US officials met with
representatives of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank on Thursday and
handed back a 2,700-year-old looted item in what officials said was the first
time the US had repatriated a stolen relic to the Palestinian government.
اضافة اعلان
The object, described as a “cosmetic
spoon”, was a tool carved from ivory and dating to between 800 and 700BC It was
used to ladle incense onto fires and braziers at rites venerating the gods and
the dead. A winged figure was etched into its front side.
The Palestinian Minister of Tourism and
Antiquities, Rula Maayah, who met with the US delegation in Bethlehem, said,
“This artifact is important as it acquires its real scientific and
archaeological value in its authentic location.” She added that the item dates
to the vast Assyrian civilization, and that it was probably stolen from what is
now Hebron, in the West Bank.
“This artifact is important as it acquires its real scientific and archaeological value in its authentic location.”
The chief of the US Office of Palestinian
Affairs, George Noll, said at the ceremony that it was “a historic moment
between the American and Palestinian people and a demonstration of our belief
in the power of cultural exchanges in building mutual understanding, respect,
and partnership.”
Just one out of many stolen antiquitiesAccording to the office of the Manhattan
district attorney in New York, the object was seized during a lengthy
investigation into items collected by Michael H. Steinhardt, a prominent New
York venture capitalist and a major ancient art collector. In 2021, after
investigators seized 180 stolen antiquities valued at $70 million from
Steinhardt, he agreed to a lifetime ban on acquiring antiquities.
The cosmetic spoon, officials said, first
surfaced on the international art market on January 21, 2003, when Steinhardt
bought it from an Israeli antiquities dealer who has been accused of dealing in
hundreds of illicit Israeli and Middle Eastern treasures, at least 28 of which
were sold to Steinhardt.
In 2021, after investigators seized 180 stolen antiquities valued at $70 million from Steinhardt, he agreed to a lifetime ban on acquiring antiquities.
Matthew Bogdanos, chief of the district
attorney’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit, said his investigators were able to
backtrack the origins of the cosmetic spoon by examining emails seized from
Steinhardt that included conversations about the item and the fact that it had
been illicitly obtained.
Before the decision to return the spoon was
announced, some Palestinians expressed dismay that Steinhardt artifacts they
believed emanated from their territories would instead be handed over to the Israeli
government. They have asked publicly for the return of more of the looted
objects.
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