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What Is Cultural Property?

Illicit Goods

Import Goods Legally

National Laws

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Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology

 

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The exportation or transfer of any antiquities with origins in Greece is expressly prohibited without a license. Because all cultural material is vested within the State, the United States has agreed by ratifying the UNESCO Convention of 1973 to uphold Greece's laws and prosecute any offenders who may have imported objects illegally.

• If permission for export is denied, the state must aquire the object for its collections, paying the owner 1/2 of its declared price: this is called the "right of preemption", and the government may cede this right to any collector within Greece at its discretion.
• An antiquity is subject to a tax of 1/2 of its value on its export, with the exception of a previously imported object which is then being re-exported.
• A duplicate of an object or kind of object within the state collections, sold by the state, are subject to a 5% export tax
• Change of ownership or location of an antiquity must be reported within 15 days of the transaction

Dealers or private collectors are required by the state to have written permission for their activites. These dealers must constantly maintain a record of their activities and transactions, and collectors must maintain an updated catalogue. Any antiquity that is going to be sold must be authorized in advance to its sale. Authorized dealers currently exist in

• Athens
• Thessaloniki
• Heraklion