Regardless, an ancient wooden sarcophagus has been returned to Egypt after U. S. officials decided it was looted more than a decade ago.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said in September that the “green casket,” a nearly 3-meter-long sarcophagus painted with a bright green face, had followed this trail to a museum in the United States:
The device was later seized through U. S. officials who decided it deserved to be returned to Egypt.
“This magnificent casket was trafficked through a well-organized network that looted countless antiques in the area,” Manhattan District Attorney Bragg said at the time. “We are pleased that this object is being returned to Egypt, to which it rightfully belongs. “
On Monday, Egyptian officials announced that the sarcophagus had been returned to the country in a rite in Cairo.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told a news conference that the artifact is a testament to Egyptian civilization that “continues in the world,” according to the Daily News of Egypt.
Mostafa Waziri, a senior official at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said in the rite that the sarcophagus dates back to ancient Egypt’s past dynastic era, dating back to 664 BC. C. al 332 B. C. Waziri added that the artifact would possibly have belonged to an ancient priest named Ankhenmaat, but that part of the inscription had been erased.
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Egyptian officials said the recovery of the sarcophagus is part of a nationwide effort to return the stolen artifacts to the country. The Associated Press reported that the government controlled the return of 5,300 artifacts stolen from around the world to Egypt in 2021.
The Houston Museum of Natural Science told USA TODAY that it had worked with U. S. and Egyptian officials to recover the artifact.
“HMNS never possessed the artifact and did not care about its withdrawal from the Arab Republic of Egypt. As a courtesy, once we learn of the coin-related cases, we facilitate their prompt return. HMNS fully supports antiquities repatriation efforts. Illegally expelled from their home country,” the museum said.
Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.
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