[...] Why are the Elgin Marbles in London, and not on the Acropolis? Why do there seem to be as many mummies in French museums as there are in Egypt? Why are so many Etruscan masterworks in America?
For the past two centuries, the most powerful nations of the West have been plundering the treasures of the ancient world to fill their great museums, without consequence. But in recent years, the governments of plundered nations have begun to push back, taking museums to court, prosecuting curators and threatening to shut down cultural exchange in order to force the return of these priceless objects. [...]
