Recent Reports

November 1998

Reid, T. R. Scots to Yield Sioux Relic: Native Americans' Dignity, Pleas Move Glasgow Council Washington Post (November 20, 1998). After over a century in the Glasgow municipal museum, a Ghost Shirt worn at the battle of Wounded Knee is being returned to the Lakota reservation in South Dakota.

October 1998

Walker, Hollis FBI Seizes Gold from Museum The Santa Fe New Mexican (October 1, 1998). Three gold objects from an exhibition at the Museum of New Mexico are suspected of being looted from an ancient tomb in Peru. See also the follow-up piece on October 2. Note that the United States agreement with Peru to restrict import of items that may have been looted from Sipán has been in effect since 1990.
September 1998

Rose, Mark Backflap Sting Archaeology Volume 52 Number 1 (September/October 1998). Article on the FBI sting operation to recover a stolen gold Moche backflap. For more information, see also the Moche Home Page.
July 1998

Rose, Mark Special Report: Church Treasures of Cyprus Archaeology Volume 51 Number 4 (July/August 1998). Update on the recovery of Cypriot church art.
June 1998

De La Torre, Marta The Recovery of Antiquities: A Conversation with Engin Ozgen Conservation Volume 13 Number 1 (Spring 1998).

Richey, Warren New Efforts to Stop Plundering of the World's Past The Christian Science Monitor (Tuesday June 16, 1998). U.S. Customs sieze Peruvian artifacts in Miami.

May 1998

Harrington, Spencer P. M. Plundering the Three Gorges Archaeology Online News (May 14, 1998). A rash of looting is following in the wake of construction of the Three Gorges Dam on the middle reaches of China's Yangtze River.

Schuster, Angela M. H. Copan Tomb Looted Archaeology Volume 51 Number 3 (May/June 1998). Report of looting of 1,500-year-old tomb of a queen at the ancient Maya city of Copán in western Honduras in February.

Slayman, Andrew Geneva Seizure Archaeology Online Features (May 3, 1998). Swiss police raided four bonded warehouses in Geneva containing 10,000 artifacts, most of them probably smuggled from Italy, valued at $35 million, one of the largest antiquities seizures ever.

Slayman, Andrew Gold Goes Home Archaeology Volume 51 Number 3 (May/June 1998). U.S. Customs Service returns to Costa Rica 69 Pre-Columbian artifacts seized from smugglers.

Slayman, Andrew The Looting of Italy Archaeology Volume 51 Number 3 (May/June 1998). Report on the court case regarding the return of a golden phiale to Italy.
March 1998

Rose, Mark Cypriot Church Art Found Archaeology Volume 51 Number 2 (March/April 1998). Eight-month sting operation in Germany results in recovery of Cypriot church art.

Dept. of Justice Press Release, Romanian Admits Attempting to Import Religious Articles Stolen in France (March 4, 1998). Romanian pleads guilty to customs fraud surrounding import of three articles stolen from a church in northern France.

February 1998

Chaddock,Gail Russell Art World Wary of New Rules The Christian Science Monitor (Tuesday February 10, 1998).

Chaddock,Gail Russell Big Auction Houses Take Closer Look at Issue of Ethics The Christian Science Monitor (Tuesday February 10, 1998).

January 1998

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