{"product_id":"stolen-fragments-black-markets-bad-faith-and-the-illicit-trade-in-ancient-artefacts-hardback-9781503632509","title":"Stolen Fragments; Black Markets, Bad Faith, and the Illicit Trade in Ancient Artefacts (Hardback) 9781503632509","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eStolen Fragments\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eBlack Markets, Bad Faith, and the Illicit Trade in Ancient Artefacts\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eRoberta Mazza (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9781503632509\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eHardback, published 24 September 2024\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e272 pages\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 2.3 cm, 0.586 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eStolen Fragments\u003c\/i\u003e is at once scrupulously researched and cinematic, reading like a proper detective story but with a renowned scholar as the lead investigator and our guide to the murky world of papyrus hunters. This is the definitive book on the multifaceted mummy-liquefying soap opera, starring the Museum of the Bible and a Dickensian cast of always quirky and often shady characters. Roberta Mazza is a rock star of this field, and her book sings with brilliance.\"\u003cbr\u003e  —Noah Charney, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Thefts of the Mona Lisa: The Complete Story of the World's Most Famous Artwork\u003c\/i\u003e \"Roberta Mazza brings us along as she cuts through the lies and evasions of the collectors who seek to manipulate the past with stolen cultural goods. A dark academia mystery come to life, \u003ci\u003eStolen Fragments\u003c\/i\u003e weaves together a history of cultural treasures, with stories about just how poorly we've treated our inheritance.\"\u003cbr\u003e  —Erin Thompson, author of \u003ci\u003eSmashing Statues: The Rise and Fall of America's Public Monuments\u003c\/i\u003e \"Roberta Mazza's book is a revelation, and a romp: an entertaining and infuriating account of the illicit trade in papyri, a blistering expose of the dealers, scholars, museums, and auction houses among whom Mazza has lived and worked. Her diligence, bravery, and wit are all on full display.\"\u003cbr\u003e  —Joel Baden, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Book of Exodus: A Biography\u003c\/i\u003e \"Roberta Mazza has given voice to the thousands of papyri stolen from Egypt, a crime whitewashed under a pretext of scholarship. Her book is a harrowing read as it depicts the violation of a rich cultural heritage, and serves as crucial testimony against those who were complicit and, worse, turned a blind eye. A masterpiece.\"\u003cbr\u003e  —Monica Hanna, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Future of Egyptology\u003c\/i\u003e \"Roberta Mazza charts the murky, tangled webs of the antiquities trade, raising complex ethical questions about the market in ancient papyri. \u003ci\u003eStolen Fragments\u003c\/i\u003e is a compelling account of how and why papyrology has been so easily swept into the illicit global trade in ancient objects.\"\u003cbr\u003e  —William Carruthers, author of \u003ci\u003eFlooded Pasts: UNESCO, Nubia, and the Recolonization of Archaeology\u003ci\u003e \"Roberta Mazza's investigation was, in and of itself, a stunning feat, comprising thousands of hours and bringing on risks, including physical threats, that would be enough to deter many other people. Stolen Fragments is a record of that work; it reveals industry secrets, draws attention to the importance of preserving human history, and speaks to the necessity of honesty.\"\u003cbr\u003e  —Nick Gardner, \u003ci\u003eForeword\u003c\/i\u003e \"As someone with inside knowledge of New Testament papyrology, Ms. Mazza is rightly incensed. [P]erhaps her greatest anger is reserved for members of her own profession who published unprovenanced Green papyri in pursuit of academic glory.\"—Hugh Eakin, \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e \"In many ways, the events documented in \u003ci\u003eStolen Fragments\u003c\/i\u003e feel like a true-crime drama. We encounter an impossibly complex network (even for insiders!) of individuals, institutions, artifacts, motivations, and points of view. We know the outcome.... But that outcome is not really the point. It is rather the way in which Mazza depicts the events in all their perplexing detail that makes this story so compelling.\"—Gregory Fewster, \u003ci\u003eReview of Biblical Literature\u003c\/i\u003e \"For those of us committed to upholding the integrity of the antiquities trade and ensuring that cultural heritage is protected for future generations, Stolen Fragments reinforces the need for greater diligence in combating the illicit trade and serves as a call to action for stronger legal and ethical standards.\"—Liz Fraccaro, \u003ci\u003eEgyptian Archaeology\u003c\/i\u003e \"For anyone interested in ancient art history, archaeological finds, early texts and how these come to market, this book is necessary reading.... Mazza has managed to dedicate herself to her academic career while using every available moment to monitor and document the stratagems and deceits associated with this corner of the antiquities market.\"—Eleni Vassilika, \u003ci\u003eSociety for the History of Collecting Newsletter\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 2012, Steve Green, billionaire and president of the Hobby Lobby chain of craft stores, announced a recent purchase of a Biblical artefact—a fragment of papyrus, just discovered, carrying lines from Paul's letter to the Romans, and dated to the second century CE. Noted scholar Roberta Mazza was stunned. When was this piece discovered, and how could Green acquire such a rare item? The answers, which Mazza spent the next ten years uncovering, came as a shock: the fragment had come from a famous collection held at Oxford University, and its rightful owners had no idea it had been sold.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe letter to the Romans was not the only extraordinary piece in the Green collection. They soon announced newly recovered fragments from the Gospels and writings of Sappho. Mazza's quest to confirm the provenance of these priceless fragments revealed shadowy global networks that make big business of ancient manuscripts, from the Greens' Museum of the Bible and world-famous auction houses like Sotheby's and Christie's, to antique shops in Jerusalem and Istanbul, dealers on eBay, and into the collections of renowned museums and universities. \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMazza's investigation forces us to ask what happens when the supposed custodians of our ancient heritage act in ways that threaten to destroy it. \u003ci\u003eStolen Fragments\u003c\/i\u003e illuminates how these recent dealings are not isolated events, but the inevitable result of longstanding colonial practices and the outcome of generations of scholars who have profited from extracting the cultural heritage of places they claim they wish to preserve. Where is the boundary between protection and exploitation, between scholarship and larceny?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePrologue\u003cbr\u003e  One. Out of Egypt\u003cbr\u003e  Two. Biblical Beginnings\u003cbr\u003e  Three. The Provenance Problem\u003cbr\u003e  Four. A Ghostly Fragment\u003cbr\u003e  Five. The New Sappho\u003cbr\u003e  Six. eBay Papyri\u003cbr\u003e  Seven. Turning Point\u003cbr\u003e  Eight. Caves of Deception\u003cbr\u003e  Nine. Mark, Born Again\u003cbr\u003e  Ten. Oxford Thefts\u003cbr\u003e  Eleven. Back to Christie's\u003cbr\u003e  Epilogue\u003cbr\u003e  Acknowledgments\u003cbr\u003e  Bibliography and Sources\u003cbr\u003e  Notes\u003cbr\u003e  Index\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Redwood Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52653367787800,"sku":"9781503632509","price":20.89,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/stolen-fragments-black-markets-bad-faith-and-the-illicit-trade-in-ancient-artefacts-hardback-9781503632509","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}