here is probably going to be affluent and purchasing expensive things -- >> reporter: professor mark altawil is an expert in what he calls blood antiquities. >> the scale is massive. it's certainly funding a lot of armed groups or armed groups in the conflict. that to me is the great tragedy of this. it's leading to the utilization of the past to destroy the present. >> what prices are we talking about? >> large mosaics can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. certainly these objects have tremendous value. >> reporter: he says most of the illegal trade occurs online. >> it says "syrian." >> and other objects could be from syria. >> reporter: though not all items can be traced to looting, he wants the sale of all antiquities out of syria to be stopped. >> people are not seeing the connections, that antiquities are now funding vie length. violence. that is a huge game change arer that's affecting people's lives. >> will you be taking this out? >> yeah. >> reporter: in ka damascus the professor claims the vast majority of syria's artifacts are safe for now. but every day he receives more