‘You have no right!’ Archaeology outrage as Egypt urges UK to return Rosetta Stone

The Governor of Easter Island has even claimed that “the British people, have our soul” as its Hoa Hakananai’a is still kept in the UK.

Prof Peter Stone, an expert on protecting cultural heritage at Newcastle University, said: “One of the arguments about not returning material was that it might be stolen in the future from the host country. I think that’s now a fairly pale excuse.”

A British Museum spokesperson said: “At the British Museum, visitors can see the Rosetta Stone alongside other pharaonic temple monuments, and also within the broader context of other ancient cultures including their contemporaries such as Rome, Athens and Persia, allowing the public to explore this vast arc of history.

‘As with all of the collection, the Rosetta stone is available to all interested audiences, whether in the galleries or via appointment to support academic research. We also engage widely with people all over the world via our website alongside 3D scans of objects on our Sketch Fab site which includes the Rosetta Stone.”

Article source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1662348/archaeology-egypt-rosetta-stone-british-museum-zahi-hawass-uk