The illicit excavation and trade of antiquities pose an acute threat to the preservation of cultural heritage worldwide. Since 2023, motivated by restitution claims for several objects in its possession, the Allard Pierson (the heritage collections of the University of Amsterdam) has undertaken a research initiative into the provenance history of its archaeological collection. As a leading university museum in the Netherlands, a ‘market country’ in the Global North, the Allard Pierson seeks to address head-on the ethical issues related to the provenance of antiquities in its collections, to consider the role museums can play in shaping best practices around questions of provenance and restitution and to explore how provenance research can be used as a tool to foster ongoing discussions with researchers, institutions and the general public both in the Netherlands and, crucially, in the source countries of the collection. This article presents two case studies from our ongoing research in order to highlight the importance of unlocking archives and collections, doing provenance research proactively rather than reactively, and exploring new terrain by discussing future ownership and stewardship of the collections with source countries on the basis of ethical rather than legal arguments.By sharing the results of our ongoing research, the Allard Pierson seeks to articulate its long-term vision regarding the role of provenance research in archaeological collections, with a particular emphasis on best practices relating to international collaboration, data transparency and exchange, acquisition and restitution policies and the importance of raising public awareness around the illicit trafficking of antiquities.
Kalkers et al. (2026) studied this question.