Return of Axum obelisk 'imminent'

[Talon]

Return of Axum obelisk 'imminent'

Ethiopia's government has said Italy is to return the first piece of a historic obelisk from Rome to its home in Axum by the end of March.

The move breaks a long deadlock over the return of a monument taken from the northern town of Axum in 1937, during Italy's brief occupation of Ethiopia.

The 160-tonne pillar has been broken into three pieces to ease transport.

The Ethiopian foreign ministry said the whole of the 1,700-year-old obelisk should be back by the end of April.

National celebration

Spokesman Solomon Abebe Tassema said the top section of the 24m (82 foot) block would be flown to Ethiopia by the end of March, with the lower pieces following afterwards.

The Italian government has agreed to pay 340m euros ($450m) to transport the obelisk by cargo plane to Ethiopia and reconstruct it at its original site in Axum, the Associated Press news agency says.

The Ethiopian authorities are thought to be planning a national celebration to mark its return.

The monument has been a bone of contention between the two countries for decades, with the Ethiopian government accusing Rome of stalling over its return.

In 1947, Italy signed a pledge to the UN to give back the obelisk - seized by Italian troops under Italy's fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini - but has not followed through until now.

Rome repeated its promise in 2004, during a visit by Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to Italy.

Richard Pankhurst, an expert on Ethiopian history at Addis Ababa University, told AP: "We have been working on this for many years.

"But Italy still has not returned two major things - one is the national archives and the other is former Emperor Haile Selassie's pre-war airplane."

The obelisk will not return home entirely unscathed from its 70-year stay down the road from Rome's Coliseum.

As well as being cut into pieces, it has been damaged by pollution and a lightning strike in 2002.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/worl...ica/4308647.stm

[Gabriel]

interesting i hadnt heard of that before, how bout a library pass to all those secret book u all got? what was so speical a bout it that Mussolini would want it?

[ROGER]

Historically when one nation attacks and defeats another a certain amount of Raping and Pillaging is expected and yes anticipated. What kind of precedents are we setting if after steeling some thing of cultural value we demand it be returned.

With out the promise of the Rapping and stealing we would not be able to gets soldiers to fight our campions for the politically elite.

I say let the Italians keep the obelisk, The Axis powers stoled it fare and square. Next thing the Iraqis will want their stuff back. Then all the Volunteer Solders will go home angry. Who will back up G. W. Bushes plans for this Country!

[DarkEntity99]

very interesting

[Malek]

Sad they cut it in three pieces.

[nbekele]

Acually there is a "SYMPOSIUM FOR THE RETURN OF AXUM OBELISK" in Boston MA if you are interested and able to make it

Boston University Morse Auditorium

602 Commonwealth Avenue

Boston, Massachusetts 02215

Sunday, April 24 2005

2:00 pm - 6:00 p.m.

[Dark_Lord]

The obelisk was a symbol, amidst a very beatiful square in Rome. I can't finda th point at returning the obelisk. Foreign armies have sacked the treasures of Italy for centuries, the Obelisk is a war prey, and as such it should remain in Italy. Italian archeologists in the former colonies of Libia and Etiopia actually wrote down the long forgotten history of those countries, bringing to light the roman cities of Libia: Leptis Magna, Cyrene, Apollonia, and the royale cemeteries of Axum, in Etiopia.

[nbekele]

The obelisk was a symbol, amidst a very beatiful square in Rome. I can't finda th point at returning the obelisk. Foreign armies have sacked the treasures of Italy for centuries, the Obelisk is a war prey, and as such it should remain in Italy. Italian archeologists in the former colonies of Libia and Etiopia actually wrote down the long forgotten history of those countries, bringing to light the roman cities of Libia: Leptis Magna, Cyrene, Apollonia, and the royale cemeteries of Axum, in Etiopia.

558238[/snapback]

Yes is very beautiful obelisk and it’s the world’s tallest obelisks that is why they stole the obelisk it doesn’t belong to them so they definitely have to return the Obelisk. Have you seen the rest in Ethiopian they are gorgeous.

[sourpatchkid]

Next thing the Iraqis will want their stuff back. Then all the Volunteer Solders will go home angry. Who will back up G. W. Bushes plans for this Country!

Please, Please tell me your joking. I dont give a crap who tries to back up the plans of "G.W." Second of all just because something is anticipated or because it happens all the time doesn't mean we should tolerate it! The Italians were a bunch of Nazi-Backers in WWII they dont deserve to keep anything from WWII. It belongs to Ethiopia thats where it should stay.

[Dark_Lord]

Yes is very beautiful obelisk and it’s the world’s tallest obelisks that is why they stole  the obelisk it doesn’t belong to them so they definitely have to return the Obelisk. Have you seen the rest in Ethiopian they are gorgeous.

558320[/snapback]

No, it's a rather small obelisk, if compared with the obelisks in Egypt. It was one of the smallest even in Rome, where more than 14 ancient obelisks are still located. It lied in ruins, as the whole royal cemetery of Axum, before italian archeologists dug up the site in the '30. I wouldn't say the obelisk was stolen, it was recovered from the very poor state in which it used to be and preserved for over half a century.