The international conference “Cultural Heritage in Danger: Illicit excavations and trade” will take place on 11th/12th December 2014 in Berlin.
The Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation), the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (German Archaeological Institute) and the Deutscher Verband für Archäologie (German Association for Archeology) will host an international conference on 11-12th December 2014 dealing with the topic of unauthorized excavations and the traffic in cultural goods.
Unauthorized excavations and the traffic in cultural goods have become a serious continuing problem worldwide. The devastation of archeological sites threatens the cultural heritage of many countries. Due to illicit excavations many objects have already been lost to science and society. The trade in looted cultural objects is increasing and has now become the third largest market in illegal goods worldwide. Current legal instruments at national and international level are not sufficient to prevent the illicit traffic in antiquities permanently and systematically.
The conference will use selected case studies to emphasize the consequences of illicit
excavations to the cultural heritage of the countries affected. It will also discuss the
existing legal instruments as well as legal and civil society approaches to solving the
problem of illicit excavations.
Venue: Weltsaal, Federal Foreign Office, Unterwasserstr. 10, 10117 Berlin, Germany
