Bedford Public Library

Stealing history, tomb raiders, smugglers, and the looting of the ancient world, Roger Atwood

eng

Includes bibliographical references (p. [315]-322) and index

platesmapsillustrations

index present

non fiction

Stealing history

bibliography

43477055596339

Roger Atwood

"Tomb raiding is nothing new - it has a long history - but Stealing History shows how it has grown into a huge, global industry. These are no graveyard scanvengers, but professionals in an illicit antiquities trade that works with devastating efficiency to strip whole countries of their heritage. Atwood reveals the strange, sad world of well-organized looters and the undercover FBI operations that are putting corrupt dealers out of business."--Jacket

tomb raiders, smugglers, and the looting of the ancient world

Roger Atwood knows more about the market for ancient objects than almost anyone. He knows where priceless antiquities are buried, who is digging them up, and who is fencing and buying them. In this fascinating book, Atwood takes readers on a journey through Iraq, Peru, Hong Kong, and across America, showing how the worldwide antiquities trade is destroying what's left of the ancient sites before archaeologists can reach them, and thus erasing their historical significance. And it is getting worse. The discovery of the legendary Royal Tombs of Sipan in Peru started an epidemic. Grave robbers scouring the courntryside for tombs--and finding them. Atwood recounts the incredible story of the biggest piece of gold ever found in the Americas, a 2,000-year-old, three-pound masterpiece that cost one looter his life, sent two smugglers to jail, and wrecked lives from Panama to Pennsylvainia. Packed with true stories, this book not only reveals what has been found, but at what cost to both human life and history