Apsara head returns home

09 August 2007 (CCTV International) – A follow-up from the return of the stolen apsara head reported last week, this story also has a video clip attached to it, although I haven’t been able to access it using firefox myself.

Cambodian artifact returns home

The U.S. government has returned a stolen sculpted head that belongs to Cambodia’s cultural heritage. The Angkor-era sculpture, is one of many artifacts that is stolen and smuggled out of the country every year.

The 2-kilogram artifact, is the sandstone head of an apsara, or a celestial dancer from the 12th century. It was smuggled out of Cambodia in violation of a 2003 bilateral agreement to protect Cambodia’s cultural heritage. The artifact was seized by U.S. law enforcement agents earlier this year.

Joseph A. Mussomeli, U.S. ambassador to Cambodia, said, “People talk a lot about the need for Khmer culture to be preserved but not enough is done so we’re very grateful and happy that our police and other law-enforcement agencies are focussed on this issue. We cannot really expect Cambodia to move ahead into the future if it doesn’t have enough understanding of its past

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Read – and view – the story about the stolen apsara head.

For more books about the scultpure of Angkoran, look up:
– Images of the Gods: Khmer Mythology in Cambodia, Laos & Thailand by V. Roveda
– Temple Art Icons and Culture of India and South East Asia by K. V. Raman
– Arts of Southeast Asia (World of Art) by F. Kerlogue
– Art & Architecture of Cambodia (World of Art) by H. I. Jessup
– Adoration and Glory: The Golden Age of Khmer Art by E. C. Bunker and D. Latchford
– Narrative Sculpture and Literary Traditions in South and Southeast Asia (Studies in Asian Art and Archaeology) by J. Fontein and M. J. Klokke (Eds)
– Khmer Mythology: Secrets Of Angkor Wat by V. Roveda
– Apsarases at Angkor Wat, in Indian context by K. M. Srivastava