Egypt to demand return of Nefertiti bust from Germany

The Egyptian government requested Nefertiti's return as early as 19 Ten years later, Germany agreed to hand it over, but then Adolf nixed the deal.Back in 2007, Germany refused to lend the statue to Egypt on the grounds that it was too fragile.He died in 19 Zahi Hawass, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, is slated to meet with Egypt's National Committee for the Return of Stolen Artifacts this week and will then formally ask for the return of the bust.

The council says the diary of Ludwig Borchardt, who unearthed the priceless piece in 1912, shows that he knew it was a bust of the pharaonic-era queen but instead listed it simply as a plaster bust of a princess.The request is bound to stir up old battles.The Cairo-based Supreme Council of Antiquities says it has uncovered evidence that the archeologist who discovered the 3,400-year-old bust deliberately misled Egyptian officials about its true value, according to Bloomberg News.Borchardt, who founded the German Archeological Institute in Cairo in 1907, made a name for himself after finding Nerfertiti's bust.Egyptian authorities say they will demand the return of a bust of Queen Nefertiti from Berlin's Neue Museum.

German Culture Minister Bernd Neumann has already said that Germany acted lawfully in getting the bust.These materials confirm Egypt's contention that Borchardt did act unethically with the intent to deceive," a statement released by the antiquities council said.