New Zealand returned a set of mummified human remains to Egypt on Saturday, 25 November. The remains were previously exhibited at the Whanganui Regional Museum and Southland Museum in New Zealand. In a statement released by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities official page, Mostafa Waziri, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, has expressed his gratitude for the museums’ decision, touching on its significance in the preservation of global heritage. Alongside the remains, repatriated artifacts include fragments of a mummified hawk, fabric remnants, and cartonnage. The news, which was initially announced by Ahram, comes as part of a larger national effort demanding the return of stolen Egyptian artifacts from museums all over the world. Why are there so many artifacts overseas? During the 1850s, the Ottoman-Egyptian government extended an invitation to Auguste Mariette, a Frenchman renowned for his significant discoveries at the Saqqara necropolis, to assume the position of Egypt’s inaugural director of antiquities. The French influence persisted for several decades, even retaining authority over the Department of Antiquities during the British occupation of Egypt in 1882. Notably, Egyptian Egyptologists faced systematic exclusion from the organization despite efforts by…
