Allard Pierson Museum investigating how 19,000 archaeological objects were obtained

The Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam will investigate which pieces in its archaeological collections were illegally acquired. There are approximately 19,000 objects in the collections, and there is little or no information about the provenance of many of them.

The reason for the investigation, which will last until 2027, are requests from Italy to return a number of archaeological objects. "The Allard Pierson feels responsible to combat illegal trade in and violence against archaeological objects, and wants to participate in the social debate about ownership of heritage," said the museum's director, Els van der Plas.

The Allard Pierson Museum was founded in 1934 and houses archaeological objects from the Mediterranean, Egypt, and other regions. The fact that the provenance of some of the objects from private collectors is incomplete or unknown does not automatically mean that they were obtained illegally, the museum emphasized.

"It means that it has not been demonstrably established in the past how and when these objects left their country of origin, and under what circumstances."

The study is being carried out in collaboration with researchers from the University of Amsterdam and the Italian Ministry of Culture.