Archaeological Views: A Case Against the Repatriation of Archaeological Artifacts
By Rachel Hallote
When I proposed a column to BAR editor Hershel Shanks on the issue of repatriation of artifacts to the country of origin, he said it was not something that engaged him. It didn’t matter to him, he said, where an artifact was located as long as it was available to scholars to examine and study, and was available to the public to see and appreciate. But Hershel is wrong. There is more to it than this. The real problem with repatriating artifacts is the sacrifice of one country’s history for the sake of another.
It is well worth the short read. Today many "Eastern" countries are demanding the "return" of artifacts from Western museums. But where is the best place for these? Is it right to deprive everyone in the US and Europe a view of these usually legitimately obtained artifacts? Also modern governments aren't the same as ancient ones or the ones in place when the artifacts moved to the west. But read the article, it is far more eloquent than I am.
~Matt
-- Posted from my iPhone
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