British Museum under pressure to return 900 looted artefacts (2024)

FAQs

Should the British Museum return looted artifacts? ›

There's literally a British law forbidding it; the British Museum Act 1963 was created to make it illegal to give looted and nicked treasures back to the people we looted and nicked them from. It's a convenient excuse, really: 'Can I please have this artefact back?

British Museum refuses to return Benin Bronzes

Clearly, they don't believe that Nigerians can take care of these prized objects and the Bronzes will be better preserved in their possession for all the world to see via its online portal, touring exhibition, and loans programme.

It is morally correct, and reflects basic property laws, that stolen or looted property should be returned to its rightful owner. Cultural objects belong together with the cultures that created them; these objects are a crucial part of contemporary cultural and political identity.

Over the years The British Museum has bought large parts of its collection from individual collectors, dealers and the commercial market, developing and expanding upon the founding collections.

If the return of these artifacts cannot guarantee their proper safety and preservation, many museum curators argue that they should not be returned. There is also the bigger concern of private companies and museums that would lose financial opportunities from the loss of artifacts.

By tradition, the tabots are supposed to be kept out of public view and can only be looked at by priests. Museum trustees have cited the British Museum Act of 1963 which prohibits the museum from permanently returning items.

The British Museum argues that the sculptures in their collection should remain in London because there's nowhere to house them in Greece and that the Greek authorities can't look after them.

The Walls were ravaged by the British in 1897 in the “Punitive Expedition” led by Rear-Admiral Harry Rawson in retaliation for the so-called “Benin Massacre” (a surprise attack on British forces attempting to capture Benin City.) Much of the art looted at the time is still on display at the British Museum.

When British forces defeated the French in Egypt, the stone and over a dozen other antiquities were handed over to the British under the terms of an 1801 surrender deal between the generals of the two sides. It has remained in the British Museum since.

By returning the artefacts to these countries, they can be displayed for local people to experience aspects of their culture that they have been denied, learning from the past and reflecting on their history and culture.

Should we return artefacts? ›

Yes because… Artefacts belong to their country of origin; repatriation is the right thing to do. They have a unique connection with the place where they were produced and are an essential part of the cultural history of that area.

When an artifact is conserved to retain its current condition, it preserves the truth of the historical story for generations to come.

The oldest European book, British Library

For centuries, the book lay in the coffin of St Cuthbert, an early Christian leader buried on the island of Lindisfarne, England around 698 CE.

1. Rosetta Stone. Appearing on all British Museum top 10 lists, The Rosetta Stone should be your first stop when visiting the museum. Dating from 196 BC the Rosetta Stone contains 3 languages: hieroglyphic, Greek and Demotic; and was the key to modern scholars ability to translate Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Rosetta Stone

The key that unlocked ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, the Rosetta Stone is one of the Museum's most famous objects.

There are many ways to get rid of unwanted items, including donating to charitable organizations, antique stores, or galleries. You could even go the old-fashioned route and have a garage sale or advertise free pieces for pick up on social media.

Archeologists excavate artifacts from archeological sites. Artifacts are not souvenirs! Leave the artifact where you found it. Please don't pick it up, move it, throw it, put it in your pocket or your bag, or bury it.

Once an artifact is removed from its archaeological context, its value to archaeological researchers is greatly reduced. While we all love looking at a beautiful artifact, there is much less information to be gained from an item out of context than one recovered with accurate provenience data.

Six artefacts looted by British troops 125 years ago from Benin City, in what is now Nigeria, are being repatriated to their place of origin, increasing pressure on the British Museum to follow suit.

The British Museum is home to around 8 million objects. The reality that many of these artefacts – around 99 percent of which are not placed on public display, but hoarded away in the institution's private archives – were forcibly taken has led to decades-long demands for their restitution.

Does the British Museum have Native American artifacts? ›

From a ceremonial mask of the indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast of America to an ancient Maya hieroglyphic stairway recreated in Lancashire limestone, the objects within the collection have a rich and complex story to tell.

Perhaps the most impassioned argument for the return of the Parthenon sculptures is that the pieces represent a vital and central part of Greek cultural heritage. That they are the most prominent and symbolic link that modern Athens and modern Athenians have with the greatness of their ancient ancestors.

While Athens's new Acropolis Museum, inaugurated in 2009, could house the treasures, the British Museum has been reluctant to back their return to Greece because it would spell the end of a major London tourist attraction.

According to this argument, had the marbles remained in Athens, they likely would have shared the same fate as other ancient sculptures that were destroyed and mutilated. The Parthenon itself has experienced significant architectural and cultural alterations throughout the centuries.

In the 1100s the Ogisos lost control of their kingdom. The Edo people feared that their country would fall into chaos, so they asked their neighbour, the King of Ife, for help. The king sent his son Prince Oranmiyan to restore peace to the Edo kingdom.

They covered 6,500 sq km and were all dug by the Edo people … They took an estimated 150 million hours of digging to construct, and are perhaps the largest single archaeological phenomenon on the planet”. Barely any trace of these walls exist today.

Obaseki played a crucial role in the events leading to the Fall of Benin from the Punitive Expedition of 1897. He had organized a defence of Benin and accompanied Oba Ovonramwen during his escape from British rocket fire.

It became British property after Napoleon's defeat under the terms of the 1801 Treaty of Alexandria, along with other antiquities found by the French, and was shipped to Britain. It has been housed at the British Museum since 1802.

The British museum will return over 70 artifacts that were looted in 1897. Catch up on the developing stories making headlines.

Originally part of a taller slab, the surviving fragment contains 14 lines in hieroglyphic script, 32 in Demotic and 53 in ancient Greek. The top and bottom right sections of the stone remain unaccounted for despite archaeologists' efforts to locate them.

What is the value of cultural artifacts? ›

Cultural artifacts, whether ancient or current, have a significance because they offer an insight into: technological processes, economic development and social structure, among other attributes.

Do Museums Buy Objects? Many museums do purchase the objects that they display to the public. The process of acquiring objects for a museum collection is called “acquisitions.” There are many ways that a museum can acquire objects, such as through donations, bequests, or purchases.

Artifacts are immensely useful to scholars who want to learn about a culture. Archaeologists excavate areas in which ancient cultures lived and use the artifacts found there to learn about the past.

In Singleplayer, artifacts are set to respawn after 30 minutes (since v260. 0). It is also possible that it is not at its expected place when teleporting using setplayerpos command to its coordinates or the player conquered the cave too fast. It might appear after a while waiting in that area.

To receive the 'Burnt Offering' reward, at least 10 artifacts must have already been donated that include the Rare Disc and Dwarf Gadget. The 11th (or later) donation that meets these conditions will earn the 'Burnt Offering.'

For decades Egypt has been demanding the return of its historic artefacts, many of which are today spread across the world in museums from Switzerland to the USA.

Artifacts should be stored in archival-safe, chemically stable material such as acid-free boxes, tissue, foam, folders and hangers.

Historic preservation is an important way for us to transmit our understanding of the past to future generations. Our nation's history has many facets, and historic preservation helps tell these stories.

Preservation measures include providing a suitable storage environment and preparing the artifact appropriately for long-term storage. Every museum should have a collections storage area that is separate from the exhibit and office areas. The space should be used to house artifact collections only.

The move is the first time a UK government-funded institution has agreed to hand back treasures looted by British forces. Two other Benin bronzes – a co*ckerel sculpture held by Jesus College, Cambridge, and the head of an oba (ruler) held by Aberdeen University – have also been returned from Britain to Nigeria.

Why did the Oba of Benin stop communicating with the British? ›

Benin was also under threat from Britain who wanted to gain control of Benin's rich natural resources (palm oil and rubber). The Oba tried to stop all contact with Britain, but the British insisted on their right to trade.

Why are the Benin Bronzes important? The return of some of the Benin Bronzes is part of a wider move to repatriate items which were stolen by colonialists to their native lands.

There has been controversy surrounding the Royal Museum for Central Africa. It had previously been called a museum that "has remained frozen in time". No mention was made of the pillage of resources and atrocities in the Congo Free State, nor during Belgium's larger colonial era.

In the 1960s, civil and political unrest in Nigeria contributed to many refugees migrating to Britain, along with skilled workers. Nigerians emigrated in larger numbers in the 1980s, following the collapse of the petroleum boom.

There are over 900 objects from the historic Kingdom of Benin in the British Museum's collection. Over 100 can be seen in a permanent changing display within the Museum's galleries.

The Walls of Benin, one of Africa's ancient architectural marvels, were destroyed by the British in 1897 during what has become known as the Punitive Expedition. This shocking act destroyed more than a thousand years of Benin history and some of the earliest evidence of rich African civilisations.

Obaseki played a crucial role in the events leading to the Fall of Benin from the Punitive Expedition of 1897. He had organized a defence of Benin and accompanied Oba Ovonramwen during his escape from British rocket fire.

When Adams Oshiomhole anointed Agho Obaseki's grandson, Godwin Obaseki , his successor as Governor of Edo State, he never imagined he would be betrayed by Obaseki in barely three years.

They have a unique connection with the place where they were produced and are an essential part of the cultural history of that area. That link should be honoured by returning the artefacts to the place where they were originally made and used.

How many Benin Bronzes were stolen? ›

The Nigerian government on Tuesday reclaimed 31 stolen Benin Bronze models from three U.S. Museums after 125 years.

A new state-of-the-art and seismically safe Royal BC Museum (RBCM) is coming to Victoria and will be more accessible for all British Columbians. The new museum will reflect the experiences and perspectives of all who contributed to B.C.'s history, providing a cultural legacy for generations to come.

That document stated that the museum is beyond its useful life and is seismically unsafe for visitors, staff, collections and exhibits. And it showed that replacing the museum on its current site would cost less than repairing or upgrading the existing facilities.

“A museum stores memory, or culture,” explains Köhler. But here, like in other museums around the world, many works rarely if ever see the light of day. A spatial deficit is only one reason why not. Another is fashion: some holdings no longer fit their institutions' curatorial missions.