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Tomb raiders and treasure hunters
The Mediterranean in Antiquity – a short review
Life in Classical times
Burial customs simplified
Coffins and sarcophagi in many shapes and sizes
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The Roman way of death
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TOMB RAIDERS AND TREASURE HUNTERS

The ruins of the ancient cities and buildings of the Classical World often remained visible for centuries, although local people probably stripped the sites soon after they were abandoned. Graves and tombs, on the other hand, were often underground or otherwise hidden, and thus difficult to locate and loot. Discovering graves has universal appeal and the prospect of uncovering treasures and hidden secrets has always attracted treasure hunters, whether they were seeking riches, adventure, or scientific knowledge.

In earlier times grave robbers and tomb raiders were mainly looking for precious metals they could melt down and reuse. Seemingly worthless material such as bone and pottery was thrown away. With the renewed interest in ancient art in the Renaissance, treasure hunting found a new objective - to recover and amass valuable objects of art. Increasing demand made the art trade a lucrative business and a huge numbers of grave goods and funerary art found their way into private and public collections. In the modern era, objects have been recovered as the result of systematic archaeological excavations.

The objects displayed in Dead Classic have come to us in a variety of ways and reflect the changing history of collecting. Some objects were unearthed accidentally by farmers or construction workers. Others were unearthed through professional archaeological investigations. Most have been purchased or donated through legal channels, though many may once have been the booty of professional tomb raiders, acquired at a time before the trade in stolen cultural property was banned. All have a story to tell.

NEXT: THE MEDITERRANEAN IN ANTIQUITY – A SHORT REVIEW