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Museum of wonders -

The British Museum is the largest world history museum on the planet, and it draws about six million visitors every year.

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Popular visitor attraction -

The museum holds more than eight million cultural and historical artifacts from around the world, which covers two million years of human history.

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Don’t Miss -

Some of the items in the museum have been put on a recommended “Don’t Miss” list, which is made up of 14 pieces. The list includes items like Crouching Venus, made in Greece more than 2,000 years ago.

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A question of ownership -

Nearly half of the 14 artifacts on the museum’s “Don’t Miss” list have disputed ownership. While the British Museum claims that these pieces belong there for all the world to see, others don’t hold the same opinion.

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Dispute -

In recent years, many nations around the globe have been fighting to get the artifacts back to where they came from, and the British Museum has been under heavy pressure to concede. So, should Britain give up these priceless artifacts? And how did they end up in the hands of the British in the first place?

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An expanding empire -

In the late 1600s, the British Empire started expanding its influence across several continents and became the largest empire in history by 1920. At that point it controlled about a quarter of the world’s land and population.

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Pillaging resources -

As the British Empire ruled for centuries, it took many precious resources and wealth from countries all over the world, including South Africa (pictured), Zimbabwe, and India.

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Collection -

Over time, the empire was able to amass thousands of cultural and historical artifacts, many of which ended up in the British Museum.

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Expansion -

The museum was founded in 1753 and kept expanding and growing to accommodate the new pieces constantly being added to its collection.

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Legal acquisition -

Many of the items in the museum were acquired legally through purchases or donations, which means that they are not disputed. This list includes the Portland Vase, a 2,000-year-old Roman relic sold to the museum by a duke in 1945.

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Illegal -

Nations around the world are fighting about the pieces that were obtained illegally, including the first item that can be seen near the entrance of the museum: the Rosetta Stone.

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The Rosetta Stone -

The Rosetta Stone was created more than 2,200 years ago in ancient Egypt. It was found by the French in 1799, who were then subsequently defeated by the British. Troops from the empire brought the stone to London in 1801, where it has been on display ever since.

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The Parthenon sculptures -

The Parthenon sculptures are also disputed artifacts. They were removed from the acropolis in Athens by a British lord during the early 19th century, and then sent to the British Museum.

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Asante gold regalia -

The museum is also home to more than 200 items of gold jewelry and royal insignia worn by the king of Asante, which is today located in the West African Republic of Ghana. The British Empire was constantly at war with the Kingdom of Asante, and much of the regalia came to the museum as military loot.

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Human remains -

Aside from the Rosetta Stone, Egyptians are also disputing more than 6,000 human remains in the museum. These remains point to the cultural values regarding death that ancient Egyptians had up to 3,500 years ago.

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Maqdala collection -

The British Museum is also home to around 80 artifacts from the northern Ethiopian locality of Maqdala, founded in the 18th century. These items (including sacred objects) were looted during a siege from the empire that left Maqdala destroyed.

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Moai -

In 2018, a written request was sent from the island of Rapa Nui (more commonly known as Easter Island) asking for the two large stone moai held by the British Museum to be returned. The monoliths, which are sacred, were removed from the island without permission.

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Early shield from Australia -

An Aboriginal shield made from bark and wood is also among the list of disputed items. The artifact dates back to the late 1700s, during a time when Britain’s colonialist rule had established a foothold in Australia.

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1933–45 provenance -

Many items stolen by the Nazis during the period 1933 to 1945 are also under heavy dispute and scrutiny. Artifacts that were once forcibly obtained by the Nazis have since made their way into the museum, and many of them have still not been restituted.

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Benin Bronzes -

Of all the disputed artifacts in the British Museum, the Benin Bronzes are perhaps the most contentious. They are a vast array of items, including engraved ivory tusks, brass sculptures, and plaques.

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Origin -

The Benin Bronzes were all produced in the Kingdom of Benin, in present-day Nigeria. The kingdom was incredibly wealthy, and produced thousands of art pieces that were used for religious rituals and decoration.

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Storytelling -

The Benin Bronzes were not just decorative—they were visual archives of a society that hadn’t even developed a writing system. These art pieces were used to tell the history of the Benin Kingdom, as well as its political and social life.

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Scramble for Africa -

In the second half of the 19th century, European colonial powers expanded their territories in what is known as the “Scramble for Africa.” The continent was divided into spheres of European influence, and Benin fell under British rule.

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Benin Punitive Expedition -

The Kingdom of Benin refused to comply with Britain’s trade demands, and so the empire invaded the kingdom in 1897 using 1,200 troops. This has since been called the “Benin Punitive Expedition.”

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Siege -

Although the expedition was about forceful colonialism and revenge, the empire also wanted to obtain the rumored wealth kept in the king’s palace. Armed with machine guns, British troops laid siege to the city and burned it to the ground, but not before carefully removing thousands of artifacts.

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Catalogued and sold -

These artifacts were piled neatly, photographed, and even labeled as “loot.” The relics were then sold all over the world, 900 of which were sent to the British Museum and are on display.

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Ancestral art -

Many Nigerians have spent entire lifetimes being unable to gaze upon their ancestral artwork, since they are not provided the necessary visas required to enter the United Kingdom. Most Nigerians will never see them.

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Formal request -

In March 2000, the Kingdom of Benin’s royal family officially requested that all cultural property that was illegally taken by the British be returned. The British museum has largely ignored any requests.

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A hopeful future -

Many experts believe that it could take more than a lifetime before restitution is given to the nations whose artifacts have been stolen and collected by the British Museum, although various organizations continue working tirelessly to ensure that the relics are returned.

Sources: (Vox) (British Museum) (National Geographic) (The New York Times) (Roots 101 African-American Museum) (BBC)

See also: The rise and fall of the British Empire

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