No subject

police headquarters, the detective oversees a web of informants in and
outside Greece. Among his targets is the freeport in Geneva where the
sellers of museum-quality pieces often store their stock and where
specialists believe the illicit journey of plundered art into some of =
the
world's greatest museums often begins.

"We have people in Geneva because it seems that containers always pass
through the freeport," he says. "Smugglers like Switzerland, with its
flexible laws and good location, but they can see we're closing in on =
them."

In 1997 Swiss police found and seized 10,000 antiquities, many still =
covered
with dirt, all bearing the stamps of well-known auction houses, hidden =
in
four of the huge grey warehouses that girdle Geneva's freeport transit =
area.

Open-air museum

Home to an estimated 34,000 archaeological sites, Greece is viewed as
Europe's biggest open-air museum. Along with Italy, it has attracted =
tomb
raiders since before its foundation as a nation state in 1830.

But Athens is toughening its stance, homing in on the dealers, curators =
and
collectors that are the source of demand. This month the J Paul Getty =
Museum
in Los Angeles agreed to yield ownership of two pieces that Greece had =
long
claimed.

"All these illicit digs have resulted in an extraordinary loss to our
heritage," says Maria Pantou, the director of the department of museums =
at
the Greek culture ministry. "Every time an object is removed from the =
ground
[illegally] it immediately loses 85% of its worth, even if it is a
masterpiece," she said. "Unless something is documented, it's very hard =
to
prove from where it came."

As supplies have dwindled and demand has grown traffickers have become =
ever
more expert. Greece's network of dealers and smugglers have been forced =
to
look further afield.

After the Balkans, where illegal excavations have escalated alarmingly,
thieves have turned their attention to the Middle East and the far east =
-
especially the estimated 11,000 precious artefacts still missing after =
the
notorious plundering of the Baghdad Museum in April 2003.

"Unlike Italy, in Greece there's not a lot of stuff left because =
smugglers
have been around for hundreds of years," says Nikolas Zirganos, an =
Athenian
journalist who has researched the subject extensively. "These rings have
begun to understand that both Athens and Rome are determined to clamp =
down
on the trade so now they're expanding to places like Babylon and =
Cambodia."

Illegal excavations

=B7 The illicit trade in antiquities world-wide is worth about $2bn =
(=A31.1bn).
Tomb-robbing is said to be the world's second oldest profession

=B7 During the past 20 years, between 65% and 90% of antiquities put on =
sale
on the London art market were of unknown provenance and were probably
illegally excavated. More than =A33m worth of antiquities are traded in =
London
auction houses every year

=B7 John D Cooney, a former curator of ancient art at Cleveland Museum,
announced in 1970 that 95% of all antiquities in the US had been =
smuggled

http://arts.guardian.co.uk/