782 archaeological finds, for an estimated value of 11 million euros, all stolen or coming from clandestine excavations, probably Italian, Apulian to be exact, illegally imported and currently in the possession of a collector, have recently been recovered in Belgium.
It was an international operation that involved all the relevant institutions. After an initial technical analysis, carried out onsite by an archaeologist expert, the transfer to Italy of the finds was requested and obtained so that they may be subjected to further in- depth scientific investigations.
It is now well established that the world of organized crime that mortifies our heritage is an increasingly painful scourge, and it is for this reason that specific training, which takes into account all aspects, is one of the weapons to be wielded to protect our history and our heritage.
With the aim of training experts dealing with these issues, the Biennial School of Higher Education in Judicial Archeology and Crimes against Cultural Heritage opened on Saturday 28 May 2021, activated by the Center for Criminological Studies (CSC), for the fourth year. consecutive, but for the first time as a two-year school.
Art-Test will be part of the teaching staff. We are entrusted with the theme of “authentication and dating in the field of cultural heritage”. We address this issue not only by illustrating with theory and examples the methodologies and technologies useful for this purpose, but also by giving a broader overview including also the possible obstacles to be taken into account, the time to obtain the results and the costs.
In this way, future experts, in drafting the requests for the investigation of the cases, will be aware not only of which diagnostic investigation to foreseee but also the economic commitment to be faced and the necessary time, which in the case of judicial proceedings are essential information.
The inauguration ceremony saw the faculty, the students and the member of the Italian Superintendeces present. They made themselves available to welcome the students also for training internships, as will Art-Test Firenze, which this time too will try to contribute to the training of new recruits.
