10 Ancient Stolen Relics

Today on Top 10, we're discussing stolen ancient relics, which is why I'm wearing a goon shirt - I thought it was appropriate. The script is by Ian 40, and if Ian has provided links to his socials, they'll be right alongside links to my storytelling deep dive channel, story rants, and books.

The idea of discovering buried treasure is alluring to almost anyone - who wouldn't want to dig and find an ancient trove of golden jewels, instantly making them rich? This is how the world at large views the situation - if it's buried underground, no one really owns it, right? But that's not how it works in many cases. These ancient relics that are being unearthed often belong to the governments of the countries from which they were taken. Egypt is perhaps the most famous example, as tomb raiders have been pillaging the country's ancient history for decades. But they're not the only ones - there are many cases of ancient relics being pilfered over the years.

Number 10: Pompeii's Curse

Not every ancient relic is stolen by an Indiana Jones-style archaeologist or roving gangs of miscreants. Take the case of a Canadian woman identified only as Nicole, who 15 years ago visited Pompeii and snatched a few mosaic tiles and pottery shards for her personal collection. This was very much against the law, but she felt she wanted a souvenir. Fast forward to 2020, and Nicole mailed the items back to the Italian government, apologizing for being young and stupid. She attributed a series of unfortunate events, from financial woes to breast cancer, to a curse from Pompeii for taking the items.

Number 9: The Rosetta Stone

The Rosetta Stone is one of the most famous exhibits in the British Museum. Discovered in 1799 during Napoleon's campaign in Egypt, the stone features the same decree written in three different scripts, including hieroglyphics, ancient Greek, and demotic. This allowed researchers to learn how to read ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. While the stone's historical significance is undisputed, it was taken by the British as part of the Treaty of Alexandria after Napoleon's defeat. Egypt has repeatedly called for its return, but the British Museum maintains that it was legally obtained.

Number 8: The Elgin Marbles

The British Museum also houses the Elgin Marbles, Greek sculptures dating back to the 5th century BC that were removed from the Parthenon in Athens before being shipped to England between 1799 and 1803. Thomas Bruce, the 7th Lord Elgin, was the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire at the time, and it was the Ottomans who were occupying Greece. Greece considers these artworks to be stolen property and has a space for them in the Acropolis Museum, but the British Museum maintains that they were legally obtained.

Number 7: The Bust of Nefertiti

The bust of Nefertiti, the great royal wife of the Pharaoh Akhenaten, was discovered in 1912 by German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt. Unlike some other cases, Borchardt knew he didn't have the right to the bust, but he stole it anyway, smuggling it out of the country in 1913. The German government claims the bust was not taken illegally, but Egypt has been trying to get it back since the 1920s.

Number 6: The Great Zimbabwe Bird

The Great Zimbabwe Birds are soapstone sculptures that were found among the ruins of the ancient city of Great Zimbabwe, built by the ancestors of the Shona people in the 11th century. These unique statues were adopted as national symbols of Zimbabwe, but many were displaced during the colonial era. While some have been returned, one bird is still housed in a South African museum, and the government has refused to return it.

Number 5: Geronimo's Skull

The story goes that members of the Skull and Bones Society, a secret society associated with Yale University, dug up the grave of the famous Apache leader Geronimo and stole his skull and other personal artifacts in the early 1900s. Descendants of Geronimo have filed lawsuits demanding the return of his remains, but the Skull and Bones Society maintains its secrecy.

Number 4: Priam's Treasure

The treasures of King Priam, including the famous "Jewels of Helen," were discovered in 1873 at the site of ancient Troy. They were then smuggled into Berlin, and after World War II, the Soviet troops stole them. Now in Moscow's Pushkin Museum, Germany and Turkey both claim ownership of this invaluable cultural heritage.

Number 3: Sarah Bartman

Sarah Bartman was a South African woman who was exploited and put on display in Europe in the early 1800s due to her physical condition, known as steatopygia. After her death, her remains were put on display in a Paris museum. In 1994, Nelson Mandela requested the repatriation of her remains, and she was finally buried in South Africa in 2002.

Number 2: The Mummy of Ramses the First

In the 1860s, a Canadian museum acquired what turned out to be the mummy of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses the First. It wasn't until 1999 that researchers identified the mummy, and the process of repatriating it to Egypt began, with the mummy now on display in the Luxor Museum.

Number 1: The Koh-i-Noor Diamond

The Koh-i-Noor Diamond, one of the most famous diamonds in the world, has a long and turbulent history. Originally from India, it was eventually taken by the British and added to the crown jewels. Despite calls for its return, the diamond remains in the possession of the British royal family.