In mid-November, Sudanese social media accounts decried yet another loss rarely documented by the media – a priceless Nubian artefact was allegedly stolen and sold on an e-commerce platform. The illicit sale of a granite statue of King Aspelta, a powerful Nubian ruler of the ancient Kush Kingdom, sparked widespread condemnation on Twitter accounts.
Blue Shield International, an organisation that seeks to protect cultural heritage sites, along with the Ayin investigation team, managed to defuse this painful rumour, confirming that the online listing was false. The object shown was, in fact, a well-known museum piece: the granite statue of King Aspelta, excavated from the Great Temple of Amun at Jebel Barkal and dated to 600–580 BC. The statue remains safely housed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
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