sites, a large proportion of which are still unknown to formal archaeological science. Many countries have antique looting laws which state that the removal of the cultural object without formal permission is illegal and considered theft.[5] Looting is not only illegal; the practice may also threaten access to cultural heritage. Cultural heritage is knowledge about a heritage that is passed down from generation to generation.[6]
Grave robbery is a type of archaeological looting. Grave robbing is the illegal removal of bodies from grave sites. Often, grave robbing involves stealing artefacts or personal items within ones burial which may later be sold on the black market.
^Bowman Proulx 2013, p.111.
^"Expedition Magazine - Penn Museum". www.penn.museum. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
^Valdés 2006, p. 98.
^Tapete, Deodato; Cigna, Francesca. 2019. "Detection of Archaeological Looting from Space: Methods, Achievements and Challenges." Remote Sens. 11, no. 20: 2389.
Archaeologicallooting is the illicit removal of artifacts from an archaeological site. Such looting is the major source of artifacts for the antiquities...
Archaeologicallooting in Iraq took place since at least the late 19th century. The chaos following war provided the opportunity to pillage everything...
Archaeologicallooting in Romania refers to illegal digging and removal of ancient artifacts from archaeological sites in Romania in order to be sold on...
line between unnecessary "looting" and necessary "scavenging" lies are often dilemmas for governments. In other cases, looting may be tolerated or even...
Examples of looting of archaeological sites for the black market: Archaeologicallooting in Iraq Archaeologicallooting in Romania Maya stelae looting The protection...
Looted art has been a consequence of looting during war, natural disaster and riot for centuries. Looting of art, archaeology and other cultural property...
protect archaeological materials and uphold ethical archaeological research. The Antiquities Act of 1906 established punishment for archaeologicallooting, ensured...
unobtainable using traditional archaeological excavation techniques. Remote Sensing methods employed in the service of archaeological investigations include:...
community. While most looting is deliberate, accidental looting can occur when amateurs, who are unaware of the importance of Archaeological rigor, collect artifacts...
combat and looting, but no promises were made. U.S. forces did not bomb the site, despite them bombing a number of uninhabited Iraqi archaeological sites....
heir's claim. For organized looting, see: Art theft and looting by Nazi Germany Art theft and looting by Japan Art theft and looting by the Soviet Union On...
killings and bombings Other war crimes Raid on Camp Ashraf (2011) Archaeologicallooting Chlorine bombings Torture by the Wolf Brigade (2004–2011) Prosecution...
restoration of archaeological sites is the collaborative effort between archaeologists, conservators, and visitors to preserve an archaeological site, and...
killings and bombings Other war crimes Raid on Camp Ashraf (2011) Archaeologicallooting Chlorine bombings Torture by the Wolf Brigade (2004–2011) Prosecution...
killings and bombings Other war crimes Raid on Camp Ashraf (2011) Archaeologicallooting Chlorine bombings Torture by the Wolf Brigade (2004–2011) Prosecution...
killings and bombings Other war crimes Raid on Camp Ashraf (2011) Archaeologicallooting Chlorine bombings Torture by the Wolf Brigade (2004–2011) Prosecution...
killings and bombings Other war crimes Raid on Camp Ashraf (2011) Archaeologicallooting Chlorine bombings Torture by the Wolf Brigade (2004–2011) Prosecution...
Baghdad. After the collapse of Saddam Hussein's government, the prison was looted and everything that was removable was carried away. Following the invasion...
can be looting and illegal construction. One effect of rescue archaeology is that it diverts resources and impacts pre-planned archaeological work. Conditions...
killings and bombings Other war crimes Raid on Camp Ashraf (2011) Archaeologicallooting Chlorine bombings Torture by the Wolf Brigade (2004–2011) Prosecution...
seekers" or "site looters" whose activities disrupt archaeological sites. The problem with use of metal detectors in archaeological sites or hobbyist...
Award from the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) for a two-year series of stories about archaeologicallooting and the international traffic in illicit...
killings and bombings Other war crimes Raid on Camp Ashraf (2011) Archaeologicallooting Chlorine bombings Torture by the Wolf Brigade (2004–2011) Prosecution...
Taha Bidaywi Hamed, who kept the city from falling into the control of looters and common criminals. The town council and Hamed were both considered to...
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