Most of all of the global artifacts are held in the West’s museums and galleries. The question is: do the historical objects belong in their country of origin. Four historians discuss whether the objects should be returned to the place of origin as a reparation process for the countries that has been victims for European colonialism and imperialism, or stay where they are, where they are culturally and socially beneficial. What is best for the historical objects, and the society?
Do historical objects belong in their country of origin?
Tiffany Jenkins, author of Keeping Their Marbles: How the Treasures of the Past Ended Up in Museums – and Why They Should Stay There (Oxford, 2016) When, 3,000 years ago, sculptors in the Assyrian Empire chiselled into being winged, human-headed bulls for King Ashurnasirpal II, they could not have dreamt that their creations would end up centuries later in museums thousands of miles away.