cultural-heritage2.87 min read
"Mishandling Causes 19th Century Mummy's Arm to Detach in Mexican Museum"
1 year ago•Source: The Associated Press
Cultural Heritage News
The latest cultural heritage stories, summarized by AI
Featured Cultural Heritage Stories
View original source
2.42 min•2 years ago
Court Battle Ends: Ancient Ukrainian Treasures Returned
Ukraine has successfully reclaimed a collection of ancient treasures, including Scythian and Sarmatian jewelry and sculptures, from the Netherlands after a nearly decade-long ownership dispute with Russia. The collection, which was on loan to Amsterdam's Allard Pierson Museum when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, consists of 565 items mostly from Crimean museums. Dutch courts ruled in favor of Ukraine, and the treasures have now been returned to the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in Kyiv. The artifacts will be kept there until the "de-occupation of Crimea."
More Cultural Heritage Stories
"Stolen Christopher Columbus letter returned to Italy by U.S."
A 15th-century letter written by Christopher Columbus to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella has been returned to Italy after being stolen from a Venice library in the 1980s and resurfacing in Delaware. The letter, describing Columbus' findings in the Americas, is a rare printing of the first edition and is valued at over $1.3 million. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement repatriated the letter to Rome following a multifaceted international investigation. Italian officials plan to enhance the document with a traveling exhibition to contextualize its historical significance.
Stolen Christopher Columbus Letter Finally Returns to Italy
The United States has returned a rare 15th-century letter written by Christopher Columbus to Italy. The letter, valued at over $1.3 million, was stolen between 1985 and 1988 from the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana in Venice. It was recovered in 2020 from a private collector in Texas and voluntarily relinquished. The letter, one of 30 surviving first editions, was delivered to Italian officials by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. This is the fourth original edition of the letter stolen in recent decades, and its return has been celebrated as the right thing to do.
British Museum Refuses to Return Imperial Artifacts.
The British Museum holds 11 wooden plaques called Tabots, which are considered holy relics of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. These were looted from an Ethiopian fort in 1868 by British forces and have hardly been seen since. The plaques cannot be publicly displayed, and even the museum's director cannot view them. The looting of cultural artifacts has led to calls for cultural repatriation.