Time crime: The transnational organization of art and antiquities theft

Abstract

The looting of art and antiquities is an ancient practice. However, recent decades have witnessed such a dramatic increase in the magnitude and impact of "time crime" that it is now one of the larger transnational markets in illegal goods. The authors argue that this market can be understood as consisting of three elements: a supply component, primarily in impoverished nations; a demand component, primarily in wealthy Western nations; and a social control component, which permits transfer of goods from the illicit to the licit economy. Changes in each of these three components are responsible for the exponential increase in the size and scope of the market. The authors examine those changes and the roles through which the three components of the market are organized. © 2008 Sage Publications.