Auction-houses and international co-operation

The illicit trade in looted archaeological material is a significant threat to the legitimate activities of those involved with the antiquities market. It is in the interest of auction-houses and dealers to co-operate with law enforcement agencies when dubious items have been identified. Ignoring requests to withdraw material from sales when collecting histories ("provenance") are questioned only reinforces the view that some within the trade are unconcerned about the destruction of the archaeological record.