Judicial Archaeology

"Nativity with the Saints Lorenzo and Francesco of Assisi", Caravaggio, 1600, oil on canvas.

This artwork was stolen from the ‘Oratorio di San Lorenzo’ in Palermo on the night between 17th and 18th October 1969 and its location is still unknown. It is among the ten masterpieces most wanted by the law enforcement in the world and its current market value, which is continuing to grow up in the years, is today around 30 million of euros.

Most likely, the artwork has never left Italy and is "hidden" in the house of some important mafia boss.

The term "Judicial Archaeology" identifies a sector that, using archaeological, scientific and juridical disciplines, studies and analyses the strategies and the "modus operandi" of criminal groups that endanger Cultural Heritage with thefts, looting and the illicit international trafficking. Until few years ago, if you were happening to look into the web for this terminology, the meanings
regarding this branch were several and different, often improperly used. Mainly in Italy (but not only), this terminology was used by journals to indicate very old legal cases, thus the expression "the archaeology of justice". This meaning was also used by Ferdinando Imposimato in his book: Giovanni Falcone, who after having escaped from the Addaura’s attack addressed to him, declaring to Imposimato, that in the salons of Palermo he was considered a fool, loosing his time slipping into old stories and doing a "judicial archaeology ". The same semantic problem had also occurred globally, as this sector was often confused with forensic archaeology, which now we know focuses, instead, on the analysis of a crime scene. Today, the purpose of the Judicial Archaeology consists in fighting crimes against the Cultural Heritage with the cooperation of different professional figures which are able to carry out combined investigations, analyses and prevention activities. As spokesperson for this social and cultural need emerges the “Centro Studi Criminologici, Giuridici e Sociologici” of Viterbo, which proposes a Master in "Archeologia Giudiziaria e Crimini contro il Patrimonio Culturale", now on its fourth edition. This Master, in collaboration with "Osservatorio Internazionale Archeomafie", sponsored by "Associazione Nazionale Archeologi" and "Fondazione Caffeina Cultura", allows various experts, not only those closed to the cultural field (e.g., archaeologists, conservation scientists, restorers etc… but also lawyers, architects, engineers and others, to deal with new and little-known aspects of the world of the Cultural Heritage, such as the concept of "archeomafie". This term identifies all the criminal associations, mainly of the mafia type, that manage the illicit international trafficking of object belonging to the cultural heritage, from clandestine excavation into the black market. It is well known that, among all the mafia’s deals, artworks are the third in position, preceded only by drugs and weapons; the same are also the fourth source of profit for the international crime. Thanks to the knowledge of these aspects and issues (which for too long have hit our Peninsula and its Cultural Heritage), this Master in “Archeologia Giudiziaria e Crimini contro il Patrimonio Culturale” trains and "empowers" the professional figures mentioned above, urging them to entrust their expertise to the Justice, assisting the law enforcement. In addition, the Master allows the professionals to acquire new skills, developing their expertise on Cultural Heritage and much more, in order to form a professional figure truly expert in the field and able to collaborate with judicial investigations and crime scenes analysis. If you were fascinated by this very interesting sector, I would recommend you to read "Archeomafie", the first Italian magazine dealing with crimes against Cultural Heritage, now available to download for free from its Academia.edu’s profile: https://www.academia.edu/people/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=archeomafie 

Tiziana

 - Master in “Archeologia Giudiziaria e Crimini contro il Patrimonio Culturale”: http://www.criminologi.com/web/news.asp?id=1069 

 - Academia.edu’s profile: https://www.academia.edu/people/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=archeomafie