Looting, not only a plague in war-torn countries

This time the news comes from Shumen, a city located some 88 km east of Varna in Bulgaria where four men have been arrested for trading and possessing archaeological artefacts. Nothing new, I would say, were it not that the police came into action and ceased 19 marble sculptures and plates as well as some 9,000 Roman coins together with molds to produce imitations. More metal artefacts together with some 80 coins were retrieved from another house. Also found were a Greek altar, a lion’s head, a number of ancient figurines and the central part of a Greek sarcophagus showing the head of Medusa.

The three Bulgarians who were arrested face imprisonment of one to six years and fines ranging between BGN 1,000 and 20,000 if convicted. Why do I have the impression that they will not be convicted?

More alarming news comes from the Museum of Macedonia in Skopje, FYROM (meanwhile renamed Republic of Northern Macedonia). Here six people, including two former officials from the museum, have been found guilty for stealing 160 artefacts from the museum between November 2011 and October 2013. The items, among which we count silver and gold jewelry all date from the fourth century AD and have been sold abroad through obscure channels making it impossible to be traced.

It takes more than sledgehammers to kill our culture and heritage, and for what? A quick buck or simple greed of our proud human race? Very sad …

[Pictures are from Archaeological News Network]