Egypt
Here we go again with another attempt by Dr. Zahi Hawass to have the Rosetta stone, the bust of an unknown Amarna queen in Berlin and other artifacts to be returned to Egypt. Greece and Italy are up to the same thing with their own desire to re acquire cultural objects that have long left their country of origin. Though Egypt is the most aggressive at this game with Dr. Hawass being the pit bull for the cause.
The Rosetta stone in antiquity was a relatively unimportant document its fame has come to it in modern times in which European intellectuals used it to decipher the Egyptian hieroglyphic script. It is unlikely the stone will ever be displayed in the Egyptian national museum at least if the current environment prevails.
There is something however to be said for the bust of the unknown queen currently in Berlin's Neues museum the provenance of which appears shaky but still favours Berlin only because the Egyptian antiquities authority representative gave the bust to the Germans in a division of finds.
The Bust held in Boston of the fourth dynasty prince Ankh haf has been suggested by Dr. Hawass should also be returned though Boston's bust was given in a fair division of finds even though it was realised that the Egyptian national collection did not possess such an object.
So here we have just 3 objects of the thousands the fine doctor would like returned and in these three objects we find an object (the bust of the queen in Berlin) that probably has a reasonable case for return. A second object(the Rosetta stone) who's modern provenance is very strong and without any legal case to be made for its return.
Still in the last object (Boston's bust) it is perhaps an insult to want back what was given as a sign of respect for the excellent excavation of the tomb of queen Hetepheres. These last circumstances can only water down the point of repatriation of stolen antiquities.
Certainly there is an issue as in the case of the fresco pieces returned from the Louvre recently as their provenance was clearly one of modern theft. A conference that does not start with a refined presentation which include objects that like the Berlin bust and objects that have left their countries of origin after the laws were in place is doomed to be a meaningless publicity stunt.
If countries like Egypt, Greece and Italy truly want to recover stolen history they need to realise that artifacts like the Elgin marbles, the Rosetta stone and the bust of Ankh haf are not part of the issue and can only act as an irritant to the repatriation of questionable objects.
- Zahi Hawass On The Nefertiti Loan Issue
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2007/849/he2.htm Zahi Hawass is using his occasional Dig Days column on the Al Ahram Weekly website to highlight his views about the refusal of the German government to send the Nefertiti bust on loan to Egypt for the opening...
- Nefertiti Going Nowhere
Germany's Minister of Culture Bern Nuemann said today that the bust of Nefertiti in the Neues museum in Berlin will stay in Berlin. The minister was responding to the Egyptian Minister of culture Dr. Zahi Hawass who keeps threatening to make an official...
- Artifacts From The (dog) Excavations Of Tell El Amarna
The 1912-1913 excavations on behalf of the German Oriental Society (DOG) at tell el Amarna brought to light a large collection of plaster masks and royal stone sculptures. The artist studio in which the sculpture were found was that of royal sculptor...
- Not A Loan
This article is on the Rosetta stone and Egypt's Secretary general of the Supreme counsel of antiquities desire to have it back not as a loan but permanent. In recent weeks Dr. Zahi Hawass has become less diplomatic with not only the British museum...
- Never Ending Nefertiti
I recently purchased an old book and found inside a 50 year old postcard from Luxor with a picture of none other than the Berlin Nefertiti and wow here I am writing yet another piece on her. The controversy level on this bust is through the roof and doubtless...
Egypt
Holes in Egypt's National Collection
Here we go again with another attempt by Dr. Zahi Hawass to have the Rosetta stone, the bust of an unknown Amarna queen in Berlin and other artifacts to be returned to Egypt. Greece and Italy are up to the same thing with their own desire to re acquire cultural objects that have long left their country of origin. Though Egypt is the most aggressive at this game with Dr. Hawass being the pit bull for the cause.The Rosetta stone in antiquity was a relatively unimportant document its fame has come to it in modern times in which European intellectuals used it to decipher the Egyptian hieroglyphic script. It is unlikely the stone will ever be displayed in the Egyptian national museum at least if the current environment prevails.
There is something however to be said for the bust of the unknown queen currently in Berlin's Neues museum the provenance of which appears shaky but still favours Berlin only because the Egyptian antiquities authority representative gave the bust to the Germans in a division of finds.
The Bust held in Boston of the fourth dynasty prince Ankh haf has been suggested by Dr. Hawass should also be returned though Boston's bust was given in a fair division of finds even though it was realised that the Egyptian national collection did not possess such an object.
So here we have just 3 objects of the thousands the fine doctor would like returned and in these three objects we find an object (the bust of the queen in Berlin) that probably has a reasonable case for return. A second object(the Rosetta stone) who's modern provenance is very strong and without any legal case to be made for its return.
Still in the last object (Boston's bust) it is perhaps an insult to want back what was given as a sign of respect for the excellent excavation of the tomb of queen Hetepheres. These last circumstances can only water down the point of repatriation of stolen antiquities.
Certainly there is an issue as in the case of the fresco pieces returned from the Louvre recently as their provenance was clearly one of modern theft. A conference that does not start with a refined presentation which include objects that like the Berlin bust and objects that have left their countries of origin after the laws were in place is doomed to be a meaningless publicity stunt.
If countries like Egypt, Greece and Italy truly want to recover stolen history they need to realise that artifacts like the Elgin marbles, the Rosetta stone and the bust of Ankh haf are not part of the issue and can only act as an irritant to the repatriation of questionable objects.
- Zahi Hawass On The Nefertiti Loan Issue
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2007/849/he2.htm Zahi Hawass is using his occasional Dig Days column on the Al Ahram Weekly website to highlight his views about the refusal of the German government to send the Nefertiti bust on loan to Egypt for the opening...
- Nefertiti Going Nowhere
Germany's Minister of Culture Bern Nuemann said today that the bust of Nefertiti in the Neues museum in Berlin will stay in Berlin. The minister was responding to the Egyptian Minister of culture Dr. Zahi Hawass who keeps threatening to make an official...
- Artifacts From The (dog) Excavations Of Tell El Amarna
The 1912-1913 excavations on behalf of the German Oriental Society (DOG) at tell el Amarna brought to light a large collection of plaster masks and royal stone sculptures. The artist studio in which the sculpture were found was that of royal sculptor...
- Not A Loan
This article is on the Rosetta stone and Egypt's Secretary general of the Supreme counsel of antiquities desire to have it back not as a loan but permanent. In recent weeks Dr. Zahi Hawass has become less diplomatic with not only the British museum...
- Never Ending Nefertiti
I recently purchased an old book and found inside a 50 year old postcard from Luxor with a picture of none other than the Berlin Nefertiti and wow here I am writing yet another piece on her. The controversy level on this bust is through the roof and doubtless...