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repatriation

Two porcelain Ming Dynasty flasks, not necessarily part of the dispute. 	Source: British Museum/Public domain

Chinese Artifacts in Repatriation Row Were 'Given Willingly' to British Museum

The British Museum, renowned for its extensive collection of Chinese antiquities, has been at the center of debates regarding the repatriation of artifacts. Historically, many assumed that these...
The British Museum. Source: Sammy / Adobe Stock.

The British Museum is Full of Stolen Artifacts (Video)

The British Museum , the world's largest world history museum, houses over 8 million cultural and historical artifacts from around the world. However, nearly half of the highlighted pieces face...
Clay facial reconstruction of the Kennewick Man was created based on the morphological features of his skull. Source: Brittney Tatchell / Smithsonian Institution

How DNA Analysis Ended Scientific Disputes in the Case of the Kennewick Man

Back in 1996, two young men stumbled across a human skull submerged in the Columbian River, situated in Kennewick, Washington. Now known as the Kennewick Man, this remarkable discovery swiftly...
Ai Weiwei’s exhibition of animal bronze heads, entitled the Circle of Animals, are replicas of the famous looted zodiac heads and part of a contemporary commentary on the Communist Party and its nationalistic discourse. Source: Public domain

A Rabbit and a Rat Sparked a Serious China-France Showdown

In a bizarre twist of fate, a rabbit and a rat became the center of an international dispute between China and France in 2009. For these animals were part of a famed collection of Chinese bronze...
Portrait of the Irish war hero Patrick Sarsfield, 1st Earl of Lucan. Source: Public domain

Talks Begin on Repatriating Remains of Patrick Sarsfield, Irish War Hero

Just last year, the Irish Mirror reported that excavations to find the skeletal remains of 17th century deceased Earl and revolutionary Irish war hero, Patrick Sarsfield, had begun in Belgium . They...
Photo of the Parthenon Marbles, East Pediment. The Elgin Marbles have been controversial ever since they were taken from Greece. Source: Justin Norris / CC BY 2.0

Are the Controversial Elgin Marbles Finally Destined for Athens?

For over a decade, staff at The British Museum refused to even discuss returning the controversially procured Elgin Marbles to Greece. Now, they’re sitting around a table with Greek heritage...
Human skull discovered in Minnesota River in September is believed to be about 8,000 years old. Source: Renville County Sheriff's Office

Debacle Over 8,000-year-old Human Skull Posted On Facebook

Believed to be about 8,000 years old, two US kayakers recovered the human skull last September in a river about 110 miles west of Minneapolis. After they spotted the unnatural shaped object on a...
The return of the moai to Rapa Nui from Chile. Source: Paula Rossetti

The Return of the Moai: Rapa Nui and the Fight for its Ancestors

Rapa Nui, the original name for Easter Island, is most famous for its giant monolithic moai statues. Located 3,512 km (2,182 mi) off the coast of Chile, Rapa Nui has suffered a history of constant...
The Curse of the Mijikenda Vigango Statues

The Curse of the Mijikenda Vigango Statues

During the 1980s, Coastal Kenya experienced the largest heist of ancestral artifacts in history. Over 300 wooden Vigango statues were taken from the sacred grounds of several Mijikenda tribes. These...
A cuneiform tablet seized from Hobby Lobby. This tablet contains economic/administrative information.

450 Stolen Sumerian Tablets are on Their Way Back to Iraq, but it is Just the Tip of the Iceberg

450 Stolen Sumerian tablets are being repatriated to Iraq with a ceremony in Washington D.C. on May 2. Many of the cuneiform texts come from a mysterious city called Irisagrig – a land from which...
Some of the artifacts recovered from smugglers in Turkey.

Operation Zeus Stops Smuggling Ring from Stealing Over 26,000 Artifacts from Turkey

With over 26,000 relics seized from smugglers, Turkish authorities have made he largest haul of recovered artifacts in the country’s history. The precious pieces were created by the Anatolian, Greek...
Will It Work? Greece Is Willing to Loan Archaeological Treasures in Exchange for the Parthenon Marbles

Will It Work? Greece Is Willing to Loan Archaeological Treasures in Exchange for the Parthenon Marbles

Despite a strong desire to return the Parthenon Marbles to their rightful home in Athens atop the Acropolis , the Greek government decided against taking legal action against the UK last year. Some...
Operation Mummy's Curse Repatriates 2,800-Year-Old Mummified Hand That Had Been Used as Hollywood Prop

Operation Mummy's Curse Repatriates 2,800-Year-Old Mummified Hand That Had Been Used as Hollywood Prop

A valuable collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts was returned to its motherland by the US government in a clampdown on criminal gangs smuggling cultural treasures. Among the ancient artifacts was...
The British Museum Distorts History and Denies its Racist Past

The British Museum Distorts History and Denies its Racist Past

Thomas Melin/ University of Gothenburg The British Museum in London is rewriting history to appear in a better light and defend itself against demands to return objects to their countries of origin...