Egyptians are calling on the British Museum to return the 2,200-year-old Rosetta Stone ahead of the 200-year anniversary of the decipherment of hieroglyphics.
One of the most famous objects in the British Museum, the Rosetta Stone is a granodiorite stele inscribed with hieroglyphs, ancient Greek and demotic.
It was acquired by the institution in London in 1802 and is currently the centrepiece of a new exhibition, ‘Hieroglyphs: unlocking ancient Egypt’.
Monica Hanna, dean at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, has organised a petition calling for the stone’s return.
Thousands petition for stone’s return
She said (via Evening Standard): “The British Museum’s holding of the stone is a symbol of Western cultural violence against Egypt.”
Hanna’s petition, which has 4,200 signatures, says the stone was seized illegally. Another petition by Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass has more than 100,000 signatures.
“The Rosetta Stone is the icon of Egyptian identity. The British Museum has no right to show this artefact to the public,” Hawass told the The National earlier this year.
The former antiquities minister hopes to see the Rosetta Stone on view in the new Grand Egyptian Museum, which will house more than 100,000 artefacts from around 3,000 years of ancient Egyptian history.
Museum objects to be repatriated
Museums across the globe are in the process of returning artefacts to their countries of origin. This week, London’s Horniman Museum handed over ownership of six artefacts, including two Benin bronzes, to the Nigerian government.
The institution is returning a total of 72 artefacts, including 12 Benin bronzes, to Nigeria following a request by Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM).
The Horniman’s move puts pressure on the British Museum to follow suit. Nick Merriman, chief executive of the Horniman, said (via Sky News): “Journalists who ask me about the Benin return always want to ask me about the British Museum.
“I would rather talk about what an excellent example the Horniman is, rather than answer questions about the British Museum.”
