In the most dramatic study to date: researchers reopened a case where Norwegian authorities seized 30 Punic bronze coins from a thief who attempted to sell them underhandedly to highlight the recent increase in illegal activity in antiquities.
Just published in Libyan Studies, two professors from The University of Oslo’s Museum of Cultural History reexamined the case that highlights that archaeology can veer into criminal territory. However, archaeological documentation is rare despite the relevance of the subject. The illegal trade of coins has notably increased in recent years.
In 2019, for instance, the World Customs Organization (WCO) reported that coins comprised the largest quantity of cultural heritage materials from single seizure that year.
The study discusses the “relevant legal framework of the case and the process that unfolded from the time when an attempt was made to sell the coins until they were returned to their country of origin.”
The dark side of archaeology
In 2022, the study begins, a Tunisian citizen was arrested in Oslo for attempting an illegal sale of Carthaginian bronze coins to a local antiques dealer. He had received an email from an anonymous individual, inquiring into whether he wanted to buy a “large number” of Punic coins, a purported underwater find.
Weighing about 441 pounds, he had sent videos and pictures of the badly damaged massive hoard being loaded into a truck to the antiquities dealer. Suspecting illegality, the dealer then informed the Museum of Cultural History at the University of Oslo, which worked with the authorities (police) to successfully seize the loot.
As Phys reports, the archaeological criminal, the seller never revealed where the treasure from where Carthage came. However, given how corroded they were, the authorities had to suspect that they originated from a shipwreck or some underwater structure.
Interestingly, the coins were returned to Tunisia, and Norwegian prosecutors dropped the charges against the Tunisian state, as they were brought over illegally, so the governments followed protocol but, perhaps evidently, resolved the legal matter, which brings up a fascinating case in law as treasures from the past are distributed illegally.
Coins are big on the black market right now
The study gives an overview of the history of cultural heritage in international law, and these types of crimes are “…frequently linked to organized crime networks that also engage in other illicit activities such as arms trafficking, narcotics trade, and the financing of terrorism.”
But given that they are “often perceived as less serious than crimes involving weapons or narcotics,” they receive less attention, as that leg of the illegal organization tends to be the least punishable.
The study makes an argument that the magnitude of the crime itself, just how often it happens, deserves tighter frameworks and more attention, especially as the crime continues to increase in relevance. And, perhaps evidently, this type of illegal activity impacts vulnerable and conflict-affected regions the most.
Now we know— if you find coins, don’t attempt to sell them illegally, you’re supposed to alert the authorities, as cultural heritage belongs to the state. Besides, you’d probably get an award for turning it in, though it might not be as handsome as recuperating the priceless amount, whatever it may be. As they say, money always turns out to be money.