Egypt Suspends Louvre Saqqara Excavations over Stolen Artefacts
Egypt has decided to suspend all archaeological cooperation with the Louvre, after the French museum refused to return fragments of a Theban Tomb. The news was confirmed today by Dr. Zahi Hawass, head of Egypt's antiquities department. The artefacts were excavated in a tomb near Luxor, and according to Dr. Hawass were stolen by the French. This decision endangers planned conferences at the Louvre, as well as the French team's current excavations at Saqqara, the 'city of the dead'. A boycott of the Louvre's Egyptological activities also ensures no archeological expeditions sponsored by the French museum could go ahead in Egypt.
The decision to cut all ties with the Louvre, as well as its archaeological teams, was taken two months ago after the Louvre had repeatedly ignored requests for the return of four reliefs. Dr. Hawass says the reliefs were illegally taken from a tomb in Luxor’s Valley of the Kings in the 1980s.
The disputed artefacts are 5 fragments from the wall of Theban Tomb 15 (TT15), the tomb of Tetiki on the West Bank at Dra Abu'l Naga. The tomb was photographed in 1968 and shown intact. In the 1990's the tomb was - like so many - lost, and thought to be destroyed by modern building. A team from the Heidelberg University rediscovered this tomb during excavations at Dra Abu El-Naga in 2001, but the fragments were missing.
Four fragments of TT15 were acquired by the Louvre in 2000, and a fifth one in 2003. In January 2009, the SCA presented the evidence to the Louvre; these fragments that resurfaced in the French Museum's collection had clearly been stolen.
The Louvre has promised to return the pieces - but that it will have to wait for advice from a national body the French Museum. In September, the SCA informed the Louvre that it was suspending its excavations at Saqqara until the pieces were returned. There is a meeting of the National Scientific Commission for Museum Collections on October 9th, at which the official decision about the return of the fragments of TT15 will be made.
Dr. Hawass has made repatriating 'stolen' Egyptian antiquities a priority, especially those he calls 'icons of our Egyptian identity' - unique artefacts of Egyptian cultural patrimony. The SCA is also pressuring Berlin's Neues Museum for the return of the Bust of Neferiti, and the British Museum for the Rosetta Stone. The antiquities chief had already been purusing the Louvre over the Dendera Zodiac, an amazing astronomical chart which was torn from the Temple of Hathor at Dendera by French general Louis Charles Antoine Desaix in 1821.
Read 8 comments, or leave your own
videos
Comments
Latest developments have seen the Louvre reneging on its ownership of the steles, telling the BBC that "the process for returning (the steles) has been engaged." Dr Hawass will be hoping his other repatriation ordeals can be concluded in such a simple manner!
Sad news, but it was only a matter of time until one of these repatriation battles turned into something like this. Assuming this tactic is successful i wonder if this could set a precedent for other repat battles?
Owen, yes and no. The 5 pharaonic steles they in question were 'stolen recently', and purchased by the Louvre after the international laws on Antiquity trading and purchasing came into place. If I'm not mistaken, a museum should report any stolen antiquities before actually purchasing them, something the Louvre probably did not do. (We're trying to get that confirmed. It would be great if former director of the Egyptian Antiquities Department Christine Ziegler could expand on how and why the items were purchased, and from whom.)
The other artefacts in questions were 'legally looted', that is with some sort permission or authority - be it foreign or not - of that time agreeing with the excavations, ... . So this these fragments are a whole different case than the 'icons of Egyptian' identity such as the Nefertiti Bust, the Rosette Stone, the Anchhaf Bust and the Statue of Hemiunu. Besides, Egypt would become quite a desolate place if all French, German and American archaeology teams have to leave? ;)
Some more information about the actual aquisition via france-info.com:
The first 4 fragments were bought in 2000 from gallery Maspero, the last - fifth - one was acquired in 2003 at a public sale in Drouot.
Thanks for the update Ann. The latest development is that French culture minister Frederic Mitterrand has now issued a statement saying that the Louvre are (almost) ready to hand the steles back. According to a report on ABC news:
Subject to a decision by France's national museum scientific committee, Mr Mitterrand said he was ready to order the frescoes be handed back... Mr Mitterrand said the five Egyptian pieces had been acquired in good faith by the Louvre and it was only in 2008, after the discovery of the tomb from which the murals apparently came, that serious doubts were raised about their provenance.
Zahi Hawass will be wishing that the British Museum were as co-operative over the Rosetta Stone!
In a move predicted in, if not directly prompted by, the comment above, Zahi Hawass has actually now requested that the British Museum follow the lead of the Louvre and return the Rosetta Stone to Egypt, at least on loan. In an article in the Telegraph, Dr Hawass suggests a straight swap:
“Its original place should be in Egypt. We can give the British Museum an artefact in its place.”
He doesn't say which artefact he would offer in return. The BM have promised to consider his request.
*grins* This calls for a new print run of British Museum tshirts and mousepads: "We returned the Rosetta stone, and all we got was this lousy mummy. " ;)
According to the press release on the DrHawass.com website, he's also looking forward to the return of the mask of Ka-Nefer-Nefer from the Saint Louis Art Museum in the United States, the Ashmolean Museum, UK and the Royal Museum of Fine Art in Brussels. (For the latter the press representative was unable to comment in Dutch or English. Still awaiting email.)
From the press release:
"Hawass said the SCA has also halted the expedition of Ashmolean Museum, Oxford until they return the objects in their collection that were illegally removed from Egypt. Similar actions have been taken against the Royal Museum of Fine Art in Brussels as well as some foreign archaeological expeditions that have been proven to be involved in illegal antiquities dealing."
Still curious to how this will resolve for Nefertiti's Bust, as she's soon to see her very own Neues Museum opened! As for the 'considering the request', one of my colleagues mentioned a while back that 'considering' means you'll think on something forever, but never do it... . (Although that was in the context of moving the smoking area, not antiquities.)
Update: This has been resolved (or at least almost) as the commitee has recommended the return of the 5 tomb wall fragments of TT15 currently at the Louvre to Egypt, and drhawass.com tells us President Sarkozy even phoned President Mubarak with an assuration that the Louvre will send the objects in 6 days.
Upon their arrival in Egypt, the fragments will get a welcome part.. err.. press conference before it will be examed if it is possible to reinstate the wall paintings to their original location in tomb TT15. If that is not possible, they will be on display in the Grand Egyptian Museum that is being constructed. And... the Louvre's dig team will be allowed to further excavate at Egypt's oldest necropolis again: "When the objects return I will be very happy to renew our archaeological relationship with the Louvre and allow them to excavate again at Saqqara." (Where the 'I' is Dr. Zahi Hawass, from The Battle of the Louvre.)
Post new comment