The British Museum has pledged not to dismantle its collection, following a report that the institution’s chairman has held secret talks with Greece’s prime minister over the return of the Parthenon Sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles. The report by the Greek newspaper Ta Nea is the latest twist in the long-running dispute over ownership of the ancient sculptures, which originally stood on the Acropolis in Athens and have been a centerpiece of the British Museum’s collection since 1816. Ta Nea reported Saturday that negotiations between museum Chairman George Osborne and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis have been taking place since November 2021 and are at an advanced stage. While the museum didn’t deny that talks have taken place, a spokesman refused to discuss t...
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Germany signed an agreement on Thursday to transfer ownership to Nigeria of the Benin Bronzes, among Africa's most culturally significant artefacts which were looted in the 19th century. British soldiers took hundreds of bronzes - intricate sculptures and plaques dating back to the 13th century onwards - when they invaded the Kingdom of Benin, located in what is now southwestern Nigeria, in 1897. The artefacts ended up in museums around Europe and the United States. African countries have for years fought to recover them. FILE PHOTO: Benin bronzes objects are displayed at the Linden Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, Wednesday June 29, 2022 . (Bernd Weissbrod/dpa via AP) Germany returned the first of the sculptures to Nigeria in July. On Thursday, the Foundation of Prussian Cult...
Read MoreA newly unearthed bronze sculpture at the famed Sanxingdui Ruins site was successfully matched with another bronzeware part after being set apart about 3,000 years ago, the archaeological team has confirmed. The sophisticated bronze sculpture depicts a figure of a human head and snake body, with protruding eyes, tusks, and horns. Above the head is a cinnabar trumpet-shaped zun (an ancient wine vessel) and the figure is linked by its hands and a square pedestal urn-shaped lei (an ancient wine vessel.) Without the rear part of the body, the sculpture was recently excavated from the No. 8 sacrificial pit. Archaeologists later found that another bronzeware part, which was unearthed from the No. 2 pit in 1986, can perfectly match with the figure's lost body part. The incomplete pa...
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