Luxor4u

"Hibeh archaeological site on the east bank of the Nile lies in a particularly impoverished area of Egypt, three hour’s drive south of Cairo. For the past 9 months a gang has been systematically and openly looting the site while the local police seemingly turn a blind eye."

A longer article with lots of photographic evidence [with links to further evidence], all very reminiscent of what happened and is still happening in Abydos.

http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php ... ibeh-egypt

Except at Abydos it seems to be the archaeologists who are turning a blind eye.

I would give the Save El Hibeh FB group a pass too. The admin is a self-important control freak who deletes members' posts without any reason or explanation and shows no respect for people who want to help.

Glyphdoctor wrote:Except at Abydos it seems to be the archaeologists who are turning a blind eye.

Sadly very true, their complicity is all too evident. Guardians not put in place, guardians not paid for months at a time. Word of any finds is circulated long before workdays end. A dig house and store filled with uncatalogued finds and one unarmed guardian on duty. I have witnessed small finds going into pockets under the very noses of the archaeologists. The volume of artifacts leaving Abydos and being trafficked through Asyut, Sohag or Nag Hammadi is astounding; I could have opened a museum to rival Luxor with the items I have been offered (ALWAYS POLITELY REFUSED!) over the years. That in just one small village, think what must be being lost over the whole of the country.

Whatever gave people the idea Carter & Carnarvon, Belzoni, ect, were archeologists, and the former rich archeologists at that.
Looting/archeology it's all a matter of one's perspective, if it puts food in-front of one's family.
I like to call it 'relocation-entrepreneurs, 'when you find it, write it down when and where, take a picture and 'bingo your an archeologist all of a sudden.....
PS: 'Just Imagine for one moment, if all this pharaonic gear was in 'unemployed blighty there would be a damn sight more than just 4OOO holes in *Blackburn Lancashire.....
ref: *J Lennon