Archaeological forgery

Archaeological forgery is the manufacture of supposedly ancient items that are sold to the antiquities market and may even end up in the collections of museums.

Historically, famous excavations like those in Crete, the Valley of the Kings in Egypt and Pompeii have caused the appearance of a number of forgeries supposedly spirited away from the dig.

Those have been usually presented in the open market but some have also ended up in museum collections and as objects of serious historical study.

Some historians and archaeologists have strongly criticized the antiquities trade for putting profit and art collecting before scientific accuracy and veracity.

Looters who rob archaeologically important places and supply the antiquities market are rarely concerned with exact dating and placement of the items.

The Gosford Glyphs , a set of forged Egyptian-style hieroglyphs in Australia
The engraved Kinderhook plates , buried and then excavated at a mound in Illinois in the United States
The Piltdown Man skull, a famous palaeoanthropological hoax
Head of Gudea , ruler of Lagash , a Confiscated forgery; head of the Sumerian ruler Gudea . Sold as a genuine ancient Mesopotamian piece and now held at the Sulaymaniyah Museum , Iraq.