Belgian authorities returned an approximately 2,000-year-old Egyptian sarcophagus to Egypt on Friday, after it was confiscated by police in Brussels a decade ago.
Prosecutors stated that the ancient artefact — along with a fragment of a wooden beard — was handed over to Egypt’s ambassador during a ceremony in Brussels.
Julien Moinil, the public prosecutor of Brussels, said: "After 10 years of investigation and legal proceedings, this is true justice — returning an item to its country of origin from which it was stolen as part of its cultural heritage."
According to prosecutors, the artefact was seized by Belgian police in 2015 following an Interpol notice, which was issued at the request of an Egyptian court.
During the interim, the items were held at the Royal Museum of Art and History in Brussels.
According to an official statement, the wooden sarcophagus, dating back to the Ptolemaic period (4th to 3rd century BC), is "undoubtedly the property of an Egyptian nobleman."
The statement added:"The materials used and the exceptional craftsmanship clearly indicate the work of a master artisan."
It was further noted that hieroglyphics inscribed on the sarcophagus reveal the name of the deceased as Pa-di-Hor-pa-khered, and depict his transformation into Osiris — the god of the underworld.
