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The Netherlands has pledged to return a 3,500-year-old stone head, stolen from Egypt during the Arab Spring, marking a major step in the global movement to repatriate looted artifacts. The sculpture—believed to depict a high-ranking official from the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose III—resurfaced at a Maastricht art fair a decade after its disappearance, with an anonymous tip alerting Dutch authorities to its illicit origins. The dealer voluntarily surrendered the piece after its stolen status was confirmed. The official commitment to repatriate this culturally significant object was made during the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. The restitution underscores growing international efforts to restore cultural heritage and may amplify Egypt’s calls for the return of other iconic artifacts, such as the Rosetta Stone.
BBC