Antiquities & Archaeology
Will the Axum obelisk return home to Ethiopia?
The return may be even more complicated than during the Fascist era
New site must be identified for Parthenon, as authorities deem its days on the Acropolis numbered
High levels of pollution in the area are diminishing the marble
Ten out of forty-six new World Heritage sites confirmed in Italy alone due to the Piedmont’s latest emphasis on culture and tourism
Out of the ten newly designated Unesco sites, the biggest includes eighteen royal Savoy properties
The search for ancient Alexandria goes underwater
The greatest city of the Hellenistic age has been neglected by archaeology for decades. Now underwater survey techniques have provided us with glimpses of the centre’s greatness. But many decry the techniques being used
Italy will return Axum obelisk to Ethiopia
The act is part of a considerable effort to erase Mussolini’s mark on the nation
The grandest archaeological project since Mussolini’s time has required a special, bureaucracy-defeating agreement
Where archaeology becomes power
Works of art vanish from Kinshasa
The change of regime in the Democratic Republic of Congo coincided with thefts from the Institut des Musées Nationaux
Saxon warrior discovered in Roman vineyard
The find dates from around AD 650
In 1993 Rome’s town council began preparing for the Millennium. The debate has been over how much to alter Mussolini’s propagandistic exploitation of imperial remains
The priject to execavate the imperial fora of Augustus, Vespasian, Nerva and Trajan has been described as “every archaeologist’s dream”
A discussion of the Unidroit convention from an art-world perspective: “Unidroit is a potential disaster—enough of disinformation and ideology”
Collector George Ortiz speaks up and argues that its ratification will achieve the exact opposite of its declared aims
Afghanistan’s historical sites devastated: An up-to-date survey
Looting, conflict and mining have caused terrible destruction
Ronald Lauder gives looted shield back to Italy
Artifact had been missing from Bologna since 1940
TEFAF Basel proves a strong venue for antiquities dealers
Second fair surpasses first in sales for certain subjects
One of the most advanced and sophisticated computer-based analyses of an ancient landscape in Europe is taking the excavation out of discovery
To dig or not to dig?
Assyrian stone relief slabs from Sennacherib's Palace in Iraq may have been smuggled from the country and sold on
Professor John Malcolm Russell's personal connection to the objects left him well placed to recognise them in images from sales
Dispute over loans for Khmer art exhibition at Paris's Grand Palais has reached a compromise
Government ministers quarrel over paperwork, but also over the care and safety of 'sacred and symbolic' treasures
This year’s top discoveries, as published in the State Cultural Relics Bureau’s weekly newspaper, plus the top ten projects of the past five years
The red-letter roll call of recent Chinese archaeology
Professor David Harris, outgoing director of the Institute of Archaeology, London, discusses the work of one of the world’s leading research departments
“A world institute involved in world archaeology”
Iraq's cultural heritage continues to be depleted as museums and archaeological sites plagued by smugglers
In a lecture given at London's Institute of Archaeology, Dr Lamia al Galiani-Werr drove home the urgency of the issue
New research reveals Herculaneum’s wooden remains could be fake
Modern reconstructions with ancient materials have escaped detection until now
How the art market stands in Hong Kong and China with change on the horizon: Secrets of the Lok Yu teahouse
Collectors fear the end of British rule in the Territory, but some young dealers see huge opportunities
As economic development lays bare China's archaeological heritage, the government struggles to keep up with protecting the past
The Three Gorges dam and a number of smuggling stories highlight the difficulty of preserving the country's heritage
A British team has just completed eight years of survey and excavation in Sparta, Greece
The British School at Athens managed to obtain coveted permission to excavate
Don’t just berate the thieves: look at the museums and excavators too
In the last of our series which publishes talks given in London this summer, Professor Sir John Boardman, Lincoln Professor Emeritus of classical archaeology and art at Oxford, singles out three areas for concern.
The Getty Museum retreats from the antiquities market
In a radical change of policy, the Getty now favours archaeological conservation, research and education over collection building
Austrian support for the Kurds leads to friction over archaeology
Austrian support for the Kurds leads to friction over archaeology
Archaeological reforms needed in source countries: Reward the finder, excavate faster, keep what is important but allow a licit market
Laws now are obsessed with the objects rather than the sites
Souren Melikian on collectors coming to the rescue in preservation crisis: The International Association of Dealers in Ancient Art's London Conference
The scholar of Iranian culture and International Herald Tribune art journalist says dealers could be the solution to recent archaeological disasters
TEFAF Basel to open this month
A big new event organised by the Maastricht team but with concessions to its Swiss location. Will it work?
Grand designs for Cairo Egyptian Museum include expansions and virtual restitution
After many set backs a new building is finally in the works, as well as plans for a modern solution to the dispersal of Egypt's treasures