US returns stolen ancient artifacts to Egypt
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The antiques were seized in different investigations beginning in 2022 and held at Egypt's consulate in New York until they were returned to Cairo on Sunday.
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An antique wooden sarcophagus was returned to Egypt (Social media)
Sarcophagus lids, a Greco-Roman mummy portrait, and fragments believed to be from Queen Hatshepsut’s temple were among 25 rare artifacts returned to Egypt by the US, Egypt’s antiquities ministry announced Monday.
The items, spanning thousands of years of Egyptian history, were recovered after a three-year collaboration between Egypt’s consulate in New York, the New York District Attorney’s Office, and US law enforcement.
The collection includes gilded wooden sarcophagus lids dating back over 5,500 years, a Greco-Roman portrait from Fayyoum, temple pieces linked to Queen Hatshepsut, ancient jewelry from around 400 BCE, a granite foot fragment from the Ramessid dynasty, and small ivory and stone figures.
The collection also includes a unique gold coin from almost two millennia ago, during the time of Ptolemy I, one of Alexander the Great's generals and the founder of ancient Egypt's final royal dynasty.
The ministry shared images of the recovered artifacts on its official social media platforms.
The antiques were seized in different investigations beginning in 2022 and held at Egypt's consulate in New York until they were returned to Cairo on Sunday, according to the ministry.
Officials did not identify how the items were taken from Egypt or how they arrived in the United States.
Thefts not unusual
However, such thefts are not unusual. During the 2011 uprising that deposed Hosni Mubarak, robbers ravaged museums and archeological sites, taking hundreds of precious objects.
Many of these items eventually surfaced on the international market or in private collections.
Egyptian authorities claim they have recovered approximately 30,000 items during the last decade.
An antique wooden sarcophagus was returned to Egypt in 2023 after US officials found it had been plundered years earlier.
The year before, a stone sculpture found near Memphis, Tennessee, was determined to be a centuries-old Egyptian relic. US Customs and Border Protection personnel seized the relic.
In 2019, Egypt received back a stolen ancient Egyptian coffin that had been sold to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art for $4 million.
