Looted sarcophagus returned to Egypt after being kept in US museum

This article was first published by Sky News.

An ancient sarcophagus was returned to Egypt from a museum in the US after authorities determined it was looted.

The nearly three metres (9.5ft) tall sarcophagus was housed at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences, Texas, until Egyptian authorities sought it back as part of government efforts to stop the trafficking of stolen antiquities.

In 2021, Cairo authorities succeeded in getting 5,300 stolen artefacts returned to Egypt from across the world.

The sarcophagus dates back to the Late Dynastic Period of ancient Egypt, according to Mostafa Waziri of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, an era which spanned from 664 BC until 332 BC, under Alexander the Great’s campaign.

Though some of the inscription on it has been erased, Mr Waziri believes the sarcophagus may have belonged to an ancient priest named Ankhenmaat.

@UK_ICOM