Cornell to Return 10,000 Ancient Tablets to Iraq

       This article talks about how Cornell University is returning a HUGE amount of ancient Iraqi tablets believed to have been looted during the Gulf War in the early 90s. Jonathan Rosen, the university's private donor, and his estate claim that the tablets were in fact legally acquired but Assistant U.S. Attorney Miro Lovric, who is proctoring the transfer, stated that "We're not accusing anyone of a crime, but we believe they should be returned." I agree that , even though the return of these artifacts would be a small disservice to students and the general public wanting to learn about the ancient world, since the place of origin of these artifacts is more than capable of exhibiting them, they should be returned. Especially if they asked. As we discussed in class, only if the country of origin isn't capable of properly preserving the art do I believe the art should remain. However, I feel like the loss of money is what is really worried about in this situation.   This exchange is apparently considered the largest return of artifacts by a single American institution and I imagine it's going to be pretty expensive. The article also mentioned how other universities such as Princeton and Bowling Green University have also agreed to return ancient artifacts that are to believe to have been acquired illegally to the artifacts' respecting countries. I feel like all universities or any institution with ancient art displayed should have knowledge of how the art was acquired, as a trend is beginning to show itself.

Link to article HERE.