Egypt Wants Rosetta Stone and Other Artifacts Returned
(DailyVantage.com) – Napoleon Bonaparte gave up several artifacts as part of the conditions of the Treaty of Alexandria in 1801. The famous Rosetta Stone, a granitoid slab with a decree inscribed in three languages, ancient Greek, Hieroglyphics, and Demotic, was one of the most famous pieces. In 1802, the antiquity landed in the British Museum’s possession, and it’s remained there ever since. Over the years, many have submitted petitions requesting a return of the Rosetta Stone to its rightful home: Egypt. Now, the museum may receive another.
The most recent petition comes at the behest of several prominent archaeologists and has already gained more than 2,500 signatures. It calls on Egypt’s Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, to submit an official request to British officials to retrieve the Rosetta Stone and 16 other artifacts, which the signatories believe the institution obtained illegally.
Thousands of Egyptians are demanding that the Rosetta Stone be returned to its home, saying its place in the British Museum "supports past colonial endeavors of cultural violence."
The artifact has been in English hands since Napolean gave it up in 1801.https://t.co/OwSDfwrznb
— NPR (@NPR) October 12, 2022
This petition could finally return the Rosetta Stone to Egypt. Throughout the last several decades, societal attitudes regarding items collected unethically or seized from their rightful owners have changed. Some people believe the British authorities could be more agreeable to returning the relic and other artifacts.
The last attempt to recover the monolith was in November 2010 at the request of Zahi Hawass, an Egyptian antiquities expert.
Do you think the Rosetta Stone will finally find its way home more than 200 years later?
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