Funded by the Erasmus+ program (2021–2024), the PITCHER project – Preventing Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Heritage: Educational Resources – has developed Open Educational Resources to raise students’ awareness of archaeological looting and illicit trafficking of cultural goods. These issues are crucial as they directly affect our understanding of the past, our security, and the development potential of the concerned countries. Young people are particularly impacted due to the increasing use of metal detectors specifically designed for their age group.

Coordinated by Bibracte, the project brought together eight other European partners, including three expert organizations – Michael Culture Association, the French National Police Academy, and Museomix – and four schools from Spain, Italy, and Greece. It also involved teachers from Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and highlighted both the regional heritage and that of Bibracte.

The Open Educational Resources (OER)
Seventeen OER are available in French and the other project languages. Designed in various formats (case studies, learning units, online activities, board games, etc.), they offer a comprehensive approach to the multiple facets of archaeological looting and illicit trafficking of cultural goods. They are tailored to the educational needs of primary, middle, and high school students.

The academic region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, invited to the project’s launch meeting in January 2022 at Bibracte, was fully engaged in the initiative. A group of five teachers, four of whom work with regional museums (Bibracte, Pays Châtillonnais – Trésor de Vix, Montbéliard, and Lons-le-Saunier), collaborated with Bibracte to develop the OER. Among these resources is “Looting Is Not a Game!”, designed to raise awareness about the consequences of archaeological looting. Its content draws on key exhibits and artifacts from the Bibracte museum, such as their “ladle helmet”!

The Teacher and Cultural Mediator Guide
This guide offers practical advice on how to make the best use of each OER in a school or extracurricular setting, particularly within cultural institutions like museums. It also includes a toolbox with methodological approaches, additional online resources, and examples of educational activities already implemented with students, such as the “Our Dear Treasures!” initiative held at Bibracte in 2023 as part of the educational program “The Class, the Work”.

Recommendations for Policy Makers
The recommendations outline a detailed strategy for integrating these crucial issues into educational systems, raising awareness among young people outside the classroom, and updating legal frameworks. Proposals for the continuing education of teachers and cultural mediators are directly based on best practices identified during training sessions held in 2023 at Bibracte and the Pays Châtillonnais – Trésor de Vix museum, as well as at the Denon Museum in 2024, within the framework of the PREAC Archaeological Heritage program. Additionally, an annex, developed by teachers from Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, details concrete proposals for incorporating these topics into the French school curriculum.