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ISRAEL AT WAR - DAY 474

antiquities theft

A volunteer from the Border Police with a suspect apprehended while attempting to loot the Horbat Binit site in the lower Galilee, in an image released on December 23, 2024. (courtesy Israel Antiquities Authority)
December 23, 2024, 3:09 pm
Cops put squeeze on suspected looters at ancient olive oil complex
Four suspects, already under investigation, nabbed while attempting to loot artifacts from remote Galilee site linked to Hasmoneans
By Gavriel Fiske
Illustrative: People walk along a street market at Eminonu commercial area in Istanbul, Turkey, August 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
September 14, 2023, 2:38 pm
Turkey frees Israeli held over ornamental bell it claimed was artifact
Lawyer for Acre resident says he’s heading back to Israel after being held for over a month, won’t be allowed back in Turkey
By ToI Staff
Archaeologists carefully remove the swords from the entrance of the cave where they were discovered in the Judean desert. (Emil Aladjem/IAA)
September 7, 2023, 2:10 am
Crack unit of rock-climbing archaeologists claims success in curbing antiquities theft
Six years into wide-scale Judean Desert cave survey operation, few Dead Sea Scrolls fragments are found. But the Land of Israel’s historical picture is ever more in focus, says IAA
By Amanda Borschel-Dan
Dozens of ancient bricks manufactured by the 10th Roman Legion discovered by police in the trunk of a car in Beit Hanina, Jerusalem, May 2023. (Israel Antiquities Authority)
June 1, 2023, 11:09 am
Antiquities thief nabbed with ancient floor tiles used by destroyers of 2nd Temple
Bricks found in the trunk of a car in East Jerusalem apparently came from a bathhouse used by notorious Tenth Roman Legion some 2,000 years ago, possibly in Hebron area
By ToI Staff
Inspectors for the Israel Antiquities Authority Theft Prevention Unit with three ossuaries recovered from a burial cave in northern Israel that was nearly destroyed by construction. (courtesy Yoli Schwartz/IAA)
May 23, 2023, 2:58 pm
Family building a house in northern Israel destroys 1,800-year-old burial cave
Inspectors raid construction site where bulldozers flattened cave, find ossuaries; owner to be indicted for failing to report antiquity discovery
By Melanie Lidman
Philanthropist Shelby White poses for a picture on the roughly 1,700-year-old Lod mosaic, ahead of the inauguration of a new visitors center she helped fund to display the prized piece in the Israeli city of Lod, June 27, 2022. (Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images)
February 18, 2023, 1:32 am
New York antiquities trafficking unit focuses on US patron of Israeli archaeology
Shelby White has already relinquished two dozen items worth at least $20 million due to investigations
By Asaf Elia-Shalev
A 2,700-year-old ivory incense spoon plundered from a site in the West Bank — seized in late 2021 by the Manhattan District Attorney's office as part of a plea deal with billionaire hedge fund manager Michael Steinhardt, displayed at the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, January 19, 2023. (AP Photo/ Maya Alleruzzo)
February 3, 2023, 10:41 am
Far-right minister probes legality of US returning looted artifact to Palestinians
Heritage minister calls to examine transfer of ivory spoon seized from collection of US Jewish billionaire, says he’ll give Antiquities Authority control over West Bank archaeology
By AP and ToI Staff
Damage to an ancient wine press at the Soger archaeological site in the Galilee region, January 29, 2023. (Reuven Kapol/Israel Antiquities Authority)
January 30, 2023, 10:36 pm
Nabbed antiquities robbers cause ‘heart-breaking damage’ to ancient wine press
Israel Antiquities Authority says two suspects caught ‘red-handed’ at Soger, in Western Galilee, as they dug beneath and destroyed a 2,000-year-old mosaic floor
By ToI Staff
Illustrative: A giant stone figure of Ramses II stands in the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, near Cairo, Egypt, August 4, 2019. (Maya Alleruzzo/AP)
January 12, 2023, 4:49 pm
Egypt foils theft of 10-ton ancient Ramses II statue
Three men arrested for trying to steal pharaonic artifact and excavate antiquities at Aswan
By AFP and ToI Staff
George Noll, head of the US Office of Palestinian Affairs, returns a looted "ceramic spoon" to Palestinian Authority Tourism and Antiquities Minister Rula Maayah, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, January 5, 2022. (US Office of Palestinian Affairs)
January 6, 2023, 6:38 am
US gives Palestinians looted antiquity owned by Steinhardt, in 1st such repatriation
American diplomat hails return of ‘cosmetic spoon’ from Assyrian period as ‘a historic moment’; object was seized from the Jewish American billionaire as part of criminal probe
By ToI Staff
Shelby White at the cornerstone laying ceremony for the Lod Mosaic Archaeological Center in 2017. (Raanan Kislev, Israel Antiquities Authority)
December 7, 2022, 2:10 pm
Looted artifacts worth millions said seized from US collector, a key donor to Israel
23 works held by philanthropist Shelby White noted in search warrants from June 2021, April 2022; some were returned to Italy and Turkey in recent months
By Michael Horovitz
Israeli forces examine stolen antiquities recovered during an arrest operation in the West Bank on August 15, 2022. (Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories)
August 15, 2022, 7:14 pm
Israel recovers rare findings from alleged antiquities traffickers in West Bank
Three Palestinian suspects arrested, illegal weapons seized, in operation that followed arrest of prominent dealer in northern West Bank several months ago
By ToI Staff
Israel Antiquities Authority inspectors examine finds taken during the search of a home in Afula, July 7, 2022. (Yoli Schwartz/IAA)
July 12, 2022, 4:20 pm
Busted: Thousands of ancient coins and arrowheads seized from northern Israel home
Israel Antiquities Authority theft prevention unit says Afula man illegally dug up and traded in ancient finds, likely also smuggled items abroad to public auctions
By Amanda Borschel-Dan
UK citizen Jim Fitton (left) and German national Volker Waldman (center) wearing yellow detainees' uniforms and handcuffed, are escorted by Iraqi security forces, outside a courtroom, in Baghdad, Iraq, May 22, 2022. (AP/Hadi Mizban, File)
June 6, 2022, 2:58 pm
Iraqi court sentences UK citizen to 15 years in jail for smuggling artifacts
Retired geologist arrested at Baghdad airport in March claims he did not have criminal intent to smuggle items; German tourist tried alongside him to be released
By SAMYA KULLAB
Some of the ancient coins seized in a massive illegal trade bust on May 15, 2022 in Modi'in. (Yoli Schwartz/Israel Antiquities Authority)
May 19, 2022, 12:31 pm
Massive bust of illegal antiquities trade seizes 1,800 coins and ancient artifacts
Man from central Israel suspected of smuggling thousands of priceless treasures abroad for years through an online store
By Amanda Borschel-Dan
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