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Egyptian media reporting today that 5,000+ artifacts -- formerly in the Museum of the Bible collection and which the museum announced last year they would return -- have arrived back in the country
h/t @rogueclassicist https://www.egyptindependent.com/photos-egypt-repatriates-over-5000-artifacts-from-us-museum/
h/t @rogueclassicist https://www.egyptindependent.com/photos-egypt-repatriates-over-5000-artifacts-from-us-museum/
While the Egypt Today headline refers to "5,000 manuscripts, pieces of papyrus", the group of objects includes other kinds of artifacts as well. https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/96934/Egypt-repatriates-5-000-manuscripts-pieces-of-papyrus-from-USA
When Steve Green first announced in March 2020 that they were returning artifacts to Egypt, he referred to
"5,000 papyri fragments", along with "6,500 clay objects" being repatriated to Iraq.
https://www.museumofthebible.org/newsroom/statement-on-past-acquisitions
"5,000 papyri fragments", along with "6,500 clay objects" being repatriated to Iraq.
https://www.museumofthebible.org/newsroom/statement-on-past-acquisitions
Yesterday MOTB put out a new press release, indicating that they had transferred 5,000 artifact to the Egyptian government (on January 7), and had just "initiated shipment" of 8,106 clay objects (they found 1500 more in the meantime) to the Iraq Museum
https://www.museumofthebible.org/newsroom/update-on-iraqi-and-egyptian-items
https://www.museumofthebible.org/newsroom/update-on-iraqi-and-egyptian-items
Interestingly, Green now refers to "5,000 papyri fragments and other items".
What are these "other items"? Al-Ahram has the best set of photographs to give us an idea. http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/399805/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/In-Photos-,-stolen-artefacts-returned-to-Egypt.aspx
Besides all sorts of papyri and codices, there are several mummy masks.
(I wonder why they acquired those?) https://facesandvoices.wordpress.com/2015/01/25/destroying-mummy-masks-since-we-own-its-ok-maybe-not/
(I wonder why they acquired those?) https://facesandvoices.wordpress.com/2015/01/25/destroying-mummy-masks-since-we-own-its-ok-maybe-not/
There are also photographs of two mummy portraits (the famous "Fayum portraits", named after the area in Egypt where many were found).
See here for just how commonly these were looted already in the 19th century: https://twitter.com/MichaelDPress/status/1266430728625098752
See here for just how commonly these were looted already in the 19th century: https://twitter.com/MichaelDPress/status/1266430728625098752
A couple of additional points of interest:
Egypt Independent and Egypt Today both refer to Museum of the Bible as "the Holy Bible Museum"
Egypt Independent and Egypt Today both refer to Museum of the Bible as "the Holy Bible Museum"
Also, the General Supervisor of the Retrieved Antiquities Department announced that the artifacts will be transferred to the Coptic Museum in Cairo
