Illegal Excavation of Antiquities & Monuments in the Countryside of Lower Egypt: Dimensions and Repercussions A Field Study in One of the Villages of Al-Sinbellaween in Al-Dakahlia Governorate

This research aimed at revealing and scrutinizing the nature and dimensions of the phenomenon of illegal excavation of antiquities, monitoring the factors that led to its spread, and investigating its consequences. The research elide on the descriptive approach. Concerning the tools for data collection, the researcher used the method of case study and applied it to a small intentional sample of seventeen people representing the research community which is Ghazala Village located in Al-Sinbellaween. This case study was based on in-depth interviews with the research sample by using an interview guide. For its analyses and interpretations for its theoretical issues, the research also used the nonstandard theory (which is Merton’s theory of anomie) . The research reached a set of findings, of which the most important is that: harsh and low economic conditions, such as the prevalence of poverty and unemployment, as well as low family income and rising prices, are strong motivations for taking part in such illegal excavations of antiquities. The findings also indicated the diversity and multiplicity of the social factors that contribute to the spread of this phenomenon. Such factors include lack of belonging, lack of clarity in law provisions, the withdrawal of the defendants in the crimes of illegal excavation, as well as other personal aspirations such as greediness and the wish to get rich quickly. In addition, such social factors include mass media effects, friends, and taking part in some deviant social behaviors. The research also indicated that there are some religious fatwas which are used by those who participate in such illegal excavations as justifications for their actions. This is in addition to lack of religious awareness and unclear religious discourse.