I put the “hypothetically” up there to avoid having people flip out the same way I did. :’) And it’s not horribly written, it’s excellent! :’)
When the author misleads the reader, he breaks a pact with the reader. The article begins with Israel finding the broken tablets (that got my attention, and I wanted to know more), then says that they kept it secret for years (now I am incredulous - how could such a find be kept secret?)
At that point, the last thing I want to hear about is an argument about who has a right to such treasures, and then, good grief, after reading it twice, I realize it's all make-believe. He broke his pact with the reader big time. His subject, while interesting was nowhere near as interesting as the opening, which turned out to be false. The sense of disappointment was palpable.