Plunder, Theft, Forgery: Crime and Cultural Property in the Ancient Mediterranean and Today

Undergraduate / Graduate

Who owns antiquity? In this seminar, we will interrogate this question by examining ancient cases of antiquities theft and more contemporary appropriations and destructions of cultural heritage in the Greco-Roman world. We will focus predominantly on three interrelated phenomena: 1) state-sanctioned plunder and spoils of war; 2) private collecting, theft, and looting; and 3) "fakes"/"forgeries" and the demands of the antiquities market. Students will develop an interdisciplinary methodology for analyzing a wide array of source material (whether textual or archaeological) as well as gain familiarity with key themes and topics across several fields, from Roman cultural imperialism to modern archaeological ethics. We will also visit and engage with collections of antiquities in Chicago to gain first-hand experience with material objects as a counterpoint to our regular class sessions.