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Legal Threats to Cultural Exchange of Archaeological Materials

Legal Threats to Cultural Exchange of Archaeological Materials

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Legal action on behalf of victims of terrorism has attempted to force the sale of cultural artifacts on loan to U.S. institutions in order to compensate those victims. Such action jeopardizes the participation of American institutions in international cultural exchanges. The authors maintain that archaeological artifacts should not be sold to satisfy a court judgment, regardless of the actions of a particular regime, and that it should be possible for nations to share their cultural heritage without fear of loss.

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Legal Threats to Cultural Exchange of Archaeological Materials

By Sebastian Heath and Glenn M. Schwartz

American Journal of Archaeology Vol. 113, No. 3 (July 2009), pp. 459–462

DOI: 10.3764/aja.113.3.459

© 2009 Archaeological Institute of America