ABSTRACT The Greek archaeological law has introduced a reinforcement of the penal protection of cultural heritage. Accordingly, research was conducted by interviewing experts, which has revealed their punitive tendencies and consistency of their opinions with the law, as related to the policies of international organizations. Moreover, it appears that these experts are aligned with the neoliberal spirit of the law which reflects a widespread commercialization process on a global scale. This alignment and their punitive tendencies were strengthened after estimating their influence over policies for cultural elements, by a second level data analysis. Furthermore, it was found that the more, as opposed to the lesser influential experts, have serious reservations about the citizens’ contribution to the protection of monuments. Many have doubts about the law’s functioning in practice and some are even critical of the law itself as well as of international rules and arrangements. Finally, the interplay of theory and research indicated that the protection concept, as it relates to citizens’ familiarization with their cultural heritage as well as the containment of illicit trade and collecting at the market end of the supply chain of cultural objects should be further explored.
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