
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


A billionaire family's mission to amass ancient biblical treasures leads to them getting caught up in an international web of looted artefacts, forgeries and criminal networks.
Art sleuth Ben Lewis uncovers how the Green family - owners of America's Hobby Lobby craft stores - spent millions racing to gather biblical manuscripts and artefacts. Their unprecedented collecting spree - 40,000 items in just three years - triggers a government investigation and alarms biblical scholars worldwide.
When papyrologist Roberta Mazza begins questioning the collection's origins, she finds herself drawn into an investigation stretching from the Vatican City through Istanbul to Oxford University’s hallowed halls. Through exclusive access to key players, Lewis reveals how thousands of allegedly looted treasures were smuggled into America labelled as "ceramic tiles", whilst priceless items like ancient Babylonian tablets and early Christian manuscripts were acquired through suspicious means.
As investigators close in and scholars expose forgeries, the story expands beyond looted antiquities to raise profound questions about faith, power and cultural heritage. A respected Oxford professor stands accused of betrayal, federal agents demand the return of prized possessions, and the museum's ambitious mission becomes entangled in the dark world of international antiquities trafficking.
From Washington D.C. to the Vatican City, this is a story about what happens when religious certainty meets the dangerous world of ancient treasures.
Presented by Ben Lewis
A TellTale production for BBC Radio 4
By BBC Radio 44.5
170170 ratings
A billionaire family's mission to amass ancient biblical treasures leads to them getting caught up in an international web of looted artefacts, forgeries and criminal networks.
Art sleuth Ben Lewis uncovers how the Green family - owners of America's Hobby Lobby craft stores - spent millions racing to gather biblical manuscripts and artefacts. Their unprecedented collecting spree - 40,000 items in just three years - triggers a government investigation and alarms biblical scholars worldwide.
When papyrologist Roberta Mazza begins questioning the collection's origins, she finds herself drawn into an investigation stretching from the Vatican City through Istanbul to Oxford University’s hallowed halls. Through exclusive access to key players, Lewis reveals how thousands of allegedly looted treasures were smuggled into America labelled as "ceramic tiles", whilst priceless items like ancient Babylonian tablets and early Christian manuscripts were acquired through suspicious means.
As investigators close in and scholars expose forgeries, the story expands beyond looted antiquities to raise profound questions about faith, power and cultural heritage. A respected Oxford professor stands accused of betrayal, federal agents demand the return of prized possessions, and the museum's ambitious mission becomes entangled in the dark world of international antiquities trafficking.
From Washington D.C. to the Vatican City, this is a story about what happens when religious certainty meets the dangerous world of ancient treasures.
Presented by Ben Lewis
A TellTale production for BBC Radio 4

7,707 Listeners

532 Listeners

1,038 Listeners

285 Listeners

5,550 Listeners

248 Listeners

657 Listeners

374 Listeners

325 Listeners

90 Listeners

3,158 Listeners

449 Listeners

278 Listeners

2,486 Listeners

64 Listeners

3,385 Listeners

854 Listeners

1,001 Listeners

499 Listeners

135 Listeners

248 Listeners

612 Listeners

997 Listeners

281 Listeners

553 Listeners

282 Listeners

31 Listeners

66 Listeners

285 Listeners

93 Listeners

81 Listeners

108 Listeners

85 Listeners

183 Listeners

0 Listeners