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Each group will be assigned ONE case study of a work of art that was taken from its country of origin:

1. The Rosetta Stone

2. The Benin Bronzes

3. The Kohinoor

4. The Elgin Marbles

5. The Nefertiti Bust

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Possible stakeholders to consider:

Government of the country of origin

Government of the country that acquired it

Private owner that acquired it

Activists/experts/NGOs fighting for their return

Average citizens of the country of origin

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The Elgin Marbles are a collection of marble sculptures that were part of the Parthenon (the temple of Athena) and other structures in the Acropolis of Athens. The Acropolis is the main historical site that stands today in Athens, originating from ancient Greek times. The marble temples on the Acropolis were dedicated to various gods from ancient Greek mythology. The sculptures, which were built to be part of these temples, depicted prominent legends from Greek mythology.

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it originated from the West African Kingdom of Benin (present day Nigeria) between and 13th the 16th century, by artists of the Edo people

specialist guilds were working for the royal court of the Oba (king) in Benin city, thus creating it

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The Nefertiti Bust is a painted stucco-coated limestone bust of Nefertiti, the Great Royal Wife of Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten.The work is believed to have been crafted in 1345 BCE by Thutmose because it was found in his workshop in Amarna, Egypt. It is one of the most-copied works of ancient Egypt. Nefertiti has become one of the most famous women of the ancient world and an icon of feminine beauty.

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The marbles were removed by agents of Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, from Greece in 1801 and shipped to the United Kingdom.

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it was looted in 1897 by the British empire who sent troops to steal artifacts for the kingdom, also avenging deaths of James Phillips and other explorers

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“It is a unique and irreplaceable artefacts,” Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) said in an emailed statement.

Germany claim that the division of architectural finds in Amarna was legal and that Nefertiti’s statue was Berlin’s share, as per the German Deutsche Welle website.

However, Egypt accuses Borchardt of wrapping the bust to conceal its value and smuggling it out of the country. Former Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs of Egypt Hawass confirmed that Egypt was able to prove that the bust of Queen Nefertiti left Egypt illegally and that it was stolen. Therefore, it must be returned.

According to the Egyptian authorities, Borchardt sneaked the bust out of Egypt under a coating of clay and shipped it to Germany.He deliberately described the artwork as the portrait of a royal princess made of plaster, although he knew that it was a limestone statue of Queen Nefertiti.

“It is clear from all the records that Borchardt recognized immediately the unique nature and artistic quality of this piece, as well as its historical importance,” the SCA said.

The Nefertiti bust has become not only a defining emblem of ancient Egypt, but also a symbol of the grave impact that European colonialism has had on Egypt's history and culture. It has been the subject of an intense argument between Egypt and Germany over Egyptian demands for its repatriation, which began in 1924, once the bust was first displayed to the public, and more generally it fuelled discussions over the role museums play in undoing colonialism.

Read more: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2020/10/egypt-germany-nefertiti-bust-claim-stolen-antiquities.html#ixzz7zP08NaPZ
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/wbna41239337

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Egypt formally demanded the return of the 3,300-year-old bust of Queen Nefertiti, saying it was sneaked out of the country illegally.

Dating from the 14th century B.C., the 19-inch painted limestone bust is credited with making Nefertiti famous worldwide.

Renowned as one of history's great beauties, Nefertiti (1370 B.C.-about 1330 B.C.) was the royal wife of the "heretic" pharaoh Akhenaton, who initiated a new monotheistic religion that involved the worship of the sun god Aton.

Missing one eye, the portrait shows the beautiful queen with a long, slender neck, elegantly arched brows and a tall, blue crown.

"It is a unique and irreplaceable artifact," Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) said in an emailed statement.

The statement added that an official request for restitution was made to Hermann Parzinger, president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation in Berlin, which oversees all of Germany's state museums, after "four years of research by a legal committee composed of famous legal personnel and Egyptologists."

The bust was unearthed in 1912 by German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt in the workshop of the court sculptor Thutmose at the ancient site of Amarna.

According to the Egyptian authorities, Borchardt sneaked the bust out of Egypt under a coating of clay and shipped it to Germany.

He deliberately described the artwork as the portrait of a royal princess made of plaster, although he knew that it was a limestone statue of Queen Nefertiti.

"It is clear from all the records that Borchardt recognized immediately the unique nature and artistic quality of this piece, as well as its historical importance," the SCA said.

Egypt first requested the restitution of the statue in the 1930s, but Germany always denied any request, insisting that the bust was obtained legally.

In 2007 Germany even refused to lend the statue for a three-month exhibition in Egypt, saying that Nefertiti's bust was too fragile to transport.

The latest Egyptian request will be no exception, according to a statement by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation.

"The foundation's position regarding a return of the bust of Nefertiti is unchanged. She is and remains Egypt's best ambassador in Berlin," the foundation president, Hermann Parzinger, said.

Currently on display at Berlin's Neues Museum as Inventory No. AM 21300, the limestone bust is first on the wish list of five important objects that Egypt hopes to have returned.

The secretary general of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, Dr. Zahi Hawass, claims to have secured the return of some 5,000 treasures during his SCA tenure, the list includes the Zodiac of Dendera at the Louvre museum; the Rosetta Stone at the British museum; the bust of Achhaf, the builder of the Chephren Pyramid, at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston; and a statue of Hemiunu, the nephew of Pharaoh Khufu, from Germany's Roemer-Pelizaeu museum.

"The bust of Nefertiti, upon its return, will be exhibited at the Akhenaten Museum in Minya opening in early 2012," Hawass said.

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Egypt wants bust of Queen Nefertiti back

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Egypt formally demanded the return of the 3,300-year-old bust of Queen Nefertiti, saying it was sneaked out of the country illegally. Dating from the 14th century B.C., the 19-inch painted limestone bust is credited with making Nefertiti famous worldwide. Renowned as one of history's great beauties, Nefertiti (1370 B.C.-about 1330 B.C.)

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A German archaeological team led by Ludwig Borchardt discovered the bust in 1912 during an excavation of a middle Egyptian site of Tell el-Amarna

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Descendants of slaves in America claim that the bronzes are also a part of heritage of descendants of slaves in America and that returning them would deny them of the opportunity to experience their culture and heritage.

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1. It would be able to be enjoyed by more people in the UK than the museum in Athens, Greece (more accessible/made available). Their installation at the British Museum is one of Britain’s most significant contributions to the world’s understanding of Ancient Greek history
2. Lord Elgin had legal permission, received firman which is a royal mandate or decree issued by the sovereign in historical Islamic started from the Sultan, which permitted the removal of the marbles. Therefore Lord Elgin acted with full knowledge and permission of the legal authorities of the day.

Stakeholders: British

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- From Egypt
- An Egyptian king, Ptolemy V Ebiphanes, ordered people to inscribe hieroglyphics, demotic script and the Greek language into the stone.
- It contains a copy of a decree to celebrate the anniversary of the coronation of the king.

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1. The German authorities have the strong argument that their museums on Berlin’s Museum Island are some of the most modern and fully-resourced places for ancient artefacts in the world. They believe that Egypt is not “capable” enough to care for this priceless work of art.

2. In the world of modern archaeology, museum curatorship and research, money and numbers come top of most agendas. The Altes Museum was pulling in 500,000 visitors each year with Nefertiti as their most important exhibit. If the Neues Museum lost her, they would lose many visitors and and there  would be the financial impact. This is the perspective of the German Govt.
(It could also be argued that the bust on display in Berlin is a very good advert for Egyptian tourism could they also lose out financially, especially so that it originally belongs in Egypt. However, the German govt only cares about their economic gains)

3. Another reason is that the bust should not be moved is because it is made of a core of sculpted limestone and then finished with a layer of render that gives her that super-smooth look, is actually too fragile to go anywhere. The curator of the Altes Museum, Dietrich Wildung, has been quoted as saying: “It is an enormous risk to let her travel.” The museum is backed up by German Culture Minister Bernd Neumann, who has been quoted as saying: “We could never be certain that she would arrive in good health. They claim that the limestone bust with its plaster layers is very delicate and could be damaged by vibrations or changes in temperature.

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Many Indians – including Parliamentarians – believe the diamond was “stolen" during the colonial era and should rightfully be returned. The return of the Kohinoor could also potentially resolve or ease Indo-Britain tensions.

It has a history of being part of war booty or trophies taken as the result of war in South Asia. So in a lot of ways, it is a symbol of plunder(military operation) and represents the long history of plunder imperialism.

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The Koh-i-Noor was formally presented to Queen Victoria on 3 July 1850 at Buckingham Palace by the deputy chairman of the East India Company. The date had been chosen to coincide with the Company's 250th anniversary.

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Many pieces were commissioned for the Benin Kingdom ancestral altars of past Obas (king) and Queen Mothers. So, the Benin bronzes are significant culturally and historically, and the historical and cultural legacies of a nation reside in these arts. Resisting the return of the Benin Bronzes is not only an affront to Nigerians, it also robs them of their connection to their ancestors and past.

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It was first found by the French and was surrendered to the British in 1801.

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The Secretary-General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of antiquities asked for the return of the stone to Egypt because it is an icon of the Egyptian identity and it was stolen by the british through questionable means. Returning the stone is seen as the symbolic gesture of respect for Egypt’s cultural heritage.

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Since the diamond was voluntarily given to the British while Duleep Singh was exiled to Britain, it is justified to some extent that it should continue to be kept with the British. Furthermore, the diamond has been a part of the Queen’s crown since the 19the century, and remains an integral part of British history. The British government believes that the diamond was obtained through legal means, and that they deserve the right to continue keeping the diamond.

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The Kohinoor is known as one of the largest diamond in the world and is known for being the biggest diamond on the British's monarch crown. It was originally from India but ended up in Britain as India gave it voluntarily as a compensation for the British's contributions in the Sikh war.

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The marbles were obtained illegally and unethically and hence should be returned to their rightful owner. Although the British may claim that they were given permission to acquire the sculptures from the Ottoman Empire which colonised Greece, the people of Greece were ultimately subject to the oppression of the Ottoman Empire as well. The people of Greece did not have any say in the acquisition and did not give their consent to it. As they are part of the unique cultural heritage of Greece, they ought to be returned.

Especially today when tourism is the leading industry in the Greek economy, it is all the more important that Greece regains the ownership of these sculptures that were rightfully theirs, so that they can restore the temples of Acropolis to as much of their former glory as possible, not only for their own benefit of boosting cultural identity but also to reap the economic benefits of bolstered tourism.

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The British Museum has kept the stone safe for over 200 years and played a role in the conservation of the stone. It also allowed the significance of the stone to be known globally. They were also the ones who deciphered the meaning behind the inscriptions on the stone.