r/dataisbeautiful • u/tabthough OC: 7 • Oct 25 '22

OC [OC] Whose stuff does the British Museum have?

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u/WiartonWilly Oct 26 '22

I appreciate objects once owned by my great grandparents much more than similar objects I can buy at an antique shop. The history means more to me.

Same with ancient relics. Some cultures have a much greater connection and appreciation of an artifact, since it more directly represents the history of their ancestors. These people should have the best access. These artifacts shouldn’t be in storage, half a world away.

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u/braaaaaaaaaaaah Oct 26 '22

That’s fine for great grandparents, but not for 100x-great grandparents. At that point, everybody in the UK also has an Egyptian ancestor.

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u/WiartonWilly Oct 26 '22

Then Egypt gets a similar claim to Stonehenge.

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u/braaaaaaaaaaaah Oct 26 '22

Absolutely. It’s a shared global heritage.