George Santayana once said that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” History, as Santayana would see it, allows us to understand why we live the way we do – and why it varies across the globe. Displays of historical treasures from different periods of time provide us with an even deeper understanding.
While displaying these invaluable items may be a wonderful opportunity to cultivate knowledge, there have been numerous examples of ancient artefacts being destroyed or damaged. For example, the funeral mask of Tutankhamun, which was discovered in 1922, was damaged in 2014 by a worker at the museum where it was on display. Curators glued the broken beard back onto the mask, resulting in further – and more noticeable – damage.
Of course, it is not only human error that results in damaged artefacts. In fact, many items and even monuments are also lost as a result of natural disasters or accidents, such as the fire that occurred...