Egyptian antiquities chief reports damage but no theft at Cairo museum
Archaeologists expressed deep concern on Sunday that many of Egypt's historical treasures were threatened by looters after the political uprising, while Egypt's top antiquities official said that all 24 national museums are now under the protection of the Army and that damage to the main Cairo museum housing thousands of priceless artifacts appears limited.
Officials in Egypt and American Egyptologists said they were worried, however, about reports of ongoing looting at Saqqara, an important site south of Cairo that is home to Egypt's first stone pyramid and hundreds of tombs spanning 3,000 years of the country's deep cultural history.
"The potential for damage is far more extreme than in Afghanistan and Iraq," said Fred Hiebert, an archaeology fellow with the National Geographic Society. Both of those countries have experienced looting of artifacts during ongoing wars....
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Officials in Egypt and American Egyptologists said they were worried, however, about reports of ongoing looting at Saqqara, an important site south of Cairo that is home to Egypt's first stone pyramid and hundreds of tombs spanning 3,000 years of the country's deep cultural history.
"The potential for damage is far more extreme than in Afghanistan and Iraq," said Fred Hiebert, an archaeology fellow with the National Geographic Society. Both of those countries have experienced looting of artifacts during ongoing wars....