American authorities on Wednesday repatriated to
Egypt a gilded coffin purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art but discovered to have been looted in the wake of 2011's Egyptian revolution.
A joint investigation by
American, Egyptian, German and French law enforcement officials determined the coffin crafted between 150 and 50 BCE was stolen from Egypt's Minya region.
The ancient artifact sheathed in gold, which was associated with gods in ancient Egypt, was a central piece of a recent Met exhibit, after the museum purchased it in 2017.