Egypt calls for the return of Rosetta Stone
STORY: Egyptian archeologists call for the return of the Rosetta Stone
from the British Museum to Egypt
The Rosetta Stone dates back to 196 BC
and was unearthed by Napoleon's army in northern Egypt in 1799
It bears inscriptions that were used to decipher Hieroglyphs
opening up understanding of ancient Egyptian language and culture
The stone has been housed at the British Museum since 1802
Egyptian archeologists have called for its return before
They hope the increasing moves by Western museums to return artefacts
that were removed from countries under colonial rule will help their cause
[Monica Hanna, The College of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage]
"This is the first time there's actually a public involvement in pushing the state to act on behalf of the people, that it’s not just a request from the government, it’s a request from the people. So I think these combined will... I am sure all these objects eventually are going to be restituted because the ethical code of museums is changing. It’s just a matter of when, in one year, in two years, in three years, in five years? And who will have the courage to take such decision? Who will be able to correct the mistakes of history and who will choose to stay on the colonialist imperialist side? I think it’s a telling situation.”
A British Museum spokesperson says there has been no formal request
from the Egyptian government for the return of the Rosetta Stone