Criticisms of Antiquities Trade
Some historians and archaeologists have strongly criticized the antiquities trade for putting profit and art collecting before the scientific accuracy and veracity. This, in effect, favours the archaeological forgery. Allegedly some of the items in prominent museum collections are of dubious or at least of unknown origin. Looters who rob archaeologically important places and supply the antiquities market are rarely concerned with exact dating and placement of the items. Antiquities dealer may also embellish a genuine item to make it more saleable. Sometimes traders may even sell items that are attributed to nonexistent cultures.
As is the case with art forgery, scholars and experts don't always agree on the authenticity of particular finds. Sometimes an entire research topic of a scholar may be based on finds that are later suspected as forgeries.
Read more about this topic: Archaeological Forgery
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