Quote:
Originally Posted by RLacey
As far as I'm aware, there hasn't been any movement of the Stone away from the British Museum since they acquired it.
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Same with the Bust of Nefertiti. Both are centerpieces of the exhibits. I remember going to the British Museum in London, and when I walked into the part for the Egyptian exhibits, the first thing I saw was the Rosetta Stone.
The same goes for Nefertiti. She has her own room even. And everytime the exhibition moved, they said "The Queen/Nefertiti has moved again" (she was moved around a lot. Since 2009 she is finally back in her original museum which she was removed from during the second World War. Also, the dispute over the sharing of the findings (there was an agreement with the Egyptian state back then, that the findings be shared) has already been resolved, as far as I know. Nefertiti's Bust is probably the most famous Egyptian artifact in Germany - there even used to be a postal stamp here in Germany showing it. There are other, even more advanced pieces of portraiture in the collection, which archaeologically could be considered worth even more. But no one is asking for those it seems. Nefertiti's bust was a study or practice piece by an artist, it is agreed. One indication of that is the fact that there are signs that the missing eye is not just missing: It was never present. Also, I recall reading there were guiding lines (and I saw them too. I am not sure if it was this head of Nefertiti though. There are several ones.) on part of the head, similar to what you would find on a study piece today. Also, it was found in one of the artist workshops of Amarna.
One of the more advanced pieces of portraiture is the "green head", which is incredibly realistic, and very much unlike what we are used from Ancient Egyptian style:
As for the Rosetta stone, it is not only famous, but it also has a much higher archaeological significance than the bust of Nefertiti. So it is no wonder the Egyptians want it back.
Okay, I'll shut up now. Is it too obvious that Egyptology is a bit of a passion of mine? ^_^
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