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Small Finds, Big Values: Cylinder Seals and Coins from Iraq and Syria on the Online Market

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2019

Oya Topçuoǧlu  and
Tasha Vorderstrasse
Oya Topçuoǧlu
Affiliation:
Lecturer, Middle East and North African Studies Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, United States; Email: [email protected]
Tasha Vorderstrasse
Affiliation:
University and Continuing Education Program Coordinator and Research Associate, Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, United States; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract:

Discussions about looted antiquities often focus on large, culturally and monetarily valuable items. Nevertheless, it is clear that mundane small finds, which sell for relatively small amounts, account for a large portion of the global market in antiquities. This article highlights two types of small artifacts—namely, cylinder seals and coins, presumed to come from Syria and Iraq and offered for sale by online vendors. We argue that the number of cylinder seals and coins sold on the Internet has increased steadily since 2011, reaching a peak in 2016–17. This shows that the trade in Iraqi and Syrian antiquities has shifted from big-ticket items sold in traditional brick-and-mortar shops to small items readily available on the Internet for modest prices. The continuing growth of the online market in antiquities is having a devastating effect on the archaeological sites in Iraq and Syria as increasing demand fuels further looting in the region.

Keywords

small findscylinder sealscoinsonline marketauctionIraqSyriaMesopotamia
Type
Article
Information
International Journal of Cultural Property , Volume 26 , Issue 3 , August 2019 , pp. 239 - 263
Copyright
Copyright © International Cultural Property Society 2019 

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References

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