Who We Are
The Antiquities Coalition is leading the global campaign against cultural racketeering: the looting and trafficking of ancient art. This illicit industry is financing organized crime, armed conflict, and violent extremism around the world. It is erasing our past—and threatening our future. The Antiquities Coalition partners with leaders from the public and private sectors, tackles plunder-for-profit head on. Through independent research and outside collaborations, we develop and implement innovative and practical solutions, empowering communities and even countries in crisis. Together, with your help, we can stop the traffic in blood antiquities, and save our shared history for future generations.
The Problem
Cultural racketeering — the looting and trafficking of art and antiquities — is funding crime, conflict, and violent extremism around the world. This illegal industry often goes hand in hand with cultural terrorism, the deliberate and systematic destruction of targeted groups and their heritage. Currently, Daesh (ISIS) is engaged in both cultural racketeering and terrorism in Iraq and Syria, converting the Cradle of Civilization’s patrimony into weapons and troops whose atrocities destroy human life, culture, and history.
But Daesh is not alone: By purchasing an Egyptian papyrus, a Cambodian statue, or a Mayan vase on Madison Avenue, collectors may be putting money into the pockets of mafia syndicates, armed insurgents, and terrorist networks.
This is a global problem–it requires global solutions.
What We’ve Lost
In this last year, we have lost entire chapters of our shared history, and some of the Cradle of Civilization’s most iconic masterpieces and sites, to plunder and iconoclasm.
Umayyad Mosque
Aleppo, Syria
Mausoleum of Mohammad Bin Ali
Palmyra, Syria
International Recognition
“Egypt is working alongside regional and international partners such as the Antiquities Coalition to stem the flow of stolen antiquities.”
The Antiquities Coalition “provides a powerful example of what can be achieved through partnerships between governments and NGOs.”
“The [Antiquities] Coalition, since its inception in March 2011, has shown great support and exerted utmost efforts to raise awareness and combat the looting and illegal trade of Egyptian antiquities and artifacts.”
“The Antiquities Coalition, UNESCO, and other organizations have already sounded the alarm, and the U.S. should leverage their insights, networks, and activism to stem the flow of funds to ISIS from this trade.”
Latest From The Blog
The AC Digs Into: Chasing Aphrodite
Our new book review on Chasing Aphrodite by Jason Felch and Ralph Frammolino, recounts the intimate relationship between the J. Paul Getty Museum and the world of the trade in illicit antiquities since the 1970s.
Tunisia’s Light Side and Dark Side: Home of Luke Skywalker and ISIS Foreign Fighters
Some of the most iconic scenes in the Star Wars trilogies are located in Tunisia, a nation that has suffered significant economic and political instability since the 2011 Arab Spring.
Smuggled Artifacts Returned To Iraq
This Wednesday, April 2, 2018, the United States returned nearly 4,000 looted antiquities to the Republic of Iraq in a ceremony held at the Ambassador’s residence in Washington, D.C.