Walks with Minerva and the Contemporary Lives of Archaeological Gifts

The conclusion examines the legacies, successes, and failures of each archaeological gift. Interviews with New Yorkers and tourists were conducted to assess the perceptions and significance of these monuments and artifacts today; the findings from these interviews are discussed and analyzed. It considers whether these gifts enabled Egypt, Greece, and Jordan to realize their goals and whether the United States and New York City achieved their goals by accepting these artifacts and monuments. The reasons behind why nations largely ceased to gift archaeological objects to New York City and the United States after 1970 are examined. These archaeological gifts and others are placed in conversation with the ongoing discussions about museum collections, repatriations, and the debates about who owns the past. Further avenues for research on archaeological gifts in other contexts and the intersection between archaeology and diplomacy are also explored.