02-14-2024, 06:21 PM
(02-14-2024, 02:14 PM)Potato wrote:To be fair, those things only have value because the Brits were interested in them.(02-14-2024, 08:41 AM)benji wrote: You'd think the whole "tomb raiding" thing would be most problematic of all.
The British aren't ready to hand back all the looted treasures quite yet. Empty platitudes about "harmful depictions" are one thing. Taking responsibility for stealing ancient treasures and then not returning them to their rightful places is another story.
Most cultures preserve nothing or very little but the Brits invested millions of pounds if not more to keep the items in good condition.
These days some of these items are returned from Europe to their 'rightful owners' who then toss it in a leaky basement or sell it to private collectors.
It would be fair if the party that it was returned to paid the bill for all the efforts to preserve it but no one is ready to have that conversation