Antiquities Market Essay

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Every day people who have a desire to interact with the past purchase ancient artifacts through the antiquities market, a system that has existed for many generations. However, the antiquities market is a system that has always been met with resistance, especially among those within the scholarly community of archaeologists. Many archaeologists and scholars have argued against this market, stating that it turns antiques into a commodity, encourages looting and is therefore a detriment to archaeology. On the other side, those in favor of this market have the antiquities market provides people with a great deal of exposure to the past. Both sides have their merit in regards to this controversial issue. However, when looking at the antiquities …show more content…

He writes, “All parties with an interest of one sort or another in the antiquities trade agree that it causes a certain amount of damage to the world’s archaeological heritage” (1). Brodie is right to say that the antiquities market does do some damage to the archaeological world because of looting. However, one cannot ignore the fact that the antiquities market has helped to spread ancient cultures across the world, which has done a great deal to help archaeological heritage. Whatever the motives, be it monetary gain or a true passion for ancient artifacts, the collectors and dealers of antiquities have done a great deal in conserving and drawing attention to …show more content…

It is easy to say that there must be dialogue in order to solve these problems, however it is much harder to actually put these plans into action, as it does not seem likely that dialogues will happen anytime soon. A much more practical solution is to provide a monetary incentive for dealers who can verify where their artifacts are actually coming from. Most people are in the antiquities market for the money, so providing them with more incentive to go above and beyond in their dealings will help to eliminate the issue of transparency in the antiquities market more quickly. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) would be the most realistic organization to provide collectors with this monetary incentive as it is an organization that is committed to removing looting from the antiquities market and making it a transparent

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