Sunday, December 06, 2009

News: Egypt to demand the Rosetta Stone

Times Online (Christina Ruiz)

Not really "news" if you've been following the repatriation themes recently.

Hawass first asked the British Museum to lend the Rosetta Stone to Egypt for a temporary display. However, he was angered when trustees asked him to provide assurances that the stone would be safe.

"The [security] standards of our new museums in Egypt are better than the standards of security at the British Museum and therefore I decided that we are not going to ask for a loan. We are going to bring [it back] for good," said Hawass.

He is launching a new book on egyptology at the British Museum on Tuesday, but he is unlikely to make a formal request for the permanent return of the stone until next spring.

A spokeswoman for the British Museum said it was considering Egypt's request to borrow the stone and that asking for information about the conditions of display was standard for any loan request.

No comments: