Museum Repatriation The Egyptian Revolution - 1039 Words

Museum Repatriation In 2011, the Egyptian Revolution sparked not only dramatic social and political changes in Egypt, but also drastic changes around the world. For years the former Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs, Zahi Hawass, unapologetically demanded the return of some of Ancient Egypt’s most valuable treasures including: the Rosetta Stone, the Statue of Hatshepsut, the Luxor Obelisk, the Zodiac Ceiling and Nefertiti’s Bust. He went as far as to formally demand them back and label them as ‘stolen artifacts’, even though he openly admitted Egypt has no legal claim to them. The chances of these artifacts being returned were incredibly slim even before the Egyptian Revolution, but after Egypt had no chance of reclaiming†¦show more content†¦Once a country obtains an item legally, they have the right to do whatever they want with it, including destroy it. The middle east is not a safe place for history (let alone people) right now. So, why would we sen d these artifacts back where they re not safe? One danger of keeping large quantities of artifacts together, is that if there were a disaster, it would affect all of them instead of only a few. The Louvre in Paris alone contains over 35,000 objects. If there were to be a natural disaster, it would affect all of these artifacts. However, many preventative measures are taken. EXPAND (What measures? Louvre fire 1999, example. Mona Lisa security.) Accessibility Along with the safety of the artifacts in certain countries in the middle east and Egypt, it s also not safe for visitors, especially from the United States, which makes the items much less accessible. A good example of this is Nefertiti’s bust. The famous bust was discovered by a German team in 1912, and has been displayed in Berlin since 1913 (with the exception of WWII when she was hidden in a salt mine for safety reasons). She is prominently displayed at the Neues Museum where over one million people visit her per year. In 2014, 9.8 million people visited Egypt, while 28.7 million people visited Berlin alone (VistitBerlin.de). HerShow MoreRelatedThe Recent Repatriation Laws Set Up By Egypt And The Subsequent Demands From The United States2160 Words   |  9 PagesThe recent repatriation laws set up by Egypt and the subsequent demands from other nations have stirred up great debates over who is to have possession over the priceless ancient artifacts. In the last few decades many countries including Egypt have proclaimed that they want the return of many of their uncovered artifacts. Egypt s demands stretch from museums in the United States to Europe, with growing controversy from both sides as to who rightfully owns these historical artifacts. Simply putRead MoreMuseums Essays10752 Words   |  44 PagesMuseum Museum, institution dedicated to helping people understand and appreciate the natural world, the history of civilizations, and the record of humanity’s artistic, scientific, and technological achievements. Museums collect objects of scientific, aesthetic, or historical importance; care for them; and study, interpret, and exhibit them for the purposes of public education and the advancement of knowledge. There are museums in almost every major city in the world and in many smaller communitiesRead MoreRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 Pagesstability.8 Callam starts in the right direction but ends his discussion by interpreting the Rastafarian movement in terms of Troeltschs church-sect typology, and thus he concludes that the Rastafarian emphases on individualism, sojourning, and repatriation militate against the emergence of formal organizational structures and, by implication, genuine routinization.9 These scholars have failed to afï ¬ rm the routinization of Rastafari primarily because they have uncritically accepted the idea that