Debuting on Friday, May 1 at 11:00 p.m. EST, HBO (Home Box Office) will be showing a segment on its ongoing VICE series that will focus on the surge in antiquities looting and destruction in the Middle East, with a focus on Egypt. VICE correspondent Gianna Toboni meets with some of the people behind the big-money black-market trade in Egyptian antiquities, as well as individuals and professionals who are trying to preserve and protect the antiquities and sites where looting has been taking place.
Looting and the destruction of antiquities in the Middle East are currently salient issues in light of the surge of antiquities looting in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, and in conjunction with other violent developments. In Egypt alone, an estimated $3 billion dollars’ worth of artifacts have been plundered. Looters have broken into museums and left thousands of empty pits at archaeological sites, all to feed the global demand for antiquities. Meanwhile, ISIS militants in Syria and Iraq have organized their own looting networks to fund their campaign of violence.
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From the episode: A view of the looting and destruction of ancient mummies at the site of Abu Sir Al Malaq, in Egypt. Courtesy of HBO
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“Egyptian Tomb Raiders” airs Friday, May 1 at 11PM on HBO.
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