The well-known British author Graham Hancock has been actively researching what happened to the Ark of the Covenant containing the Ten Commandments. While Hancock does not fully accept the traditional account of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, he is nevertheless convinced that the Ark was in fact taken to Aksum and argues this point at length in a new book published in London entitled The Sign and the Seal.
Commenting on the recent Ethiopian appeal for the return of the Aksum obelisk taken to Rome on Mussolini’s personal orders in 1937, Hancock says that its removal was “an act of theft and vandalism that has few parallels in recent history.” The obelisk, he adds, is “part of Ethiopia’s priceless architectural and cultural heritage,” and “rightfully belongs to the Ethiopian people.” He urged the Italian Government “to ensure that the obelisk is returned immediately so that it can at least be re-erected in its proper place: Aksum.”
In a related development, the well-known Ethiopian scholar Ephrem Isaac, Director of the Institute of Semitic Studies in New Jersey, and the Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Seyoum Mesfin, extended their support to the drive to bring the obelisk back to Ethiopia. Professor Ephrem said: “I commend the initiative of Professor Richard Pankhurst and others to obtain the restitution of the Aksum Obelisk presently in Rome.” Ato Seyoum assured that the government will lend its full support to the effort.