Customer Reviews

Archaeology, Cultural Heritage, and the Antiquities Trade (Cultural Heritage Studies)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is certainly one of the most useful collections of essay discussing the problems facing contextual study of antiquity and the illicit trade in antiquities. Important topics explored include: looting in Iraq and the movement of objects from that region to western markets; the processes that occur within the trade and an analysis of dealer arguments that the trade is legitimate and unharmful and the clever circumnavigation of various laws; and finally, some that discuss the motivations for collecting and the need for cooperation between polarized factions (professionals/academics/archaeologists and collectors/dealers).

This volume gives a great overview of current issues relating to the antiquities trade and the threat that it poses to cultural heritage across the world. Many of the case studies are extremely recent, demonstrating the urgency of the problem, a must for anyone to read who cares about the world's finite heritage resource.