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 is the systematic looting and trafficking of art and antiquities by organized crime. The Federal Bureau of Investigation now ranks it as a multi-billion dollar global industry.Learn about Cultural Racketeering
Cultural cleansing is the deliberate and systematic destruction of a targeted group and their cultural heritage, with the intention of eliminating not only a people, but all physical evidence of them.Learn about Cultural CleansingWhat 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
Explore more interactive before and after images→
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
Antiquities Coalition To Sponsor Everyday Hero Award
The Antiquities Coalition is honored to sponsor Colonel Matt Bogdanos' everyday hero award at the upcoming Global Hope Summit for his work exposing the link between antiquities trafficking and terrorist financing. WASHINGTON, Sept. 15, 2017 [...]
Local Heroes Use Fresh Approach Against Extremist Barbarity
We are pleased to share this op-ed by Ambassador Wendy Chamberlin, President of the Middle East Institute and #CultureUnderThreat Task Force Chair. The Antiquities Coalition and the Middle East Institute work together in the fight [...]
The AC Digs Into: DLME
An Interview with Peter Herdrich The Antiquities Coalition is a founding partner of the Digital Library of the Middle East (DLME). Working with the Washington, DC-based Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), [...]