Israel's Antiquities Authority Busts Dealer for Possession of Hundreds of Looted Artifacts, Including a Great Revolt-Era Coin | Artnet News

In one of its most significant seizures, the Israel Antiquities Authority recently raided an unauthorized dealer in the city of Modiin and recovered hundreds of items—including a nearly 2,000-year-old silver shekel, along with jewelry, 1,800 other coins, and a bronze statue—all believed to have been looted.

Members of the Anti-Robbery Unit of the Antiquities Authority found fresh soil on the coins, suggesting that they had been dug up very recently. This has raised new questions about the extent of looting in this antiquity-rich part of the world.“It’s heartbreaking to think about the many antiquity sites that have been destroyed for the sake of greed of traders of heritage values,” Ilan Hadad, the authority’s supervisor of antiquities trade, said in a statement.

The shekel is engraved with the term “Holy Jerusalem” and the name Shimon, the leader of the 132–136 C.E. Bar Kohkba revolt, lending it great historical significance. Discovered in the dealer’s workroom, the coin—which dates from 67 C.E., the time of the first Jewish-Roman war, also known as the Great Revolt—had been partially cleaned to reveal three flowers and the inscription “one shekel Israel second year.

“Unauthorized antiques traders who purchase robbed and stolen coins encourage the robbery of antiques, which are torn from the historical nail. The Antiquities Authority will continue to act in collaboration with other enforcement bodies to curb the illegal trade in antiques,” Escuzido’s statement concludes.

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

A Roman Marble Bust Heading to Auction Could Have Ties to Disgraced Dealer Robin Symes, an Antiquities Expert Says | Artnet NewsAn expert on trafficked antiquities called on Hindman auction house to withdraw a Roman head with possible links to disgraced Robin Symes. You know what would solve the issue that this article details? A publicly shared, immutable ledger. Who woulda thunk?
Source: artnet - 🏆 522. / 51 Read more »

Vacheron Constantin Unveils Watches Inspired by Treasures From the Louvre.Vacheron1755 is unveiling a watch collection inspired by the treasures of antiquity housed in the Louvre in Paris.
Source: wwd - 🏆 24. / 68 Read more »

Immortal Faces: from coins to sculptures of antiquity, a feast in IstanbulA new exhibition combines a collection of coins, from Lykians, the first minters of coins, to the Ottoman era and the Turkish Republic era, with Greek and Roman busts borrowed from Istanbul Archaeological Museums and the Sadberk Hanim Museum.
Source: trtworld - 🏆 101. / 63 Read more »

Kharkiv's Palace of Culture Was Destroyed by a Russian Missile Attack, Leaving Eight Injured | Artnet NewsUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack an example of “absolute evil” and “absolute stupidity.”
Source: artnet - 🏆 522. / 51 Read more »

Cupra Gets Kinky, Will Preview Its Future On June 7th | CarscoopsCupra will introduce an Unstoppable Impulse plan that includes new heroes for a new era
Source: Carscoop - 🏆 306. / 63 Read more »

Dealer Inigo Philbrick Gets Seven Years in Prison for 'One of the Most Significant Frauds' in Art-Market History | Artnet NewsPhilbrick was found guilty of defrauding clients out of more than $86 million in what prosecutors called a 'brazen' scheme.
Source: artnet - 🏆 522. / 51 Read more »