France Begins Return of 3,500 Ancient Artifacts to Ethiopia
France has initiated the return of approximately 3,500 archaeological artifacts to Ethiopia, ending decades of custody. On Saturday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot handed over three significant prehistoric tools—a pair of stone axes, known as bifaces, and a stone cutter—to Ethiopia’s Tourism Minister Selamawit Kassa during a ceremony at the national museum in Addis Ababa.
Barrot explained that the tools are “samples of nearly 3,500 artifacts from the excavations that were carried out on the Melka Kunture site,” a prehistoric cluster south of the Ethiopian capital. These discoveries date back between 1 and 2 million years and were part of excavations led by a late French researcher.
While the artifacts have been housed at the French embassy in Addis Ababa, the full collection is scheduled to be handed over to the Ethiopian Heritage Directorate on Tuesday. Laurent Serrano, a cultural advisor at the embassy, clarified, “This is a handover, not a restitution, as these objects have never been part of French public collections.”
France and Ethiopia share a strong bilateral relationship, especially in archaeology and paleontology. This latest gesture underscores their ongoing collaboration and acknowledges Ethiopia’s rich historical significance as a cradle of human civilization.
As the handover progresses, the artifacts will enrich Ethiopia’s cultural heritage, offering deeper insights into its prehistoric legacy.
France Begins Return of 3,500 Ancient Artifacts to Ethiopia
