An ancient wooden sarcophagus known as the "Green Coffin" has been returned to Egypt from the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences in the United States, after US authorities determined it was looted years ago. The Egyptian government welcomed home the sarcophagus on Monday.

"This stunning coffin was trafficked by a well-organized network that has looted countless antiquities from the region," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said, after his office determined the sarcophagus had been looted from Abu Sir Necropolis, north of Cairo. "We are pleased that this object will be returned to Egypt, where it rightfully belongs."

An official at Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mostafa Waziri, told the Associated Press the sarcophagus dates back to the Late Dynastic Period of ancient Egypt, which lasted from 664 B.C.E. until Alexander the Great's campaign in 332 B.C.E.

According to Waziri, the sarcophagus, which measures about 9.5 feet long, may have belong to an ancient priest named Ankhenmaat.

The repatriation is part of the Egyptian government's continued efforts to stop the trafficking and secure the return of stolen antiquities.

artnews.com