Battle Brewing Over Bronze Head of Goddess Anahit

Will Armenian minister bring Goddess Anahit’s statue home? - newspaper
February 15, 2012 | 10:18

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s Education and Science Minister Armen Ashotyan seems to be determined to bring to Armenia the pagan goddess Anahit’s bronze head from the British Museum in London, Haykakan Zhamanak daily writes.

“The Minister expressed such wish in his Facebook account. He proposed to his [Facebook] friends to join him and to petition—with corresponding signatures under a joint text—to the Great Britain’s Embassy in Armenia, asking that the head and the hands of Goddess Anahit’s statue be returned to Armenia. Through his spokesperson, Ashotyan informed that his call had received a huge response, especially from the youth and university students. And they launched a signature campaign, and Minister Armen Ashotyan will likewise join them at the end [of the campaign, and they will petition to Great Britain’s Embassy. The latter responded to Ashotyan’s call, likewise on its Facebook account. Ambassador Cathy Leach wrote: “For long years the British Museum has provided its unique items for worldwide display. It will be marvelous if such exchange program be carried out between the British Museum and the State Museum of History of Armenia.” In this way the Ambassador alluded not to the possibility of returning of the statue, but, instead, to its sending for a temporary display,” Haykakan Zhamanak writes.