Looters sometimes indirectly alert archaeologists to the existence of valuable finds and are sent to jail if they are caught, while the archaeologists learn from the looters where to dig. Read more…
Cultural Heritage
Cultural heritage shapes our understanding of the ancient world. How do museums display artifacts? What sites are developed for tourism? Why are some sites preserved and others reconstructed? What are the effects of looting?
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First Person: Should These Looters Go to Jail?
• 07/31/2017
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Biblical History at What Cost?
• 07/24/2017
Recently, the Hobby Lobby corporation—owned by the Green family—agreed to pay a $3 million fine for the purchase of thousands of artifacts believed to have been smuggled out of Iraq. Read more…
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Archaeological Looting and the Destruction of Cultural Heritage
• 06/07/2017
In the Middle East, archaeological looting and the deliberate destruction of archaeological sites and monuments are rampant. What, if anything, can be done? Read more…
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The Arch of Titus’s Menorah Panel in Color
• 04/24/2017
Although many Greek and Roman statues and monuments now appear gleaming white (the result of years of weathering), they were originally brightly colored. Using technology, a team has digitally restored Read more…
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The Arch of Titus in Color
• 04/12/2017
The article “True Colors: Digital Reconstruction Restores Original Brilliance to the Arch of Titus” by Steven Fine, Peter J. Schertz and Donald H. Sanders in the May/June 2017 issue of Read more…
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Endangered Heritage: Archaeological Looting in Turkey
• 11/21/2016
According to Mark R. Fairchild, archaeological looting is alive and well in rural and remote areas of Turkey. Read more…
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Ancient Coins and Looting
• 09/03/2016
If archaeologists are the detectives of history, then ancient coins are the “smoking guns” of the ancient crime scene. Looting removes this evidence. Read more…
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Resurrecting a Byzantine Synagogue at Um el-Kanatir
• 07/26/2016
Excavations at Um el-Kanatir are unique in that they are not destructive, but rather reconstructive. The almost complete remains of the ancient synagogue nestled into its picturesque setting are proving Read more…
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Visiting Turkey: Museums of Archaeology Dazzle
• 11/30/2015
Mark Wilson takes you on a tour of new archaeology museums in Turkey. Read more…
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Satellite Images Confirm ISIS Destruction of Temple of Bel and Other Monuments in Palmyra
• 09/04/2015
New satellite images confirm that ISIS has almost completely destroyed the Temple of Bel in the Syrian city of Palmyra. Read more…
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ISIS Plants Explosives in Ancient City of Palmyra
• 06/23/2015
The Islamic State (known as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh) laid mines and bombs around the ancient ruins of Palmyra in Syria this past Sunday, a monitoring group reported. Read more…
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Israel’s Treasures Online
• 05/25/2015
Thanks to the Israel Antiquities Authority, all of the artifacts in the Rockefeller Museum’s collection are being digitized. Read more…
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ISIS Captures Syrian City of Palmyra
• 05/20/2015
The historic city of Palmyra in Syria has fallen to the Islamic State, according to reports. Read more…
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Spelunkers Find Cache of Jewelry and Coins of Alexander the Great in Israel
• 03/13/2015
Spelunkers exploring a cave in northern Israel have discovered a cache of ancient jewelry and two coins of Alexander the Great. Read more…
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ISIS Destroys Antiquities in Mosul, Iraq
• 02/27/2015
ISIS has released video footage documenting the destruction of antiquities in Mosul, Iraq. Read more…
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Sold to the Highest Bidder: Antiquities as Cash Cows
• 02/04/2015
Do museums and educational organizations have the right to sell antiquities from their collections? This was the question the AIA-St. Louis Society faced when artifacts from its collection were put Read more…
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Anastylosis at Machaerus, Where John the Baptist was Beheaded
• 01/12/2015
Győző Vörös details the restoration work taking place at Machaerus—giving archaeological context to the New Testament episode featuring Princess Salome and John the Baptist. Read more…
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From Stone to Screen
• 08/20/2014
Members of the From Stone to Screen graduate student project at UBC discuss their ongoing efforts to create digital archives of their department’s artifact collection—making these fascinating objects accessible to Read more…
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Open Context
• 08/18/2014
As data dissemination becomes an expected outcome of scholarship, researchers need supporting services to adequately describe and document, preserve, disseminate and understand and reuse digital data. Read more…
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Map Quests: Geography, Digital Humanities and the Ancient World
• 06/04/2014
Print books are a monologue you pay for, whereas digital humanities are, when done correctly, a free dialogue. The use of GIS in Digital Humanities has given us new tools Read more…
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Digital Humanities: How Everyone Can Get a Library Card to the World’s Most Exclusive Collections Online
• 05/19/2014
What would happen if the Pope’s library were accidentally burnt? Or what if the Dead Sea Scrolls were damaged in some way? Learn how an emerging field of study is Read more…
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The Serendipities of Archaeological Travel with BAS
• 10/23/2013
Mark Wilson took BAS audiences through to Neolithic, Hebrew Bible and New Testament sites in Turkey after political circumstances prevented a trip to southeastern Turkey. Read more…
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Chersonesos Receives Its Due
• 09/20/2013
Chersonesos, a fifth-century B.C.E. Greek settlement on the northern shores of the Black Sea in southern Ukraine, was granted World Heritage status by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Read more…
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Let the Public See It!
• 08/01/2013
Hershel Shanks discusses the Yehoash inscription in court. Read more…
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Will the IAA Return the James Ossuary to Oded Golan?
• 07/19/2013
The Israel Antiquities Authority is scheduled to return the famous ossuary, or bone box, inscribed “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus” to Oded Golan. Read more…
