Monday, November 24, 2008

Egypt faces obstacles in recovering antiquities

Associated Press

More than half a century ago, a prominent Egyptian archaeologist unearthed a stunning ancient mummy mask at the Saqqara pyramids near Cairo — the golden image of a noblewoman's face.

Mohammed Zakaria Ghoneim deposited the 3,200-year-old relic in a warehouse at Saqqara, where he meticulously documented his discovery. Seven years later, in 1959, Egyptian records show it was still in the same storeroom.

What happened to the burial mask of Ka Nefer Nefer in the four decades that followed is a mystery.

It resurfaced in 1998 when the St. Louis Art Museum acquired it. And now it is at the center of one of the most acrimonious fights in the antiquities world.

The case lays bare the complexities involved in growing efforts by Egypt and other countries to reclaim artifacts stolen or looted from their ancient civilizations.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

If it is too much for you, shut the blog down. The hit or miss operation is pathetic.

Anonymous said...

'Anonymous',
What a stupid, mean spirited thing to say under the cover of anonymity!

It's not easy to keep a blog going such as this, it takes constant research.

I appreciate the efforts here!

Andie said...

Anonymous - This blog is very kindly being run by Ben in my absence. He is doing a great job, and as Joan says your comments are very mean spirited.

In any event, I have no real idea of what you mean, in this context by "hit or miss". Perhaps you should consider your own style of communication before denegrating that of others.

Ben has full time commitments elsewhere and this blog, which is not his responsibility, already takes up far too much of his time.

The solution is very simple. Simply stop visiting.

Thanks for your input Joan - very much appreciated.