Italy is finally returning an ancient obelisk to Ethiopia. “In a move that sends a message to all nations attempting to recover looted artifacts, and to the governments and private collectors that hoard them, Italy is finally making good on a promise to return the Aksum Obelisk, capping decades of bitter dispute over the monument’s fate and home. The 1,700-year-old obelisk is ranked by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization as an outstanding historic and artistic object and is cherished by Ethiopians as a pillar of their civilization. Aksum was the cradle of Ethiopian Christianity. Benito Mussolini’s forces seized the 75-foot-high monument in 1937, during Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia, and transported it to Rome as a trophy of fascist imperialism.”