1. Iraq did a beautiful thing in 2013, creating space for a Jewish community to ceremonially bury sacred manuscripts. This act epitomized the human rights-based approach to cultural heritage. Here’s why. 🧵

SOON: ‘Artifact War’ world premiere and best feature doc nominee at the Austin Film Festival. The film follows the work of Amr Al-Azm Adnan ALMOHAMAD Katie A. Paul as they track trafficked Syrian antiquities from war zone looting sites to social media sites. youtu.be/dapILdUU6bk?fe…

"Humans are the sum of the people who came before them." Great review of the new doc Artifact War, which features the important work of my Achilles Research colleagues Katie A. Paul and Amr Al-Azm ATHAR Project beyondthecineramadome.com/movie-reviews/…

BIG: The Alvin Bragg has issued an arrest warrant for Edoardo Almagiá, the Princeton-educated antiquities dealer who is accused of conspiracy for his role trafficking stolen property owned by Italy. nytimes.com/2024/10/31/art…

The trafficking of antiquities is often a source of funding for organized crime. In Greece, 5 arrested for “possessing and manufacturing explosives, and violating laws on explosives, flares, drugs and antiquities.” ekathimerini.com/news/1252672/f…

A HUGE congratulations to Museum of Looted Antiquities for its nomination for Apollo Magazine’s 2024 Digital Innovation Award! Turning open source research into data is critical to understanding the international black market for looted antiquities

"Preservation is an act of rebellion, one that the team of Artifact War continues to fight, even after the camera stops rolling. Our collective histories are worth fighting for, preserving, and learning from." Review from the screening of 'Artifact War' medium.com/@captainamerip…

Egypt has recovered from Germany 67 ancient artifacts from various periods of Egyptian periods including ancient Egypt, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday. english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/…

Today, for the International Day Against Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Property, @ATHARproject Amr Al-Azm & @anthropaulicy were honored to join U.S. Embassy in Qatar UN Office on Drugs & Crime Qatar Museums MuseumofIslamicArt to raise awareness and highlight Big Tech's role in facilitating the illicit trade.

The fight against the illicit trade in cultural property is ongoing and requires cooperation between public and private stakeholders around the world. U.S. Embassy in Qatar and Qatar Museums are playing a pivotal role in bringing these groups together for #CulturalDiplomacy

Help from auction houses dodging sales tax isn't the only way some art market players escape taxes. Collectors regularly use the art market—including the illicit antiquities trade—to commit tax fraud. See the Markell case from 2015 on Chasing Aphrodite chasingaphrodite.com/2015/12/15/ope…

The cases in the Museum of Looted Antiquities database are growing every day. Thousands of stolen artifacts have been repatriated to their countries of origin, many by the United States, one of the biggest market countries for antiquities. Learn more at museumorloot.org

"Artifact War" a documentary that follows the work of Amr Al-Azm Adnan ALMOHAMAD Katie A. Paul as they track trafficked Syrian antiquities from war zone looting sites to social media sites. See the trailer and keep an eye on this space for where to watch! youtube.com/watch?v=dapILd…

The European Commission takes an important step to hold tech platforms accountable with this new historic fine on Meta for its violations of antitrust rules with regard to Facebook Marketplace. We have previously found Facebook monetizing marketplace listings for stolen antiquities.

When conflict art is commodified.

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As Syria builds its new future following the fall of the Assad regime, it’s important to remember the extend of the regime’s horrific war crimes to both people and heritage. Amr Al-Azm speaks to Türkiye Today turkiyetoday.com/region/turkiye…

Fake papers. Fake auction house. Real archaeological loot. #CulturalHeritage eurojust.europa.eu/news/four-susp…

.CBP returns 16th c document seized in NY. An investigation determined it was “illegally removed from Mexico’s Archivo General de la Nación (General National Archive of the Nation) and ultimately marketed for sale via an international auction house” dhs.gov/hsi/news/2025/…

“Art thieves may be polished and sophisticated or may belong to the slithery, common place garden variety…” we must “understand that our heritage is invaluable and ensure its safety, for it is art and culture that speaks for a nation’s history.” newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai…