Egypt retrieves prehistoric artefacts from Britain
Britain has sent back to Egypt some 25,000 ancient artifacts, some dating as far back as the stone age, Egypt's culture minister said.
The artifacts, packaged in 85 boxes returned to Cairo aboard an Egyptian flight yesterday, Faruq Hosni said in a statement.
Retrieving the items came after "long negotiations" with the University of London, antiquities chief Zahi Hawass told AFP.
The artifacts include a stone axe that dates back 200,000 years as well as pottery from the seventh millennium BC which bears the finger prints of its producers, the ministry said.
The artifacts "will constitute the foundation for a collection from the (pre-dynastic) Naqada period," named after a village in southern Egypt which represented "one of the oldest centres of civilisation in the world," Hawass said.
They will will be displayed at the Ahmed Fakhri Museum, currently under construction in Dakhla, an oasis in Egypt's western desert.
Since becoming head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in 2002, Hawass says the latest recoveries bring to 31,000 the number of relics brought back to Egypt.
Egypt is due to host a conference in April demanding the return of its antiquities, stolen but on display in museums around the world.
Thirty countries, including Greece, Mexico, Peru, Afghanistan, Iraq, Cambodia and China, will participate in the Cairo gathering.
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catherine tabone
Mar 8th 2010, 16:18
(i) no amount of road building, etc. can justify carrying off a nation's artefacts to sombody else's museum (or elsewhere for that matter) even if that happens to be the British Museum as is the case here; and (ii) one cannot compare or set off the value of an artefact (in this case a prehistoric one) to that of all the roads and railways in any country. Its like comparing diamonds with apples. Well done Egypt.
Jesmond Micallef
Mar 5th 2010, 18:09
Brian Farrugia, The British may also ask to have their language back too !!! Why not, it makes room for Esperanto as a world language. A very prominent ex British Politician did tell the American people that they are still learning English, not that long ago ........ !!!
Brian Farrugia
Mar 5th 2010, 12:26
Yes Arthur, I agree. But be careful, what if the British ask for all the roads and railways back that they built throughout their Empire.Most of the countries they left would have to revert back to camels and horseback.
Stephen Borg Cardona
Mar 4th 2010, 20:59
La Vallette`s sword anyone ?
Arthur Ellul
Mar 4th 2010, 17:55
Great News Indeed
this will permit open negotiations for the return back to Malta of artefracts such as the Domedes silver cannon, all bronze cannons, all the drapes and flages on display in the tower of London bearing the coat of arms of the grand masters and langues of the order of St John, which were removed from the island during colonial rule behind the excuse of safe keeping.
Heritage Malta, please start rolling the ball now, ACT NOW.