I have a Corithian Olpe, (7th century BC) on my desk - a Greek hand made copy. The value of these things is in what we SEE and what we know about what we are seeing.
Would Michaelangelo be become obsolete as an artist if all his artworks were destroyed at this point in time?? Of course it's a foolish question.
I'd have to say I agree.
"The value of these things is in what we SEE and what we know about what we are seeing."
You got that right, and therein lies the problem.
The problem with the artifacts alleged to be stolen by the 'curator' is that there is no way to confirm the veracity of her claims....and that's if you optimistically figure the museaum MIGHT have had a third of the number of artifacts she claims were stolen.
The idea of priceless historical treasures irrevokably lost has now been planted in the public mind....which was apparently the whole plan. Even though it's far more likely that the items stolen were more along the lines of desk chairs, air conditioners and maybe computers, an urban legend similar in scope to that of the Necronomicon has now been born. It's probably gonna grow all by itself; movies will be made about some hero recovering some one-of-a-kind Uric text....and the US will continually be blamed for the imagined losses of unimaginable treasures. Sad.