page_title: Archaeological looting
section_title: Sites of Archaeological Looting
hierarchical_section_title: Archaeological looting / Sites of Archaeological Looting
caption_attribution_description: Dura Europos - Palmyra gate
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.
caption: Dura-Europos
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