Roman, Byzantine and Other Conflict Antiquities from Syria

Antiquities from several Syrian cultural eras continue to appear on the art market. Since the last blog post describing this problem, Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International produced the above May 17, 2013 report (not in English). It describes the arrest of one Lebanese and three Syrian nationals by Lebanese General Security for trafficking Byzantine, Roman and Aramaic artifacts stolen from Syrian churches and cemeteries.

Foreign Policy on May 8, 2013 similarly tells how the Syrian civil war has led to a "bull market for antiquities dealers and thieves."

American buyers should remain vigilant about purchases that have no collecting history or have suspicious provenance.

This post is researched, written, and published on the blog Cultural Heritage Lawyer Rick St. Hilaire at culturalheritagelawyer.blogspot.com. Text copyrighted 2010-2013 by Ricardo A. St. Hilaire, Attorney & Counselor at Law, PLLC. Any unauthorized reproduction or retransmission of this post is prohibited. CONTACT INFORMATION: www.culturalheritagelawyer.com

Antiquities Looting and the War in Syria

The U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield met earlier this month in Washington, D.C. to discuss the impact on cultural heritage caused by Syria's armed conflict. The Blue Shield is paying close attention to the situation as wartime traffickers spill artifacts onto the black market and looters trade artifacts for guns.

Several news outlets have described the deteriorating situation, including TIME Magazine, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. The April 7, 2013 CNN report below sheds light on how antiquities are exchanged for gun money.

This post is researched, written, and published on the blog Cultural Heritage Lawyer Rick St. Hilaire at culturalheritagelawyer.blogspot.com. Text copyrighted 2010-2013 by Ricardo A. St. Hilaire, Attorney & Counselor at Law, PLLC. Any unauthorized reproduction or retransmission of this post is prohibited. CONTACT INFORMATION: www.culturalheritagelawyer.com

Cultural Heritage and War: A Video Report on Libya

A recent video produced by NATOchannel.tv reports on cultural heritage in Libya in the context of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.  The short, two part film titled NATO and Libya - Cultural Heritage in Times of Unrest can be viewed below.

One important remark is made by Dr. Joris Kila, Chairman of the International Military Cultural Resources Work Group.  He explains that friendly military forces committed to protecting cultural property can deny enemy forces a potential reservoir of military financing.  The comment is another reminder that meaningful investigation to uncover the connection between illegal antiquities trafficking and weapons purchases is sorely needed.

Part I

Part II

CONTACT: www.culturalheritagelawyer.com.