Using the Rosetta Stone as a jumping off point, John Tierney in the New York Times revives the battle over antiquities. John Henry Merryman long ago charaterized this dispute as between the nationalists and the internationalists. In his article, published Nov. 16, 2009, Tierney posits that if the Rosetta Stone would have been unearthed today it would not be able to be acquired by a museum outside Egypt. Is this a bad thing? Tierney quotes James Cuno, author of "Who Owns Antiquity," as suggesting that the stone would not be studied and would be "a mere curiosity." Worse: "Egyptology as we know it would not exist."
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