Repatriation ceremony of Iraqi artefacts - in pictures

  • Fareed Yasseen, left, Iraq's ambassador to the United States, with Steven Francis, executive associate director of homeland security investigations at the US Department of Homeland Security. In front of them are the Gilgamesh tablet and Sumerian ram at a repatriation ceremony in Washington, DC. EPA
    Fareed Yasseen, left, Iraq's ambassador to the United States, with Steven Francis, executive associate director of homeland security investigations at the US Department of Homeland Security. In front of them are the Gilgamesh tablet and Sumerian ram at a repatriation ceremony in Washington, DC. EPA
  • This Sumerian ram sculpture from approximately 3,000 BC is officially being returned to Iraq. EPA
    This Sumerian ram sculpture from approximately 3,000 BC is officially being returned to Iraq. EPA
  • The 3,500-year-old Gilgamesh tablet from ancient Mesopotamia was smuggled into the United States and is being returned to Iraq after being forfeited by Hobby Lobby after being seized by federal authorities. EPA
    The 3,500-year-old Gilgamesh tablet from ancient Mesopotamia was smuggled into the United States and is being returned to Iraq after being forfeited by Hobby Lobby after being seized by federal authorities. EPA
  • The Gilgamesh tablet is inscribed in the Akkadian language and details a dream sequence from the ancient epic. Reuters
    The Gilgamesh tablet is inscribed in the Akkadian language and details a dream sequence from the ancient epic. Reuters
  • The artefact forfeiture is part of a sweeping effort to return about 17,000 archaeological objects looted during the decades of instability after the US-led invasion of Iraq. EPA
    The artefact forfeiture is part of a sweeping effort to return about 17,000 archaeological objects looted during the decades of instability after the US-led invasion of Iraq. EPA
  • Cultural heritage preservation scholar Katharyn Hanson, right, and DePaul University professor Patty Gerstenblith with the Gilgamesh tablet at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC. EPA
    Cultural heritage preservation scholar Katharyn Hanson, right, and DePaul University professor Patty Gerstenblith with the Gilgamesh tablet at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC. EPA