Archaeological sites

An object torn from a site loses its age, its function, its relationship with other objects. Archaeology reconstructs the past from these relationships; without them, only scattered clues remain. Looting sometimes destroys in a night what a team would have taken ten years to study.

Looting also deprives local communities of their history and their future resources: museums, cultural tourism, education. Finally, it feeds criminal networks that often have other illicit activities.

Looters are not all organised criminals. Many are poor residents who see in the sale of an object a rare source of income. Others are recruited by intermediaries and paid a few euros for what will be sold for thousands of times more.

The response must therefore combine repression, protection of sites and local development. Employment programmes in site management, cultural tourism and crafts reduce looting more surely than patrols alone.

Monitoring detects damage early: satellite images, patrols, local reports. Management protects durably: fences, guarding, inventory, documentation. Awareness-raising changes behaviour: informing residents, schools, tourists and buyers.

OIMAP acts on all three at once, because none is enough alone. States can request its support for each of them, according to their needs.

Protecting sites also relies on universities, research institutes and archaeological missions. They know the sites, spot changes and publish data. OIMAP has signed agreements with thirty-two scientific institutions.

Their researchers take part in the appraisal of seized objects, the analysis of satellite images and the training of customs officers. This alliance between science and protection is one of the strengths of OIMAP's action.