Australia returns fragment of world's oldest known large sculpture to Jordan
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Tuesday received a rare artifact returned by Australia, dating to around 12,000 BC. According to Al Jazeera, the piece, together with two other fragments held in Jordan, makes up what is considered the oldest known large-scale sculpture in the world, and its return comes after about four decades.
Why it matters
The return highlights the importance of recovering artifacts taken abroad so that shared heritage is preserved in its country of origin. With this piece, three fragments of the same sculpture are now held in Jordan.
Background
Many countries seek the return of antiquities that left their territory, usually through diplomatic and legal channels. Jordan holds archaeological sites and collections spanning long periods of the region's history.
How outlets covered it
Both outlets agree on the core facts: Australia returned to Jordan a rare artifact dating to around 12,000 BC, part of what is considered the oldest known large-scale sculpture in the world. Sky News Arabia highlighted the handover, naming Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, and its headline gives the age as 14,000 years while its text says 12,000 BC. Al Jazeera's text focused on the piece forming, together with two other parts held in Jordan, that sculpture, and its headline points to a gap of four decades and puts the description "the oldest large sculpture in the world" in quotation marks.
How outlets headlined it
This is a brief summary. The full details and context are in the original coverage.
Read the full story at سكاي نيوز عربيةIn this story:Jordan
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