Witnesses to History – Documents and writings on the return of cultural objects

Are you interested in the return of cultural objects? Do you want to know more about the fight against illicit trafficking in cultural property?

UNESCO has just published the Compendium Witnesses to History edited by Professor Lyndel V. Prott. It is 438 pages of reliable information from some of the world’s leading experts in the field of return and restitution of cultural objects and it extends beyond the purely legal aspect.

The Compendium gives an outline of the historical, philosophical and ethical aspects of the return of cultural objects (e.g. cultural objects displaced during war or in colonial contexts), cites past and present cases (Maya Temple Facade, Nigerian Bronzes, United States of America v. Schultz, Parthenon Marbles and many more) and analyses legal issues (bona fide, relevant UNESCO and UNIDROIT Conventions, Supreme Court Decisions, procedure for requests etc.).

Witnesses to History is literature appropriate for students and the general public, and a reference book for specialists, scholars and decision-makers.

It is a landmark publication from UNESCO that bears testament to the ways in which peoples have lost their entire cultural heritage and analyzes the issue of its return and restitution by providing a wide range of perspectives on this subject.

The book is available in English in the UNESCO Bookstore. Chinese, French, Korean and Spanish translations are in preparation.

Witnesses to History – Documents and writings on the return of cultural objects, Edited by Lyndel V. Prott ©UNESCO 2009, 438 pages