Egypt Wants Artifacts Back from World's Museums

Just because of Egypt's archaeologists I would say hell no, don't give anything back to them. All they do is try to cover stuff up.

reply to post by RuneSpider


Why do that in most cases museums sponsored digs in Egypt.Paid money to officials in the Egyptian government for these digs. If it wasn't for museums such as the British Museum they wouldn't have a tourist trade. To argue these museums need to return items obtained legally at the time is silly. Now there is people that do illegal digs and sell items in local markets.This practice should be stopped but that is an internal Egyptian matter.

reply to post by TLomon


Actually they are Egypt legacy and history, now, this doesn't mean they will take them and only visiting Egypt you will be able to see them, is many traveling exhibits around the world, this are exhibits that are open to all people without any nation holding exclusive rights to them, as they belong to the entire world.

Egypt will do more profiting with traveling exhibits that holding them in their nation.

Many exhibits were stolen during war time, specially during Nazi Germany years, many of the treasure of the world has been hidden on private museums by those that can afford them.

I say let Egypt have their treasures of history back.

So what happened to egypt when all those artifacts were bought or taken dirt cheap.I can't remember them funding archaelogists and projects to dig these things out.

Finders keepers loosers weepers!

That is simple. They will sell the items to other governments for use in their museums... wait a hundred years, and then claim ownership of them again. At least that is what they have done historically. Not everything was "stolen". The government has just changed its stance on the issue.

I still have mixed feelings about this. Both sides of the argument have very valid points.

I am having trouble with the word "stolen". I think each acquisition would have to be examined individually to discover the the manner in which it was obtained.

Many of these old artifacts were acquired on genuine archealogical digs. Now,(presently) one must obtain permission from a country to dig there, and an agreement is made beforehand on whether found objects belong to the host country.

But some of these ancient artifacts were acquired before any such agreements were made. So, were they in fact "stolen", or simply acquired through means which at the time were acceptable?


This would need to be determined on a case to case basis; maybe even by evidence presented in a court of law. Apparently the countries who possess various items are being accused of theft, and this would need to be proven. imo.

Originally posted by RuneSpider
Best option may be to keep the artifacts, and pay a lease to the country of origin at a discussed amount.
While this principally focused on Egypt, it seems this is also intended to apply to other countries as well, and I can understand it.
It'd be along similar lines to if someone looted Washington's or Franklin's tomb, or took the Declaration of Independence.

Good call. Most of these aetefacts...if not looted, were spirited out through colonial administrations and all manner of shady deals. The process would certainly not hold up today. Better to acknowledge ownership, and make arrangements for lend/lease that pays for new research. That's how the Royal Ontario Museum sorted out its splendid Haida totem poles.

And just in case you figure Zahi has no juice...his request was ignored by the academic community until he told them "All licences suspended...don't come back"

Suddenly he has an audience

To everyone who is saying "finder's keepers", you are truly pathetic. To see sucvh a narrow minded view is actually shocking sometimes, especially now. How would you feel if someone broke into your home and stole your posessions?
Of course, it isn't entirely like that here, but these artifacts did belong to Egypt, until most of which were smuggled/taken illegally from their country to raise money in museums in foriegn nations. Just because we stole them a century ago doesn't make it right at all.

Give them back, and produce replicas for other nations. Why should the source of these artifacts be forced to send their own citizens abroad to see their own heritage? You may claim you want to see it too, but you don't have a right over others to see it, especially if modern Egyptians cannot see it themselves.

[edit on 7-1-2010 by Nexus]

reply to post by Nexus


The thing is, although they are now being marked as "stolen" there is really no way to determine that. Maybe they were, maybe they were not. The MET has many "gifts" from other lands. What about those?

Since other countries are now wanting these art pieces and artifacts returned, it remains to be seen how they came into possession to begin with. This would need to be determined by whatever investigation could be managed this late after the fact.

To simply state these items were stolen "centuries ago", is not a fair statement.

i kinda of thought the eygptians used slave labor i kinda remember hearing a little story about so guy named moses and the jews but that come from an ancient fantasy book called the bible so who knows how true it is lol