1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class. It's a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:06,560 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hi everyone, I'm Eve's Welcome to This Day 3 00:00:06,559 --> 00:00:09,720 Speaker 1: in History Class, a podcast for folks who can never 4 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:24,560 Speaker 1: have enough history knowledge. Today is December sixteen. The day 5 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:29,200 Speaker 1: was December six, nineteen twelve. A team led by German 6 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:34,239 Speaker 1: archaeologist Ludwig Borchard unearthed a limestone bust of ancient Egyptian 7 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:38,879 Speaker 1: queen Nefertidi. The bust has since become an iconic and 8 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:44,080 Speaker 1: often copied representation of Nefertidi. Nefer Tdi reigned as queen 9 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:47,400 Speaker 1: of Egypt in the fourteenth century BC, and she was 10 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:50,640 Speaker 1: the wife of the feral Akatin of the eighteenth dynasty 11 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:54,680 Speaker 1: of Egypt. Borchard and a team of archaeologists from the 12 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:59,120 Speaker 1: German Oriental Society were excavating at Amarna, a site in Egypt, 13 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:02,640 Speaker 1: when they a bust of Nefertidi in the workshop of 14 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:06,680 Speaker 1: a sculptor named foot Mosa. Borchart described the bus in 15 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 1: his diary, but then wrote that there was no use 16 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:11,679 Speaker 1: in describing the art and that you have to see it. 17 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:15,920 Speaker 1: The bus is about nineteen inches or forty eight centimeters tall. 18 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,319 Speaker 1: It's made of limestone and coated with layers of painted stucco. 19 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 1: Nefertidi is wearing a tall, flat topped blue crown with 20 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:27,120 Speaker 1: the golden Dietem band wrapped around it and a broken 21 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:30,959 Speaker 1: ureus or cobra in the front. She is also wearing 22 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:33,520 Speaker 1: a patterned collar, and the pupil of her right eye 23 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:36,200 Speaker 1: is made of quartz, thus painted black. Her left eye 24 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:40,080 Speaker 1: does not have the same crystal inlay. In January of nine, 25 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:44,520 Speaker 1: the excavation finds from Amarna were divided into two lists. 26 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 1: Gustav Lefevo, inspector of the Egyptian Antiquity Service, did not 27 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:53,320 Speaker 1: take the list that had Nefertidis bust on it. Nefertidi, 28 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:57,000 Speaker 1: as well as other bus were awarded to Berlin. The 29 00:01:57,120 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 1: artifacts came under the possession of philanthropists James Simon, co 30 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: founder and treasurer of the German Oriental Society and founder 31 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 1: of the Amarna excavations. Simon donated the works he had 32 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:11,680 Speaker 1: from Amarana to the new Museum in Berlin. An ownership 33 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 1: of the artifacts was transferred to the State of Prussia. 34 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:18,639 Speaker 1: Though many finds from the Amarna excavation were put on display, 35 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 1: the nefer Td bust was not shown to the public 36 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:25,840 Speaker 1: until an exhibition in Berlin in nineteen twenty four. During 37 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:29,440 Speaker 1: World War Two, the Nazis moved the bust for safekeeping, 38 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:32,800 Speaker 1: but after the war the bus was displayed in West Berlin. 39 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:36,760 Speaker 1: In nineteen fifty seven, a decade after the State of 40 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:41,400 Speaker 1: Prussia dissolved, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation became the legal 41 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:45,160 Speaker 1: owner of the neffer TV bust. Today, the sculpture is 42 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:48,079 Speaker 1: part of the Egyptian Museum of Berlin collection and it's 43 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:51,480 Speaker 1: on display at the new museum, but Egypt has been 44 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:54,399 Speaker 1: calling for the return of the bus since nineteen four. 45 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:59,799 Speaker 1: Pierre Leco, director of the Egyptian Antiquity Service, requested it's 46 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:05,080 Speaker 1: re patriation that year. Dr Zahi Hawas, former Secretary General 47 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 1: of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, believes the bus 48 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:11,920 Speaker 1: was taken from Egypt illegally and has called for the 49 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 1: return of antiquities taken out of Egypt during the colonial era. 50 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:21,560 Speaker 1: Despite Egyptian authorities persistent attempts to reclaim Nefertids Bust and 51 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:26,280 Speaker 1: some German recognition of concern surrounding ethics and appropriation, the 52 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:30,440 Speaker 1: Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation still claims ownership of the bust. 53 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:34,880 Speaker 1: Swiss art historian on Re steer Land and historian Air 54 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:38,000 Speaker 1: Devar and Air Juan have both claimed that the bus 55 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:41,400 Speaker 1: is a fake, but those claims have been dismissed as 56 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 1: publicity stunts since scientific analysis has verified its authenticity. I'm 57 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:49,760 Speaker 1: Eves Jeff Coote and hopefully you know a little more 58 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:53,800 Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday. You can find 59 00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at t d i 60 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:03,960 Speaker 1: h C podcast. We also accept electronic letters at this 61 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:07,960 Speaker 1: day at I heart media dot com. Thanks again for 62 00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:11,440 Speaker 1: listening and have a fantastic twenty four hours until we 63 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:23,480 Speaker 1: see you again. For more podcasts from I Heeart Radio, 64 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:26,240 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 65 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:27,400 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.