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Cultural representatives from twenty countries have been meeting in Cairo to discuss how to recover ancient artefacts which were stolen and taken abroad in the past.
Organised by Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, the conference discussed ‘the protection and restitution of cultural heritage’. Just as Egypt wants a return of many of its pharaonic items, countries like Greece, Italy, China and Peru seek a return of their looted ancient artefacts.
Greece wants the Elgin Marbles back, Egypt the Rosetta Stone and the bust of Queen Nefertiti, Peru its Inca treasures ... the list is endless.
These countries are right to demand the return of their antiquities, even though this would denude many museums around the world. The argument that some countries could make copies of certain artefacts to return, such as the Rosetta Stone for instance, doesn’t work for the originals could just as easily be returned and the copies kept.
The discussion will, alas, last for many years and is likely to be fruitless in my view, wrong though this is.
.
Cultural representatives from twenty countries have been meeting in Cairo to discuss how to recover ancient artefacts which were stolen and taken abroad in the past.
Organised by Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, the conference discussed ‘the protection and restitution of cultural heritage’. Just as Egypt wants a return of many of its pharaonic items, countries like Greece, Italy, China and Peru seek a return of their looted ancient artefacts.
Greece wants the Elgin Marbles back, Egypt the Rosetta Stone and the bust of Queen Nefertiti, Peru its Inca treasures ... the list is endless.
These countries are right to demand the return of their antiquities, even though this would denude many museums around the world. The argument that some countries could make copies of certain artefacts to return, such as the Rosetta Stone for instance, doesn’t work for the originals could just as easily be returned and the copies kept.
The discussion will, alas, last for many years and is likely to be fruitless in my view, wrong though this is.
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