Egypt recovers 2,700-year-old sarcophagus lid from US

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Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (CR) and Supreme Council of Antiquities chief Mostafa Waziri (CL) inspect the ‘green sarcophagus’ –

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Egypt on Monday announced the recovery of a nearly 2,700-year-old sarcophagus lid it said had been smuggled out and displayed in a museum in the United States.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry announced the recovery of the artifact, known as the “Green Sarcophagus”, during a televised press conference on Monday.

He said he was surreptitiously removed from the country and his recovery was part of efforts to “protect Egyptian heritage”.

The lid, measuring nearly three meters (3.3 yards) long and 90 centimeters (35.5 inches) wide, was among 17 artifacts recently recovered from the United States, Tourism and Antiquities Minister Ahmed said. Issa at the press conference.

The sarcophagus lid was looted from the Abusir necropolis south of Cairo, then transported to the United States in 2008, finally making its way to the Houston Museum of Natural Science in 2013, according to state media.

Over the past decade, Egypt has recovered around 29,000 antiquities believed to have been taken overseas by illegitimate means.

Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the sarcophagus probably belonged to a nobleman.

He said it dates back to the late period of ancient Egypt and was named the Green Sarcophagus because of the color of the face engraved on it.

Only the lid had been stolen, he added, as the whole coffin weighs around half a ton, making it one of the largest wooden sarcophagi in ancient Egypt.

Along with the latest artifacts recovered, Egypt has unveiled more than 300 sarcophagi and 150 bronze statuettes in the past two years, some of which are over 3,000 years old.

They were among major discoveries which authorities say will help revive the country’s vital tourism sector, which has been hard hit after the Covid pandemic and previous unrest.

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