Looted Artifacts
Most of the artifacts were unlawfully possessed.
Experts signed a petition that says the precious 2,200-year-stone, which enabled the deciphering of hieroglyphs in 1822-1824, must be returned to its country of origin.
Hawass plans to get the petition signed by Egypt’s historians and intellectuals and send it to Europe in October.
Among these 30 pieces are Hindu religious sculptures from the 10th century, and others from the same period for the deity Ganesh.
It was probably stolen by an Allied soldier during WWII and was purchased at Texas Flea Store for $34.99.
The UK is known to have resisted calls from successive Greek governments to return the sculptures.
The agreement signed by Egypt and Italy in the field of importing smuggled antiquities in 2008 was a major reason for returning numerous looted artifacts throughout the years.
According to the PUNCH website, the Egyptian Government has offered to assist Nigeria in the preservation of the 1,130 looted Benin bronzes being expected in the country from Germany.
Today marks the 108th anniversary of the discovery of the head statue of the Pharaonic Queen Nefertiti, the wife of King Akhenaten, precisely on December 7, 1912 by the German archaeologist Ludwig Borchard.
