Facebook Marketplace Flooded with Looted Syrian Antiquities Amid Conflict
Ancient Syrian artifacts looted from Palmyra and other sites are rapidly appearing on Facebook Marketplace, fueling a booming illicit trade amid conflict and economic collapse.
Facebook Marketplace, known for secondhand bargains, is now a hotspot for trafficked antiquities looted from Syria’s ancient sites. Graves over 2,000 years old in cities like Palmyra are being robbed under cover of darkness, with stolen artifacts—funerary gold, mosaics, statues—surfacing for sale online.
Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site famed for its Roman ruins, has been devastated by war and militant destruction. Since the fall of the Assad regime in late 2024, the breakdown of security and widespread poverty have unleashed a surge of looting. Experts tracking these illicit sales report unprecedented spikes in trafficking, with some artifacts selling within weeks—a speed never seen before.
Despite Facebook’s 2020 ban on selling historical artifacts, enforcement is weak. Groups dedicated to trading antiquities on the platform boast memberships in the hundreds of thousands, facilitating a vast underground network that connects desperate local looters with international criminal rings. Once extracted, stolen items often pass through neighboring countries before entering the global art market, sometimes resurfacing in legitimate auction houses years later with falsified provenance.
Local authorities in Syria face enormous challenges protecting cultural heritage amid ongoing reconstruction and limited resources. Meanwhile, residents in Palmyra stand guard over the ruins, determined to safeguard what remains of their history.
Experts emphasize that curbing the trade requires demand reduction in Western markets, where these priceless relics eventually land. Until security improves on the ground, and buyers scrutinize origins rigorously, Syria’s archaeological treasures remain at grave risk of permanent loss.
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