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US returns antiquities to Egypt

Артефакты древнего Египта, vigiljournal.com

Today USA returned to the government of Egypt dozens of ancient archaeological pieces that had been illegally smuggled into the country.
The pieces were recovered as part of operation "Curse of the Mummy" and handed over in the building of the National Geographic Society, including a Greco-Roman style sarcophagus, sculpture of a horse and multiple figurines.
"The preservation of the cultural heritage of humanity these days is a difficult challenge. To think that some of these treasured artifacts were in garages is unimaginable," said the director of the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Sarah Saldaña.


The sarcophagus, one of the largest pieces of the collection, was found in a garage in the city of Brooklyn, in New York in 2009 and a year later a mortuary raft was recovered in Detroit.
USA has returned to the government of Egypt more than 80 antiques since 2007 and other seven  7800 to 30 other countries in recent years.
The operation "Curse of the Mummy" has recovered more than seven thousand cultural artifacts from around the world.