Iraqi cuneiform script for evangelists
Many North Americans outside major cities are deeply religious people. A special place in the life of Protestants (in the United States they make up more than 50% of the population) is occupied by Bible studies and is very broadly understood. Some attempt to prove the accuracy of the Biblical text through archeology and references to other historical sources. The Washington Museum of the Bible took this task upon itself and, as it turns out, it went above and beyond in its endeavor.
In January 2011, US customs officials intercepted a FedEx package sent from the UAE to the head of Hobby Lobby, the museum’s primary sponsor. According to the documents, the package contained “handmade clay tiles (samples)” produced in Turkey and cost only $200. Apparently they wanted to pass off the contents of the package as “craft tiles”. The authors of the Declaration did not lie about clay and crafts, but they were very mistaken about their origin and cost.
Upon closer examination, the tiles turned out to be 50 cuneiform tablets created by the Sumerians, Akkadians, Persians or other ancient Eastern peoples. Within days, customs officials seized four more packages containing antiquities, accompanied by false customs information and sent to various addresses linked to Hobby Lobby. As the investigation showed, the company purchased them for $146,649 but stated only $1,435 in the affidavit. But the problem is not non-payment of taxes, The plates were stolen from Iraqi museums, which were looted by local gangs, especially after the 2003 American invasion.
Customs were unable to detect all of the valuables and many artifacts reached the museum. There was a sign “The Dream of Gilgamesh” with a quote from the epic dedicated specifically to this hero. Since the Epic of Gilgamesh has many parallels with the Old Testament, including the Flood myth, it is not surprising that it is used to describe the truth of the Bible.
As a result, both the “Dream of Gilgamesh” and the contraband and many other stolen artifacts seized by customs had to be returned. Under the terms of the settlement, Hobby Lobby agreed to pay a $3 million fine and return more than 5,500 items to their rightful owners, mostly cuneiform tablets and clay seals purchased from “unidentified persons” for $1.6 million.
Loot to save
Ancient Athens, like the rest of Greece, played an important role in the formation of ancient culture. The symbol of this ancient city was and still is the Parthenon. (Greek temple built in 447-438 BC) and his many statues. In modern times, Greece fell under the Ottoman yoke and fought desperately for independence, and the Ottoman Empire was never an island of peace and stability. This also affected the Parthenon. During the Sixth Ottoman-Venetian War (1684-1699), the Turks built a gunpowder magazine that exploded when an Italian cannonball hit it. Since then, their remains have been constantly looted and the statues have even been turned into lime for agricultural needs.
In 1798, Thomas Bruce, Earl of Elgin, became Britain’s ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. It is not clear why the nobleman and soldier became interested in antiquities, but even before leaving, he decided to preserve Greek cultural heritage for Britain, initially in the form of molds. With the help of the Neapolitan artist Giovanni Lucieri, he began making copies of the Parthenon sculptures, but gradually the task changed.
Since 1801 Bruce and his hires have removed the original statues from the Parthenon and have done the same with other ancient structures of the Acropolis. From Greece they were transported to Malta, then a British protectorate, and remained there for several years until they were transported to Britain.
The export was completed in 1812, and the Earl of Elgin spent £74,240 of his own money on it; this is the modern equivalent of tens of millions of dollars. Bruce planned to display the sculptures in his private museum in order to “contribute to the development of the nation’s arts”, but these plans were disrupted by his divorce from his wife. As a result, the nobleman was left in debt and was forced to sell the works to the state for £35 thousand, and soon the works ended up in the British Museum, where they are still on display.
The legality of Bruce’s operations had been questioned since the early 19th century, and his actions were viewed by some as mere robbery. However, he removed the statues with the permission of some Ottoman officials, for whom there was no material evidence. Even if this were true, from the perspective of modern Greece, the Ottoman government was an occupying power and therefore the Ottoman authorities had no right to such actions. Therefore, in 1983, the Greek government officially turned to Great Britain with a request to return the statues, but it was refused: in addition, Bruce allegedly saved these works from destruction. After decades of negotiations, the British agreed – although first for the museum will make exact copies using a robot.
Purely British theft
Football fans know very well the golden cup that World Cup winners lift above their heads. However, the World Cup in the form of four golden figures holding the world in their raised hands appeared not so long ago. When Uruguay became champions for the first time in 1930, its team was presented with a symbolic trophy, the Jules Rimet Cup in the form of the gilded goddess of victory, Nike.
The Cup successfully survived World War II, despite starting in fascist Italy. The cup was almost lost while waiting for the championship held in England in 1966. The English Football Association (FA) gave permission for the trophy to be displayed in the Stampex exhibition at London’s Westminster Central Hall. At the opening of the exhibition on 19 March, the trophy was the main exhibit and was thought to be in safe hands. When there were visitors in the museum, guards were constantly standing at the stand, and four more officers guarded the room where the exhibit was located around the clock.
However, at 12.10 on March 20, while security guards were on patrol, they noticed that the back door of the building had been forcibly opened. The bolt that locked it was lying on the floor because the thieves had removed the bolts holding it from the door while they were out. The glass disappeared from the display case; The attackers simply removed the lock from behind. However, neither security nor other museum employees heard anything suspicious.
Two days later, like a classic whodunit, FA chairman Joe Mears received a package containing a removable part of the trophy. Enclosed in the package was a letter in which the criminals demanded a ransom of £15,000 in £1 and £5 notes by the end of the week. If there is no ransom or Mears contacts the police, the cup will be melted down.
The FA president contacted the police the same day and Detective Charles Buggy came up with a plan. It was necessary to accept the thieves’ conditions, but come to the meeting with fake banknotes and accompanied by police in plain clothes. The money transfer took place in a London park: the thief accepted the counterfeit coins and agreed to show the undercover detective how to get to the cup. On the way, the criminal noticed the surveillance and tried to escape, but Buggy caught him, threw him to the ground and detained him. After interrogation, it turned out that the person caught was not the perpetrator or customer of the theft, but merely the middleman, petty thief Edward Betchley, who promised £500 for the help of “a Pole”.
If David Corbett and his collie named Pickles had not been out for a walk in a London area on March 27, it might have been a long time before “some Sopole” realized this. Pickle suddenly began to sniff the package lying on the floor – Corbett found the glass inside. He took the find to the police and they returned the trophy to the FA. As a result, Pickles became famous, Corbett received a reward of £6,000, Betchley went to prison for two years, and Detective Buggy felt like the hero of a novel. .
Law enforcement never found the real thief, but in 2018, journalist Tom Pettifor cracked the case and concluded that the trophy was stolen by mobster Sidney Cugullera for the sake of excitement.
In 1970, Brazil won the fifth World Cup in its history and received the cup permanently, and in return, FIFA created a new cup. In 1983 the old prize was stolen again and has not been found to this day – but that’s entirely Brazil’s problem.