Egypt
The famous bust of Nefertiti in the Altes museum in Berlin has now been moved to its new room in the recently restored Neues museum, the museum was badly damaged in WWII and has recently been restored at a cost of about $400 million. The bust has been at the center of controversy over the years as it is unique and some think it should belong to Egypt's national collection.
The bust was found in 1912 by a German excavation headed by Ludwig Borchardt unfortunately when it came time for the division of the finds the antiquities inspector of the day Gustave Lefebvre did not do his job well as a result he gave the bust to the German expedition as fate would have it the Egyptian Antiquities officials only found out a decade later at the same time as Lord Canarvon and Howard Carter were fighting Egyptian Nationalists for control of the Tomb of Tutankhamun.
The bust of Nefertiti has generated coveted affections over the years particularly in recent years with Egypt's Supreme council of antiquities Secretary general Dr. Zahi Hawass who has repeatedly asked for the bust to be returned to Egypt as a loan unfortunately he appears to see the queen as stolen in the first place.
More than likely the antiquities inspector Gustave Lefebvre was negligent in his duties for whatever reason though the German excavator Ludwig Borchardt was a man with a past action of creating a fake to fool others, as a result the bust of Nefertiti and another important stelae (now in Cairo) from that expedition are questioned as to their authenticity's today.
Hopefully with the passing of Dr. Hawass' Tenure cooler heads will prevail and Nefertiti will someday be on display if only for a short time in the Egyptian national collection till then the limestone bust is safe in its new display to face many more years of controversy.
- How Deceit Won A Beautiful Woman
Al Ahram Weekly Can a 1924 document charging German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt with cheating to secure the Nefertiti bust for Germany guarantee its return to Egypt? Nevine El-Aref investigates Bust of Queen Nefertiti The conflict between Egypt and...
- Secret Note Reveals How Germany Smuggled Queen Nefertiti Bust From Egypt
Times Online (Roger Boyes) German archaeologists cheated Egyptian customs officers in order to smuggle the 3,400-year-old bust of Queen Nefertiti to Berlin, according to a secret document unearthed in archives. The document is sure to stoke the row between...
- 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...
- An Act Of Deceit
After this past weeks meeting between Friederike Seyfried, director of the Aegyptisches Museum und Papyrussammiung in Berlin and Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities the negotiations for the return of the bust of Nefertiti...
Egypt
Nefertiti's New Home
The famous bust of Nefertiti in the Altes museum in Berlin has now been moved to its new room in the recently restored Neues museum, the museum was badly damaged in WWII and has recently been restored at a cost of about $400 million. The bust has been at the center of controversy over the years as it is unique and some think it should belong to Egypt's national collection.
The bust was found in 1912 by a German excavation headed by Ludwig Borchardt unfortunately when it came time for the division of the finds the antiquities inspector of the day Gustave Lefebvre did not do his job well as a result he gave the bust to the German expedition as fate would have it the Egyptian Antiquities officials only found out a decade later at the same time as Lord Canarvon and Howard Carter were fighting Egyptian Nationalists for control of the Tomb of Tutankhamun.
The bust of Nefertiti has generated coveted affections over the years particularly in recent years with Egypt's Supreme council of antiquities Secretary general Dr. Zahi Hawass who has repeatedly asked for the bust to be returned to Egypt as a loan unfortunately he appears to see the queen as stolen in the first place.
More than likely the antiquities inspector Gustave Lefebvre was negligent in his duties for whatever reason though the German excavator Ludwig Borchardt was a man with a past action of creating a fake to fool others, as a result the bust of Nefertiti and another important stelae (now in Cairo) from that expedition are questioned as to their authenticity's today.
Hopefully with the passing of Dr. Hawass' Tenure cooler heads will prevail and Nefertiti will someday be on display if only for a short time in the Egyptian national collection till then the limestone bust is safe in its new display to face many more years of controversy.
- How Deceit Won A Beautiful Woman
Al Ahram Weekly Can a 1924 document charging German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt with cheating to secure the Nefertiti bust for Germany guarantee its return to Egypt? Nevine El-Aref investigates Bust of Queen Nefertiti The conflict between Egypt and...
- Secret Note Reveals How Germany Smuggled Queen Nefertiti Bust From Egypt
Times Online (Roger Boyes) German archaeologists cheated Egyptian customs officers in order to smuggle the 3,400-year-old bust of Queen Nefertiti to Berlin, according to a secret document unearthed in archives. The document is sure to stoke the row between...
- 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...
- An Act Of Deceit
After this past weeks meeting between Friederike Seyfried, director of the Aegyptisches Museum und Papyrussammiung in Berlin and Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities the negotiations for the return of the bust of Nefertiti...