Journal ArticleDOI
Small Finds, Big Values: Cylinder Seals and Coins from Iraq and Syria on the Online Market
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In this article, the authors argue that the number of cylinder seals and coins sold on the Internet has increased steadily since 2011, reaching a peak in 2016-17, and that the trade in Iraqi and Syrian antiquities has shifted from big-ticket items sold in traditional brick-and-mortar shops to small items readily available on the internet for modest prices.Abstract:
Discussions about looted antiquities often focus on large, culturally and monetarily valuable items. Nevertheless, it is clear that mundane small finds, which sell for relatively small amounts, account for a large portion of the global market in antiquities. This article highlights two types of small artifacts—namely, cylinder seals and coins, presumed to come from Syria and Iraq and offered for sale by online vendors. We argue that the number of cylinder seals and coins sold on the Internet has increased steadily since 2011, reaching a peak in 2016–17. This shows that the trade in Iraqi and Syrian antiquities has shifted from big-ticket items sold in traditional brick-and-mortar shops to small items readily available on the Internet for modest prices. The continuing growth of the online market in antiquities is having a devastating effect on the archaeological sites in Iraq and Syria as increasing demand fuels further looting in the region.read more
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Journal ArticleDOI
Studies in the Ancient History of Northern Iraq
Mark A. Brandes,David Oates +1 more
Journal ArticleDOI
Why There is Still an Illicit Trade in Cultural Objects and What We Can Do About It
TL;DR: The illicit trade in cultural objects endures, with harmful consequences to local communities, knowledge acquisition, and archaeologica as discussed by the authors, even 50 years after the adoption of the 1970 UNESCO Convention.
References
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A Survey of the Material and Intellectual Consequences of Trading in Undocumented Ancient Coins: A Case Study on the North American Trade
TL;DR: This paper examined the scale of the trade in ancient coins in North America and addressed some points made by proponents of a continued unfettered ancient coin trade, concluding that coins are an equally important historical source and are no less important 'antiquities' than a Greek painted vase.
Book
Lost World of the Golden King: In Search of Ancient Afghanistan
TL;DR: The Lost World of the Golden King as discussed by the authors is a classic story about a lost world of the golden king and its subsequent collapse and re-emergence in the 21st century.
Settlement Patterns and Cultural Interactions in Northern Mesopotamia (2nd - 4th century CE)
TL;DR: In this article, a study about the Roman Near East and the relations and interactions with the Eastern neighbours and the local populations is presented, with the starting point for the comprehension of such dynamics must be the identification of the points of interactions as well as the differences, always bearing in mind the hybridisation that occurred.