A COLLECTION of ancient Egyptian and Graeco-Roman figurines and miniature amulets are on their way home from Australia, reports Nevine El-Aref. This week Egypt is celebrating the restitution of 122 ancient Egyptian and Graeco-Roman artefacts that have been recovered from Australia. All the items, which vary from miniature amulets to larger bronze statues from the Neolithic to the Graeco-Roman eras, were stolen several years ago from archaeological sites in Egypt. The handover ceremony was hosted by Egyptian Ambassador to Australia Omar Metwalli at the embassy premises in Canberra. Mustafa Amin, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), told a press conference that the objects were hidden for almost a decade inside the storehouses of the Mossgreen Auction hall. When the SCA learnt about plans to sell off these objects from the auctioneer's catalogue, officers contacted the Egyptian Embassy in Canberra, which on its turn contacted the Australian authorities with a request that the sale be stopped. Through diplomatic channels and after investigations, the Australian authorities succeeded in cancelling the sale. They subsequently confiscated the 122 pieces and arranged to hand them over to the Egyptian Embassy. Among the most unique of these objects are a 26th-Dynasty bronze statue of the Apis Bull; a glass statue of Maat, the goddess of justice; a bronze statue of Osiris, the god of prosperity; and a lid from a canopic jar that belonged to one of Horus's sons dating from the Middle Kingdom. The recovered collection is expected to arrive in Egypt next week and will be exhibited in a special display at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square. According to a press release distributed by the Australian government, of which Al-Ahram Weekly received a copy, Sally Basser from the Australian governmental arts office said that the artefacts were being returned to their country of origin under the Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986 (PMCH Act). The PMCH Act gives effect to the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. It also protects against illegally importing and exporting cultural property into or out of Australia. Basser pointed out that the recovered objects demonstrated the evolution of Egyptian culture and civilisation. "Many are tantalising fragments and we can only imagine the intricacy and splendour of the complete work when it was newly made," she said. Increasingly, she added, "we are seeing more trade and exchange of cultural property between nations which can increase opportunities to experience and appreciate another culture, but which can also result in the loss of significant aspects of a nation's cultural heritage." The PMCH Act, Basser said, assists in protecting against such losses by providing a means of recovering cultural objects illegally removed from their home country and imported into Australia. "Buyers also need to ensure that any cultural artefact they are considering purchasing is accompanied by the correct documents, particularly a certificate of export issued by the relevant government," Basser counselled. "The Australian government regularly works with foreign governments on the return of cultural property to protect both their own and Australia's valuable cultural heritage."
