To the Antiquities Collecting Public in Israel:

The Israel Antiquities Authority is beginning a first of its kind operation to register the antiquities collections that are held by the general public in Israel. Those people that will be recorded in the IAA data bank as owners of antiquities collections will be recognized by the state as “collectors”.

The Antiquities Law of 1978 provided for the treatment of antiquities in Israel and defined the legal status of the antiquities collector as “a person who collects antiquities otherwise than for the purpose of trading therein”. An antiquities collection as such is defined as “an assemblage of fifteen antiquities or more”.

The Antiquities Regulations (Collectors of Antiquities and the Transfer of Antiquities and Architectural Items) of 2009 allow for enforcing the law and explain how the collector will notify the IAA about the collection in his possession and which details he is required to report. The notification will be submitted in writing and will include the collector’s name and address, identity number, the date he became a collector, number of antiquities he owns, a list of them and the location where they are stored.

The archaeological sites and their artifacts are the material cultural heritage of the Land of Israel and they reflect the history of the Jewish people and the story of the many human beings, nations and kingdoms that lived and existed here for thousands of years. The State of Israel and its citizens have assumed the duty and the privilege to preserve the heritage of the past for future generations. All of us are partners in this effort.

The process of registering the antiquities collections in Israel will be done in two stages.
In the first stage, which will continue until 31.12.2009, the collector will inform the IAA that he is a collector of antiquities.
In the second stage the IAA will contact the registered collector and request a catalogue of the contents of his collection. The collector can ask for assistance from the IAA in preparing the catalogue of the collection he possesses.

Members of the public can register by means of an online form or a form downloaded from the IAA internet site, as well as with forms that can be obtained at the offices of the IAA throughout the country.

The form should be filled out and mailed to the following address: Israel Antiquities Authority, Rockefeller Museum, P.O.B. 586, Jerusalem 91004.

Click here for Online Registration

For further details kindly contact us at: 02-6204688.