Loot and Plunder
@andrewheavens.bsky.social
By Andrew Heavens, author of "The Prince and the Plunder", about how Britain took piles of loot and one small boy from Ethiopia.
Interested in all things pillaged, and in Bob, and in skiffle.
Champion of Wiggle Wiggle on Pod Dylan.
Interested in all things pillaged, and in Bob, and in skiffle.
Champion of Wiggle Wiggle on Pod Dylan.
🧵1/3 - The deepest dive so far into the story of the looted Ethiopian gospel, by Jacopo Gnisci in @theconversation.com theconversation.com/this-18th-ce...
Takeaway 1: It is the 2nd of a 2-volume set. The 1st is probably in the Bavarian state library - another piece of the Maqdala plunder...
Takeaway 1: It is the 2nd of a 2-volume set. The 1st is probably in the Bavarian state library - another piece of the Maqdala plunder...
This 18th-century Gospel has reignited a fierce battle over Ethiopia’s looted heritage
The controversy highlights a broader, escalating global movement demanding the return of African antiquities.
theconversation.com
September 25, 2026 at 6:01 PM
🧵1/3 - The deepest dive so far into the story of the looted Ethiopian gospel, by Jacopo Gnisci in @theconversation.com theconversation.com/this-18th-ce...
Takeaway 1: It is the 2nd of a 2-volume set. The 1st is probably in the Bavarian state library - another piece of the Maqdala plunder...
Takeaway 1: It is the 2nd of a 2-volume set. The 1st is probably in the Bavarian state library - another piece of the Maqdala plunder...
🧵1/4 - The story of the looted Ethiopian gospels has moved on, with the dealer pulling them from sale, but standing firm on his right to sell them.
(Lily Isaac's article may be behind a paywall for some, but consider subscribing. @ObserverUK is fab.)
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
(Lily Isaac's article may be behind a paywall for some, but consider subscribing. @ObserverUK is fab.)
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
September 20, 2026 at 8:50 AM
🧵1/4 - The story of the looted Ethiopian gospels has moved on, with the dealer pulling them from sale, but standing firm on his right to sell them.
(Lily Isaac's article may be behind a paywall for some, but consider subscribing. @ObserverUK is fab.)
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
(Lily Isaac's article may be behind a paywall for some, but consider subscribing. @ObserverUK is fab.)
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
🧵1/4 - It’s a sign of how much was looted from Ethiopia in 1868 that new treasures keep turning up almost 160 years later.
Look at this lavishly illustrated C18th copy of the Gospels of Luke and John, until recently on sale in Abu Dhabi for c €250,000 inlibris.com/item/bn69353/
Look at this lavishly illustrated C18th copy of the Gospels of Luke and John, until recently on sale in Abu Dhabi for c €250,000 inlibris.com/item/bn69353/
September 19, 2026 at 5:22 PM
🧵1/4 - It’s a sign of how much was looted from Ethiopia in 1868 that new treasures keep turning up almost 160 years later.
Look at this lavishly illustrated C18th copy of the Gospels of Luke and John, until recently on sale in Abu Dhabi for c €250,000 inlibris.com/item/bn69353/
Look at this lavishly illustrated C18th copy of the Gospels of Luke and John, until recently on sale in Abu Dhabi for c €250,000 inlibris.com/item/bn69353/
Eritrean plunder. Or, possibly, forged Eritrean plunder, made to be bought by suckers like me.
Fragment
Ancient Adulis
Coast of Abyssinia
1868
Fragment
Ancient Adulis
Coast of Abyssinia
1868
August 10, 2026 at 8:32 AM
Eritrean plunder. Or, possibly, forged Eritrean plunder, made to be bought by suckers like me.
Fragment
Ancient Adulis
Coast of Abyssinia
1868
Fragment
Ancient Adulis
Coast of Abyssinia
1868
"The loan of the Bayeux Tapestry by France to the British Museum is a good example of creative cultural diplomacy that strengthens ties between friendly states. It also presents an opportunity ..." giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
The Bayeux Tapestry loan is a model for the Parthenon Marbles
Burnham has a chance to create a legislative carve-out that speeds the process of returning the artefacts to Greece
giftarticle.ft.com
August 9, 2026 at 6:43 AM
"The loan of the Bayeux Tapestry by France to the British Museum is a good example of creative cultural diplomacy that strengthens ties between friendly states. It also presents an opportunity ..." giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
Thank you so much to Kumnei for inviting me to to talk about Ethiopia's Prince Alemayehu on her excellent new Kumneger Podcast. A great conversation. We address the key question - should he stay or should he go home. youtu.be/UEmotfUIFP8?...
The Extraordinary Journey of Prince Alemayehu | Andrew Heavens | Kumneger Podcast #ethiopia#habesha
YouTube video by Kumneger Podcast
youtu.be
July 15, 2026 at 6:32 PM
Thank you so much to Kumnei for inviting me to to talk about Ethiopia's Prince Alemayehu on her excellent new Kumneger Podcast. A great conversation. We address the key question - should he stay or should he go home. youtu.be/UEmotfUIFP8?...
Radio 3 plays soft. But there's nothing, really nothing to turn off.
June 25, 2026 at 8:37 AM
Radio 3 plays soft. But there's nothing, really nothing to turn off.
The prettiest plundering scene I ever did see.
"Tapestry with a plundering scene, Flanders, late 16th century. In a setting of valleys and woods, a scene of plunder under the watchful eye of Spanish soldiers." Yours for €2,000 - €3,000 www.bonhams.com/auction/3180...
"Tapestry with a plundering scene, Flanders, late 16th century. In a setting of valleys and woods, a scene of plunder under the watchful eye of Spanish soldiers." Yours for €2,000 - €3,000 www.bonhams.com/auction/3180...
June 12, 2026 at 6:14 AM
The prettiest plundering scene I ever did see.
"Tapestry with a plundering scene, Flanders, late 16th century. In a setting of valleys and woods, a scene of plunder under the watchful eye of Spanish soldiers." Yours for €2,000 - €3,000 www.bonhams.com/auction/3180...
"Tapestry with a plundering scene, Flanders, late 16th century. In a setting of valleys and woods, a scene of plunder under the watchful eye of Spanish soldiers." Yours for €2,000 - €3,000 www.bonhams.com/auction/3180...
For the Beatles completist in your life. #beatles
'Battersea Rain Dance' by Chris Barber & His Band
Featuring yell by Paul McCartney (copyright Apple Publishing)
#realtreasure
Featuring yell by Paul McCartney (copyright Apple Publishing)
#realtreasure
June 3, 2026 at 3:16 PM
For the Beatles completist in your life. #beatles
'Battersea Rain Dance' by Chris Barber & His Band
Featuring yell by Paul McCartney (copyright Apple Publishing)
#realtreasure
Featuring yell by Paul McCartney (copyright Apple Publishing)
#realtreasure
June 3, 2026 at 3:01 PM
'Battersea Rain Dance' by Chris Barber & His Band
Featuring yell by Paul McCartney (copyright Apple Publishing)
#realtreasure
Featuring yell by Paul McCartney (copyright Apple Publishing)
#realtreasure
Game of Thrones loot for sale. Gold bar used in the Season 7 episode "The Spoils of War", yours for c £400.
See how it glisters - www.ewbankauctions.co.uk/280526MP-lot...
See how it glisters - www.ewbankauctions.co.uk/280526MP-lot...
May 19, 2026 at 6:55 AM
Game of Thrones loot for sale. Gold bar used in the Season 7 episode "The Spoils of War", yours for c £400.
See how it glisters - www.ewbankauctions.co.uk/280526MP-lot...
See how it glisters - www.ewbankauctions.co.uk/280526MP-lot...
🧵1/10 Lancaster’s Kings Own Royal Regiment Museum has returned a lock of hair taken from the body of Ethiopia’s Emperor Tewodros, and a piece of cloth stained with his blood. A big deal. But the significance goes beyond an act of restitution ... www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/heritage-and...
May 17, 2026 at 8:26 AM
🧵1/10 Lancaster’s Kings Own Royal Regiment Museum has returned a lock of hair taken from the body of Ethiopia’s Emperor Tewodros, and a piece of cloth stained with his blood. A big deal. But the significance goes beyond an act of restitution ... www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/heritage-and...
Reposted by Loot and Plunder
Flanders, the wealthiest region of Belgium, establishes a permanent restitution commission for the return of Nazi looted art. It's been long in coming, but it's never too late to do the right thing. Belgium played its role in the Nazi looted art market.
www.belganewsagency.eu/flanders-est...
www.belganewsagency.eu/flanders-est...
Flanders establishes commission for restitution of Nazi-looted art
Flanders is establishing a permanent commission for the restitution of Nazi-looted art, the government decided earlier this week, according to the...
www.belganewsagency.eu
April 30, 2026 at 10:39 AM
Flanders, the wealthiest region of Belgium, establishes a permanent restitution commission for the return of Nazi looted art. It's been long in coming, but it's never too late to do the right thing. Belgium played its role in the Nazi looted art market.
www.belganewsagency.eu/flanders-est...
www.belganewsagency.eu/flanders-est...
"As Nazi Troops retreated from the town of Darmstadt, Germany, civilians who decided to stay behind, ran wild in an orgy of looting." 3 April 1945 www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auctio...
May 1, 2026 at 6:28 AM
"As Nazi Troops retreated from the town of Darmstadt, Germany, civilians who decided to stay behind, ran wild in an orgy of looting." 3 April 1945 www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auctio...
This is not loot..."kein Kriegsraubgut"!
An icon acquired at the Battle of Smolensk as the Nazis charged into Russia.
"This was acquired for a fee and is therefore not war loot," reads the label. So that's alright then. Now you can acquire it for a fee. www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auctio...
An icon acquired at the Battle of Smolensk as the Nazis charged into Russia.
"This was acquired for a fee and is therefore not war loot," reads the label. So that's alright then. Now you can acquire it for a fee. www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auctio...
April 30, 2026 at 7:15 AM
This is not loot..."kein Kriegsraubgut"!
An icon acquired at the Battle of Smolensk as the Nazis charged into Russia.
"This was acquired for a fee and is therefore not war loot," reads the label. So that's alright then. Now you can acquire it for a fee. www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auctio...
An icon acquired at the Battle of Smolensk as the Nazis charged into Russia.
"This was acquired for a fee and is therefore not war loot," reads the label. So that's alright then. Now you can acquire it for a fee. www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auctio...
One of the repeated stories about Britain's 1868 invasion of Ethiopia is that Emperor Tewodros took his own life with a pistol given to him by Queen Victoria.
But, as @alulapankhurst.bsky.social says, there were other guns around ... x.com/alulapan/sta...
But, as @alulapankhurst.bsky.social says, there were other guns around ... x.com/alulapan/sta...
April 15, 2026 at 7:09 AM
One of the repeated stories about Britain's 1868 invasion of Ethiopia is that Emperor Tewodros took his own life with a pistol given to him by Queen Victoria.
But, as @alulapankhurst.bsky.social says, there were other guns around ... x.com/alulapan/sta...
But, as @alulapankhurst.bsky.social says, there were other guns around ... x.com/alulapan/sta...
More catch-up on Ethiopian plunder. The hairpin of Ethiopia's Queen Terunesh returns home, with the help of the Royal Ethiopian Trust and plunder-watchers including @alulapankhurst.bsky.social x.com/alulapan/sta...
April 13, 2026 at 6:27 AM
More catch-up on Ethiopian plunder. The hairpin of Ethiopia's Queen Terunesh returns home, with the help of the Royal Ethiopian Trust and plunder-watchers including @alulapankhurst.bsky.social x.com/alulapan/sta...
Lots to catch up on in the Ethiopian plunder-sphere.
Let's start with a pair of slippers. They have been sitting for decades in the V&A's vaults, "miscatalogued" as Turkish. Now linked to Maqdala and Queen Terunesh by super-researcher Molly Judd. www.vam.ac.uk/blog/museum-...
Let's start with a pair of slippers. They have been sitting for decades in the V&A's vaults, "miscatalogued" as Turkish. Now linked to Maqdala and Queen Terunesh by super-researcher Molly Judd. www.vam.ac.uk/blog/museum-...
Researching the provenance of the V&A’s Ethiopian objects • V&A Blog
The V&A’s collection includes nearly 200 Ethiopian objects – from metalwork and textiles to photography, manuscripts, and paintings. From September to December 2025, I undertook a three-month Doctoral...
www.vam.ac.uk
April 12, 2026 at 7:18 AM
Lots to catch up on in the Ethiopian plunder-sphere.
Let's start with a pair of slippers. They have been sitting for decades in the V&A's vaults, "miscatalogued" as Turkish. Now linked to Maqdala and Queen Terunesh by super-researcher Molly Judd. www.vam.ac.uk/blog/museum-...
Let's start with a pair of slippers. They have been sitting for decades in the V&A's vaults, "miscatalogued" as Turkish. Now linked to Maqdala and Queen Terunesh by super-researcher Molly Judd. www.vam.ac.uk/blog/museum-...
The people who should win this year's Nobel Peace Prize - the volunteers running Sudan's Emergency Response Rooms www.ft.com/content/e9fc...
Sudan’s grassroots groups — a model in the midst of war
The Emergency Response Rooms are a template for aid delivery elsewhere
www.ft.com
April 12, 2026 at 6:49 AM
The people who should win this year's Nobel Peace Prize - the volunteers running Sudan's Emergency Response Rooms www.ft.com/content/e9fc...
Top five things to take the edge off #BlueMonday
1-The Forkiverse - theforkiverse.com
2-The A Book - A Place podcast by Robin Pomeroy - robinpomeroy.wordpress.com @robinpomeroy.bsky.social
3-The ill-advised podcast with Bill Nighy
4-The reborn Observer
5-The Iron Maiden scene in 28 Years Later
1-The Forkiverse - theforkiverse.com
2-The A Book - A Place podcast by Robin Pomeroy - robinpomeroy.wordpress.com @robinpomeroy.bsky.social
3-The ill-advised podcast with Bill Nighy
4-The reborn Observer
5-The Iron Maiden scene in 28 Years Later
January 19, 2026 at 9:30 AM
Top five things to take the edge off #BlueMonday
1-The Forkiverse - theforkiverse.com
2-The A Book - A Place podcast by Robin Pomeroy - robinpomeroy.wordpress.com @robinpomeroy.bsky.social
3-The ill-advised podcast with Bill Nighy
4-The reborn Observer
5-The Iron Maiden scene in 28 Years Later
1-The Forkiverse - theforkiverse.com
2-The A Book - A Place podcast by Robin Pomeroy - robinpomeroy.wordpress.com @robinpomeroy.bsky.social
3-The ill-advised podcast with Bill Nighy
4-The reborn Observer
5-The Iron Maiden scene in 28 Years Later
Reposted by Loot and Plunder
👀
December 11, 2025 at 3:45 PM
👀
"The British Museum now acknowledges that the Asante Ewer was loot, a term the institution would not have used until recent years. In an 'object in focus' book, just published, the Asante Ewer is acknowledged as 'looted'."
Again, Go Ghana
www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/12/02/b...
Again, Go Ghana
www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/12/02/b...
British Museum's looted ewer set for return to Ghana on long-term loan
The 14th-century, English-made Asante Ewer was seized from the royal palace
in Kumasi in 1896 and has been held by the British Museum ever since
www.theartnewspaper.com
December 5, 2025 at 1:41 PM
"The British Museum now acknowledges that the Asante Ewer was loot, a term the institution would not have used until recent years. In an 'object in focus' book, just published, the Asante Ewer is acknowledged as 'looted'."
Again, Go Ghana
www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/12/02/b...
Again, Go Ghana
www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/12/02/b...
A beautiful hairpin that belonged to Prince Alemayehu's mother - Empress Tiruwork - is going back to Ethiopia c. 160 years after it was taken by the British military doctor who treated her last illness. Congrats to all involved @alulapankhurst.bsky.social royalethiopiantrust.org/the-return-o...
December 4, 2025 at 5:43 PM
A beautiful hairpin that belonged to Prince Alemayehu's mother - Empress Tiruwork - is going back to Ethiopia c. 160 years after it was taken by the British military doctor who treated her last illness. Congrats to all involved @alulapankhurst.bsky.social royalethiopiantrust.org/the-return-o...
Stepping back into socials with some real treasure - without a doubt, the greatest album cover ever.
Not the greatest album ever, but Sandy Brown's 1957 'McJazz' is notable for including a Scot's best wishes to newly indepedent Africa. With opening track 'Go Ghana' www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ddd...
Not the greatest album ever, but Sandy Brown's 1957 'McJazz' is notable for including a Scot's best wishes to newly indepedent Africa. With opening track 'Go Ghana' www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ddd...
December 3, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Stepping back into socials with some real treasure - without a doubt, the greatest album cover ever.
Not the greatest album ever, but Sandy Brown's 1957 'McJazz' is notable for including a Scot's best wishes to newly indepedent Africa. With opening track 'Go Ghana' www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ddd...
Not the greatest album ever, but Sandy Brown's 1957 'McJazz' is notable for including a Scot's best wishes to newly indepedent Africa. With opening track 'Go Ghana' www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ddd...
Father and son!
Thank you so much to Mariamawit Y Yeshak for taking Alemayehu, via her copy of 'The Prince and the Plunder', to the statue of his father's great cannon in Addis Ababa. Really moving.
Please send in other sightings. #friendsofalemayehu #theprinceandtheplunder #Ethiopia
Thank you so much to Mariamawit Y Yeshak for taking Alemayehu, via her copy of 'The Prince and the Plunder', to the statue of his father's great cannon in Addis Ababa. Really moving.
Please send in other sightings. #friendsofalemayehu #theprinceandtheplunder #Ethiopia
August 20, 2025 at 8:27 AM
Father and son!
Thank you so much to Mariamawit Y Yeshak for taking Alemayehu, via her copy of 'The Prince and the Plunder', to the statue of his father's great cannon in Addis Ababa. Really moving.
Please send in other sightings. #friendsofalemayehu #theprinceandtheplunder #Ethiopia
Thank you so much to Mariamawit Y Yeshak for taking Alemayehu, via her copy of 'The Prince and the Plunder', to the statue of his father's great cannon in Addis Ababa. Really moving.
Please send in other sightings. #friendsofalemayehu #theprinceandtheplunder #Ethiopia