Ancient Iraqi Mesopotamia Tablet Found in Norway
The police in Norway seized close to 100 pieces of missing Iraqi relics.
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A seized artifact found by Norway police (Reuters)
On Friday, Norwegian police announced the seizure of a large number of archaeological artifacts reported missing by Iraqi authorities, including what are believed to be cuneiform tablets from ancient Mesopotamia.
According to Reuters, the artifacts were discovered by Oekokrim, the Norwegian National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime, which aided Norway's Ministry of Culture in the hunt.
The pieces were part of a private collection in Norway, and while multiple witnesses were questioned, no criminal charges were filed, according to a police official.
Oekokrim stated that almost 100 objects of significance to the global cultural heritage have been seized.
Experts are currently examining them for authenticity and to pinpoint their origin wherever possible.
The authorities did not reveal when the artifacts could have arrived or how they ended up in the northern European country.
