Baghdad
The FBI this week returned to Iraqi officials several ancient stone seals that a U.S. Marine bought from a souvenir stand last year. After the unidentified Marine learned through an archaeologist that the artifacts were 5,000 years old, he voluntarily turned them over to the FBI. Last month, U.S. customs officials confiscated similar stone seals from the luggage of a scholar. Immediately after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, there were reports that 170,000 ancient objects had been looted. Those accounts turned out to be greatly exaggerated. But museum officials say that the true loss—some 15,000 artifacts—is still a cultural disaster.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The genetic secrets of South Korea's female free-diversUnder The Radar Unique physiology of 'real-life mermaid' haenyeo women could help treat chronic diseases
-
Democrats: How to rebuild a damaged brandFeature Trump's approval rating is sinking, but so is the Democratic brand
-
Unraveling autismFeature RFK Jr. has vowed to find the root cause of the 'autism epidemic' in months. Scientists have doubts.
