One of the first artifacts that visitors see in the entrance of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo is a fake. It is a reproduction of the Rosetta Stone and unfortunately it is not the only replica.
Today I found out on BBC News that Egyptian Archeologists will travel to the Louvre Museum to collect five ancient fresco fragments stolen from a tomb in the Vally of the Kings in the 1980's but it is reported that there are many other stolen antiquities which they also want back.
The original Rosetta Stone is kept in British Museum. The Stone dates back to 196 BC and was very important for the modern decipherment of the hieroglyphics because it has two Egyptian language scripts (hieroglyphs and demotic) and one in classical Greek. It was discovered by the french in 1799 and given to the English under the terms of the treaty of Alexandria is one the most high profile items that Egypt's chief archeologist would like returned.
Another artifacts that they wish to be returned is the 3,500-year-old bust of Queen Nefertiti, wife of the famous Pharaoh Akhenaten that I mentioned before in this blog.
It is also reported in BBC News that thousands of artifacts were spirited out of Egypt during the period of colonial rule and afterwards by archeologists, adventurers and thieves. According to a 1972 United Nations agreement, artifacts are the property of their country of origin and pieces smuggled out must be returned.
"I am very happy that story became very big because this will warn every museum all over the world not to buy stolen artifacts," says Mr Hawass. (Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities) "This will preserve the heritage not only of Egypt but of whole World."
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