page_title: Archaeological looting
hierarchical_section_title: Archaeological looting
caption_attribution_description: English: A looter's pit (left) at the ancient Sumerian city of Kish, Iraq (unknown date). Fragments of pottery (right) are scattered near the pit.
context_page_description: Archaeological looting is the illicit removal of artefacts from an archaeological site. Such looting is the major source of artefacts for the antiquities market. There are two types of archaeological looting which include illegally exporting of goods to other countries and illegal excavations from the country in which the excavation happened. Looting has been linked to the economic and political stability of the possessing nation, with levels of looting increasing during times of crisis. However, looting is also endemic in so-called "archaeological countries" like Italy, Greece, Turkey, Sicily, 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 it is theft. In addition to looting being against the law, looting may also threaten access to cultural heritage.
context_section_description: Archaeological looting is the illicit removal of artefacts from an archaeological site. Such looting is the major source of artefacts for the antiquities market. There are two types of archaeological looting which include illegally exporting of goods to other countries and illegal excavations from the country in which the excavation happened. Looting has been linked to the economic and political stability of the possessing nation, with levels of looting increasing during times of crisis. However, looting is also endemic in so-called "archaeological countries" like Italy, Greece, Turkey, Sicily, 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 it is theft. In addition to looting being against the law, looting may also threaten access to cultural heritage. Cultural heritage is knowledge about a heritage that is passed down from generation to generation. 
  Grave robbery is a type of archaeological looting. Grave robbing is the illegal removal of bodies from grave sites. Often, grave robbing involves sealing artefacts or personal items within ones burial which may later be sold on the black market.
caption: A looter's pit (left) at the ancient Sumerian city of Kish, Iraq. Fragments of pottery (right) are scattered near the pit
exif: {}