Trump Fires 'Cosplay Barbie' from DHS

There are changes at the top of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It will no longer be led by the scandal-prone Kristi Noem (in post from January 2025 to 5th March 2026). Within it, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), is the primary U.S. federal agency responsible for investigating the illicit trade in cultural property, art, and antiquities. During Noem's tenure as the 8th Secretary of Homeland Security, she oversaw Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which includes HSI. HSI operates the Cultural Property, Art, and Antiquities (CPAA) program, which focuses on identifying and repatriating stolen or looted cultural heritage.

While Noem's public priorities heavily emphasized immigration enforcement, border security, and dismantling human trafficking and drug smuggling networks, HSI continued its long-standing mandate to target transnational criminal organizations involved in diverse forms of illicit trade, including antiquities.

Noem was removed from her position as Secretary on March 5, 2026 (together with Corey Lewandowski - whose Polish-origin name most journalists had extreme difficulty prononuncing properly, former Trump campaign manager and latterly powerful "special government employee" (SGE) and de facto chief of staff to Noem). President Trump has nominated Senator Markwayne Mullin to succeed her (Noem reportedly has been appointed to a new role as "Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas" where she will no dounbbt find much scope to continue the cosplay activities for which she gained notoriety). Mullin is of Native American origin, he is a member of the Cherokee Nation.

US-Israel Strikes Hit Historic Monument

Reports from Tehran say the UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace has been damaged by recent bombardments. It seems that as far as the US is concerned, cultural heritage on Iranian territory is a valid target. All parties must respect international humanitarian law and protect World Heritage for future generations. Well, of course Philistine-USA left UNESCO last year.

Most Common Iranian Artefacts on the Antiquities Market

                Mina'i ware bowl (wikipedia)              

The United States and Israel have started a war with Iran without, it now seems any clear preparration for the consequences. As with Iraq in 2003, planning for the aftermath is non-existant and the direction of this conflict is very unclear. Meanwhile, apart from the human costs of Trump's rashness, the effects on the cultural environment are going to be severe. Here I just want to consider the portable antiquities. At present, archaeological materials from the Iranian plateau have a long history of appearing in international markets. The illegal trade in these cultural goods is already a highly lucrative global industry.

Luristan Bronzes (c. 2500–700 BCE): Perhaps the most prolific Iranian artefacts on the market, these bronze objects (including horse bits, pins, cups, and animal figures) first flooded international markets in the late 1920s after being discovered by local farmers in the Zagros Mountains. They have became so abundant that they are popular acquisitions by numerous private collectors and major museums worldwide. A lot of what is offered as "Luristan" is not from tha region/culture at all, and a high quantity on the market at the (pre-US war) moment is fake, with a variety of artificial patinas.

Achaemenid Empire (c. 550–330 BCE): Metalwork from this era, such as gold and silver jewellery, coins, and copper alloy items like arrowheads and pins, is highly sought after globally. These artifacts are valued for their craftsmanship and connection to the first major world empire.

Elamite Civilization (c. 2700–539 BCE): Elamite artifacts common in the trade include painted pottery, limestone and terracotta sculptures, and cylinder seals made of materials like lapis lazuli and chalcedony. A significant amount of unclassified Elamite material from earlier excavations remains unaccounted for or in vulnerable storage.

Jiroft Culture (Bronze Age, c. 3000 BCE): This previously unknown civilization was discovered in 2001 after flash floods in the Helil River Valley exposed ancient cemeteries. Mysterious chlorite artifacts began appearing on the antiquities market shortly after (... ahem...), leading to the identification of the site.

Sassanid Period (224–651 CE) : Artefacts from this period are perhaps not very prominent on the Market at the moment, but there is increasing interest in the glassware. In addition to ancient archaeological artifacts, several other categories of high-value cultural heritage are frequently found on the global market. These items are particularly susceptible to being smuggled when national oversight is compromised:

Persian Manuscripts and Calligraphy: Iranian manuscripts are highly sought after for their artistic and historical value, frequently appearing in auction houses like Sotheby's and Christie's (for example recent sales of ilustrated copies and pages of copies of the Shahnameh (Book of Kings) and the Khamseh of Nizami). These mss feature elaborate calligraphy (Nasta'liq script), miniature paintings with vibrant opaque colours, and "unvan" (illuminated headpieces) in gold and ultramarine (lapis lazuli). Single folios torn by destructive bastards out of mss are often more common than complete codices because they are easier to smuggle and sell individually.

Glazed Decorative Tiles Tiles are frequently "harvested" from religious and historical buildings. Common Types are Lajvardina and Lustreware tiles from the Ilkhanid and Seljuk periods (12th–14th centuries), which are highly prized by collectors. Historical tiles are sometimes declared as "modern copies" at customs to bypass export bans.

Antique Persian Carpets While the modern carpet trade is legal, high-end antique carpets are frequently targets for illicit export. Common Types: Kashan, Tabriz, Isfahan, and Kerman carpets from the 16th to 19th centuries. High-end pieces often use silk foundations and asymmetric "Persian knots" to achieve extremely high knot densities.

Metalwork and Ceramics Various types, such as lustre pottery, medieval ceramics from cities like Kashan for exammple, among the metalwork, Qajar Enamels: 18th and 19th-century enamelled gold and silver objects.

In light of current regional instability, we can expect looting and smuggling to intensify. Monuments and outdoor sculptures etc. of course could be damaged by shelling, bombing or vandalism, such non-movable objects are frequently protected only by sandbags, making them vulnerable to strikes and subsequent looting of fragments.

We may also see an increase in illegal eExcavations: as we have seen recently in the Middle East especoially, economic collapse and social upheaval often drive local populations toward "graverobbing" or unauthorized digging. I

Historic precedents suggest that conflict-zone artefacts are often laundered through existing legal markets. For example, Israeli dealers were previously used to launder thousands of stolen cuneiform tablets from other Middle Eastern conflict zones for sale to U.S. collectors. Funding for Militant Groups: Trafficking in "blood antiquities" can represent a significant portion of revenue for militant groups and organized crime.

It remains to be seen, given the current wave of cultural philistinism and interference coupled with money-cutting in foreign policy of the Trump White House, whether the State Department will be able top put any measures in place to help prevent the US dealers and collectors getting mixed up in the passage of illicit artefacts that this war may generate. They really should.

'Luristan' Bronzes seized in USA

Press Release, 'Philadelphia CBP officers intercept Bronze Age swords and arrowheads from the northeastern region of Iran' 02/27/2026. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted a shipment of ancient artefacts being smuggled through Philadelphia International Airport. The swords and arrowheads date back to the Bronze Age, almost 4,000 years ago.

The shipment initially arrived on an express delivery flight from the United Arab Emirates on Oct. 16. It was destined to an address in Jacksonville, Fla. CBP officers x-rayed the shipment, which was manifested as metal decoration articles, and detected sword-like objects. Officers then opened the shipment and discovered the swords and arrowheads. Officers suspected the items to be cultural artifacts and detained the shipment for further investigation. CBP officers contacted the National Targeting Center’s Antiquities Unit, which solicited assistance from an archaeologist affiliated with a local Philadelphia university with extensive experience working in the Middle East. On Feb. 13, the archaeologist authenticated the short swords and arrowheads as antiquities dating back to the later 2nd millennium BCE, 1600-1000 BCE, from an area along the southwestern Caspian Sea near the lush Talish Mountains region of Iran. The antiquities are suspected to have been derived from illicit excavations of burial sites. CBP officers will safeguard the antiquities until a disposition is ordered.

Not mentioned is the fact that the items however seem to be wrapped in Korean newspaper. There are quite a few antiques dealers and estate sales auctioneers in Jacksonville, north Florida, but no 'gallery' antiquities dealer that has come under my radar (yet) as dodgy. Maybe the buyer is an eBayer or social media seller. 

It is not a little suspicious that the blade weapons have closely similar patinas, yet would have been recovered from different soil conditions, depending on where the grave was dug, how deep it was, and where the bronze was in relation to other items in the grave/burial deposit. The projectile points have an even more closely similar (but different) patina.  I'd love to know whether we have a transit pattern that goes (instead of Iran....), Thailand fakers to Korean wholesaler to UAE dodgy dealer to the USA. Or maybe these are actual Iranian pieces that have been stripped and repatinated (there is a well-known British seller - ahem, who frequently has multiple items that look like that is what they might be [though they too could equally be out-and-out fakes]).

 

US Cultural Property Looted, Melted Down

US collectors of looted and smuggled portable antiquities often stress that these items are being "preserved" by being held in US collections, where they are allegedly "safer" than if they had been left in the ground among the brown-skinned folk whose heritage they are. Meanwhile, in the USA, a federal judge has sentenced the mastermind of a sprawling, multi-state museum theft ring to ten years in prison, bringing a dramatic chapter of cultural destruction to a close. The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, alongside state and local law enforcement agencies across Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, North Dakota, and beyond (' Mastermind of multi-state museum theft ring sentenced to 10 years for melting down sports history' River Reporter, February 21, 2026 ).

On February 10, 2026, Senior U.S. District Judge Malachy E. Mannion handed down a 120-month sentence to Nicholas Dombek, 55, of Thornhurst Township, Pennsylvania. The sentencing followed a nearly month-long trial in 2025 that ended with a jury convicting Dombek on multiple felony counts, including conspiracy, theft of major artwork, concealment and disposal of major artwork, and interstate transportation of stolen property.

According to U.S. Attorney Brian D. Miller, Dombek led an eight-person conspiracy responsible for a string of thefts stretching across at least five states. The targets were not random. The group focused on museums, halls of fame, historic estates, specialty galleries, and local businesses—institutions dedicated to preserving fine art, sports heritage, antique firearms, rare minerals, and other culturally significant artefacts.

In total, the ring stole or disposed of dozens of historically important objects over more than a decade. The financial damage alone exceeded $2.7 million in restitution, but the cultural loss was far greater. Many of the stolen works were irreplaceable pieces of American artistic, cultural and athletic history.

What makes the case especially disturbing is not just the theft, but what happened afterward. Rather than reselling the items intact on the collectors’ market, the conspirators frequently destroyed them. After transporting the stolen artifacts back to northeastern Pennsylvania (often to Dombek’s residence), they melted down metal objects into crude discs or bars. These were then sold as raw material to fences in the New York City area for a fraction of their historical and market value.

In at least one case, a valuable painting was deliberately burned to prevent investigators from recovering it as evidence. Many other objects remain missing.

The conspiracy began to unravel after law enforcement executed a search warrant at Dombek’s home in 2019. Prosecutors later revealed that he attempted to intimidate co-conspirators to prevent cooperation with authorities. In 2023, after being indicted, he fled when federal agents tried to arrest him and remained a fugitive for nearly six months before surrendering on New Year’s Day 2024.
Several co-defendants were also convicted and sentenced to prison terms ranging from probation to eight years. Others pleaded guilty earlier in 2025. Nobody is believed to have been shot in the investigations.

In a statement, Wayne A. Jacobs of FBI Philadelphia emphasized the complexity of art crime investigations, noting that such cases often cross jurisdictions and unfold over many years.

Are Archaeologists Talking About Looting?

Naomi Oosterman and Cara Grace Tremain, 'Are Archaeologists Talking About Looting? Reviewing Archaeological and Anthropological Conference Proceedings from 1899–2019' International Journal of Cultural Property Volume 30 Issue 4, 14 May 2024

Abstract
The impetus for this study was a review of the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) 86th Annual Meeting program in 2021. Finding that no single poster or presentation referenced looting or antiquities trafficking despite these issues being ethical considerations that all SAA members are expected to recognize, we sought to investigate whether this was an irregularity – perhaps due to the virtual format of the meeting – or whether it was more common than not. For a broader understanding of if, how, and where these topics are discussed by archaeologists outside of the SAA, we expanded the investigation and studied the archives of 14 other archaeological and anthropological conferences. The results of the study show that despite there being an overall increase in mentioning looting and antiquities trafficking at conferences, it remains a niche and infrequently discussed topic.

Ukraine: Fifth Century Disc Brooch Seized by Police

 

                                 State Prosecutor                                 

Prosecutors in Lviv Oblast have brought a case to court concerning the attempted sale of a 5th-century archaeological object of considerable significance: a silver fibula brooch with a gilded surface (Намагався продати фібулу-брошку V ст.: судитимуть мешканця Борислава 17.11.2025). The announcement, published on the website of the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, outlines yet another instance in which an important early medieval find was diverted toward the antiquities market rather than reported through proper heritage channels.

According to investigators, the object was discovered in March 2025 by a 45-year-old local resident near Boryslav, not far from the Tysmenytsia River. The artefact has been identified as a silver fibula dating to the second half of the 5th century. Under Ukrainian law, such a find is classified as treasure and is considered state property due to its special historical, scientific, artistic, and cultural value. Fibulae of this period are not merely decorative items; they are key chronological and cultural markers, often associated with elite dress and identity in the turbulent centuries that followed the decline of Roman authority in the region.

Rather than notifying the relevant cultural heritage authorities, the man allegedly offered the brooch for sale through an online auction platform. As in similar cases, the act of commercialization without reporting the find forms the basis of the criminal charge. He is accused under Part 1 of Article 193 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which addresses the illegal appropriation of discovered treasure possessing particular historical, scientific, artistic, or cultural significance.

The brooch has since been seized and transferred for safekeeping to the National Museum of the History of Ukraine, where it will be preserved and studied in a proper institutional context. The case has now been referred to court, and proceedings are ongoing in accordance with Ukrainian law.

The case underscores a familiar problem: even a single object, when removed from its archaeological context and placed on the market, represents not only a legal violation but also the loss of irreplaceable contextual information. The recovery of the fibula ensures its preservation, but the circumstances of its discovery—unrecorded and undocumented—inevitably leave gaps in the historical record that no subsequent legal action can fully repair.

To be honest though, I am a bit puzzled by this find, the titchy photo does not help. It is a small disc brooch ('button brooch'?) with a circumferentially-grooved rim and what looks like tow opposed pairs ofr relief spirals, a four-spiral disc brooch? It looks very similar to Anglo-Saxon ones that have five or six spirals generally, there are some merovingian ones... and....? I cannot really place it among the other stuff from eastern Europe in general. Is it an import? An 'out of place' artefact (displaced by the antiquities market or misreported findspot)? or a fake? What is it? Anybody?

Evacuating Ukraine's Ancient Stone Guardians

According to the Facebook page of the 25th Separate Airborne Sicheslav Brigade (18/2/2026), soldiers of the Sicheslav Brigade, together with museum workers, volunteers, and philanthropists, evacuated from Vasylivka in the Synelnykivskyi District of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast the Polovtsian Babas of the XI–XIII centuries – unique stone monuments of the steppe era.

Previously, as reported by the online media Suspilne, Ukrainian paratroopers and historians had also evacuated two ancient Polovtsian statues from Petropavlivka in the Dnipropetrovsk region, to the same museum to protect them from war damage (Ukrainian Paratroopers Evacuate Ancient Polovtsian Statues from Petropavlivka Mezha, 13 November 2025)

soldiers of the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade, together with historians, evacuated two Polovtsian baba statues as the front line approached: the distance from the settlement to the combat zone exceeded 45 kilometers.
Two statues were saved thanks to the efforts of volunteers and specialists. The artifacts were found on the community’s territory, previously stored under a concrete layer. Nina Sergienko noted that this is not a common practice for artifacts, but in this case such a step helped preserve them from destruction. [...] To move the sculptures to Dnipro, heavy machinery was employed – a truck and a crane. A representative of the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade, Valeriy Kasianenko, said that the soldiers had a clear view of how the Russian army was destroying historical monuments amid active hostilities, so they decided to help with the evacuation.
“We understand that Russia is waging war against Ukraine on different levels, including at the level of history. For us it is important to preserve the heritage of our nation and not let the Russians destroy, damage, or take it for themselves”.
The statues were delivered to the museum in Dnipro. According to the representative, the evacuation lasted almost seven hours, and the transport covered more than 120 kilometers. After the work is completed, the exhibits are planned to be kept at the Dnipro Historical Museum named after Dmytro Yavornytsky. Yuriy Fanihin, Deputy Director for Records and Preservation of Museum Valuables, said that since the start of the large-scale invasion, 27 stone statues have been evacuated. [...] The museum owner added that until the end of the war these exhibits will remain in the museum’s courtyard, after which they will be returned to Petropavlivka."

Polovtsian stone stelae, popularly known as "babas" (from the Turkic word baba, meaning "ancestor"), are unique anthropomorphic monuments created by nomadic Turkic peoples between the 9th and 13th centuries. These statues, carved from sandstone or limestone, were typically placed atop kurgans (burial mounds) as memorial markers to honor the deceased and serve as ritual sites for ancestor worship. Though they represent both male and female figures with intricate details of clothing and weaponry, their primary function was to act as spiritual guardians of the Pontic-Caspian steppe. Today, they remain vital archaeological evidence of the medieval nomadic cultures that once dominated the vast plains of modern-day Ukraine and southern Russia.

My problem with this is that this is treated as a portable antiquities issue (by portableising the "art"). The baba however sits in a site in the context of other things deposited or present at that site - such as a burial, or ephemeral traces of offerings and commemorative rituals at various times. By digging them out roughly and loading them on a truck, any traces areound the base of the stone will have been losgt, the whole site disrupted. "Puttiung it back" is not going to undo that destruction of evidence.

More Accusations of Finds Going Missing When in Hands of the PAS

If reports coming in are true, things look pretty rotten in UK archaeology. Coming soon after the scandal where finds went missing from a museum storeroom while the PAS was processing some potential Treasure cases (which we're not supposed to talk about because again no charges were ever pressed - shhhhhh) we are told of yet another case. Artefact hunter "Stu" left a comment on my post 'More UK Detectorists Reporting Objects Missing When Curated by Portable Antiquities Scheme' (PACHI ):

I've just had some pieces returned. Lithics. There was a beautiful scraper in amongst them with gorgeous fossil inclusions. It's been taken and replaced with a broken shard of flint that i did not recover. It was not present when they were handed over. Someone has cherry picked the piece and switched it out with a piece that i definitely did not find. I know because everything was photographed before it was submitted. I won't be handing anything else in to Lancashire PAS in the future.

PAS has been approached for comment, but at the time of writing, no response has been received.
It is hard to say quite what the truth is here, whether the find was somehow nicked or mislaid, or simply bundled up with somebody else's finds and they ended up keeping it. The thing is there is clearly a need for PAS to look at its procedures. Will they? How many times does this in fact happen in a year? Where and how?

So, What IS Going on in the British Museum?

William Dalrymple @DalrympleWill (16/2/2026)

"I've just been chatting with Nick Cullinan, the excellent new director of the British Museum, and I'm very relieved to say that the story put by the Daily Telegraph about the BM cancelling the name Palestine is a complete misrepresentation of the facts:
"To reassure you we are not removing mention from Palestine from our labels," Nick told me. "Indeed, we have a display on at the moment about Palestine and Gaza.
"I know this is something our curators have thought long and hard about - as you can imagine. We amended two panels in our ancient Levant gallery last year during a regular gallery refresh, when some wording was amended to reflect historical terms.
"To be honest, the even more frustrating and concerning thing is that I knew nothing about this until yesterday and has only been explained to me this morning. I hadn’t even seen that [UK Lawyers for Israel] letter despite asking for it until this morning. I’m disgusted by the whole thing."
The question remains why the Daily Telegraph would put out such a mischief-making story without first fact checking it with the Directors office."

But it's not the Telegraph is it? The story appears to have originated with UK Lawyers for Israel 'British Museum Reviewing Palestine Terminology in Galleries after Audience Testing', February 14, 2026

"The British Museum has confirmed that it is reviewing and updating some gallery panels and labels after “Audience testing has shown that the historic use of the term Palestine … is in some circumstances no longer meaningful.” [...] In a letter to the British Museum, UKLFI explained ...[...].
UKLFI argued that ...[...]
UKLFI requested that the Museum review its collections and revise terminology ...[...]
Responding to the concerns, the British Museum’s spokesperson [unnamed] confirmed that the Museum was in the processes of reviewing and updating panels and labels on a case-by-case basis" [....] A UKLFI spokesperson said: “We welcome the British Museum’s willingness to review and amend terminology.

So, surely some misunderstanding. You'd think lawyers would make sure they are speaking to a spokesperson who knows what's what.

Palestine for the Palestinians.

UK Treasure Hunting, Bottle-Digging History Prof Flogs off Protohistoric Hoard

                      .                     

A professor of medieval history, Tom Licence of the University of East Anglia, while out artefact hunting near Bury St Edmunds, suffolk with a metal detector, dug blindly down into the archaeological record and uncovered a hoard of 18 Iron Age gold coins  ( Rachael McMenemy, 'History professor finds huge Iron Age hoard' BBC 14.02.2026). The coins date to the reign of Dubnovellaunos, ruler of the Trinovantes tribe between 25 BC and AD 10. Now he and the landowner are flogging off this archaeological material, marketed as 'the Bury St Edmunds Hoard', and the find is expected to brinmg them in £25,000 at auction through Noonans. He first uncovered 17 full gold Iron Age coins and one quarter‑coin in autumn 2024, followed by one more full coin when he returned a few months later – bringing the total to 18. The hoard will be sold at auction by Noonans in London on Wednesday 4 March

PAS record ID: SF-03C894. Nota bene., the record was made in Feb 2025 and contains 17, not the 18 coins. The PAS record is a bit of a mess.

Interestingly, although mention is made in the University's report of the discovery of finding some "pieces of Viking hack silver" in the field on the day of the find of the first coins, the PAS does not seem to have a record of this, what is going on?

What is striking—and frankly disheartening—is not simply that this hoard was removed from its burial context and situational associtions (which was...?) in such a disruptive manner, but that it was done by someone (who bloody well should be) fully aware of the importance of historical context. In the case of this find, and all the others this guy has been hoiking out of the ground as he fancies, they have lost most of their context, apart from the contexts he grabbed these trophy collectable from having lost part of their content. Archaeology is not treasure hunting, the true value of such a hoard lies not in the gold content or auction estimate, but in its precise location, stratigraphy, and association with surrounding material evidence. Once objects are extracted without controlled excavation, irreplaceable contextual data is lost forever. The coins might have contributed to a deeper understanding of ritual deposition practices in late pre-Roman Britain, or the site where they were found. Yet instead of being investigated through a systematic archaeological dig, the site became a metal-detecting success story.

Even more uncomfortable is the romantic language used to frame the discovery. The suggestion that the coins might have belonged to one of his “ancestors” personalizes and sentimentalizes what should be treated as shared cultural heritage. This is not a family heirloom rediscovered in an attic; it is part of the collective archaeological record of Iron Age Britain.

Although the find was reported under the Portable Antiquities Scheme and some funds may be donated to a public collection, this does not undo the damage done by removing the hoard outside a controlled research framework. Recording an object after extraction is not the same as documenting its full archaeological context before disturbance.

It is genuinely sad to see a history professor participating in (and publicly celebrating) activities that contribute to the erosion of archaeological evidence and thus the historical record in general. Scholars, above all, should understand that context is everything. These are the people that should be opinion-makers/informers. This one's got it all wrong.

Professor Tom Licence is shown on his university's website to be a Professor of Medieval History and Literature, School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing Member, specialist in the Norman Conquest, the cult of the saints, ecclesiastical history and Latin literature (10th-12th centuries). He's written over thirty books, research papers and other texts, including one on dump-digging (2017) [incongruously refereing to Victorian dumps as a 'resource' but seemingly unconcerned about the hobby that is digging them up for profit and pleasure destroying that resource, making then unavailable for future research]. He also wrote a book: "What the Victorians Threw Away". Licence is also a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, because, of course he is.

The University of East Anglia's very proud of what he's done: "History professor strikes gold with remarkable Iron Age discovery" by: University of East Anglia Communications Thursday 12 February 2026.

British Museum Admits to Mislabelling Heritage Objects since May 1948 (UPDATED)

They won't even consider repatriating multiple stolen items of other people's cultural property that they have, steadfastly resisting any calls to reconsider. Yet, they cave in the moment they are confronted by one group. In February 2026, the British Museum confirmed it had begun removing and updating references to "Palestine" in its ancient Middle East galleries following a formal complaint from UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI).

UKLFI argued that using "Palestine" as a geographical term was "historically inaccurate". The museum apparently agrees with them, admitting that it had mislabelled these items for so long  (another slipup by the beleagered institution). The BM is now busy altering information panels and maps. 

This decision has led to backlash from critics who view the change as an attack on Palestinian cultural identity and a result of political pressure.

Reportedly,

UKLFI identified a number of maps displayed in the British Museum’s Egypt galleries[...] [that] label the area of modern-day Israel as “Palestine”. [...] According to UKLFI, this wording wrongly applies a much later geographical term to an earlier historical context. [...] UKLFI argues that retroactively applying the name “Palestine” across thousands of years creates a false impression of historical continuity and erases the emergence and existence of Jewish kingdoms and Jewish national identity in the region.

Further concerns were raised about the placement of mid-20th-century dolls described as wearing “Palestinian traditional dress” within the Museum’s Ancient Levant gallery. UKLFI says that displaying modern artefacts in this context risks implying an uninterrupted cultural lineage that is not historically accurate [eh? PMB]. UKLFI pointed out that these curatorial choices are not only misleading for the general public but also deeply troubling for Jewish and Israeli visitors. UKLFI states that the terminology used may create a hostile or offensive environment and could amount to harassment under the Equality Act 2010, which prohibits harassment related to protected characteristics including race, religion and philosophical belief.

Map of Palestine and the Holy Land published in Florence around 1480
 in an edition of Ptolemy's Geographia. Israel is not on this map.

UK Lawyers for Israel issued a statement Saturday welcoming the museum's willingness to revise its displays. The group, founded in 2011 (pro bono legal director Natasha Hausdorff, voted in October 2024, Jerusalem Post's #2 "most influential young Zionist"), describes itself as an association of lawyers countering the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and "to contribute generally as lawyers to creating a supportive climate of opinion in the United Kingdom towards Israel". Now the same UKLFI is complaining that free speech talk of genocide is distressing for Israel’s supporters and if they have their way we'll no longer be able to talk about that either. And yet, I would say that there are far more important issues concerning Israel's relationship with Palestine (recognised - please note - British Museum, as a  non-member observer state) that we should be fretting about than the wording of a few museum labels. 

British Palestine, the land where Kathleen Kenyon
 dug and where the new state of Israel later was created

Presumably many objects IN the "British" Museum got there by means of the Brits occupying a bit of the former Ottoman Empire. During the Ottoman Empire (1517–1917), the general region of what we now call "the Holy Land" was generally referred to by locals and in literature as Filastin (Palestine) or Ard al-Muqaddas (The Holy Land), 17th-century Ottoman maps and documents, such as those by Kâtip Çelebi, referred to the region as Ard-i Filistin (Land of Palestine).

1732 The British Museum was established only in 1753.

Reportedly, the UKLFI ('British Museum under pressure to change historically inaccurate use of “Palestine”...', February 7, 2026 ) has called on the British Museum to conduct a comprehensive review of its labelling "and to amend them so that regions are referred to by the historically accurate names applicable to the specific period in question, such as Canaan, the Levant, the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, Judea, Samaria, or the Galilee". They forgot (accidentally I am sure) - appropriate to period - Coele-Syria, Syria Palaestina, in the Byzantine Period: Palaestina Prima/ Secunda, and Tertia. Then it became Jund Falastin (Palestine military district) when it came under Islamic rule. Let us see Jerusalem referred to properly under its historically accurate names in the same material as well (Rushalimum/Urusalim, Jebus, Yerushalayim, Hierosolyma, Aelia Capitolina, and Al-Quds/Īliyā). I hope the British Museum takes that into account (but also takes into account that the modern visitor - of which it has millions from all over the world and all sorts of backgrounds will need all those terms explaining).

How much are the Israeli/Jewish lawyers contributing to the costs of all this relabelling?

In other news, the entire collection of finds from Sutton Hoo is now about to be relabelled under the Museum's new policy, rather than coming from any part of England, it is now assigned to the  Ēastengla Rīċe. 



References
Craig Simpson, 'British Museum removes ‘Palestine’ from ancient Middle East displays' The Telegraph 14 February 2026.
AA 'British Museum removes 'Palestine' from displays after pro-Israel pressure', en.yenisafak.com, 15/02/2026, Sunday AA

UPDATE
Somebody has pointed out that this is the same group of Karens: Harriet Sherwood, 'London hospital takes down artwork by Gaza schoolchildren after complaint' The Guardian Mon 27 Feb 2023 (" Pro-Israel group objected to display saying it made Jewish patients feel ‘vulnerable, harassed and victimised’ [...].") An exhibition of children's artwork. UK Lawyers must be great at parties.

.

Culture Crime Under Illegal Occupation by Russia

The names of 14 individuals allegedly involved in the removal to Russia of Ukrainian Cultural Heritage have been made public. In early February 2026, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) launched a "Stolen Heritage" register on the War & Sanctions portal to identify those responsible for what has been called the largest museum theft in Europe since World War II. Defence Intelligence of Ukraine has identified those who removed exhibits from museums in Kherson, Nova Kakhovka, and the “Kamiana Mohyla” reserve, transported them to Russia, and used them in propaganda exhibitions. 

Key Individuals Identified ... The DIU's investigation has focused on high-ranking collaborators and Russian military officials., they include:

• Artem Lahoyskyi: The Russian-appointed "Minister of Culture" of the Kherson region. He is identified as a primary organizer who personally participated in the removal of items from Kherson museums and the exhumation of Prince Grigory Potemkin's remains from St. Catherine's Cathedral.
• Dmytrii Lipovyi: A Russian Black Sea Fleet officer and former "commandant" of Kherson. He reportedly coordinated the transportation of stolen artefacts and personally sealed the trucks used for their removal.
• Volodymyr Bodelan: The "permanent representative" of the Kherson region to the Russian government, accused of organizing propaganda exhibitions in Moscow using stolen Ukrainian art.
• Nataliia Desiatova: The Russian-appointed director of the Kherson Art Museum during the occupation. She has already been sentenced in absentia by Ukrainian courts to 10 years in prison. 

The scale of the damage done to Ukrainian cultural heritage and destination of the looted items can be indicated by just a few examples

Kherson Museums: Over 28,000 artefacts were taken from the Regional History Museum alone, while the Kherson Regional Art Museum lost more than 10,000 exhibits, including works by Aivazovsky and Shovkunenko. 

Kamiana Mohyla: Approximately 37 unique petroglyphs and artefacts from this fragile archaeological reserve in Zaporizhzhia were moved to the "Tauric Chersonese" museum in occupied Crimea under the guise of a "temporary exhibition".

Nova Kakhovka: More than 16,000 pieces, including ancient Greek amphoras and Scythian gold, were looted from the city's history museum and art gallery. 

Propaganda Use: Many stolen items, specifically paintings by Albin Havdzynskyi, were displayed at the Transneft headquarters in Moscow for an exhibition titled "Always Nova Kakhovka" to legitimize the illegal Russian occupation.

Ukraine has launched a State Registry for Stolen Cultural Valuables to help international customs and law enforcement prevent the resale of these items on the global market.

The international conservation bodies, meanwhile are proving to be as useless as they generally tend to be when firm action is needed. A French non-governmental organization, “Pour l’Ukraine, pour leur liberté et la nôtre!”" [For Ukraine, for their freedom and ours!] has issued a petition demanding that Russia be stripped of its membership in the International Council of Museums (ICOM). The document emphasizes that the membership of institutions and individuals who destroy, plunder, and falsify cultural heritage violates ICOM’s principles. The French organization noted that many national committees have already called for Russia’s exclusion from ICOM, so far without result. 

• Of course, publishing names does not replace legal accountability. Much work still lies ahead.

Ukraine: Police in Vinnytsia Seize Metal Detectorist's Loot AFTER He'd Destroyed a 'Princely Grave'

Police in Vinnytsia prevented the illegal sale of unique archaeological artifacts Mazha Thursday, 12 February 2026.

Police in the Vinnytsia region have prevented the sale of a remarkable group of archaeological objects that appear to derive from a high-status burial, most likely of a princely character. The case offers a stark reminder of the vulnerability of archaeological heritage to illicit metal detecting and private profiteering.

The artefacts first came to light when a 39-year-old man, described locally as a “black archaeologist” (sic) used a metal detector on agricultural land between villages in the Vinnytsia district. During his unsanctioned search, he uncovered a series of bronze fragments. Rather than reporting the discovery to the relevant cultural heritage authorities, as required by Ukrainian law, he posted photographs of the finds on social media with the apparent intention of selling them. It was museum staff from the National Museum of the History of Ukraine who noticed the online publication and alerted the authorities, triggering a formal investigation.

According to the pre-trial findings, the suspect had carried out search and excavation activities without the necessary permits. The bronze fragments he recovered were quickly recognized as dating to the Roman period. Investigators established that he understood their historical, scientific, and cultural significance and was aware that such finds constitute state property. Nevertheless, motivated by personal gain, he failed to notify the appropriate heritage protection body and retained the objects in his possession.

The sorry remains of what this oik hoiked - this site needs checking, there's more there. 

Acting under a court order, police searched the man’s home. During the investigative process he voluntarily surrendered 54 fragments, which have since been transferred to museum specialists for safekeeping and analysis. The material has been examined by experts, whose conclusions significantly elevate the importance of the discovery.

Specialist assessment and exhibition analysis indicate that the assemblage dates to the second half of the third century CE. The objects appear to form a coherent and highly unusual deposit associated with a Germanic warrior cremation burial. Among the finds are Roman imports, including a bronze cauldron, a ladle, and a strainer—items typically associated with elite feasting practices and long-distance exchange. Particularly striking is the presence of a Roman tripod, a rare and prestigious object that further underscores the exceptional character of the burial and the high social status of the deceased.

The suspect has been charged under Part 1 of Article 193 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which concerns the illegal appropriation of treasure possessing special historical, scientific, artistic, and cultural value. The investigation has now been completed, and the indictment has been forwarded to the court. If convicted, the accused faces a fine or corrective labour, potentially accompanied by supervision for up to two years.

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Posted on YouTube by Vinnytsia Police

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Beyond the legal consequences, the case highlights broader issues familiar to archaeologists: the damage caused by unrecorded metal detecting, the loss of archaeological context, and the essential role played by vigilant museum professionals and heritage authorities in safeguarding the material record. In this instance, at least, a potentially significant Roman-period elite burial assemblage has been recovered before it could be dispersed onto the antiquities market.

Egyptian Antiquities Inspector Convicted Over Involvement in Major Artefact Smuggling

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In what is considered one of the most significant antiquities smuggling cases to affect Egypt’s cultural heritage sector, a Cairo criminal court has sentenced an antiquities inspector to life imprisonment (25 years) in a prominent case tied to the theft and smuggling of 370 ancient artefacts from a major museum ('Egypt court hands life sentence to antiquities inspector over major artifact smuggling', Egypt Today, 18 Jan 2026).

The matter goes back to 2015. Three defendants were accused of conspiring with an unnamed accomplice to illegally move the stolen pieces out of the country. The 370 ancient artefacts involved had been stolen from the storerooms of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, located in Old Cairo (Fustat), Egypt. Court records indicate that the defendants, which included two antiquities inspectors, took advantage of lax security and inadequate storage controls within the museum’s storage facilities to steal the items. Investigators found that two of the suspects created fake replicas of the original artefacts and left these counterfeits in the storage rooms to hide the thefts. Meanwhile, the genuine artefacts were smuggled abroad in coordination with an unidentified individual. Prosecutors stated that the defendants were fully aware that the objects they stole were irreplaceable pieces of national heritage and were protected under Egyptian law.

The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) - commonly referred to in local reporting as Muzium al-Hadara / Muzium al-Hadhara is relatively new compared with some of Egypt’s long-standing museums. The construction for the current museum began around 2000 and it was officially inaugurated on April 3, 2021, making it one of the newest major cultural institutions in the country.

Russia Protests Detention of Archaeologist in Poland

Screenshot from 2018 film: Крымский мост. Сделано с любовью! 

Russia has today summoned Krzysztof Krajewski the Polish ambassador to Moscow to the Russian Foreign Ministry to demand the release of a Russian archaeologist who was detained in Poland last month at the request of Ukraine. A Warsaw court is due this week to rule on whether he should be extradited to face trial in Ukraine for illegal archaeological research in occupied Crimea. The Warsaw District Court extended the pretrial detention of Russian archaeologist Alexander B. until March 4.

The Russians claim the accusations are 'absurd', but seem (like the archaeologist involved, it seems) unaware of the implications of the provisions of Art 9 of the Second Protocol of the 1954 Hague Convention. Tass, 'Russian MFA lodges protest with Polish ambassador over archeologist’s detention' 13 Jan 2026.

The archaeologist, identified under Polish privacy law as Alexander B., is employed by the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. Ukrainian investigators accuse him of leading excavations at an ancient site near Kerch on the Crimean peninsula, without the authorisation of Ukrainian authorities. According to Kyiv, the work resulted in partial damage to the archaeological site and constitutes a violation of Ukrainian cultural heritage and criminal law.

Alexander B. was detained last month by Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW) at a Warsaw hotel while travelling from the Netherlands to the Balkans, where he was scheduled to deliver a series of academic lectures. His arrest followed a request from Ukrainian prosecutors, who are seeking his extradition to face charges related to the alleged illegal excavations. Since his detention, Alexander B. has remained in custody under a court order. On Monday, Warsaw’s district court approved an extension of his detention until 4 March. A further hearing scheduled for Thursday will determine whether Poland will grant Ukraine’s extradition request. A spokesman for the Warsaw district prosecutor’s office, stated that Ukrainian authorities had submitted the necessary legal documentation and assurances required under extradition procedures. “From a formal standpoint, the extradition documentation raises no objections,” he said.

Ukrainian officials argue that any archaeological activity conducted in Crimea without Kyiv’s consent is unlawful under international law, as Ukraine continues to regard the peninsula as its sovereign territory despite Russia’s occupation. This is also recognized by most countries, including Poland. Ukrainian legislation prohibits the removal, disturbance, or study of archaeological material in occupied territories without authorisation, classifying such actions as damage to cultural heritage. Given that the archaeologist in question (and indeed his whole team) ignored that legal requirement, I think he should be extradited and tried in Ukraine to ensure accountability.

"It's incredibly sad and disappointing that anyone would choose to exploit Lincolnshire's rich heritage in this way."

 

The wheels grind on so slowly. The time between infringement and consequence in the UK are too long. Anyway, four years after suspicions were raised (e.g., That's a Funny State to be in! How Did That Happen? PACHI Monday, 16 May 2022), a Lincolnshire man who fabricated the discovery of what was claimed to be an 1,800-year-old Roman artefact has walked free from court after receiving a suspended prison sentence (Bill Bowkett, 'Treasure hunter who claimed eBay purchase was 1,800-year-old Roman brooch dodges prison ', MSN  9th Jan 2026). 

Jason Price, 54, from Grantham, was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years at Lincoln Crown Court yesterday after pleading guilty to four counts of fraud by false representation. He was also ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work, pay £1,000 in court costs and £3,250 in compensation to Lincolnshire County Council. The £5,000 he [and the landowner?] received for the artefact has been repaid.

The court heard that Price, a funeral director, metal detectorist and Royal Navy veteran, falsely claimed to have discovered a copper-alloy horse figurine during a Detecting for Veterans charity event in 2019. Price told journalists at the time that he was “shaking” when he uncovered the object, which he claimed had been buried eight inches deep in a heavily ploughed field near Leasingham. “My jaw fell,” he said. He later admitted that he had in fact bought the object on eBay. 

The item, dubbed the “Leasingham Horse Brooch”, was initially celebrated as a major archaeological find and recorded as the first three-dimensional horse brooch on the Portable Antiquities Scheme database, dated to between AD 43 and 410. It was displayed at The Collection Museum in Lincoln and featured on the television programme Great British History Hunters.

Suspicion arose in February 2023 when Price continued submitting artefacts from another site at Long Bennington [no, Mr Bowkett, suspicion arose when Paul Barford and others noted earlier that the object looks like a Bulgarian fake and this is one of a number of potential out-of-place artefacts the PAS is full of].  Following testing by Historic England in February 2024, the brooch was found to be no earlier than the 16th century. Prosecutor Declan Austin told the court that investigators believed Price had “seeded” items on sites and that more than 150 hours were spent assessing the large number of submissions he had made [we are not told how many items that were formerly recorded on the PAS database were deleted as a result].

In an impact statement, Dr Lisa Brundle, Finds Liaison Officer at Lincolnshire County Council who had recorded the piece (in a record of some length) in the first place, described the case as a “betrayal” that had undermined trust and diverted resources from legitimate archaeological work. Poor lady, deceived by a tekkie. It is quite clear that the PAS is on many occasions FAILING to verify material brought in by artefact hunter/collectors by even such basic means as checking whether EACH find is accompanied by a signed release form by the landowner confirming that the items was taken from their land with their agrerement and knowledge - to help avoid the PAS handling clandestinely-excavated and stolen material. Obviously instead of verifying the origin (and authenticity) of the find, Ms Brundle "trusted" that the person claiming to be the finder was telling the truth. The number of danubian finds and coins (and those from further afield) in the "database" suggests that not all of these people were telling the truth and the gullible FLO recorded a whole lot of dubious material as British finds (I am doing a book chaptder on this in 2026).  

Apparently, Will Mason, head of culture at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “It’s incredibly sad and disappointing that anyone would choose to exploit Lincolnshire’s rich heritage in this way.” Apparently he has no real problem with individual collectors ripping up the archaeological record for personal gain and entertainment. With attitudes like that in the British heritage community as a whole, one might very well follow that with the sentiment "what can anyone do?" 

hat tip to Dave Coward for the link. 

Update 23/1/2026

The British Museum loses count of Treasure items in England and Wales. In mid-November '25, they said the sum for 2024 was a "record" (of course) "1446". Now it seems they've recounted and its "1540"! Why not get it right the first time?

Archaeological Looting in Venezuela

Since the summer of 2010 until the present, Venezuela has been affected by a severe socioeconomic and political crisis. This began during the presidency of Hugo Chávez (2002 – 2013) and has worsened during the authoritarian presidency of successor Nicolás Maduro (2013-2026). This period has been marked by hyperinflation, escalating starvation, disease, crime, and mortality rates. While the food shortages and hyperinflation have largely ended, inflation still remains high. The process deeped during a period of political instability starting in 2017/8 and accusations of usurpation of power by Maduro, repression of the media, disappearance of opposition figures. All these various factors have resulted in massive instability and emigration.

Following the 2014 and the 2017 Venezuelan protests, and activities both during the 2017 Constituent Assembly election and the 2018 presidential election, the United States applied sanctions against specific Venezuelan government entities and individuals associated with the Maduro administration, along with sanctions applied by the European Union, Canada, Mexico, Panama and Switzerland. These have exacerbated the problems of the country. 

Archaeological looting in Venezuela is a significant issue, primarily driven by the ongoing economic collapse and political turmoil, which has diverted national attention and resources away from preserving archaeological and other cultural heritage sites which are left exposed and vulnerable to destruction. This lack of effective guardianship, coupled with high poverty rates, has created an environment conducive to illegal excavation for commercial profit. The basic need for survival has led some impoverished individuals to engage in looting as a way to generate income, selling artefacts on both illicit and legitimate markets. Despite a national law, the Ley de Protección y Defensa del Patrimonio Cultural, which provides penalties for unauthorized exploration or damage to sites, enforcement is a major challenge. The general breakdown of the rule of law and the focus on other severe human rights issues and criminal activity in the country has meant little focus on heritage protection. Indeed, the problem is so bad that recent graves are also being looted for any valuable items such as jewellery they may contain. 

Venezuela is a State Party to the 1970 UNESCO Convention, aimed at combating the illicit trafficking of cultural property, and accordingly, a Technical Committee to Combat Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Assets was established in Venezuela in 2004 to promote awareness, training, and coordination. The problem in Venezuela is part of a broader, global issue where conflict and economic instability correlate strongly with the rise of archaeological looting, highlighting the difficulty of protecting heritage in the face of humanitarian crises.

References:
'Latin America’s Endangered Archaeological Sites', The Latin American Post, September 13, 2024.

Time to Switch to laser shows and formation lightweight drones?

                    A night of violencde and destruction             

Fireworks will no longer be allowed on New Year’s Eve in the Netherlands. A ban on unofficial fireworks is due to come into force in 2026. According to the Dutch Pyrotechnics Association, a record €129m (£112m) had been spent on them this year.

On the night of January 1, the historic neo-Gothic Vondelkerk church burned down in Amsterdam, it is believed that the roof caught fire after fireworks landed on it. The building cannot be restored. The neo-Gothic basilica was designed by architect Pierre Cuypers whose works also include the Rijksmuseum. Across the country, riots and attacks on police and firefighters were reported. About 250 people were arrested for arson and illegal use of pyrotechnics. Several people nationwide were killed on New Year’s Eve.

 Germany saw a similar situation: in Berlin, more than 400 people were detained during the holiday night due to riots and attacks on police. Traditionally, the streets of the German capital turn into a version of hell on New Year’s Eve. In France, 813 cars were burned overnight. At least two people, including a 12-year-old child, had fingers blown off while setting off fireworks.

Dozens of people are feared dead and around 100 more were seriously injured after a fire broke out during New Year’s celebrations at a bar in Switzerland, authorities said. Initial findings showed the fire that spread among the mostly young crowd of revellers in Le Constellation bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana was likely caused by pyrotechnics setting fire to the ceiling, the local prosecutor said.