The opening of a huge new museum in Egypt has renewed calls for the Rosetta Stone to be returned to Cairo – but an expert has said there is no way it could be sent back, unless Keir Starmer capitulates.
The huge Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, said to be the largest collection in the world dedicated to a single civilisation, opened to the public in November.
The scale and prominence of the museum has reignited calls for one of Britain’s most prized artefacts – the Rosetta Stone – to be given back to Egypt.
The stone, carved between 323BC and 30BC, has been on show almost constantly at the British Museum in London since 1802.
The artefact was the key to the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs, which allowed scholars to unlock the secrets of the ancient civilisation.
The stone has inscriptions in three texts, hieroglyphic, hieratic, and classical Greek, and was made as an official message to King Ptolemy V.
Former Egyptian minister of antiquities Dr Zahi Hawass has long called for the return of the Rosetta Stone to Egypt, alongside all artefacts from the country including the Bust of Nefertiti.
And Mohamed Ismail Khaled, the secretary general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, has once again called for the stone to be returned.
Speaking ahead of the opening of an exhibition in London, Mr Khaled said tens of thousands of Egyptian artefacts were now part of London identity but agued the Rosetta Stone was taken ‘illegally’.
However, the former curator of Egyptian exhibit and managing editor of Returning Heritage, Lewis McNaught, said returning the stone would be a ‘capitulation’ and it would be a foolish step for politicians to cave to pressure from the Egyptians.
The Rosetta Stone has been on display at the British Museum for more than 200 years
Egyptian expert Lewis McNaught said any deal to return the stone to Egypt would be a ‘capitulation’
Dr Hawas said the British Museum’s continued ownership of the artefact was a ‘symbol of Western cultural violence against Egypt’ and argued that the ‘iconic’ object was in ‘careless hands’, after it was revealed more than 2,000 artefacts had gone missing from the museum.
He argued the Rosetta Stone would be ‘safe’ if taken to the new Grand Egyptian Museum.
However, historian Mr McNaught said Egypt is still no closer to receiving the stone unless ‘Britain’s government discovers a new strain of benevolence’.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: ‘It would require an act of unbelievable generosity to return the Rosetta Stone to Egypt.
‘Frankly there is no legitimate or legal reason why or how we would return the stone. Even if the government did wish to return the stone, it would require an act of Parliament.
That could then have an impact on other objects. There is precious little chance of it happening in the foreseeable future.
‘Any politician who steps forward and suggests returning the Rosetta Stone would be taking a foolish step in their political career.
‘They would be acting in a way completely out of step with the public. It would be a complete climbdown to change an Act of Parliament.’
Mr McNaught said there is no legal argument as to why the UK would need to return the stone to Egypt
The Rosetta Stone was the first of its kind found with trilingual texts in Egyptian and Greek
The Rosetta Stone was discovered in 1799 during France’s brief occupation of the country under Emperor Napoleon.
While preparing to build a fort, engineers found the artefact and observed its three lines of text in different languages.
Recognising it may be important, it was sent to Cairo where it could be studied.
In 1801, after French army was defeated by the British in Egypt, scholars attempted to move the stone to Alexandria for it to be shipped back to Paris.
However, under the Treaty of Alexandria as part of the French surrender, important artefacts were taken by the British army as war loot.
Mr McNaught suggested that if the stone had remained in Cairo, it may not have ended up in British hands.
After its arrival in 1802, the Rosetta Stone’s position in the UK has been protected by the British Museum Act 1963.
It is also unlikely that the museum would ever want to give up one of their most important assets.
After Napoleon’s army were defeated by the British, the stone was taken to London as war spoils
The stone is not only the most popular exhibit at the museum, but postcards and other products inspired by the artefact are also the top selling items in the museum’s gift shop.
The Museum has also claimed it has not received any formal requests for a return or a loan of the Rosetta Stone from the Egyptian Government.
Mr McNaught added: ‘The British Museum has been tasked with raising £1 billion in order to pay for reconstruction and modernisation. There are parts which leak significantly already and affects the Egyptian gallery.
‘To hand back one of the most prominent objects and then try and raise that money would be ridiculous. I just cannot see the trustees ever considering it.
‘I believe we serve Egypt better by keeping the stone. More and more people will see it in London. The British Museum has 6.5 million visitors last year.
‘A lot of people probably decide to visit Egypt off the back of seeing the exhibition in London.
‘It is a great promotion for them. To have everything in one place does not serve Egypt at all.’
The three scripts finally provided the code for unlocking the mysteries of hieroglyphs
A monumental capitulation and change of law may yet be possible though, as the museum’s chairman, former chancellor George Osborne, has suggested a deal to return another treasured item to its former home.
The Elgin Marbles, a series of Ancient Greek sculptures created between 447BC and 432BC by Greek architect Phidias, may be returned to Athens on a long-term basis.
After standing for 2,000 years, the Acropolis was for the most part destroyed as the Ottoman Empire – which at the time ruled Greece – became embroiled in a war with Venice.
The remaining sculptures were removed from the ruins of the Parthenon by Lord Elgin, then British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, and brought to Britain between 1802 and 1812.
In 1816, the marbles were handed over to the care of the British Museum, where they have remained ever since.
Talks between the British Museum and Greece over the return of the Elgin marbles have been ongoing since 2021.
A 1963 law prevents the British Museum from permanently disposing of key items from its collection, although it would not stop a loan deal.
It was reported earlier this year that Osborne has already agreed to give the Elgin Marbles to Greece as part of a permanent loan deal.
The stone is not only the most popular exhibit at the museum, but postcards and other products inspired by the stone are also the top selling items in the museum’s gift shop
Since the Greek government still claims legal ownership of the sculptures, it was ‘extremely unlikely that they would ever return to Britain’, the report added.
Mr McNaught argued that for both the Elgin Marbles and the Rosetta Stone, there has been a lack of a strong case made by either Greece or Egypt on why the items should be returned.
Referring to Egypt’s case for the Rosetta Stone he argued that the efforts of Dr Hawas and a few other historians does not amount to a legal argument for their return.
A source from the British Museum said the Rosetta Stone is part of a group of stones which were engraved with a royal decree issued by Egyptian priests.
They said 29 have been discovered across Egypt, with 22 remaining in the country and one complete example already on display at the Grand Egyptian Museum.
The Museum holds strong relations with the Egyptian Embassy in London and hosted a celebration on November 1, celebrating the opening of the museum in Cairo, the source added.
They said the Museum is unable to return objects permanently from its collection under the British Museum Act 1963 – and can only loan items to other museums.
A British Museum spokesman said: ‘We have received no formal request from the Egyptian Government for the Rosetta Stone.
‘The Museum works with partners all over the world including with colleagues throughout Egypt on projects, exhibitions and research and we enjoy a long-standing and collaborative relationship with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.’
