Archaeology, Biblical scripture and tomb raiders

Is the ossuary of James a clever forgery or a legitimate artifact?

The question comes up because the ossuary was not dug up at an authorized excavation, where every shard is scrutinized by scholars.

Like most so-called antiquities, it just turned up in the shop of an antiques dealer, which is another way of saying it was looted.

The Israel Antiquities Authority has a special unit of archaeological detectives trying to stop this trade. They spend their nights burrowing underground on the trail of tomb-raiders, like those who may have stolen the ossuary from the tomb of James. The trouble is, no one has any idea when that happened, or where.