FBI RETURNS THREE ANCIENT ROMAN SARCOPHAGUS FRAGMENTS TO LEBANON IN NEW YORK REPATRIATION CEREMONY

NEW YORK — The FBI returned three ancient Roman-period sarcophagus fragments to representatives of the Lebanese government during a September 2 ceremony in New York, concluding another international cultural-property recovery effort involving federal investigators, diplomats, New York law enforcement, and Lebanese authorities.

The artifacts are lead sarcophagus panels dating to the second and third centuries A.D. and display characteristics associated with workshops in Tyre, southern Lebanon. Investigators determined that the fragments belong to Lebanese cultural heritage and believe they were stolen from illicit excavations in or around Tyre before being exported outside Lebanon.

The image released with the FBI announcement shows one of the recovered lead fragments laid flat for examination, with surviving decorative relief patterns still visible across portions of the panel despite substantial age, wear, and damage. The FBI identified the photograph as a New York City Police Department image of one of the three returned artifacts.

The repatriation ceremony was presided over by Talal Daher, consul general of Lebanon in New York, acting on behalf of Her Excellency Nada Hamadeh Moawad. Supervisory Special Agent Jake Archer of the FBI’s Art Crime Program and Virginia Herrmann, foreign affairs officer with the U.S. Department of State’s Cultural Heritage Center, also delivered remarks. Members of the New York Art Crime Team, which is embedded in the FBI/NYPD Joint Major Theft Task Force, attended the ceremony.

Lebanon has prohibited the unauthorized excavation, sale, and export of antiquities since 1933, providing a long-standing legal framework for the protection of archaeological materials removed from the country without authorization.

The return of the sarcophagus fragments is part of a broader effort by U.S. and Lebanese authorities to combat the trafficking of cultural property. Art and antiquities cases can involve theft, looting, fraud, illegal export, trafficking across international borders, and the movement of objects through private collections or commercial markets long after their original removal.

The age of an artifact does not necessarily indicate how recently law enforcement became aware of it. The FBI noted that trafficked antiquities may not be identified as looted until many years or decades after they were removed from their country of origin and may have been inherited or exchanged hands multiple times before being identified.

That distinction is significant in art-crime cases because a current possessor may have had no direct connection to the person who initially removed or trafficked the artifact. The FBI specifically noted that some recovered antiquities are identified only after passing through multiple owners.

The September 2 repatriation was not the first cultural-property return involving the United States and Lebanon. In 2018, the FBI returned a fenestrated ceremonial bronze axe from Byblos, another ancient Lebanese artifact recovered through international cooperation.

FBI New York Assistant Director in Charge James Barnacle said protecting cultural property is tied directly to preserving the history and identity of communities.

“Protecting cultural property is about preserving the identity and history of communities around the world,” Barnacle said. He added that illicit trafficking removes heritage from nations while supporting criminal networks.

Daher described the return in broader cultural terms, emphasizing that relations between nations extend beyond political and economic ties and include recognition of each country’s history and cultural identity.

“In returning these panels, we affirm that Lebanon’s heritage is part of the world’s heritage, and that protecting it is a responsibility we all share,” Daher said.

The recovery required coordination among several U.S. agencies and offices. The FBI credited its New York Field Office, New Orleans Field Office, the FBI Law Enforcement Attaché Amman Sub-Office Beirut, the New York City Police Department, and the U.S. Department of State with contributing to the repatriation.

International cultural-property recoveries can require coordination among diplomatic, law-enforcement, and academic personnel. The FBI said repatriation ceremonies are the result of significant effort by personnel from both countries working across those communities.

In some cases, a criminal prosecution follows the recovery of stolen or trafficked cultural property. In others, the statute of limitations may have expired before investigators locate the object. The FBI said recovered artifacts can still be repatriated to their country of origin even when prosecution is no longer possible.

The FBI’s Art Crime Team was established in 2004 in response to the growth of cultural-property crime worldwide. The national team consists of specially trained agents stationed in major cities across the United States who investigate art theft, fraud, looting, trafficking, and related offenses.

Since its creation, the Art Crime Team has recovered more than 20,000 cultural objects and artworks collectively valued at more than $1 billion, according to the FBI.

The New York Art Crime Team operates within the FBI/NYPD Joint Major Theft Task Force, giving investigators access to both federal and local capabilities in a city that serves as one of the world’s major centers for art, antiquities, galleries, auction houses, collectors, and cultural institutions.

The FBI continues to ask the public to remain vigilant regarding artifacts and antiquities trafficked into the United States. The bureau noted that such objects may not be identified as looted until years or decades after their removal and may have passed through multiple owners before being recognized as unlawfully trafficked cultural property.

The return of the three Roman-period sarcophagus fragments to Lebanon represents the recovery of physical objects, but the larger significance lies in restoring archaeological material to the country and cultural context from which investigators believe it was unlawfully removed.

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