Curriculum
This course will be published on December 1st, 2024
Join us for an in-depth exploration of the international antiquities market—a complex world often filled with deception, ethical dilemmas, and legal challenges. Led by expert Dr Christos Tsirogiannis, this course delves into the intricate issues surrounding artifacts with unknown or deliberately disguised provenance, omitted histories, and cases where provenance may never be fully uncovered.
Course Highlights:
Historical Context and Evidence: Begin with a chronological journey starting from 1969, a pivotal year that shaped the antiquities market. Understand the significance of major raids and the discovery of key archives essential for provenance research.
Excavations vs. Looting: Clarify crucial terms such as provenance, provenience, and the differences between legitimate excavations and illegal looting. Explore how artifacts are laundered, how false collecting histories are created, and their misattribution to old collections.
The Market and Its Actors: Dive into the workings of auction houses, dealers, and galleries. Analyze real-world examples of actors who have become red flags due to their previous involvement in cases of illicit antiquities.
Clients of the Market: Examine the roles of museums and private collectors. Learn how they acquire, exhibit, and sometimes obscure the provenance of artifacts. Discuss their level of cooperation with independent researchers and authorities.
Provenance Research and Legal Pathways: Discover the tools and databases available for conducting provenance research. Learn the step-by-step process to investigate artifacts ethically and legally, ensuring the safety of institutions and clients while upholding moral responsibilities.
Law Enforcement Authorities: Evaluate the actions of legal bodies involved in fighting the illicit antiquities market. Question whether they have always acted ethically and examine cases that highlight these complexities.
Approaches to Research: Gain practical insights into conducting provenance research through numerous case studies. Develop a clear understanding of what to expect and how to navigate challenges in this field.
Interactive Participation: The final section is dedicated entirely to you. Throughout the course, you are encouraged to submit questions and ideas, which will be addressed comprehensively. This interactive element ensures that your specific interests and concerns are explored.
Do you have questions about this course? Reach out to us at: [email protected]
Meet your instructor:
Dr Christos Tsirogiannis
Dr Christos Tsirogiannis is a forensic archaeologist specialising in research of international trafficking networks of antiquities and the antiquities trade. He has authored many publications on various aspects of the market, has advised museums, collectors and several governments in reform of cultural heritage law, worked with many police, judicial and cultural authorities, identifying dozens of illicit antiquities and contributing to their repatriation to 13 countries so far. Originally trained as an archaeologist, his specialism began at the Greek Ministry of Culture (1994-1998, 2000 and 2004-2008), the Greek Police Art Squad (2004 - 2008) and the Greek Ministry of Justice (2006-2008) with overlapping duties related to research on illicit antiquities. Tsirogiannis is based in Cambridge (UK), where he obtained his PhD on the international trafficking networks in antiquities (2013). He held a post-doc position at the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (University of Glasgow, 2014-2016), worked at the Cambridge Archaeological Unit (2016) and was a Research Fellow at the Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies (Aarhus University, 2019-2022). He is now heading the Working Group Illicit Antiquities Trafficking of the UNESCO Chair on Threats to Cultural Heritage and Cultural Heritage-related Activities (Ionian University, 2022-present) and an expert at the Swiss Federal Office for Culture (2024 - present). He brings to the course his unique combination of academic and practical expertise in the operations of the antiquities market.
