Just about every day, we hear about crimes against archaeological heritage. And we’re not just talking about stolen archaeological artifacts, but also unwitting buyers who find themselves in possession of objects that are subject to very specific regulations.
But who, in legal proceedings, helps, for example, to support the right to restitution or works towards conviction in cases of illicit trafficking? Specialized experts. And where do these figures train?
In Italy, there is a specialized two-year study program for this purpose.
For years, Art-Test has been part of the faculty of the Biennial School of Advanced Training in Judicial Archaeology® and Crimes against Cultural Heritage. This is a unique program in Italy and a rare case even on the international training landscape.
Professionals trained through this school will play a technical role in activities aimed at preventing, investigating, and repressing crimes and acts of vandalism against cultural heritage. They may act as experts, Technical Consultants to the Court, Technical Consultants for one of the parties, auxiliary collaborators of the Judicial Police as Experts, consultants for magistrates, lawyers, institutions, private individuals, and law enforcement agencies.
We are entrusted with the theme of “authentication and dating of cultural assets.” We address this issue not only by illustrating the methodologies and technologies useful for this purpose with theory and examples but also by providing a broader overview, including possible obstacles to consider, the time required to obtain results, and the costs involved.
In this way, future experts, when drafting requests for further investigation of cases, will not only have an awareness of which diagnostic investigation to foresee but also the financial commitment to face and the timing, which are indispensable in judicial proceedings.
For more information: Link to the course
