British Museum

=== Artefacts from other countries ===
It is a point of controversy whether museums should possess artefacts looted from other countries,<ref name="looted art" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2016/02/well-travelled-artefacts|title=Where it is safe to do so, cultural artefacts should be repatriated|newspaper=The Economist|language=en|access-date=18 April 2018|date=23 February 2016|archive-date=1 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701170409/http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2016/02/well-travelled-artefacts|url-status=live}}</ref> and the British Museum is a notable target for criticism. The [[Elgin Marbles]], [[Benin Bronzes]], Ethiopian [[Tabot]]s and the [[Rosetta Stone]] are among the most disputed objects in its collections, and organisations have been formed demanding the return of these artefacts to their native countries. The Parthenon Marbles (Elgin Marbles) claimed by Greece were also cited by [[UNESCO]], among others, for restitution. From 1801 to 1812, Elgin's agents removed about half of the surviving sculptures from the Parthenon, as well as sculptures from the [[Propylaea (Acropolis of Athens)|Propylaea]] and [[Erechtheion|Erechtheum]]. The former director of the museum has stated, "We are indebted to Elgin for having rescued the Parthenon sculptures and others from the Acropolis from the destruction they were suffering, as well as from the damage that the Acropolis monuments, including the sculptures that he did not remove, have suffered since."<ref name=":02">{{cite web |date=14 June 2010 |title=Greek and Roman Antiquities |url=http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/gr/andart.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060523194402/http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/gr/andart.html |archive-date=23 May 2006 |access-date=4 July 2010 |publisher=British Museum}}</ref> The British Museum itself damaged some of the artefacts during restoration in the 1930s.<ref>[[William Andrew Oddy|Oddy, Andrew]], "The Conservation of Marble Sculptures in the British Museum before 1975", in ''Studies in Conservation'', vol. 47, no. 3, (2002), pp. 145–146, Quote: "However, for a short time in the late 1930s copper scrapers were used to remove areas of discolouration from the surface of the Elgin Marbles. New information is presented about this lamentable episode."</ref>

There is also controversy over artefacts taken during the [[Old Summer Palace#Destruction|destruction]] of the [[Old Summer Palace]] in Beijing by an Anglo-French expeditionary force during the [[Second Opium War]] in 1860, an event which drew a protest from [[Victor Hugo]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-30810596 |title=The palace of shame that makes China angry |date=2 February 2015 |access-date=3 January 2015 |work=BBC News |last=Bowlby |first=Chris |archive-date=24 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180624060218/https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-30810596 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Chinese expedition: Victor Hugo on the sack of the Summer Palace |url=http://www.napoleon.org/en/reading_room/articles/files/477511.asp |website=www.napoleon.org |access-date=3 January 2016 |archive-date=5 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505022443/http://www.napoleon.org/en/reading_room/articles/files/477511.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> The British Museum and the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]], among others, have been asked since 2009 to open their archives for investigation by a team of Chinese investigators as a part of an international mission to document Chinese national treasures in foreign collections.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/6374959/China-to-study-British-Museum-for-looted-artefacts.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/6374959/China-to-study-British-Museum-for-looted-artefacts.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=China to study British Museum for looted artefacts |date=19 October 2009 |access-date=3 January 2015 | work=The Telegraph |last=Foster |first=Peter}}{{cbignore}}</ref>  In 2010 [[Neil MacGregor]], the former Director of the British Museum, said he hoped that both British and Chinese investigators would work together on the controversial collection.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/8134254/British-Museum-welcomes-investigation-with-Chinese-over-artefacts.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/8134254/British-Museum-welcomes-investigation-with-Chinese-over-artefacts.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=British Museum 'welcomes investigation with Chinese over artefacts' |date=15 November 2010 |access-date=15 January 2016 |work=The Telegraph |last=Foster |first=Peter}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In 2020 the museum appointed a curator to research the history of its collections, including disputed items.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bailey|first=Martin|date=15 February 2021|title=British Museum hires curator to research history of its collection, also covering contested objects such as the Parthenon Marbles|url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/collection-curator-joins-british-museum|url-status=live|access-date=9 August 2021|website=The Art Newspaper|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215113548/https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/collection-curator-joins-british-museum |archive-date=15 February 2021 }}</ref>

The British Museum has stated that the "restitutionist premise, that whatever was made in a country must return to an original geographical site, would empty both the British Museum and the other great museums of the world".<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/gr/andart.html |title=Greek and Roman Antiquities |publisher=British Museum |date=14 June 2010 |access-date=4 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060523194402/http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/gr/andart.html |archive-date=23 May 2006 }}</ref> The museum has also argued that the British Museum Act of 1963 prevents any object from leaving its collection once it has entered it. "The Museum owns its collections, but its Trustees are not empowered to dispose of them".<ref name=":0" /><ref>British Museum Act 1963, s 5.</ref>  Nevertheless, it has returned items such as Tasmanian Aboriginal burial remains when this was consistent with legislation regarding the disposal of items in the collections.<ref>{{Cite web|date=24 March 2006|title=Request for repatriation of human remains to Tasmania|url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/our-work/departments/human-remains/request-repatriation-human-remains-tasmania|url-status=live|access-date=24 July 2021|website=The British Museum|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202101443/https://www.britishmuseum.org/our-work/departments/human-remains/request-repatriation-human-remains-tasmania |archive-date=2 December 2020 }}</ref>

In late 2022, the British Museum had entered into preliminary negotiations with the Greek government about the future of the Elgin marbles.<ref>{{cite news |date=3 December 2022 |title=Greece in 'preliminary' talks with British Museum about Parthenon marbles |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/dec/03/greece-in-preliminary-talks-with-british-museum-about-parthenon-marbles |access-date=4 December 2022 |via=www.theguardian.com |archive-date=3 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203235318/https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/dec/03/greece-in-preliminary-talks-with-british-museum-about-parthenon-marbles |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Disputed items in the collection ====
* [[Elgin Marbles]] – claimed by Greece and backed by [[UNESCO]] among others for restitution<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parthenonuk.com/article.php?id=79|title=Breal's Silver Cup to be displayed at the New Acropolis Museum for one-year period from September 2012|work=BCRPM|access-date=10 July 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070727185209/http://www.parthenonuk.com/article.php?id=79|archive-date=27 July 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |author1=Linda Theodorou |title=Greece (Cadogan Country Guides) |author2=Dana Facaros |publisher=Cadogan Guides |year=2003 |isbn=1-86011-898-4 |page=55}}</ref>
* [[Benin Bronzes]] – claimed by Nigeria; the Nigerian government has passed a resolution demanding the return of all 700 bronze pieces.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk_news/story/0,,675202,00.html| work=The Guardian| location=London| title=British Museum sold precious bronzes| first=Maev| last=Kennedy| date=28 March 2002| access-date=27 April 2010| archive-date=15 March 2023| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315094931/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/mar/28/education.museums| url-status=live}}</ref> 30 pieces of the bronzes were sold by the British Museum privately from the 1950s until 1972, mostly back to the Nigerians.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1896535.stm |title=Benin bronzes sold to Nigeria |work=BBC |date=27 March 2002 |access-date=16 August 2020 |archive-date=5 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170805093449/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1896535.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Ethiopian [[Tabot]]s, Pre-Axumite Civilisation Coins – claimed by Ethiopia<ref name="IndieNov2008">{{cite news|last1=Johnson|first1=Andrew|title=Ethiopia demands stolen crown back|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/ethiopia-demands-stolen-crown-back-1031229.html|access-date=24 August 2016|work=Independent|date=23 November 2008|archive-date=16 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816115939/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/ethiopia-demands-stolen-crown-back-1031229.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Hoffman2006">{{cite book|last1=Hoffman|first1=Barbara T.|title=Art and Cultural Heritage: Law, Policy and Practice|date=2006|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521857642|page=5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yvXTcGC5CwQC&q=magdala+loot&pg=PA5|access-date=9 November 2020|archive-date=15 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315094941/https://books.google.com/books?id=yvXTcGC5CwQC&q=magdala+loot&pg=PA5|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Four stolen drawings ([[Nazi plunder]]) – Compensation paid to Uri Peled for the amount of £175,000 by the British Museum<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/arts_entertainment/art/getting+the+nazi+stolen+art+back/339147 |title=News – Getting the Nazi stolen art back |work=[[Channel 4 News]] |date=27 March 2007 |access-date=4 July 2010 |archive-date=6 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090906072159/http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/arts_entertainment/art/getting+the+nazi+stolen+art+back/339147 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Achaemenid]] empire gold and silver artefacts from the [[Oxus Treasure]] – in 2007 the President of Tajikistan ordered experts to look into making a claim.<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/news/story/0,,2053344,00.html| work=The Guardian| location=London| title=Tajik president calls for return of treasure from British Museum| first=Luke| last=Harding| date=10 April 2007| access-date=27 April 2010| archive-date=16 February 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216201331/http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/news/story/0,,2053344,00.html| url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Rosetta Stone]] – claimed by Egypt<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/3084215.stm| work=BBC News| title=Egypt calls for return of Rosetta Stone| date=21 July 2003| access-date=27 April 2010| archive-date=11 January 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090111114454/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/3084215.stm| url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Dunhuang manuscripts]], part of a cache of scrolls, manuscripts, paintings, scriptures, and relics from the [[Mogao Caves]], including the [[Diamond Sutra]] – claimed by the People's Republic of China<ref>{{cite journal| last=Larmer| first=Brook| title=Caves of Faith| pages=136–138| journal=[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]]| date=June 2010| url=http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/06/dunhuang-caves/larmer-text| access-date=15 January 2015| archive-date=21 December 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221204159/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/06/dunhuang-caves/larmer-text| url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Aboriginal shield – claimed by Aboriginal people of Australia.<ref name=":12" />
* [[Hoa Hakananai'a]] – claimed by Chile on behalf of Easter Island<ref>{{cite news| url=https://hyperallergic.com/466966/easter-islanders-ask-british-museum-to-return-sacred-statue-offering-replica-in-return/| work=Hyperallergic| title=Easter Islanders Ask British Museum to Return Sacred Statue, Offering Replica in Return| date=23 October 2018| access-date=13 November 2018| archive-date=13 November 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113210834/https://hyperallergic.com/466966/easter-islanders-ask-british-museum-to-return-sacred-statue-offering-replica-in-return/| url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Repatriation and reburial of human remains]] is a controversial issue, and the British Museum has issued a policy on the subject.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/our-work/departments/human-remains/human-remains-policy-and-governance|publisher=British Museum|title=The British Museum policy on human remains|access-date=6 May 2019|archive-date=27 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727045004/https://www.britishmuseum.org/our-work/departments/human-remains/human-remains-policy-and-governance|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Welsh artefacts in museums outside Wales|Welsh artefacts]] – claimed by Welsh people, particularly for the return of the [[Mold gold cape]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=18 April 2022 |title=Mold Gold Cape: Artefact should be on display in Wales – academic |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-61082954 |access-date=21 April 2022 |archive-date=15 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115193150/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-61082954 |url-status=live }}</ref> but also the [[Rhyd-y-gors Shield]], [[Moel Hebog shield]] and [[Llanllyfni lunula]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 September 2021 |title=Buried treasure: calls for important Welsh artefacts to be brought back home |url=https://nation.cymru/news/buried-treasure-calls-for-important-welsh-artefacts-to-be-brought-back-home/ |access-date=10 February 2022 |website=Nation.Cymru |language=en-GB |archive-date=15 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115180806/https://nation.cymru/news/buried-treasure-calls-for-important-welsh-artefacts-to-be-brought-back-home/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=3 April 2016 |title=Yn ôl i Gymru? |language=cy |work=BBC Cymru Fyw |url=https://www.bbc.com/cymrufyw/35919530 |access-date=16 January 2023 |archive-date=16 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116023105/https://www.bbc.com/cymrufyw/35919530 |url-status=live }}</ref>