WASHINGTON – A federal court has ordered that a rare ancient artifact, known as the Gilgamesh Dream Tablet, must be surrendered to authorities.
The 3,500-year-old tablet, from what is now Iraq, bears text from the Epic of Gilgamesh – one of the world’s oldest works of literature.
Officials said it was illegally imported before being purchased by the Christian-owned brand Hobby Lobby.
It was bought to be put on display at the Museum of the Bible here.
The tablet was purchased by a United States (US) antiquities dealer in 2003 in London, who then shipped it to the US without declaring the contents and sold it on with false documentation, authorities reported.
The tablet was bought by Hobby Lobby from an auction house for more than $1.67 million in 2014.
On Tuesday, Hobby Lobby consented to the forfeiture.(BBC)
