Series | Antiquity Studies
Edited book | Stolen Heritage
Chapter | Palmyrene Funerary Portraits: A 'Conflict Antiquities' Case
Palmyrene Funerary Portraits: A 'Conflict Antiquities' Case
Abstract
This paper delves into the issue of ‘conflict antiquities’, that is, the phenomenon of profiting from cultural goods looted in archaeological sites affected by wars or civil conflicts. The present research shows the increased number of Palmyrene funerary portraits of dubious provenance circulating on the antiquities market after the beginning of the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ in 2011. By analysing international war damage reports, the author established a chronology of the key events that have involved the ancient town of Palmyra, likely leading to the flood of portraits recently offered on sale.
Submitted: May 7, 2021 | Published March 31, 2021 | Language: en
Keywords Conflict antiquities • Looting • Art market • Palmyra • Funerary portraits • Syria
Copyright © 2021 Michela De Bernardin. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/978-88-6969-517-9/004
