What Are Egypt’s Chances of Reclaiming Artifacts from Britain?

The Rosetta Stone is among 110,000 Egyptian artifacts in the British Museum (Getty Images)
The Rosetta Stone is among 110,000 Egyptian artifacts in the British Museum (Getty Images)
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What Are Egypt’s Chances of Reclaiming Artifacts from Britain?

The Rosetta Stone is among 110,000 Egyptian artifacts in the British Museum (Getty Images)
The Rosetta Stone is among 110,000 Egyptian artifacts in the British Museum (Getty Images)

The ongoing controversy surrounding the theft of artifacts from the British Museum in London has raised questions about Egypt’s chances of reclaiming its treasures from Britain.

Egyptian archaeologists have viewed the incident as “possibly an opportunity to renew the demand for the return of the Rosetta Stone displayed in the British Museum.”

Approximately two thousand art pieces were stolen from the British Museum, with some of them recently recovered.

This incident led to the resignation of the museum’s director, Hartwig Fischer, and the stepping aside of his deputy, Jonathan Williams, pending the completion of investigations.

They faced significant pressure since the announcement on August 16, 2022, regarding the loss of a series of artifacts from the museum’s collections, some dating back to the fifteenth century BCE.

Renowned Egyptologist and former Egyptian Minister of Antiquities, Dr. Zahi Hawass, has called for the retrieval of the Rosetta Stone in light of the recent incident.

In a press statement, he stated that what occurred at the British Museum was a “major catastrophe.”

He further emphasized that the presence of the Rosetta Stone in the British Museum was a “grave error” because this stone is an icon of Egyptian antiquities, and its rightful place should be in the Grand Egyptian Museum in Egypt.

The history of the discovery of the Rosetta Stone dates back to July 1799 when it was found by one of the French officers during Napoleon Bonaparte’s campaign in the city of Rosetta.

After Napoleon’s forces withdrew from Egypt, ownership of the stone, along with a collection of other artifacts discovered by the French in Egypt, was transferred to Britain under the terms of the Treaty of Alexandria in 1801.

Article 14 of the treaty explicitly stated that “France cedes the stone and all antiquities discovered by it in Egypt to Britain.”

Consequently, the stone has been part of the British Museum’s exhibits in London since 1802.



Elizabeth Strout, Miranda July are Among Finalists for the Women's Prize for Fiction

Yael Van Der Wouden arrives at the Booker Prize award dinner in London, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (ΑΡ Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)
Yael Van Der Wouden arrives at the Booker Prize award dinner in London, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (ΑΡ Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)
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Elizabeth Strout, Miranda July are Among Finalists for the Women's Prize for Fiction

Yael Van Der Wouden arrives at the Booker Prize award dinner in London, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (ΑΡ Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)
Yael Van Der Wouden arrives at the Booker Prize award dinner in London, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (ΑΡ Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)

American authors Elizabeth Strout and Miranda July are among finalists announced Wednesday for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, alongside four debut novelists exploring the search for freedom in different countries and cultures.

Pulitzer Prize winner Strout’s Maine-set mystery novel “Tell Me Everything” and writer'-filmmaker July’s “All Fours,” in which a “semi-famous artist” seeks a new life, are shortlisted for the 30,000 pound ($39,000) prize. It's open to female English-language writers from any country.

The contenders also include Dutch writer Yael van der Wouden’s postwar story “The Safekeep” and German-born poet Aria Aber’s novel “Good Girl,” about a teenager exploring her dual German-Afghan heritage.

Also on the list are Iran-born writer Sanam Mahloudji’s intergenerational family saga “The Persians,” and “Fundamentally” by Britain's Nussaibah Younis, about an academic trying to rehabilitate women caught up with ISIS, The AP news reported.

Author Kit de Waal, who is chairing the panel of judges, said that the six books were “classics of the future” that explored “the importance of human connection.”

“What is surprising and refreshing is to see so much humor, nuance and lightness employed by these novelists to shed light on challenging concepts,” she said.

Previous winners of the fiction prize, founded in 1996, include Zadie Smith, Tayari Jones and Barbara Kingsolver.

Last year, award organizers launched a companion Women’s Prize for Nonfiction to help rectify an imbalance in publishing. In 2022, only 26.5% of nonfiction books reviewed in Britain’s newspapers were by women, and male writers dominated established nonfiction writing prizes.

Winners of both nonfiction and fiction prizes will be announced on June 12 at a ceremony in London.