German media manager plundered UNESCO world heritage

In an interview prominent German media mogul Helmut Thoma admitted the looting of a grave in Syrian UNESCO world heritage site of Palmyra 30 years ago.
Original interview with Helmut Thoma
Thoma tells how a dealer in Damaskus took him to a grave chamber in Palmyra and invited him to crawl inside. "It was dark and there were snakes..." Thoma says. But his inner Indiana Jones was stronger than his worries. After a small entrance there were several graves, decorated with frescoes. "I've choosen these ones here in my living room."
Afterwards these antiques were smuggeld through the customs at Frankfurt.

German archaeologists protest against this crime against international law and demand, that the objects - part of an ancient grave - have to be brought back to Syria.
In the meantime German media start to take up the scandal. The Radio station SWR2 interviewed the classical archaeologist Andreas Schmidt-Colinet, Professor at the University of Vienna (Interview on Helmut Thoma's looting in Palmyra - see also Interview with Prof. Schmidt-Colinet on Helmut Thoma's looting in Palmyra bei epoc

"Es war nacht und da waren Schlangen..."

Der ehemalige RTL-Chef Helmut Thoma gesteht in einem Interview die Plünderung eines antiken Grabes in Palmyra:
Kulturgutraub-Geständnis von Helmut Thoma
Heute stehen Teile des Grabes in seinem Wohnzimmer. Sie wurden illegal aus Syrien ausgeführt und nach Deutschland geschmuggelt. Das ist eine inzwischen wohl leider verjährte Straftat.

Inzwischen aufgegriffen von

• "Ein Schlag ins Gesicht" - Kommentar zum Grabraub-Fall Helmut Thoma in epoc.
• "Grabraub ist kein Kavaliersdelikt" - Interwiew auf swr.de zum Grabraub Helmut Thoma's.

(archaeologica)

Wasserkraftwerk Rheinfelden

nochmals aus dem Bereich Denkmalpflege und politische Prioritäten: Spiegel online

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Facetten der Neuzeitarchäologie

Berliner Kunstfund

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