More than 22,000 ancient artefacts seized in Florida

• More than 22,000 ancient artefacts, some up to 5,000 years old, were seized in Florida to disrupt smuggling networks, including items from Egypt and Greece.
• The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency stated the seizure is one of the largest by its Homeland Security Investigations unit, aiming to preserve civilisation history.
• Identification and authentication will take time and involve experts, with efforts focused on returning artefacts to their countries of origin.

WASHINGTON – More than 22,000 ancient artefacts from around the world, some of which date back 5,000 years, were seized by officials in Florida, US, in an effort to disrupt criminal networks involved in smuggling cultural property, the authorities said.

The items include vases, weapons, jewellery and mosaic picture frames, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency said in a statement on Aug 28.

The agency said the seizure was among the largest of its Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unit.

The artefacts also include Egyptian statues and Byzantine glass vessels, as well as ancient Greek and Roman coins, the statement said.

“The artefacts in this case that are determined to be genuine will be one of a kind, and HSI wants to take every step necessary to ensure a civilisation’s history is preserved for generations to come,” Mary Cook, a senior adviser in the unit’s cultural property, art and antiquities programme, said in the statement.

Initial assessments indicate that some objects may have originated from civilisations from 1,000 to 5,000 years ago and come from sites in Europe, Africa and the eastern Mediterranean, according to ICE.

The authorities did not say where or when the recovery took place and did not provide details about any arrests or charges.

ICE did not immediately respond to an inquiry on Aug 30.

The agency noted that the identification of the artefacts would take time because, “unlike narcotics, there is no field test for antiquities”.

The agency added that officials would work with experts from universities to help identify and authenticate the items.

Officials said these types of investigations aim to preserve artefacts and return them to their countries of origin. NYTIMES

• This article originally appeared in The New York Times.