Tracking and Disrupting the Illicit Antiquities Trade with Open Source Data

Matthew Sargent, James V. Marrone, Alexandra T. Evans, Bilyana Lilly, Erik Nemeth, Stephen Dalzell

12th May2020

The 166 page report by one of the most respected independent research organisations in the United States claims that current thinking on illegal trafficking of antiquities is mostly wrong. Its findings have prompted it to propose a radical reassessment of the illicit trade in cultural objects.  It blames bloggers, journalists and advocacy groups for exaggerating the problem to attract headlines, funding and to effect policy change. It singles out one of the highest profile crusaders against trafficking, New York Assistant District Attorney Matthew Bogdanos, stating that the widely held but inaccurate belief that antiquities are linked to trafficking in drugs and weapons can mostly be traced back to him as the source of the misinformation.