This archive report was first published on 26 September 2019.
On September 26, 2019, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York returned a gilded coffin to Egyptian authorities, marking a significant victory in the fight against antiquities trafficking.
The coffin, which dates back to the first century BC, was once the final resting place of Nedjemankh, a priest of the ram god Heryshaf. It was looted from Egypt's Minya region in 2011, during the Arab Spring, and passed through several countries before being sold to the Met for $4 million in 2017.
However, in February 2019, a New York unit investigating the trafficking of antiquities seized the coffin, revealing a complex web of international crime. "Thus far our investigation has determined that this coffin is just one of hundreds of antiquities stolen by the same multinational trafficking ring," Manhattan's district attorney, Cyrus Vance, said at the ceremony to return the coffin.
After being returned to Egypt, the coffin was received by the country's foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry, who hailed the return as a victory for Egypt and the international community. "This is not only for Egyptians but this is for our common human heritage and our sense that we all share in the values and we all are one of the same international family," he said.
