France has taken an important step by returning about 3,500 ancient artefacts to Ethiopia after they were sent to Paris for study decades ago. The handover started on November 30 with a ceremony held at the National Museum in Addis Ababa.

At the event, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot presented three prehistoric tools to Ethiopia’s Tourism Minister Selamawit Kassa. The items included two stone axes, known as bifaces, and a stone cutter. These artefacts are part of a larger collection of items excavated from the Melka Kunture site, a renowned prehistoric location south of Addis Ababa.

Barrot explained that these tools are part of the thousands of artefacts discovered during archaeological digs led by a French researcher. Melka Kunture has been a vital site for understanding human history, and these artefacts highlight Ethiopia’s role as a cradle of early civilization.

The handover reflects the strong partnership between France and Ethiopia in the fields of archaeology and palaeontology. Laurent Serrano, the cultural advisor at the French embassy in Addis Ababa, clarified that this act is a “handover,” not restitution, as the artefacts were never formally part of France’s public collections.

The artefacts, which date back 1 to 2 million years, are currently kept at the French embassy in Addis Ababa. The full collection will be handed over to Ethiopia’s Heritage Directorate by December 3. This initiative strengthens the cultural ties between the two nations and returns important historical items to their place of origin.