topics
tools
Expatica countries
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2119.44 0.28
DAX 6339.94 0.38
IBEX 30 6543 0.13
CAC 40 3047.94 0.32
FTSE 100 5351.53 0.03
AEX 292.76 0.23
DJIA 12454.83 -0.60
Nasdaq 2837.53 -0.07
FTSE MIB 13154.8 0.36
TSX Composite 11576.47 0.09
ASX 4109.6 0.70
Hang seng 18776.07 0.33
Straits Times 2773.55 0.03
ISEQ 20 500.94 1.55
You are here: Home News German News Report reignites debate on famous Nefertiti bust
Enlarge font Decrease font Text size


12/02/2009Report reignites debate on famous Nefertiti bust

The report shows that a German archaeologist swindled an inspector in Egypt into allowing him to take the bust.

Cairo -- Egypt will demand Germany return an ancient bust of Queen Nefertiti if a document suggesting it was fraudulently spirited out of the country is authentic, antiquities chief Zahi Hawass said on Wednesday.

British newspaper The Times reported this week that a document found in the archives of the German Oriental Institute showed that a German archaeologist had swindled an inspector in Egypt into allowing him to take the bust.

The archaeologist, Ludwig Borchardt, wrapped the 3,400-year-old bust and put in a dimly lit room to fool the inspector into thinking it was a banal find.

The document, an account by the secretary of the institute of a meeting between Borchardt and Egyptian authorities in 1913, also reports that he submitted an unflattering photograph of the bust and described it as made of gypsum rather than limestone.

"After reading the article I immediately sent a letter to the German Oriental Institute demanding a copy of the document," said Hawass. "If it is authentic we will work with all out power with the German government to bring back the statue."

Hawass had previously accused the German archaeologist of caking the bust in mud to veil its real worth.

Egypt began demanding the statue in the 1930s, but successive German governments, beginning with Adolf Hitler's, have refused its request.

The statue draws roughly half a million visitors a year to the Egyptian Museum in Berlin.

AFP/Expatica


1 reaction to this article

richard fusilier posted: 2009-02-14 18:18:42

Lets square up the costs between them and return the Nefertiti bust to it's rightful place, Egypt. I think that the Pharaoh Semenkhare, was actually Nefertiti pretending tp]o be man when she was appointed Regent and then became Pharaoh when Akhenaton (Amenhotwep IV, Moses?) had to flee to the Sinai. over the imposition of a Pagan god over Amen of the Egyptians, causing the expulsion of the Israelite-Hyksos, along with Joseph feighning a shortage of grain (Like our oil situation, just past) that destroyed the Egyptian social system.

1 reaction to this article

richard fusilier posted: 2009-02-14 18:18:42

Lets square up the costs between them and return the Nefertiti bust to it's rightful place, Egypt. I think that the Pharaoh Semenkhare, was actually Nefertiti pretending tp]o be man when she was appointed Regent and then became Pharaoh when Akhenaton (Amenhotwep IV, Moses?) had to flee to the Sinai. over the imposition of a Pagan god over Amen of the Egyptians, causing the expulsion of the Israelite-Hyksos, along with Joseph feighning a shortage of grain (Like our oil situation, just past) that destroyed the Egyptian social system.

Discussion Forums

Legal Problems in Germany

Visa employment help

Australians in Germany

BUY FAKE PASSPORT, DRIVING LICENSE,ID CARD

Irish in Germany

BUY FAKE PASSPORT, DRIVING LICENSE,ID CARD

Canadian in Germany

BUY FAKE PASSPORT, DRIVING LICENSE,ID CARD

Discuss German Culture

BUY FAKE PASSPORT, DRIVING LICENSE,ID CARD

participate in the forums

Inside Expatica
The ABCs of the German school system

The ABCs of the German school system

What you need to know about German schools and daycare.

German immigration and residency regulations

German immigration and residency regulations

Want to move to Germany but haven’t figured out the details? Check out Expatica’s overview of the German permit system.

Driving in Berlin: Rules, habits and fines

Driving in Berlin: Rules, habits and fines

In part one of our two part series, we cover the driving culture in Berlin, where to park and buy gas and, most importantly, the laws.

Looking for work in Germany: The in depth version

Looking for work in Germany: The in depth version

Our comprehensive guide includes information on how to find work, recruitment agencies, employment contracts and labour law.