Antiquities Coalition
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Antiquities Coalition
@combatlooting.bsky.social
The Antiquities Coalition is leading the international campaign against cultural racketeering, the illicit trade in ancient art and artifacts.
On this, the International Day Against Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Property, the AC recalls the human impact of #CulturalRacketeering.

📢Cultural plunder robs communities of their heritage, corrupts the archaeological record, and enables a range of organized crimes.
November 14, 2025 at 4:04 PM
🖼️COMING SOON: An expert discussion featuring the AC's Tess Davis, @arguscpc.bsky.social, and
@transparencyusa.bsky.social.

Rogue Galleries: Tackling Illicit Finance in US Art Markets
⏰November 17, 2025 | 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
📍Hudson Institute/Online

→ Register here: www.hudson.org/preview-link...
November 13, 2025 at 9:37 PM
🚨ALERT—Thieves stole six Roman statues from Syria's national museum in Damascus earlier this week.

Investigators are pursuing information about these lost cultural treasures.

Learn more: apnews.com/article/syri...
Theft of Roman statues from Syria’s main museum believed to be the work of an individual
Investigators believe the theft of ancient Roman-era statues from Syria's national museum was likely the work of an individual and not an organized gang.
apnews.com
November 13, 2025 at 6:13 PM
📣Over 40,000 looted artifacts returned to #Iraq in just four years—a milestone achievement in cultural diplomacy and law enforcement cooperation. But the fight is far from over.

Find out more: artdependence.com/articles/ira...
October 17, 2025 at 4:28 PM
🖼️Five Years of Progress🖼️

On Sept. 24, 2020, the AC’s FCTF released its landmark report, 'Reframing U.S. Policy on the Art Market: Recommendations for Combating Financial Crimes.'

ow.ly/2Iy550X15p7

Stay tuned! In the days ahead, we'll share progress updates and insights from the FCTF.
Reframing U.S. Policy on the Art Market: Recommendations for Combatting Financial Crimes A Comprehensive Report by the Financial Crimes Task Force of the Antiquities Coalition | Published in Antiquiti...
By The Antiquities Coalition Financial Crimes Task Force. This Report puts forward 44 recommendations for new policies, practices, and priorities that can be implemented by the U.S. government, art ma...
ow.ly
September 24, 2025 at 1:59 PM
How are Ukrainians fighting back against Russia’s assault on their cultural heritage?

🔊Find out—listen to this excellent discussion from the ‘Art in Brief’ podcast, featuring Roksolana Makar and Anastasiia Olexii.
pod.link/1792885681/e...
pod.link
September 18, 2025 at 7:38 PM
📅Mark Your Calendar📅

On September 23, @unesco.org will host a webinar marking the launch of the third volume in the Oxford Commentaries on International Cultural Heritage Law—the focus: #Asia.

🔗 Register here: utsmeet.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
September 17, 2025 at 2:58 PM
🗺️From Burial to Battleground🗺️

The #Mariupol Bull Figurine—buried with a child 8,000 years ago, and excavated by a Ukrainian scholar later executed in Stalin’s purges—is now missing.

→ Explore our latest StoryMap, tracing its loss: ow.ly/pzNt50WTXtu
September 10, 2025 at 5:11 PM
🖼️Dirty money is infiltrating the U.S. art market.

The #ArtMarketIntegrityAct would fight back by expanding the Bank Secrecy Act—protecting legitimate businesses, while helping law enforcement track illicit financial flows.

Let’s bust 4 myths we've seen circulating around the bill:
August 26, 2025 at 10:03 PM
📅Mark Your Calendar!

The U.S. Cultural Property Advisory Committee will meet Sept. 15-17 to review a new CPA request from #Cameroon and to renew agreements with #Colombia and #Türkiye, and extend emergency restrictions for #Afghanistan.

Find Out More: ow.ly/39SS50WEV0B
August 15, 2025 at 6:27 PM
🚨 New addition to our Ten Most Wanted Antiquities: The “Mariupol Bull Figurine,” one of more than 2,000 museum pieces that disappeared amid the chaos of Russia’s 2022 siege of Mariupol and the Kremlin’s broader campaign of cultural plunder.

Learn more: theantiquitiescoalition.org/antiquities-...
Antiquities Coalition Enlists the Public to Help Ukraine Recover Missing Cultural Treasure - Antiquities Coalition
“Ten Most Wanted Antiquities” List Spotlights 8000-Year-Old Artifact Presumed Looted During Russian Invasion Washington, D.C., August 5, 2025—The Antiquities Coalition issued a global alert for the “M...
theantiquitiescoalition.org
August 5, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Reposted by Antiquities Coalition
The Art Market Integrity Act will deny illicit actors the opportunity to launder money through the US art market. Huge shoutout to @combatlooting.bsky.social for their work championing this important bill. See their full press release here:
theantiquitiescoalition.org/congress-tak...
Congress Takes Aim at Dirty Money in the Multi-Billion-Dollar U.S. Art Market - Antiquities Coalition
Bipartisan Legislation Would Strengthen National Security, Uphold Economic Integrity, and Support Honest Businesses  The Antiquities Coalition commends Senators John Fetterman (D-PA), Chuck Grassley (...
theantiquitiescoalition.org
July 23, 2025 at 8:05 PM
🌐Join us August 5, 2025

Together with the @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social Eurasia Center, we will announce the latest addition to the #TenMostWantedMissingAntiquities list and hear expert discussion on the Russian war on Ukraine’s cultural heritage.

→ Register here: ow.ly/PmeI50WwfgQ
Examining Russia’s assault on Ukraine’s cultural heritage
Experts discuss Russia’s war on Ukraine’s cultural heritage and the steps that international partners can take to protect culture and history.
www.atlanticcouncil.org
July 28, 2025 at 5:13 PM
🖼️A Bipartisan Bill to Stop #ArtCrime: The Art Market Integrity Act

The newly released legislative proposal is essential to protect national security, economic integrity, and American businesses.

theantiquitiescoalition.org/congress-tak...
July 24, 2025 at 9:48 PM
The AC congratulates the @manhattanda.bsky.social Antiquities Trafficking Unit for the restitution of three artifacts to #Indonesia and 28 antiquities to #Turkey.

🛡️Read More: manhattanda.org/d-a-bragg-an...
July 16, 2025 at 8:32 PM
📣 NEW on the AC Blog: The Lalitpur Call to Action—How Regional Leadership is Driving Global Solutions Against Cultural Racketeering.

The AC commends @nhrcampaign.bsky.social's leadership in the fight for justice and cultural restitution.

🔸Read more: ow.ly/fj1Z50WmqiC
The Lalitpur Call to Action–How Regional Leadership Is Shaping Global Solutions Against Cultural Racketeering - Antiquities Coalition
South and Southeast Asia are emerging as powerful leaders in the global fight against cultural racketeering. Building on existing commitments, such as those by ASEAN, countries across the region conti...
ow.ly
July 16, 2025 at 8:17 PM
🇺🇸 🤝🇰🇭 The AC is proud to join an upcoming panel on "Insights from the U.S.–Cambodia Cultural Property Agreement."

📅 30 June 2025
📍 US-ASEAN Center (in-person and online)

🔗 Register by June 27: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Advancing Regional Cooperation to Protect Cultural Heritage: Insights from the U.S.–Cambodia Cultural Property Agreement
The illicit trade in cultural antiquities is a growing global crisis, particularly affecting Southeast Asia. Criminal networks are looting historical sites and smuggling artifacts, undermining cultura...
docs.google.com
June 24, 2025 at 4:34 PM
IN THE NEWS—Online antiquities trafficking spikes in #Syria following the collapse of Assad’s regime, reports researchers from the ATHAR Project.

🔍Learn more: ow.ly/2yZ150W6rPy

⛑️Want to help? Save and share ICOM's Red List of Syrian antiquities at risk: ow.ly/3fEF50W6rPx
June 9, 2025 at 4:24 PM
❓Who is the rightful custodian of the Prakhon Chai Hoard?

For AC’s Executive Director Tess Davis, the answer is clear: Fifty years later, it’s past time to return Thailand’s looted statues.

→ Read more: theantiquitiescoalition.org/acs-tess-dav...
AC’s Tess Davis: Thailand’s Fight to Reclaim Looted Temple Relics Should Be a Wake-Up Call for U.S. Museums - Antiquities Coalition
In a recent Al Jazeera article, Executive Director Tess Davis underscored the broader implications of the pending Prakhon Chai repatriation, pointing to an enduring colonial mindset lingering in parts...
theantiquitiescoalition.org
June 5, 2025 at 3:39 PM
The AC was proud to co-lead a session at #ICAHM2025 on plundering and the restitution of cultural collections.
Key takeaways:

🔹 Legal gaps undermine repatriation
🔹 Soft law tools are critical—but need political will
🔹 Multilateral action is key

🔗 Read More: ow.ly/NQBB50VXsbT
Closing Legal Gaps, Centering Communities: Key Takeaways from ICAHM 2025 - Antiquities Coalition
The Antiquities Coalition is grateful to have participated in the 2025 Annual Meeting of the International Scientific Committee on Archaeological Heritage Management (ICAHM), which concluded this week...
theantiquitiescoalition.org
May 29, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Reposted by Antiquities Coalition
Operation Pandora continues to see results: 80 arrests and more than 37,700 cultural goods seized.

Other Key Numbers:
🔩 69 Metal detectors seized
🌏 23 countries involved in the operation
⚖️ 258 cases reported, with more arrests and seizures expected

www.interpol.int/fr/Actualite...
80 arrests and more than 37,700 cultural goods seized in major art trafficking bust
Europol, INTERPOL and the World Customs Organization (WCO) supported investigators from 23 countries in the fight against criminals who exploit humanity’s cultural heritage
www.interpol.int
May 22, 2025 at 8:24 PM
TODAY the AC is honored to cosponsor a side event with Egypt, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, the UK, the EU, and UNODC to combat illicit trafficking in cultural property at #CCPCJ34

🛡️Join us May 22, 13:00- CEST/ 7:00 ET
(in-person/online)

www.unodc.org/documents/co...
www.unodc.org
May 22, 2025 at 11:48 AM
On the final day of the #ICAHM 2025 conference in San Pedro de Atacama, discussions will focus on Sustainable Tourism and New Technologies, exploring how archaeology and its interpretation intersect with modern tools and contemporary goals.
May 16, 2025 at 3:47 PM
In the afternoon, the AC was proud to co-chair a session on "Processes of Plundering and Restitution of Archaeological and Anthropological Collections." ED Tess Davis opened the session with an introduction on Understanding the Legal Framework to combat cultural racketeering.
May 15, 2025 at 10:41 PM
⛰️ Day 4 of the #ICAHM 2025 Annual Meeting begins with a focus on Chile 🇨🇱 -- its archaeology, astronomy, and geoglyphs. Learn more about the Pintados Geolglyph Archaeolgoical Complex: www.monumentos.gob.cl/monumentos/m...
Geoglifos de Pintados | Consejo de Monumentos Nacionales de Chile
Los geoglifos de Pintados se ubican en la Pampa del Tamarugal, en la Región de Tarapacá. Están emplazados aproximadamente a 95 kilómetros de distancia de la ciudad de Iquique, en la comuna de Pozo Alm...
www.monumentos.gob.cl
May 15, 2025 at 10:20 PM