Stolen Fragments: Black Markets, Bad Faith, and the Illicit Trade in Ancient Artefacts

The lead-up to the 2017 opening of Washington, DC’s, Museum of the Bible, under the auspices of Hobby Lobby, a retail chain owned by the Green family, saw the family corporation’s acquisition of thousands of priceless papyri and tablets under some murky circumstances. Mazza (papyrology, Univ. of Bologna) began her 10-year investigation of the movement of ancient papyri when she worked at the University of Manchester and was involved in the study and preservation of university collections. Her book examines the illicit antiquities trade that led the American corporation to allegedly take illegal possession of ancient Egyptian and Iraqi artifacts. It also explores the subversion of academia that normalized transfers of national treasures like this. The author’s expertise and insight into academic processes make this an illuminating read.