Antiquities & Archaeology

Obituary: Lamia al-Gailani, the archaeologist who brought new life to the looted Basrah museum

She was a key figure in the post-war re-establishment of Iraq’s antiquities museums

Syrianews

Berlin's Pergamonmuseum reveals the crowdsourced archive preserving Syria's war-torn heritage

New exhibition presents documents that lay the foundations for reconstruction of Aleppo and other sites ruined by civil war

In Pictures: Egyptian treasures at the revamped National Museum of Scotland

Senior curator Margaret Maitland reveals the stories behind some of the key exhibits in the new Ancient Egypt Rediscovered gallery

Tory peer involved in controversial sale of Iraqi antiquities

Reliefs from Ashurnasirpal II’s Nimrud palace, fixed to the walls of a Scottish mansion, have been removed, stripped and sold abroad

The Met’s antiquated views of antiquities need updating

The new Greek and Roman curator at New York’s Metropolitan Museum should rejuvenate its displays with honest, better stories

Herculaneum’s museum of relics finally opens its doors, 44 years on

Inaugural show presents jewels and precious objects excavated in the early 20th century alongside more recent discoveries

Grand Egyptian Museum pushes full opening to 2020

Egyptian government hopes vast museum near Pyramids of Giza will win back international tourists

Assyrian warrior king Ashurbanipal rides into London with treasures in tow

Exhibition at the British Museum includes carved ivories and a recreation of his huge library of cuneiform tablets

A record-setting $30.1m sale of an Assyrian relief at Christie's raises red flags

The 31 October sale has prompted calls for repatriation and criticism of the seller, highlighting the gap between art ethics and law

Qatarnews

Qatar dynasty’s collection of jewels and antiquities will be shown in the heart of Paris

The Al Thani collection to be displayed at revamped Hôtel de la Marine over 20 years, in a deal that will help fund the building’s restoration

Museum of the Bible says that five of its Dead Sea Scroll fragments are apparently fakes

Tests by German institute show "characteristics inconsistent with ancient origin"

Ivorycomment

The UK’s imminent law against the trade in ivory is a serious threat to liberties, says former Lord Chief Justice

Civilians will be allowed to enter your house, break open containers and use “reasonable force”

Berlin blockbuster: from the world's oldest figurative art to sculptures bombed during the war

Survey at Martin-Gropius-Bau boasts a staggering 1,000 exhibits discovered over the past 20 years in Germany

Chinese art and antiquities spared from Trump’s tariffs

Auction houses and art dealers express ‘relief’ even as the US-China trade war escalates

Gael García Bernal’s new film Museo turns Mexico’s biggest art heist into a madcap caper

The Spanish-launguage movie follows two middle-class flunkies who somehow pulled off one the largest antiquities thefts in modern-day history

David D'Arcy. in Toronto

British Museum’s basement of treasures to remain off-limits

Hidden underground galleries closed since 2006 still house £100m Assyrian relief

Swiss prosecutor returns 'Mesopotamian' terracotta animal made by dealer's 11-year-old-daughter—along with 5,000 seized antiquities

A further 6,000 items belonging to Ali Aboutaam of Phoenix Ancient Art are still held by authorities in Geneva

Art made from Isis bullet hole damage goes on show for first joint UK project between Iraq and Kurdistan

Piers Secunda’s exhibition on destroyed ancient Assyrian objects is part of ongoing attempts to bring peace to a divided region

Syria's Palmyra to be ready for tourists by summer 2019 as cost to rebuild Homs reaches $2bn

Authorities says they have received "good offers from the world powers" to help conserve ancient sites

Booksreview

Henry I of Haiti: the little-known story of a king and his amazing building spree

A short but fascinating book about a man immortalised through architecture

Conservation starts on Liverpool’s Neolithic stones

The Calderstones are being studied, recorded and restored before their reinstallation

Booksreview

Potty about pictures: ancient Athenian vases are an important historical resource—but this book fails to deliver

Large gaps in the material and a lack of thorough explanation make this volume less useful than it could be

Turkey's Göbekli Tepe: is this the world’s first architecture?

Scholars say the organisation needed to build the 12,000-year-old temple may mark the beginnings of class society and patriarchy

Syrian museums seek Russian expertise to restore destroyed Palmyra sculptures

Ancient city occupied by Islamic State was retaken by Syrian army with Russian support in 2017

World Monuments Fund gives $1m for post-quake restoration of Mexican archaeological site

Monte Albán, the ancient capital of the Zapotec people, was damaged by earthquakes in 2017

Lawnews

Top experts dispute Italian police claims about seized ‘antiquities’

“I cannot imagine where a terracotta life-size horse head could come from in antiquity,” a specialist says

Lawnews

Getty says it will appeal Italian court order to return Victorious Youth

An Italian judge has found that the work was discovered in Italian water, despite decades of rulings to the contrary

Eight World Monuments Fund watchlist sites get $1m in grants from American Express

In many cases, the funding will be used to help prevent future damage, including public outreach and scientific research

Indianews

Indian supreme court verdict could spark new wave of sectarian riots between Hindus and Muslims

Leader of powerful Hindu organisation has threatened nationwide protests if long-awaited ruling "goes against Hindus' faith"