Beirut (Lebanon) (AFP) - The United States announced Thursday that it had returned to Lebanon pieces of lead coffins dating back to the Roman era, which were illegally removed from the southern city of Tire and recovered after an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Published on: 09/03/2026 - 15:35
The pieces were delivered on Wednesday to the Lebanese Consulate in New York and are supposed to be returned to Lebanon.
The US Embassy announced via the X platform that Lebanon had handed over the artifacts, adding that this “reflects the strong partnership between the United States and Lebanon in combating illegal trafficking in cultural property.”
Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salama said that all evidence indicates that “the artifacts were found in Tire during illegal excavations.”
He pointed out that "these pieces have unique artistic, decorative and technical characteristics that are typical of lead coffin-making workshops in Tyre, which were among the most active and widely productive workshops during ancient times."
A statement by the FBI in New York explained that these pieces, which date back to the Roman era between the second and third centuries BC, were “stolen during illegal excavations in or around Tire, before they were smuggled,” without specifying the date of the alleged smuggling.
The pieces were found in the sales catalogs of the “Arte Primitivo” exhibition, which specializes in selling antiquities. Lebanon announced that it had decided to pursue the case with the American authorities.
In December 2017, three ancient artifacts were returned to Lebanon, including the head of a Greek bull that was on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with an estimated value of $1.2 million.
Salama recalled that the city of Tire, which is rich in archaeological heritage, was recently subjected to major destruction as a result of Israeli strikes.
In July, the ancient Phoenician city of Tire was inscribed on UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger.
© 2026 AFP
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