Heritage: Egypt to recover two stolen artefacts from Germany

The Freiburg Court in Germany has affirmed Egypt's rightful possession of a pre-dynastic Egyptian stone vase and ruled it be returned to its homeland.

The verdict came after the Egyptian antiquities ministry provided evidence of possession and that the pot was illegally smuggled out of the country during the security vacuum that followed the January 2011 revolution.

Minister of Antiquities Mamdouh Eldamaty explained that the story of the vase started when Stuttgart Customs Authority seized a collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts. A court ruled that the artefacts all be sent back to Egypt, except the vase, which bears elements of Levantine civilisation.

"The court today approved the pot's return to Egypt. The pot was brought to Egypt through commercial trading between the ancient Egyptian and Levantine civilisations," Eldamaty added.

General supervisor of the Antiquities Repatriation Department, Shaaban Abdel Gawad, told Ahram Online that the vase is to be handed over to the Egyptian embassy in Berlin soon.

"The embassy also received an ivory statue that was illegally smuggled out of the country in 2013. The statue was stolen from the storehouses of Aswan inspectorate and was put on sale at an auction hall in Germany," Abdel Gawad said.

"The Ministry of Antiquities succeeded in stopping the sale and having it ordered to be returned to Egypt."

The statue is carved in ivory at 4.8 centimetres tall and depicts a man standing holding a deer or gazelle over his shoulders. The statue is dated to the late 7th century or early 8th century BC.

Author: Nevine El-Aref | Source: Ahram Online [February 17, 2016]