In the early 1960s, a former employee of the University of Groningen stole and subsequently sold several items from the museum collection. Among them was a rare sword – a weapon that had been buried in the Hungarian hoard of Hajdubószórmeny during the late Bronze Age (1550-1200 BC). On discovery in the late 19th century the hoard originally went to the National Historical Museum in Budapest and it was around 1920 that the University of Groningen acquired two of the swords.
Dr. Jerome M. Eisenberg, founder and director of Royal-Athena Galleries in New York, was awarded the Order of the Star of Italy and the title of Ufficiale (Officer) bestowed upon him by the President of the Republic of Italy, the Hon. Giorgio Napolitano. He was decorated by the Consul General, the Hon. Natalia Quintavalle, at a ceremony at the New York Consulate celebrating Italian National Day on June 2, 2012.
The International Association of Dealers in Ancient Art (IADAA) requires members to undertake all reasonable due diligence when acquiring antiquities. To assist in this, the Association attaches below guidelines which should be followed by members.
The members of the International Association of Dealers in Ancient Art (IADAA) are deeply concerned at seeing pictures of the looted rooms in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. We are dismayed at the damage looting will cause at remote excavations and museums. Such criminal activity is not only a catastrophe for scholarship but an attack on an important part of the world’s cultural heritage. Raids on poorly protected museums, magazines and excavations constitute theft from the Egyptian state and people.