The Return of Cultural Treasures

The return of cultural treasures to their homelands has become the subject of heated public debate in recent years, highlighted by the controversial case of the so-called Elgin Marbles. In this important and pioneering work, Jeanette Greenfield analyses and discusses the historical, legal and political issues surrounding a wide cross-section of similar cases. This concise, revised edition brings the story up to date, with new material on art treasures and museums in Russia after the break-up of the Soviet Union, the claims to the Vatican of the Hebrew Manuscripts, and the saga of the Dead Sea Scrolls. This is an extremely readable account with more than one hundred striking illustrations. The interdisciplinary approach makes it accessible to a wide range of readers interested in cultural heritage, archaeology and anthropology, museums, art history and international law.