"
Since
the outbreak of the uprising 21 months ago, there have been reports of
antiquities being stolen from sites that previously were well guarded. But now,
according to a man involved in the trade, it is becoming more systematic.
“It’s
very similar to Iraq,” he said. In both countries, he explained, the looting
became “more organised” as time went by.
Syria
is unusually rich in archaeological sites; it was at the frontier of the Roman
and Parthian empires, and contains traces of all the important civilisations
that had a presence in the Middle East going back to the earliest settled
cultures. It is also unusual in having churches and mosques which have been in
continuous use since the early days of Christianity and Islam.
Artefacts
are dug up or stolen from the many sites, smuggled across the Lebanese and
Turkish borders, authenticated by experts and then sold on to clients from
around the world, including the US, according to people involved in the
trade.
It
is potentially big business. A small statue is worth $30,000, the trader
said.
Another
man involved in the trafficking interviewed this year said he was offered an
object for $300,000.
A
video posted on the internet purportedly taken in the ancient city of Palmyra
gives an indication of the ravages wrought by the illegal trade. It shows
several stone sculptures apparently stolen from the site being loaded on to a
pickup truck.
Initially,
the looting happened in an ad hoc manner, sometimes with the apparent collusion
of security services.
One
activist interviewed in the ancient city of Apamea said that excavating and
selling antiquities there, mainly mosaics, had become a rare source of income
for ordinary people in an economy ravaged by war." (thanks Joseph)