Theft was wrong then, and it's still wrong today.
When Napoleon’s forces invaded Egypt in 1799, French forces found the Rosetta Stone in a village in northern Egypt and began illegally carting it out of the country. When British forces overtook the French in 1801 and discovered them in possession of the priceless artifact, their forces intercepted and then conveniently continued the blatant theft, sending the stolen ancient artifact off to London. To this day, the British government shamefully refuses to return this obviously looted ancient artifact. These are the facts, and they are undisputed.
Debunking Fears & Myths about Egypt
For many decades, those opposed to Great Britain’s return of the Rosetta Stone to Egypt who otherwise support morally righteous causes have argued that this invaluable artifact might be at risk of damage, neglect, or theft if placed in the care of the Egyptian government and put on display in the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in downtown Cairo. They reasoned that even if the Stone were stolen from Egypt by the British military in 1801, a fact which no one disputes, the British Museum in London was better able to safeguard this priceless artifact.
Fighting back against antiquated stances
Egypt has never been incapable of guarding and preserving its most precious treasures and artifacts. In fact, the old Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in downtown Cairo has long held one of the most valuable and recognizable ancient artifacts in the entire world, one even more valuable than the Rosetta Stone – the solid gold burial mask of King Tutankhamun. In addition to this priceless treasure, this institution has also been entrusted with the actual remains of dozens of the most famous rulers in world history – the mummies of Egypt’s greatest pharaohs. The suggestion that Egypt is incapable of also safeguarding the Rosetta Stone is at best illogical, and at worst downright racist.
Now that the new billion-dollar Grand Egyptian Museum is set to open to the world in 2024, which will contain the entire contents of King Tut’s tomb and treasure collection as well as countless other of the world’s most priceless treasures , it stands to reason that Egypt is in a better position than any other museum in the world – including the British Museum – to safeguard artifacts which Egypt rightfully owns, such as the Rosetta Stone.