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Introduction

Many of us like to visit museums to see ancient artefacts in person – it's an exciting way to learn about the history and culture of different civilisations. But did you know that there are criminal networks which steal and trade these ancient objects? Neil and Beth discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary.

This week's question

Which famous ancient artefact was discovered in the Valley of the Kings by Egyptologist Howard Carter in 1922?

a) the Rosetta Stone
b) the Mask of Tutankhamun
c) the Ark of the Covenant

Listen to the programme to hear the answer.

Vocabulary

artefact
object made by humans, such as a tool or decoration, which is of historical interest
 
looted
forcefully stolen
 
game changer
new element that is introduced into a situation and completely changes how it operates
 
bottleneck
problem that delays a process or stops it from progressing
 
repatriate
return something or someone to the country they originally came from
 
middle-of-the-road
not extreme; acceptable to most people

TRANSCRIPT

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript. 

Neil
Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.
 
Beth
And I'm Beth. Neil, what is the oldest thing you have at home?
 
Neil
Ooh… well, I do have some books from when I was a child.
 
Beth
I have a rocking horse that was my dad's, so that is quite old. But neither of these are anywhere near as old as the 1,800-year-old Roman coin which BBC reporter Ryan Keane recently bought in London. But soon afterwards, Ryan discovered there was more to the story, as he explains here on BBC World Service programme Business Daily:
 
Ryan Keane
But as I researched into other kinds of ancient artefacts I could acquire, I came across reports of expansive criminal networks related to antiquities. Some ancient artefacts being sold online and in stores have been looted and trafficked.
 
Neil
Ryan got interested in artefacts from Egypt, Greece and Rome. An artefact is any object made by humans, usually very old, which is historically interesting – for example, a coin or statue.
 
Beth
In the past, many artefacts have been looted – or stolen by force. Movies like Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider have made the subject popular, but the theft of ancient objects is a serious problem in some parts of the world. So, what can be done about it? That's what we'll be discussing in this episode, using some useful new words and phrases.
 
Neil
And remember – you'll find all the vocabulary from this episode on our website, bbclearningenglish.com. Now, I have a question for you, Beth. One of the most famous ancient artefacts was discovered by Egyptologist Howard Carter in the Valley of the Kings in 1922, but what was it? Was it:
 
a)    the Rosetta Stone,
b)    the Mask of Tutankhamun, or
c)    the Ark of the Covenant?
 
Beth
Oh, I think it's b) the Mask of Tutankhamun.
 
Neil
OK. Let's find out later in the programme. Stealing ancient objects is nothing new. During colonial times, it was common for artefacts to be taken from their original home and moved to museums and private collections abroad. In the modern era, technology, especially social media, has increased the problem. Here's, Amr Al-Azm, a researcher from Shawnee State University in the US, explaining more to BBC's Business Daily:
 
Amr Al-Azm
Social media is the game changer here. The bottleneck, if you will, was how does someone who has an item then communicate with someone on the demand side? It used to slow the process – you had to go through intermediaries. Social media changes all that because it just opens it up.
 
Beth
Amr calls social media a game changer – something new that is introduced into a situation and completely changes how it works. For example, the internet has been a game changer in how we communicate.
 
Neil
The reason is simple. For someone with illegally stolen artefacts to sell, finding a buyer used to be difficult. Amr thinks that now, because of social media, this problem, or bottleneck, is gone. A bottleneck is a problem that delays a process or stops it from progressing.
 
Beth
So, what can be done to stop the illegal buying and selling of ancient artefacts? Well, as the final destination for much looted treasure, museums have an important role to play. Accusations of knowingly or unknowingly buying stolen objects have been made against several museums, including the Louvre in Paris.
 
Neil
Victoria Reed is senior curator at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. In 2024, she helped her museum return an ancient necklace which had been taken illegally from Turkey in the 1970s. But the idea of returning artefacts to their country of origin, something known as repatriation, is controversial, as Victora told BBC programme Business Daily:
 
Victoria Reed
Outside of the museum world, of course, there are many opinions, and I personally try to maintain a relatively middle-of-the-road approach. I believe in museums, I believe in responsible collecting and I believe in judicious repatriation decisions.
 
Beth
There are arguments both for and against repatriating artefacts, and Victoria takes a middle-of-the-road approach. If you describe something as middle-of-the-road, you mean it's not extreme and is acceptable to most people.
 
Neil
Whether ancient artefacts find their way back to their original homes or are displayed in museums remains an ongoing debate, but either way it's good to know that objects of culture and beauty are being preserved for future generations. OK. I think it's time to reveal the answer to my question. I asked what the Egyptologist Howard Carter discovered in the Valley of the Kings in 1922. Was it: a) the Rosetta Stone, b) the Mask of Tutankhamun, or c) the Ark of the Covenant?
 
Beth
And I said, "The Mask of Tutankhamun."
 
Neil
And you, Beth… were right.
 
Beth
Yes!
 
Neil
OK. Let's recap the vocabulary we've learned, starting with artefact – any object made by humans which is of historical interest.
 
Beth
If something is looted, it's stolen by force.
 
Neil
A game changer is a new element which, when introduced into a situation, completely changes it.
 
Beth
A bottleneck is a problem that delays a process or stops it from progressing.
 
Neil
To repatriate something means to return it to the country it came from.
 
Beth
And finally, the adjective middle-of-the-road describes things which are not extreme and are acceptable to most people. Once again, our six minutes are up. If you enjoyed this programme, why not check out the accompanying worksheet and quiz? They're both available now at bbclearningenglish.com. See you there soon and goodbye.
 
Neil
Goodbye!

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