The looting and illicit trafficking of antiquities is an issue that has gained considerable attention especially over the last few years due to the impact of several armed conflicts on the tangible cultural heritage of several countries in Western Asia. An interview with professor Erin Thompson provides some insight into the various aspects and complexities of this topic including the sale of looted artifacts in legal art markets, law enforcement, repatriation, and fakes.

Erin L. Thompson is a professor of art crime at John Jay College (CUNY) who studies a multitude of topics associated with art, crime, and cultural heritage. She has discussed and published work on the looting of antiquities, theft, the art of Guantánamo Bay detainees, and digital reproductions of cultural heritage. Her forthcoming book is titled Smashing Statues: On the Rise and Fall of America’s Public Monuments. 

Music: 

Artists: Bergsonist, Deena Abdelwahed

Tracks: 

Bergsonist - Affiliation  

DEU : 671704777 / Optimo Music, 2019

Taken from Heat EP

Bergsonist - BioTerrorism

Taken from ق self-released EP, 2020

Used with arrangement and permission from rights holders.

Deena Abdelwahed - Ah'na Hakkeka

ISRC : FRT091900118 / ℗ & © InFiné, 2019

Taken from ذكر (Dhakar) (iF2078)

Deena Abdelwahed - Klabb V2

ISRC : FRT091700004 / ℗ & © InFiné, 2017

Taken from Klabb (iF3055)

Used with arrangement and permission by InFiné.

Published by InFiné.

Audio post production: Aref Heidar (Ceé)

Image: The Gilgamesh Dream Tablet. Provenance unknown, Iraq. Courtesy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.