He used social networks to put up for sale the archaeological pieces that he looted from different sites or acquired illicitly and ended up being investigated by the National Police within the framework of the Candil operation, an action carried out in Seville for which the agents have counted with the collaboration of the Andalusian Institute of Historical Heritage (IAPH) of the Junta de Andalucía. In total, as confirmed by official sources, the user behind this profile accumulated 191 of these elements and is being investigated.
Among the pieces intervened is a medieval Islamic bronze lamp from the Caliphal era, dated between the mid-9th century and the mid-13th century, as well as others of great value, but apparently having been extracted without archaeological methodology (it is believed that with metal detector) represents a significant loss of information related to both the pieces and the sites of origin, impeding the process of scientific documentation of the same and ultimately an irreparable loss for our cultural heritage.
The investigation began after detecting, during the monitoring carried out by the agents on effects and goods of an archaeological nature, a profile that on a well-known social network showed several pieces of an archaeological nature that could come from looting or illicit trafficking of cultural goods.
The agents’ inquiries made it possible to identify the account holder, proving that the plundering activity of this person was not circumstantial or sporadic, but rather developed over several years.
Given the location of the identified person’s home, an expert technical report was requested on the provenance and chronological dating since the pieces could come from any of the numerous archaeological sites and points of historical interest in the area.
During the entry and search of the home of the investigated person, archaeological pieces have been intervened, which are deposited in the Andalusian Institute of Historical Heritage of Seville for study. Prehistoric pieces such as flint cores and sheets, pre-Roman and Roman objects such as fibulas, medieval materials such as belt brooches and modern objects such as coins have been identified.
It has been confirmed that, to search and locate the seized effects, metal detectors would have been used, since they involve numerous effects of this material and many of them have concretions of earth, coming from the place where they were found. deposited.
The recovered pieces are all authentic, highlighting among them, for its uniqueness and good state of conservation, the medieval Islamic piquera lamp, dated between the mid-9th century and the mid-13th century, which would have formed part of the domestic trousseau of a Hispanic-Muslim house of wealthy class.
The alleged looting of the seized materials represents a significant loss of information regarding both the pieces and the sites of origin, impeding the process of scientific documentation of the same.
The effects involved are a set of bifaces, made up of twenty pieces, a set of rings, pins, needles, buckles, coins, arrowheads, axes, Roman situla appliqués and Roman aes, a set of loom weights and Iberian fusayolas and the bronze age, thirteen pieces, set of seven coins from different periods (Muslim, modern), fragment of a medieval amphora, two ceramic plates, a biface and Byzantine buckles.
