Antiquities trade
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Illicit antiquities. (Discuss) |
Antiquities trade is the trade in historical artifacts from around the world. This trade may be illicit or completely legal. The illicit antiquities trade involves non-scientific extraction that ignores the archaeological and anthropological context from which the artifacts derive. The legal antiquities trade abide by national regulations, which now universally provides for extraction that allows for the scientific study of the artifacts in order to study the archaeological and anthropological context.
Contents |
[edit] Illicit trade
In the illicit trade of antiquities looters extract antiquities from the ground.[1] After the looters extract the antiquities they then sell them to middlemen antiquities dealers who in turn sell them to collectors often for a handsome price. Frequently, locals are the looters and they extract the artifacts in order to sell them to the middlemen antiquities dealers.[2] Collectors may include museums.[3]
Recent trends reveal a large push to repatriate artifacts illicitly extracted and traded on the international market. Such artifacts include those held by museums like the Getty Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
[edit] Legal trade
The legal trade in antiquities abide by the laws in which the artifacts originate. These laws establish how the antiquities may be extracted from the ground and the legal process in which artifacts may leave the country.
