Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues

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.

 

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?" 

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.

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.

I am not going to wish anyone a Merry Christmas this year. These are dark times.

Greenland, not part of America

The President of the United States of America, ostensibly speaking for the citizens of that country,  is renewing calls for the USA to take Greenland, the massive island controlled by Denmark, appointing a special envoy to "lead the charge" apparently to allow its territory to be taken over by the USA (Michael Loria, 'President Trump says US needs Greenland for 'national security'...', USA Today 23/12/2025). Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark. Any changes to that status are for Greenlanders and Danes alone to decide. Sadly the addle-brain senior citizen clearly predicates his country's foreign policy on utter ignorance: 

Trump: "We need Greenland for national protection. They have a very small population. They say Denmark, but Denmark has no military protection. They say that Denmark was there 300 years ago with a boat—well, we were there with boats too I’m sure".

Nevertheless that "we" (the United States) did not exist until 1776, just 249 years ago. On the other hand, Norse Vikings demonstrably reached Greenland around 985 AD, and Denmark established colonies there in 1721. There is very clear archaeological and historical evidence for this. US academia has, as far as I can see, resigned from a public role of being opinion formers and been pretty slow in addressing this and issuing a public information statement what THEY think the case to be (where are they?). 

In fact, the US has had a military presence in Greenland for several decades and has essentially been invited by Denmark to station there as many more troops and assets as it wishes. So the US does not "have to have" Greenland for national security. There also is, we in "Yurope" might remind Mr Trump, a binding treaty between the US and other North Atlantic nations (including Denmark) to provide a collective defence, so there is no need for him to do this. Respect for sovereignty, integrity and the inviolability of borders is the foundational principle of international law, and must be upheld by all states without exception. The US, even under Trump, should continue to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other sovereign states and to abide by their international commitments, enshrined inter alia in the United Nations Charter and the North Atlantic Treaty. Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a statement that the island would decide its own future.

'Ukrainian Border Guards Stop Attempt to Smuggle Ancient Greek Coins to Bulgaria', BGNES 14.12.2025

Ukrainian border guards have stopped an attempt to smuggle ancient Greek coins out of the country to Bulgaria, The bronze coins, believed to date from approximately the 4th to the 2nd centuries BC, were discovered by officers of the Izmail Border Guard Detachment at a border crossing point. According to the authorities, a Ukrainian woman traveling to Bulgaria attempted to transport the artifacts concealed among her personal belongings. The woman did not possess the necessary permits required for the cross-border transportation of cultural or historical objects. The collection has been seized pending a court decision.