The Lesson of Torchesk

 

                   2026 screenshot (after Sikorski)      

Jerzy Sikorski reports that at the EAA meeting in Athens, in a paper (read by Jens Schneeweiss) on work on the middle Dnipro region in Ukraine, a mention is made of the continuation of the monitoring by drone of the earthwork site at Ol'shanytsya in the southern Porossya area on the Ros' river (Torchesk) begun in 2021 ['Looking Over the shoulder of the 'Black Diggers' of Ukraine', PACHI Saturday, 4 December 2021]. While six years ago there were recorded traces of the digging of over 5000 holes there, apparently the total now is 16000+ and the plan shown at EAA indicates a shocking density of digging and destruction (compare with the 2021 one in my post). This is not only of significance in terms of the site itself and Ukrainian heritage protection in general, it raises the issue that this is (as far as I know, please correct me if I am wrong) a pioneering project, and if such monitoring were to be carried out of 'productive' sites elsewhere (England and Wales for example with the laissez faire legislation in place there) would it reveal a comparable level of destruction? It's easy to assume that "Ukraine is an exception" but how can we complacently assume that it is not? 

Also, if 21 days monitoring six years ago produced evidence of 5100 holes dug in that period, the whole post-harvest and spring metal detecting seasons would have involved even more hole-digging.  If c. 15.5k holes were dug in 2022 [when the war's Front came no nearer than 300km before retreating], 2023, 2024, 2025, and spring 2026, does this represent a slowdown? Could it be that awareness that the site was under intensive monitoring by drone slowed down the attacks of these culture-criminals? Are the young men who'd be searching the site now fighting the occupant? Or is there a feeling among detectorists that with all the searching that has gone on there, the site is largely "searched out" ?

Archaeological Looting in the Republic of Bashkortostan

A recent study (Gizzatov, Tuzbekov and Akhatov 2025) reveals that over 12% of recorded archaeological sites in the Republic of Bashkortostan in the Russian Federation, despite the nominal protection these sites are given by the law of the region, have been damaged by illegal looting. The researchers analyzed data collected between 2017 and 2023 by the Scientific and Production Centre of the Republic of Bashkortostan on the condition of 623 archaeological sites (the work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation under Grant No. 25-18-00270 “Looting in the Urals: development of methods to counteract the destruction of cultural heritage objects). This research revealed a severe threat to local history and cultural artefacts and that looting is as a key factor in the loss of archaeological heritage in the Republic of Bashkortostan. Looters mostly search for metal objects and historical items from the 16th century to the early 20th century. There has been a ninefold increase in the activity of ‘treasure hunters’ since 2010, particularly in the Bashkir Trans-Urals and the northwestern part of the region near the lower parts of the Belaya River. Despite the huge rise in illegal excavations, officials have not recorded a single criminal case against archaeological looters in the region, Russian laws protecting cultural heritage contain contradictions and grey areas, making it hard to punish modern metal-detector looters. As a result of the research, the article proposes improvements to the monitoring system through the use of modern technologies and stricter control over the sale of metal detectors to preserve archaeological heritage. Reference

Gizzatov, D., Tuzbekov, A., and Akhatov, A. (2025). Cultural Heritage Loss Through Archaeological Looting: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Current Situation in the Republic of Bashkortostan. Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites, 27(3), 195–215.

Ukrainian Archaeologist: "The Situation of the Archaeological Heritage in Eastern Ukraine is Catastrophic"

Serhiy Telizhenko, Scientific Secretary of the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Candidate of Historical Sciences carried out research in the Luhansk region until the illegal Russian invasion of the area. He describes the situation with the Ukrainian archaeological heritage in the eastern regions, where fierce fighting is currently taking place, as catastrophic. According to him, many archaeological sites have been significantly damaged, or even irretrievably lost. However, he does not give up hope of returning to his native Luhansk region with new excavations. “We will have to return there. We simply did not have time to explore many things and, I am afraid, we will not have time to do much,” he says. Currently, the scientist works in the West and South of Ukraine.

Археолог Сергій Теліженко: «Ситуація з археологічною спадщиною на Сході України – катастрофічна» [Archaeologist Serhiy Telizhenko: “The situation with the archaeological heritage in Eastern Ukraine is catastrophic”] National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine press release 25.08.2026  катастрофічна». 

Maryna Tereshchenko  “Окопи копають на місці давніх стоянок”: археолог Сергій Теліженко про розкопки у Кремінній та спадщину під вогнем [“Trenches are being dug on the site of ancient sites”: archaeologist Serhiy Telizhenko on excavations in Kreminna and heritage under fire]Tribun August 18, 2026. 

Bronze Age Treasure of Villena Stolen from Archaeological Museum

The Treasure of Villena, one of the most important Bronze Age goldsmithing ensembles in Europe, was stolen in the early hours of this morning (August 27, 2026), from the Archaeological Museum of Villena (Alicante). The thieves were able to steal the 59 pieces of gold, silver, meteoric iron, and amber discovered in 1963, in just four minutes. They bypassed the security systems by taking advantage of a diversionary alarm at a nearby sports complex. This event has left the local population deeply alarmed and has immediately triggered an intense investigation by the Civil Guard and the Judicial Police. 

The robbery adds to a worrying and recent wave of thefts in archaeological museums in Spain (for example at Badajoz and Albacete) and reveals a critical vulnerability in the protection of the Spanish cultural legacy.  

New Study Revealed Looting Continuing in Syria

Jesse Casana et al, Remote Sensing-Based Analysis of Archaeological Site Damage in Syria: Revisiting a Post-War Landscape, Heritage (2026). DOI: 10.3390/heritage9060209

Amy Olson, 'Syria's ancient sites face widespread looting and systematic bulldozing, satellite images reveal'.     

[...] Relying on an expanding suite of satellite imagery resources, this paper presents a renewed analysis of looting and archaeological site damage in Syria over the past decade. The results reveal: (1) severe damage to many sites in northern Syria from a novel form of mechanized looting, (2) intensified impacts from the establishment of military facilities or refugee camps on many prominent sites, and (3) rampant incidents of small-scale looting across all areas of the country. These results highlight the importance of ongoing imagery-based heritage monitoring efforts and will support emerging mitigation, stabilization, and damage assessment efforts in Syria going forward.

 

The Theft of the Vix Torc

As is being reported in the media, on Friday, July 24, 2026, at approximately 10:30 AM, two thieves paid the admission fee to enter the Musée du Pays Châtillonnais in Châtillon-sur-Seine, Burgundy, extracting the renowned solid-gold torc of the "Lady of Vix". Acting as standard tourists, they bypassed security, shattered the recessed glass display case protecting the 2,500-year-old gold artefact, and fled through the main entrance. Despite recent municipal capital injections of €150,000 to reinforce secure glass fenestration and closed-circuit television (CCTV) arrays, the perpetrators were able to take the artefact in a highly calculated, rapid operation executed before onlookers. The massive, 450-pound bronze Vix krater from the site remained untouched, the 480-gram, 24-karat gold torc was successfully taken. Though a 20-year-old suspect has since been detained by French authorities, the current location of the artefact remains unknown, raising severe concerns regarding its physical preservation and the risk of being melted down.  

This heist is being treated by Europol and French investigators as part of a highly alarming broader trend. It comes less than a year after the armed €88 million heist in October 2025 of imperial crown jewels at the Louvre, and just days after a similar jewelry theft in Langres. Recent intelligence assessments by Europol emphasize that the methodology of cultural property theft is undergoing a profound paradigm shift. Traditional, specialized antiquities trafficking structures are increasingly replaced by opportunistic, decentralized criminal syndicates recruited via digital networks. These actors prioritize immediate commodity liquidization (the weight and purity of precious metals) over the intrinsic historical or artistic value of the object. For the academic and conservation communities, the primary threat is the irreversible loss of material culture through melting. The event underscores an urgent need for institutional reforms, enhanced national security protocols for irreplaceable regional collections, and more aggressive monitoring of both the dark web and physical black markets for early Iron Age materials. It also means that we should be aiming to document in the utmost detail every item threatened with theft through being in public institutions to put on record as full a description as currently possible as a form of preservation by documentation. This should be a priority over the digging up of more material which is then put at risk.

Discovered in 1953 at the base of Mont Lassois, the Vix burial represents one of the most structurally intact and elite Halstatt D3 / La Tène IA (circa 500–450 BCE) Fürstengrab (princely tomb) assemblages ever excavated. The individual interred, traditionally designated as the "Princess" or "Lady" of Vix, was accompanied by a monumental, Mediterranean-imported bronze krater and an array of prestige items that signify complex, trans-Alpine trade systems spanning Hallstatt networks and Greco-Etruscan centres. The stolen torc is a peerless artefact of proto-historic European metalwork.

Trump reduces size of 2 national monuments in Utah

In the USA, President Trump announces that he is terminating 3 million acres of national monuments in southern Utah, opening them up to drilling, mining, and industrial development. These are the largest cuts to public lands in US history. It is not known whether in this case money changed hands and if so, how much. Grand Staircase-Escalante (created under the Antiquities Act by President Bill Clinton in 1996) and Bears Ears (created under the Antiquities Act by President Barack Obama in 2016) are home to significant dinosaur fossils and sacred Native American sites. Trump had taken similar actions during his first term, but those were reversed by President Joe Biden.

In general, Trump administration officials and congressional Republicans have sought to expand drilling, mining and logging on public lands, while removing protections for imperiled species and rolling back rules for conservation.

Native American Public Archaeology under Trump?

 

Watching over the looters' shoulders: "A Digger Hit A Bascom Blade Cache, “4,000 Years,” Then More Blades Were Still In The Dirt". Much hilarity ensues as, with a soundtrack of empty-headed banter from camo-clad seniors, artefact hunters "uncover what looks like a few Bascom blades, but the hole keeps getting better every time they look closer. The count jumps from four to five, then six, then even more pieces appear packed into the same small spot. By the end, the group is staring at a 4,000-year-old cache that feels like the kind of find most artifact hunters never see once".The archaeological context is totally destroyed. "Bascom Blade" is a "collector-type" name and they are found by dumb selfish digging morons like these in the Georgia/North Florida area.

Somerset Hoard acquired for £78,000'

Steven Morris, 'Somerset detectorist strikes gold with ‘spectacular’ Roman ring find' Guardian Tue 2 Jun 2026 .

When Kevin Minto, a lorry driver, former soldier and keen metal detectorist, came upon something glinting in a Somerset field, he thought at first it was a coin – potentially quite interesting, probably not amazing. But the object turned out to be extraordinary: a gold Roman ring, unusually large and exquisitely crafted, set with a finely engraved gemstone depicting the goddess Victoria driving a two-horse chariot.[...] One of the boys I was with was screaming: ‘We’re rich, we’re rich.’”

They had returned to a productive site where coins had previously been found (not considered or reported as a hoard at the time, then left alone).

Minto first found Roman coins at the site near Ilminster in 2017. He kept returning and finding more coins scattered over a wide area, probably by ploughs. “The coins were all over the place,” he said. On another occasion he found a lead-lined coffin. Then in 2018, the ring was discovered. “The money was only paid out a couple of months ago, so it’s taken a long time,” he said. There was a complication, too, because the ring was found on the day of a military veterans’ detecting rally – and there was a dispute about who was entitled to the proceeds. “I’m glad it’s all finished now,” he said.

And that's as far as this reporter takes the story. It seems to me, reading between the lines there isa LOT more he could have done with it, questions to ask. But then dumbdown suits everybody better, the paper has a gap-filler feel-good (ordinary bloke strikes it lucky) story. Win-win as they say, why bother with details and perspective?

It's all very similar to the way these things are now always reported and done. It's just socially acceptable and now there seem to be fewer objections from within pro archaeology or the wider public with an interest in heritage (who now just seem to accept the news reports without question). Shame on the lot of you. 

Hat tip Dave Coward

"From a Private Collection" How Did it get to New York?

                     Sothebys New York .                  

Colección Mariano Moret @ColeccionMMoret [ Translated from Spanish]

"Despite having spent more than 25 years buying art in the international market and having seen it all, I still find myself amazed when I see pieces as absolutely exceptional as this Roman emperor torso from the Julio-Claudian period (1st century BC) coming from a private collection that @Sothebys will put up for auction next October with an estimated price of 8,000,000 – 12,000,000 USD. We will have to wait for the publication of the catalogue by the auction house to see if data are provided on the provenance of the work."

Russian Barrage on Civilian Targets Also Damages Kyiv's Historic Dormition Cathedral at the Lavra Monastery

Ukrainian  authorities confirm that Kyiv’s iconic Lavra Monastery was significantly damaged during a Russian drone and missile raid last night. Firefighting efforts to preserve the structure are ongoing. A massive Russian missile and drone attack hit Kyiv overnight into June 15, damaging homes and markets, and cut power to 140,000 residents. The Russians launched more than 60 missiles at civilian sites in the capital alone. In total, 70 missiles and 611 drones were used against Ukraine. While the strike wounded 13-20 people in the city, broader attacks killed at least four elsewhere, including Kharkiv rescuers.

The raid also sparked a fire at the Dormition Cathedral in the 1051-founded Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The roof of the Dormition Cathedral is reportedly ablaze. Clergy have been rescuing holy relics amid the chaos. Ukrainian leaders have called it a brutal assault on heritage and Christianity, one wonders what the world response will be. From the Horde in the 13th century to the Nazis and Bolsheviks in the 20th century, Kyiv’s sacred monasteries have suffered numerous barbaric attacks, now they are the target of Russian terrorists who have already linked crimes against cultural heritage to their attacks on Ukrainian cultural identity.

As per the famous twitter-meme:

Director-General of UNESCO, Khaled El-Enany has not issued an official, standalone quote or statement directly condemning Russia. Will he do it now?

Fraudster sentenced after trying to sell bogus ancient statues with fake papers to Sotheby’s

A 46-year-old man, Andrew Crowley, was sentenced to two years in prison for attempting to sell fraudulent Cycladic figures at Sotheby’s London using forged 1976 provenance documents that were later identified to use a typeface developed in 2001. Forensic analysis by the Metropolitan Police and FBI revealed the invoices were fakes, and while Crowley claimed the items were inherited, expert evidence deemed the artefacts to be modern reproductions. This case, resulting in a prison sentence and fines, relies on the dealer doing due diligence to uncover the scam and the necessity of rigorous pre-sale provenance research.

Interestingly, in terms of the toolmarks, these counterfeits have been produced by less simplistic methods than many of those that pass for genuine on the market that are machine-carved.

BBC ''Ancient' statues fraud foiled by fake paperwork', 22 May 2026

Nadeem Badshah,'Fraudster sentenced after trying to sell bogus ancient statues with fake papers to Sotheby’s' The Guardian 23 May 2026.

Israel in Lebanon

 

Israeli forces have detonated the historic Shamaa Castle and the shrine of Shamoun al-Safa (St. Peter) in south Lebanon, destroying the UNESCO-protected sites alongside an airstrike on Froun. This follows local reports of multiple deaths in Haboush within the last hour.

The satle is under UNESCO protection

Excavation-Permit Flaunting Archaeologist Goes Free

Poland has released Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin who was due to be extradited to Ukraine to face charges of carrying out illegal excavations in occupied Crimea. He was arrested while travelling across Europe to give lectures on his work. Butyagin was exchanged at the Belarus–Poland border today in a "five for five" exchange. According to Russian officials, he was exchanged for two officers of Moldova’s special services the Russians had in captivity. Alongside Butyagin the wife of a Russian serviceman in Polish custody was exchanged. Other sources report that activist Andrzej Poczobut was also exchanged. As for Butyagin, he was facing charges of digging stuff out of a site without an excavation permit, and who gives a tinkers about them, eh? If we are not going to respect each others' cultural property legislation, Ukraine should suspend all permits for any current Polish excavations there. Including the controversial Volyn exhumations.

The Wheels of British "Justice" Once More Grind Slowly when Antiquities and the Establishment are Involved

"Great" Britian shows once again  what a load of tossers they are when it comes to chasing up antiquities crime (Craig Simpson 'Academic who exposed British Museum thefts 'annoyed to die before seeing justice' MSN 28/4/2026).

An expert who exposed the theft of hundreds of artefacts from the British Museum was “annoyed” to know he was dying without the case being resolved. The arts and heritage world was scandalised in 2023 when an arrest was made over items stolen from the museum’s collection and sold. There was outrage when it emerged that Dr Ittai Gradel, a Danish academic turned antiquities dealer who has died at 61 from cancer, had raised the alarm as early as 2021. The institution did not act on Dr Gradel’s warning that British Museum items were appearing on an online auction site.

Hat tip Dave Coward

 

The Curse of the Mummy Ring

Celestial Rex, 'The Curse of the Mummy Ring'

"May 2019. A simple click on an online listing, a purchase from a small Canadian museum, and I was holding history in my virtual cart: authentic Egyptian mummy linen, delicate threads woven over two millennia ago, whispering tales from the Ptolemaic Dynasty, the very era of Cleopatra. The museum guaranteed its authenticity, a claim later confirmed by Customs itself. They dated the linen, to approximately 300-30 BCE, a tangible artifact of a lost world. "Able to ship to the USA"!..." [read more here].

Drents Museum in Assen Gold Theft, Update [UPDATED]

After over a year's work by the Dutch police, it is reported that the golden Romanian helmet of Coțofenești that was stolen in 2025 from a museum in the Netherlands, has been recovered, along with 2 golden bracelets. The helmet was described as "slightly dented, but can be fully restored". This came after a deal of some kind was made with the suspects. Apparantly, one of the suspects did not agree to the deal. That's why the third golden bracelet is still missing.  On 5 June 2026, Dutch media reported that one of the thieves, sentenced that day to nearly four years in prison, had used the infamy of the theft to sell merchandise referencing it, including T-shirts bearing an image of the golden helmet of Cotofenești.

Kirby, Paul "Ancient golden helmet recovered more than a year after Dutch heist".  BBC, 2 April 2026. 

On the US Bombing Iran

 

This young lady from TicTok has an important message for Trump, the cognitively-challenged guy who struggles to construct a coherent sentence and commits crimes against the English language daily (from 'Just human being' justhuman_being7).

@justhuman_being7 #tiktokviral #tiktokindia #tiktokpakistan #tiktok?bangladesh🇧🇩🇧🇩🇧🇩 #tiktokmalaysia ♬ Hard News - DM Production

Cultural Property in War, 2026

 Not so long ago, American academics and heritage professionals were eager to leap in and tell Syrians and Ukrainians how to protect their own heritage by getting grant money and setting up in the USA various judgemental monitoring groups and even 'command centres'  to engage their MAGA-like fantasies about being the world policeman (such as the Virginia/Smithsonian "Cultural Heritage Monitoring Lab"). And there was Stae Department money for this. Now that the United States of America is - together with its genocidal partner Israel - (again) the aggressor in the Middle East, one wonders whether US academics will be standing up actively for the heritage of Iran as their president issues a warning to bomb civilian targets in his illegal war ( Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Apr 04, 2026, 4:05 PM " Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out - 48 hours before all Hell will reign (sic!) down on them. Glory be to GOD! President DONALD J. TRUMP"). Or will they sit quietly by complicitly this time?

Missile Attack on Old Jerusalem

 

A missile has just struck Jerusalem’s Old City, very near to the Western Wall, Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (all UNESCO World Heritage sites), some of the holiest sites to Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Questions are raised about whether it was launched by Iraq, or was a provocative false flag operation by US-allied Israel, but highlighhts the dangers not only to people but valuable heritage sites caused by the United States' unprovoked and illegal attack on Iran.

UNESCO, being about as useful as a wet paper bag in a supermarket as per usual, has made no response as yet to these effects of the actions of these two terrorist states out of control and threatening world peace.

An Iranian missile just struck Jerusalem’s Old City near the Western Wall, Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, some of the holiest sites to Jews, Muslims, and Christians. pic.twitter.com/mvz3VPHzsE

— Noa Tishby (@noatishby) March 20, 2026

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