In a significant cultural exchange, France has begun the process of returning approximately 3,500 ancient artifacts to Ethiopia, which had been in the country’s possession for decades.
The formal handover began on Saturday, November 30, at the National Museum in Addis Ababa, where three prehistoric tools were transferred to Ethiopian authorities in a ceremonial event.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot presented the items, which included two prehistoric stone axes, known as bifaces, and a stone cutter, to Ethiopia’s Tourism Minister Selamawit Kassa.
These artifacts are part of a larger collection of items discovered at the Melka Kunture site, a key archaeological location south of Addis Ababa, which has been studied for decades.
“These tools are a sample of nearly 3,500 artifacts from excavations at the Melka Kunture site,” Barrot explained during the ceremony.
The site has been a crucial location for understanding prehistoric life in the region, with the excavations led by a late French researcher.
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The artifacts, dating back between 1 and 2 million years, include tools that provide valuable insight into early human history.
Although some media outlets have labeled this return as a “restitution,” French officials clarified that this transfer is a “handover,” not a formal restitution.
Laurent Serrano, cultural advisor at the French Embassy in Addis Ababa, emphasized that the artifacts had never been part of France’s public collections but had instead been stored for study.
The entire collection will be officially transferred to Ethiopia’s Heritage Directorate on December 3.
This return marks an important moment in the ongoing cultural cooperation between France and Ethiopia.
The two countries have maintained a long-standing partnership in the fields of archaeology and paleontology, and this gesture strengthens their collaborative efforts in preserving and studying shared heritage.
Ethiopia, for its part, is eager to ensure that these historic artifacts are preserved for future generations, further solidifying the nation’s rich cultural legacy.