Victorious empires have long benefitted from the fruits of conquest, through territorial expansion, wealth accumulation, and cultural dominance. They also enriched themselves through the acquisition or cultural appropriation of monuments, objects, and icons. The spoils of war have often involved the pillaging, stealing or destruction of national and cultural treasures, from Roman times through the Ages of Enlightenment, Discovery and Colonialism to the Nazis. Antiquities were also acquired legally as part of political negotiations and sale to tourists. We look at how and why ten famous icons of conquest were acquired, what made them special and the current debates by museums and archaeologists on whether, when and how they should be returned to their homelands.