ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the collection of a very specific item: archaeological artefacts commonly known as antiquities. The ethics and politics of collecting antiquities have been recently addressed from the perspective of the different stakeholders: archaeologists, dealers and museums. The struggle over antiquities was an eye opener to the local population, who perceived the value of old things for the possession of which foreigners were competing. During the Mandate period the looting of antiquities seems to have taken a step back after the 1933 law was issued but the practice of collecting antiquities bought on the market continued on a large scale. There is indeed a major difficulty confronting any scholar who wishes to study the practice of collecting looted antiquities in Lebanon: the lack of primary sources, such as official records and statistics. In many instances, Lebanese collectors of antiquities are simply driven by fashion and mundane competition.
