Dr. Rebecca Knuth is a leading expert in the destruction of books, libraries, and archives and the motivation that leads regimes to destroy whole systems of knowledge. She has written two books about book burning and cultural destruction: Libricide: The Regime-Sponsored Destruction of Books and Libraries in the Twentieth Century and Burning Books and Leveling Libraries: Extremist Violence and Cultural Destruction. To learn more about Dr. Knuth’s work, visit her website at rebeccaknuth.com

What is “libricide”?

“Cide” means killing, so libricide is the killing of libraries, books, and other bibliographical material. More specifically, libricide is the regime-sponsored violent destruction of books and libraries in modern times. It is the destruction of a system. Akin to genocide or ethnocide, libricide is often committed for ideological reasons.

What are the most severe threats to bibliographical materials today?

Imploding societies. Books, libraries, and archives are most threatened where there is war, extremism, and ethnic or religious conflict.

Is the threat to bibliographical material different than the threat to antiquities?

While there is overlap between the two, there are several important differences. First, the material format; books are made of paper. This makes them especially vulnerable when exposed to the elements or burned. Second, the content of bibliographical material makes them prime targets because they provide witness to alternative claims and alternative belief systems. Third, the symbolic nature of books and records make them a particularly satisfying target. Books are tied in with cultural claims

of identity and status as a sophisticated society or people, which gives them a particular symbolic importance.

What are the necessary steps to counter these threats?

At the very least, we need to digitize and secure the content. Any type of antiquity is a text, but if you take it out of its context, you lose a lot of meaning. Books and records can carry their context better than artifacts. Second, we must focus on prevention and become less reactionary. The cultural heritage community must figure out “why” bibliographical materials are targeted.

What’s one thing the cultural heritage community can do differently or improve?

We need focus on coalitions across fields and countries that bring everyone to the table. Not just archaeologists or diplomats, but librarians, political groups, and religious groups.

What’s next for you?

I am still transitioning, post-retirement, from academic writing to more popular non-fiction. Currently, I am finishing a book on women writers and censorship, from Mary Wollstonecraft to Sylvia Plath.

One of Rome’s newest finds, a military commander’s fourteen-room home. (Source: Smithsonian, Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism)

Residents, tourists, and archaeologists have hailed construction of Rome’s newest metro line–not only will it improve transportation across the city, it has also uncovered some striking archaeological finds, including bronze coins, pottery, and 2,000-year-old military barracks complete with mosaic flooring. While these discoveries further enrich our understanding of ancient Rome and add to the tapestry of Italy’s cultural heritage, such chance finds also face great danger. Italian patrimony has long been threatened by looting, with many priceless artifacts disappearing into the black market. These finds demonstrate how much of Italy’s past still remain uncovered, and thus at risk of falling into the wrong hands, only to be later sold to finance criminal activity or even terrorism.

Looting in Italy has been so dire that in 2001 a bilateral agreement was signed by the Italian and U.S. governments to protect the country’s heritage, imposing import restrictions on pre-Classical, Classical, and Imperial Roman archaeological materials in stone, metal, ceramic, glass, and painting. Later amended to include ancient coins, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) remains in effect until 2021, when Italy will again have the chance to renew. Another extension will likely be needed, as, despite international cooperation to stem the tide of looted antiquities, Italy’s heritage remains under threat.

A string of recent cases illustrates the peril to Italian patrimony even after the signing of the MOU. Jason Felch and Ralph Frammolino’s 2011 book Chasing Aphrodite details how the Getty Museum bought looted Italian artifacts for years, ending in the trial of its antiquities curator in Italy and the return of a number of objects in the Getty’s collection. Today, the Getty Museum is entrenched in a legal battle over its “Victorious Youth” statue discovered off the coast of Italy, as Italian courts demand the bronze’s restitution. In the summer of 2017, a 2,300-year-old krater was returned by the Met after it was suspected of being looted. Most recently, the Italian Carabinieri, in cooperation with police units in Germany, the UK, and Spain, busted a decades-old international smuggling ring dealing in plundered Sicilian antiquities. Massive raids, as part of a sting dubbed Operation Demetra, resulted in at least forty-one detainments and the seizure of more than 25,000 objects. In fact, in a speech at the Smithsonian hosted by the Antiquities Coalition, Brigadier General Fabrizio Parrulli, head of the Carabinieri’s cultural heritage division, estimated that just in the last year, the Carabinieri seized around 300 million euros worth of stolen and illegally excavated artworks. Despite an MOU, repatriations, arrests, and seizures, looting shows little sign of slowing down in Italy.

Thankfully, Italy has a specialized police unit in cultural property, the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (Carabinieri TPC). Established in 1969 as the world’s first art crime squad, the Carabinieri TPC works to combat theft, illegal excavations of archaeological sites, and trafficking and counterfeiting of stolen property. Operation Demetra is just one example of the Carabinieri TPC’s success in combating the global trade in illicit Italian antiquities and in protecting their nation’s history.

The Carabinieri’s fight to protect Italian heritage has spanned decades and will probably last decades more. Archaeological discoveries, like the ones lying under the yet-to-be-completed C line, are constant, revealing entire new troves of precious artifacts that can easily land in the hands of looters. When an object is stolen, potential knowledge gained through them is lost since they require careful study, and plundered treasures often quickly vanish from the market to be hidden away in private collections or storage facilities. Despite their diligent work, the Carabinieri cannot prevent the massive scale of looting in Italy alone. Protecting Italian heritage requires the collaboration of archaeologists, customs officials, dealers, collectors, and international police, because when Italy loses its past, so does the world. Antiquities tell us so much about ourselves–where we have come from, the achievements we have made, the bounds of human innovation and artistic creativity–and are worth our shared efforts for their protection.

Ali Tyler is an intern at the Antiquities Coalition and a student at George Washington University, where she studies art history. If you are interested in interning at the Antiquities Coalition please send a resume and cover letter to cultureunderthreat@theantiquitiescoalition.org.

Looking for a whimsical, adventurous read that digs into the world of art crime? Look no further than The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules (2016) by Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg, a former marine-archaeologist, and museum curator.

Set in Sweden, The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules follows 79-year-old Martha Anderson, a Swedish pensioner with a knack for art crime. When Martha speaks out against her nursing home’s refusal to provide adequate food and medical care, she is quickly shut down with a heavy concoction of sedatives. However, Martha’s stubbornness forces her to take matters into her own hands; Martha gathers her closest friends and creates the League of Pensioners, a group dedicated to art crime. And of course, all proceeds go to the “Robbery Fund,” a stash of illicit money sent to nursing homes around Sweden.

For their first major heist, the League targets a pinnacle of Swedish national heritage: the National Museum in Stockholm. On a calm morning, the five pensioners sneak into the museum and, after creating diversions and red herrings, steal Renoir’s Conversation: An Impression from Paris and Monet’s From the Mouth of the Scheldt. While alarms blaze and security officers panic, the League of Pensioners calmy stroll down the grand stairways and out the main doors.

With the police hot on their trail, as well as the Swedish mafia and an escaped convict, Martha and the League of Pensioners, have a tough choice to make: return the priceless paintings, or cash in on their robbery? Could they choose to do both? Take a dive into Swedish art crime and find out for yourself.

You can purchase The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules and support the Antiquities Coalition’s efforts using Amazon Smile.

On a dark night in mid-October 1969, thieves with ties to the mafia snuck into a Palermo church and spirited away Caravaggio’s Nativity with Saints Francis and Lawrence. Nearly 50 years later, the masterpiece has not been recovered. Appalled by the theft of this work of creative genius from a place of worship, Italy formed a special task force to combat art crime. Since 1969, the Italian Carabinieri has dedicated a special unit, the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (TPC), to combat the theft and looting of Italy’s cultural treasures. Fresh off of the art squad’s successful completion of a massive sting operation in July 2018, the Antiquities Coalition was honored to host the leader of the unit, General Fabrizio Parrulli, for a week-long visit in Washington, D.C.

Just prior to the General’s visit, the Antiquities Coalition published a review of The Medici Conspiracy, journalists Peter Watson and Cecilia Todeschini’s fascinating account of the Carabinieri’s investigation of a transnational antiquities trafficking operation at the turn of the 21st century. For readers eager to learn more about the Carabinieri or the black market in cultural property in general, this would be a great place to start.

From left: Acting Director of the Freer Gallery of Art Richard Kurin, Antiquities Coalition founder and chairman Deborah Lehr, and Brigadier General Fabrizio Parrulli discuss threats to cultural heritage after Parrulli’s speech.

On Wednesday, August 1, 2018, the Antiquities Coalition partnered with the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative to organize an event at the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. featuring a speech by General Parrulli on the TPC’s efforts to protect cultural heritage. Richard Kurin, acting director of the Freer and Smithsonian ambassador-at-large, gave introductory remarks and moderated a discussion between the General and Deborah Lehr, founder and chairman of the Antiquities Coalition. Speaking before nearly 200 members of the audience in the classical marble villa of the Freer, Parrulli focused on themes including technology, international cooperation, and education. With gripping videos and photos, the General showed off the TPC’s use of innovative tech, including drones and its new smartphone app, iTPC. In another of the speech’s captivating moments, he spoke about culture and youth. Today’s society, the General declared, has a responsibility to the next generation to pass on cultural heritage in the best condition possible. This strong sense of duty is what motivates his work and guides the TPC’s initiatives to promote awareness of cultural racketeering through lectures at schools, universities, and other venues like the speech at the Freer Gallery. Those interested in the event can learn more about the General’s speech by reading the Antiquities Coalition’s full coverage.

Later that afternoon, Parrulli and Lehr recorded an episode of the Middle East Focus podcast on international efforts to fight antiquities trafficking. Issued by the Middle East Institute, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington, D.C., the podcast regularly features experts on foreign policy and contemporary issues in the Middle East. In a conversation with Paul Salem, senior vice president for policy research and programs at the Middle East Institute, Perrulli and Lehr highlighted the Carabinieri TPC’s work protecting cultural heritage in Libya and Iraq.

The next day, the General took part in a roundtable discussion with cultural heritage experts hosted by the Middle East Institute. He presented an overview of the Carabinieri’s high-level achievements and future objectives. Antiquities Coalition Executive Director Tess Davis then moderated a conversation about ongoing challenges in the fight against the illicit trade in antiquities. Participants shared accounts of experiences from different countries and explored strategies for strengthening international cooperation.

From left: MEI Vice President Kate Seelye, Brigadier General Fabrizio Parrulli, Antiquities Coalition founder and chairman Deborah Lehr, Antiquities Coalition, and Antiquities Coalition co-founder Peter Herdrich at a roundtable discussion with cultural heritage experts.

Indeed, collaboration across borders was a major theme of the week, as General Parrulli sought to deepen ties between Italian and American advocates of cultural heritage protection. At the end of his remarks at the Freer, the General expressed the TPC’s mission to move from “the restitution of cultures to a culture of restitution.” By fostering connections between different countries, between governments and NGOs, and between the culture and security spheres, General Parrulli’s week in Washington sought to accomplish just that.

Andrew Lokay is an intern at the Antiquities Coalition. Originally from Fairfax, Virginia, he is now a student at Stanford University, where he studies International Relations and French. If you are interested in interning at the Antiquities Coalition please send a resume and cover letter to cultureunderthreat@theantiquitiescoalition.org.

On Wednesday, August 1, 2018, cultural heritage advocates, law enforcement officials, and members of the public streamed into Meyer Auditorium at the Freer Gallery of Art to hear a talk given by Brigadier General Fabrizio Parrulli, director of the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (Carabinieri TPC). Organized by the Antiquities Coalition and the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative, the event welcomed an audience of nearly 200. Safely ensconced in the air-conditioned marble sanctuary of the Freer, audience members took shelter from the Washington humidity and enjoyed a one-and-a-half-hour-long event focusing on threats to cultural heritage and what can be done to address them. As Richard Kurin, acting director of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art, noted in his opening remarks, the Freer was designed after the model of a Roman villa. A centerpiece of 20th-century efforts to fashion the National Mall as a centerpiece of civilization, the museum was a fitting venue for the General’s speech.

Parrulli began his remarks by introducing the audience to the history of the Carabinieri TPC and the scale of its operations. Founded in 1969, the art squad predates even the 1970 UNESCO convention against cultural racketeering, the landmark treaty which ushered in the current era of cultural heritage protection. With a portfolio that includes fighting looting, investigating thefts and forgeries, and promoting public awareness, the TPC’s officers keep themselves busy. In a half-hour, the General recounted some of his force’s greatest successes and outlined how the TPC is preparing for the challenges of the future.

With colorful maps, impressive statistics, and striking images, Parrulli revealed the extent of the TPC’s work to preserve cultural heritage. Present in every region of Italy, the TPC also has several missions stationed abroad, including at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. And in times of crisis, the General’s team jumps into action, deploying to countries whose heritage is under threat. In recent years, the TPC has deployed to Iraq and Kosovo to support and train local police forces in the safeguarding of cultural property. In his words, the officers of the Carabinieri TPC work to “prevent cultures becoming commodities.” Working closely across borders and partnering with other countries, the TPC is eager to provide global leadership in protecting cultural heritage.

From left: Acting Director of the Freer Gallery of Art Richard Kurin, Antiquities Coalition founder and chairman Deborah Lehr, and Brigadier General Fabrizio Parrulli discuss threats to cultural heritage after Parrulli’s speech.

After the speech, Kurin served as moderator for a discussion with the General and Deborah Lehr, founder and chairman of the Antiquities Coalition. They spoke about the most significant obstacles in the fight against cultural racketeering and the TPC’s active efforts to overcome them. Lehr explained that this field has traditionally been relegated to national ministries of culture, which are often among the weakest government agencies. One of her goals in establishing the Antiquities Coalition was to get foreign affairs and defense ministries involved in addressing this issue, given their greater stature, to advocate for policy change. In Italy, this has been the case since the TPC’s founding in 1969. The Antiquities Coalition seeks to redefine cultural racketeering as a national security issue: after all, it is closely linked to terrorist financing and organized crime. The TPC has done exactly that. During his speech, the General recounted how the Carabinieri has striven to add cultural heritage crimes to the agenda of many of the world’s top forums for international politics: the G7, the Counter-Daesh Finance Group, the United Nations Security Council, and the European Union.

General Parrulli discussed several cases of high-profile restitutions made possible by the Carabinieri, including two Roman statue heads stolen during the Second World War and repatriated to Italy just a few months ago.

The Carabinieri’s officers work with objects that are hundreds, even thousands, of years old, but they embrace innovation. The spirit of Silicon Valley is strong in the 17th-century Baroque Palazzo Sant’Ignazio that houses the headquarters of the Carabinieri TPC in Rome. The General highlighted his squad’s use of cutting-edge technology to protect cultural heritage and fight the trafficking of antiquities. In one of the most exciting moments of his speech, Parrulli showed a video of TPC officers using a drone to survey a damaged church. No longer only the playthings of hobbyists and millennial tech geeks, unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, have become a useful tool in protecting cultural heritage. After earthquakes collapsed historic buildings in central Italy in 2016, the Carabinieri used drones to explore the interiors of ruined buildings deemed too unsafe to enter. In the General’s example, a drone helped the Carabinieri locate a precious altarpiece, which was then removed to safety.

The TPC also maintains “Leonardo,” a massive database of stolen works of art. In seconds, an officer can conduct a search to determine if a suspect object has been previously recorded as stolen. With 1,231,663 entries as of the first week of August, 2018, Leonardo is the largest database of its type in the world. Parrulli also explained that the TPC includes a Data Processing Unit, which leverages the power of smartphones to fight cultural racketeering through its app, iTPC. Free to download and currently available in both Italian and English, iTPC allows users to input a photo of a work of art and search for a match in its database of stolen cultural property. This tool has the potential to be extremely useful for buyers to practice due diligence: when they consider purchasing an item, they can bring up iTPC on their phones as the first step of provenance research. The app also provides the public with information on the Carabinieri and allows for crowd-sourced contributions to the database. Given the TPC’s international focus, Parrulli said that iTPC will soon be available in additional languages, starting with Spanish, French, and German. In her remarks, Lehr described how a lack of data on the illicit trade in antiquities can hamper efforts to convince governments to take action. If few statistics exist for art trafficking, it can be difficult to make the argument that it should be a major concern on policymakers’ agendas. The TPC’s vigorous pursuit of data collection can begin to fill this information vacuum.

The General emphasized that the Carabinieri TPC does more than investigations and rescue operations: he also considers education a key mission of the force. In the question and answer period of the Smithsonian event, he declared that societies today have a responsibility to the next generation to pass on cultural heritage at the heart of community identity. Italy, gifted with a rich history, is leading the charge. Through presentations at local schools and universities across the country, as well as digital initiatives such as the iTPC app, the Carabinieri work to instill in today’s youth the values of respect for culture and commitment to its protection. As the General said, not only do his officers respond to the crises of today, they work to ensure a safer future for humanity’s cultural treasures.

Andrew Lokay is an intern at the Antiquities Coalition. Originally from Fairfax, Virginia, he is now a student at Stanford University, where he studies International Relations and French. If you are interested in interning at the Antiquities Coalition please send a resume and cover letter to cultureunderthreat@theantiquitiescoalition.org.