Hobby Lobby's $1.6 million 'Epic of Gilgamesh' Tablet
The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest tales of time. Originally depicted on ancient tablets from Sumerian culture, the Epic is often cited as the oldest example of literature in the history of written language. The subject of the story has been a continual source of justification for groups ranging from conspiracy theorists to religious institutions and linguists around the world. It is used as a confirmation of their histories, their relevance, and some of their most outlandish beliefs. Its significance and cultural esteem has placed it as one of the most valuable treasures of the ancient world and one edition of the work, titled the "Gilgamesh Dream Tablet" was recently seized from Hobby Lobby by the United States Justice Department.
Hobby Lobby purchased the tablets containing sections from the Epic of Gilgamesh from a Christie's auction back in 2014 for $1,674,000. The piece was intended to be added to Hobby Lobby's growing museum in Washington D.C. The Museum of the Bible, a foundation funded by Hobby Lobby owner David Green. In 2019, a notification was sent to the museum, alerting them of the illegal shipping history of the tablet and in July of 2021, the US Justice Department reached out to Hobby Lobby, ordering the companies forfeiture of the $1.6 million tablet. In response, Hobby Lobby has now filed its own lawsuit against Christie's auction house, claiming Christie's knew of the illegally transported artifact.
The Hobby Lobby lawsuit against Christie's auction house claims that the organization knew of the illegal nature behind the tablets prior to their sale. The tablet is a 3,600 year old artifact that was snuck into the US back in 2003. The suit follows Hobby Lobby's recent forfeiture of over 3,800 artifacts from ancient Iraq including multiple cuneiform tablets that were disguised as 'tile samples' during their shipments. Hobby Lobby's controversial ownership of illegal items was first discovered in 2017 when the company was fined over $3 million for harboring stolen artifacts from both Iraq and Egypt.
The illegal nature of the items stems from a 1990s decision by the US Justice Department to ban looted imports from Iraq with cultural and archeological significance. After its 2003 arrival, the tablet was sold by a Jordanian dealer living in London for $50,000 to another anonymous dealer. It is still unclear how many times the tablet has traded hand and been sold. It was listed at Christie's auction by Joseph David Hackmey, an Israeli business man and art collector who convinced the auction house to move forward with the sale. As the lawsuit unfolds between Hobby Lobby and Christie's auction house, the US has already shipped the ancient tablet back to Iraq, as part of a 17,000-item shipment. Hasan Nadhim, the culture minister of Iraq, stated that the shipment was the largest reparation in the history of Iraq.
Originally founded in late 2017, the Washington D.C.-based museum contains iterations and editions of the Bible throughout history. The museum has endured a variety of controversy since its opening ranging from the forfeiture of over 3,800 artifacts to questions over some of the museum's collections authenticity.
Prior to the museums opening, the Green family acquired 16 Dead Sea Scrolls. The subject of the scrolls features some of the lost books of the Bible such as the highly-controversial Book of Enoch. The scrolls were originally discovered in 1946 and had an estimated value of over $1.2 billion. With the rarity of the items and expensive price tag, the authenticity of the documents held by the museum was often questioned. After Hobby Lobby sent the items off to Germany to to test their authenticity, five of them were determined to be fakes. Further testing from professionals proved that all 16 of the Dead Sea Scrolls housed by the Museum of the Bible were fakes.
Another object of contention were 11 stolen Bible fragments that the museum had acquired through MacArthur Fellowship 'Genius Grant' winner Professor Dirk Obbink. A professor known for his work with Oxford University's Oxyrhynchus Papyri Project, Obbink sold the pieces to Hobby Lobby which were hidden by secret doors and viewable only through a Non Disclosure Agreement. All objects were later found to be stolen and ordered to be returned to Iraq.
Hidden treasures from past-cultures and civilizations can fetch high prices at auction houses throughout the world. The treasures can range from buried items found underground to treasures kept under lock-and-key for generations. One such example is the treasure discovered at a Hindu temple in Trivandrum, India which included over $22 billion in gold coins, jewels, and solid gold statues depicting gods and goddesses.
Another tablet that rivals the wealth attached to the ancient Epic of Gilgamesh is the Rosetta Stone. The piece of granodiorite stele is inscribed with Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and Ancient Greek. The tablet established a code system for deciphering Egyptian scripts which later contributed to an unimaginable understanding of culture. Originally discovered in Rosetta, Egypt in 1799, the object now resides in the British Museum. Requests from Egypt to have the stone returned home have been continuously denied.
With ancient tablets and scriptures fetching high sums at auction houses, it's no surprise that the items often turn out to be stolen, forged, or imitations of the originals. And with a museum dedicated to one of the most culturally-significant books of all time, it isn't too shocking to find themselves in controversial law suits over the objects. But whether the museum has engaged in illegal trading knowingly, or, if they have been duped by their desire to collect some of the most culturally-sensitive artifacts of all time still remains a mystery. One equally as engaging as the thousand-year-old mystery of who truly composed some of these ancient tablets to begin with.
Sources:
from TheRichest - Feed https://ift.tt/3xBy4pX
Post a Comment