David Abulafia

It was inevitable that the Grand Egyptian Museum outside Cairo would accompany its much-delayed opening with demands for the restitution of several of the most famous objects that have survived from the days of the Pharaohs. It was inevitable too that this effort would be fronted by the irrepressible Zahi Hawass, formerly the government minister in charge of antiquities, and now one of the most voluble ambassadors for ancient Egyptian civilization. The history of the Rosetta Stone is not simply an Egyptian history Fortunately he is not asking for the return of everything. If he was, the largest museum of Egyptian antiquities outside of Egypt, in Turin, would be left completely empty.

In our electronic age it hardly comes as a surprise that Pat MacFadden’s Cabinet Office intends to do away with the use of seals on most official documents, such as grants of patents to inventors. Old-fashioned wax seals, hanging from the bottom of parchment documents, may be seen as cumbersome, but most sealings nowadays consist of an embossed impression on a thin wax wafer. I used to seal documents myself when I occupied the ancient office of ‘Registrary’ in my Cambridge college. Most memorable was the sale of land the college had owned in Rickmansworth since the 16th century – by now a muddy private road thought too costly to maintain.

A charity called the Brilliant Club offers support to disadvantaged pupils in non-selective state schools to enable them to aim high and gain places at leading universities. No one can quarrel with that. But guidance provided to the charity’s tutors raises concern about the way the scholars are being taught. They are being encouraged to believe that the Vikings were very diverse, were not all white northern Europeans, and that some of them were quite probably practising Muslims. Decolonising the Vikings is, admittedly, a difficult task. They were very good at colonising other people’s lands Decolonising the Vikings is, admittedly, a difficult task.

The British Museum is beginning to think about the possibility of embarking on a massive programme of refurbishment, repairs and the reorganisation of its galleries, now that the building is showing its age. At the same time, many groups would like to use this opportunity to change the very character of the museum. One such group is The World Reimagined. Its co-founder Michelle Gayle takes the view that this is a chance for the British Museum ‘to look its past in the eye’. She has the active support of Jolyon Maugham’s Good Law Project, which embraces a whole catalogue of campaigns about issues such as puberty blockers and keeping GB News ‘in check’. It too wants to reimagine the world from a stridently far-left perspective.

A new eight-part TV series co-produced by the BBC about England in 1066, entitled King and Conqueror, has diverse actors playing Anglo-Saxons. Elander Moore will reportedly play the real historical role of Morcar, an Earl of Northumbria who fought against Viking and Norman invaders. At first sight there might be plausible precedents for the choice of black actors to play leading parts in this kind of historical drama. But looking more closely you have to wonder whether ‘my truth’ is taking over from ‘the truth’ and generating false views of the past.

The interim director of the British Museum, Mark Jones, has broached the idea that our national museums should charge foreign visitors for entry, though not British visitors. On the surface it may seem an attractive idea. Our national museums are major attractions – not just in London but in Edinburgh and elsewhere, drawing in millions of people from across the world. The temptation to follow the almost universal practice of charging for entry is understandable. Museums can always do with more money, even if it is sometimes spent badly on worthless ‘decolonisation’ projects promoted by the likes of the Museums Association. The Metropolitan Museum in New York charges $30, though you can opt to give less, so long as it is something. You can even (if you dare) pay just one cent.

The Pitt-Rivers Museum in Oxford has won a reputation for its energetic programme of ‘decolonisation’. Its director, Laura van Broekhoven, is an expert on the Amazon. Nonetheless, on the museum website she actually begins her account of her academic work with the words ‘Laura’s current research interests include repatriation and redress, with a focus on the importance of collaboration, inclusivity and reflexive inquiry.’ She is keen on titles. Not only is she grandly described on the museum website as ‘Professor Dr Laura van Broekhoven’, she is also ‘Professor of Museum Studies, Ethics and Material Culture’ at the University of Oxford. That is quite a combination.