NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC HISTORY 1FROM THE EDITORAmy Briggs,
Executive EditorThe beautiful face gracing our cover is one of the world’s
most iconic. When a German archaeologist first uncovered the work in 1912,
he was at a loss for words: “Description is useless, must be seen,” he wrote.
Today, those wishing to see the bust for themselves must visit the Neues
Museum in Berlin. For nearly a century Egypt has been fighting for the
Nefertiti bust’s return, claiming the artifact was looted; Germany maintains it
legally obtained the bust and has held on to it since 1913.
Debating ownership of history’s great objects is not new, but it has grown
louder as the world begins to reckon with the legacy of colonialism. Most
agree ancient treasures should be protected and studied, but cannot agree on
who should possess relics like the Parthenon’s marbles, the Ishtar Gate, the
Rosetta stone, and the Benin Bronzes (to name a few).
Easy answers in the repatriation debate are difficult to find. From the cultures
who created them to the circumstances of their discovery, their paths to
museum collections, and the tourism they generate today, each of these
objects need their full transparent histories told before anyone enters the fray.