The antiquities trade is the exchange of antiquities and archaeological artifacts from around the world. This trade may be illicit or completely legal. The legal antiquities trade abides by national regulations, allowing for extraction of artifacts for scientific study whilst maintaining archaeological and anthropological context.[1][2][clarification needed] The illicit antiquities trade involves non-scientific extraction that ignores the archaeological and anthropological context from the artifacts.
- ^ "Handbook of national regulations concerning the export of cultural property". unesdoc.unesco.org. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
- ^ "FAQ – International Association of Dealers in Ancient Art". iadaa.org. Retrieved 2020-02-25.