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Treasure Tug-of-War
Egypt wants St. Louis museum to give back ancient mask it says was stolen
AP Photo
Zahi Hawass, the chief of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, is the main advocate for Egypt’s rights to its historical heritage.
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Published: November 24, 2008
CAIRO, Egypt - More than half a century ago, a prominent Egyptian archaeologist unearthed a stunning ancient mummy mask at the Saqqara pyramids near Cairo -- the golden image of a noblewoman's face.
Mohammed Zakaria Ghoneim deposited the 3,200-year-old relic in a warehouse at Saqqara, where he meticulously documented his discovery. Seven years later, in 1959, Egyptian records show it was still in the same storeroom.
What happened to the burial mask of Ka Nefer Nefer in the 40 years that followed is a mystery.
It resurfaced in 1998 when the St. Louis Art Museum acquired it. And now it is at the center of one of the most acrimonious fights in the antiquities world.
The case lays bare the complexities involved in growing efforts by Egypt and other countries to reclaim artifacts stolen or looted from their ancient civilizations.
Local and international laws are often inadequate or nonexistent. The process requires delicate cooperation between government, law enforcement, museums and antiquities dealers. And frequently, there are gaps in the historical records.
Claims are attracting increasing attention after prestigious institutions such as the J. Paul Getty Museum of Art in Los Angeles and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York agreed to return looted or stolen artwork or antiquities. Zahi Hawass, the head of Egypt's antiquities authority, said that his country has recovered about 5,000 stolen artifacts since 2002, and is pursuing dozens more.
"This is the No. 1 case," he said. "Egypt has a right to the mask."
Hawass said that there is no record showing the mask ever left Egypt legally. But the St. Louis museum contends that Egypt has not proven it was stolen.
After a recent request from Hawass, who does not shy away from using political pressure to get what he wants, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is looking into the case.
Egyptian records show the burial cover for Ka Nefer Nefer's mummy was discovered in 1952 by Ghoneim, who oversaw excavations at the Saqqara pyramids, about 12 miles south of the more famous Great Pyramids of Giza.
The expansive necropolis of Saqqara is the burial site of the rulers of ancient Memphis, the capital of Egypt's Old Kingdom. Ghoneim found the mask in a burial site behind the unfinished Step Pyramid of King Sekhemkhef. The funerary cover was inside, dating from 1307-1196 B.C.
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