Queen Nefertiti

PARIS - More than 3000 years after her reign as queen to a mysterious pharaoh, Nefertiti has sparked a row between Egypt, which wants her bust returned for an exhibition, and Germany, which is refusing to let it leave Berlin, where it is the city's greatest treasure...

The real question is: "who owns archaeological artifacts?" Do they belong to the indigenous people whose ancestors created them? In the case of the bust of Queen Nefertiti, does the artifact belong to her people, or to the people of a foreign land who have adopted it as "one of Germany's own?"

This is a contentious issue that pervades all areas of archaeology, in all lands. For example, in 1911, an historian from Yale University led expeditions to Machu Picchu and removed boxes of Peruvian artifacts dating to the Inca era. Today, the Peruvian government has put the ivy League school on notice, requesting the return of the "illegally obtained" treasures, or face a lawsuit. According to an article in the CSM, David Ugarte, the regional director of Peru's National Culture Institute claims the treasures "were given to the American explorer 'on loan'."

Perhaps it is time to leave the "Indiana Jones" idea of archaeology behind us (relegating the movies to simply entertainment), and seek to explore archaeological sites for the science and understanding contained in them. The artifacts, cultural remnants of the people, should remain in the land where they are found; with the descendants of their creators.

Granted, the bust of Queen Nefertiti is truly a treasure, a sight deserving of the eyes of the world's people. It should be cared for by her people, back home in her homeland of Egypt.

Agnes F. Castronuevo