CAIRO, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-five historically and artistically significant artifacts, spanning multiple periods of ancient Egyptian civilization, have been repatriated from the United States to Egypt, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced on Monday.
The Egyptian Consulate General in New York oversaw the return of the artifacts, which the ministry described as the largest batch of illegally smuggled antiquities recovered in recent times.
The collection includes stone and wooden sarcophagus lids, ceramic and gilded wooden funerary masks, a large alabaster vase, and a portrait of a woman dating back to the Greco-Roman period (around 332 BC-640 AD).
Among the recovered items are also a wide range of jewelry crafted from various metals, a rare gold coin from the reign of Ptolemy I, and small bronze and stone statues depicting aspects of ancient Egyptian beliefs and artistic traditions.
The recovery was the result of a joint effort between the Egyptian Consulate General in New York, the related district attorney's office in New York City, and U.S. security agencies. The operation also involved prolonged negotiations with several private collectors in possession of the artifacts.
Additional support was provided by the relevant Egyptian authorities, including the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the Cultural Sector of the Foreign Ministry, and the Public Prosecution Service.
Egypt has intensified its global campaign in recent years to recover stolen antiquities, stepping up efforts to preserve and reclaim its ancient treasures. Enditem
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