Strata

No More Mr. Nice Guy

Israel Gets Tough on Excavators Who Don’t Return Materials

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) is cracking down on foreign archaeologists who take artifacts out of the country for study and then drag their feet when it comes to returning them. The new policy created a flurry of concern among American excavators last summer because many had already made plans to bring materials back home with them and have their staffs study the items here in the States. Meetings with IAA officials, however, made it clear that exceptions would be made for those digs that have acted responsibly and that the policy was really aimed at excavations that have large amounts of material still in their possession. Even so, the Authority is setting strict deadlines on those digs that are granted permission to take new materials out.

Sources have told BAR that the IAA acted under pressure from Israel’s Inspector General’s office, which reviewed the export licenses granted by the Authority to foreign excavations. The Inspector General found that the IAA was granting licenses even to digs that had large amounts of material out for many years. In response, the IAA announced its new get-tough policy, which represents stricter enforcement of export laws already on the books.