Fighting the looting of world’s antiquities

CULTURE: The British Museum is leading a worldwide project to counteract looting and trafficking of cultural artefacts.

The museum’s Circulating Artefacts (CircArt) project is a collaborative initiative against the trade in illicit antiquities. The CircArt platform combines a restricted object database with an online public service.

THE BRITISH Museum is leading a worldwide project to counteract looting and trafficking of cultural artefacts.

The museum’s Circulating Artefacts (CircArt) project is a collaborative initiative against the widespread trade in illicit antiquities.

The CircArt platform combines a restricted object database with an online public service. Registered users can bring an artefact to the attention of subject specialists, who assess each object for possible evidence that it was illegally excavated or supplied.

More than 4,700 artefacts have so far been identified with provenance issues, with many now under investigation by law enforcement agencies.

A current focus is on ancient objects from Egypt and Sudan.

War and conflicts have resulted in growing levels of looting in Egypt and Sudan, causing increasing damage to archaeological sites and museums, and leading to cultural objects illegally entering the international art market.

Houses are often built on antiquities land and illicit digging occurs, with exposed monuments vandalised and looted.

Some recently repatriated pieces include reliefs from temples in Luxor and Karnak.

Thanks to research by the Museum, a slab from a temple in Asyut, which gone up for auction in London, was returned to Egypt where it has been on display since 2018.

Hartwig Fischer, director of the British Museum, said: “The British Museum is absolutely committed to combating the rising levels of trade in illicit material across the world.

“The CircArt platform is an important step in this fight, al

lowing those who want to make a positive difference – museums, government agencies, auction houses, collectors, sellers, and the general public – to share information and expertise to help counteract the illegal removal and trade in ancient objects.”

Since setting up, Londonbased training has been given to four staff from the National Corporation of Antiquities & Museums (NCAM) in Sudan.

Ikhlas Abdllatief, from the NCAM, said they now had the ability, as well as a fully equipped unit with trained staff, to fight trafficking. He said: “The CircArt platform greatly improves our ability to support police and national security in the protection of our cultural property.”

The British Museum – which remains the most visited museum in the UK, with over 6.2m visitors – is closed temporarily due to Government advice on the coronavirus outbreak.