US returns stolen 3,500-year-old Gilgamesh tablet to Iraq

The ancient artefact was looted three decades ago and illegally imported to the US, where it was eventually bought by the owners of the Hobby Lobby craft chain

The cuneiform tablet contains portions of the Epic of Gilgamesh, considered one of the oldest works of literature in human history

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Cultural heritage preservation scholar Katharyn Hanson (right) and DePaul University professor Patty Gerstenblith look at the Gilgamesh tablet at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum on Thursday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 7:38am, 24 Sep 2021Updated: 7:38am, 24 Sep 2021

A 3,500-year-old tablet recounting the epic of Gilgamesh was returned to Iraq Thursday after being stolen three decades ago and illegally imported to the United States.

Iraqi Cultural Minister Hassan Nazim accepted the tablet during a ceremony in Washington.

“To me, it means restituting self-esteem and the confidence in Iraqi society,” he said.

Despite its small size, the ancient artefact has immense cultural and historical value. It contains portions of the Epic of Gilgamesh, considered one of the oldest works of literature in human history, which tells the story of a powerful Mesopotamian king on a quest for immortality.

Iraq’s Ambassador to the US Fareed Yasseen (left) shakes hands with US Homeland Security official Steven Francis in front of the Gilgamesh tablet and Sumerian ram at a repatriation ceremony at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of the American Indian on Thursday. Photo: EPA-EFE

“It’s a story which has influenced all the great monotheistic religions, leaving traces also on the Iliad and the Odyssey,” said Unesco Director General Audrey Azoulay, who called the tale a “treasure” for “our common humanity.”

She added that the stone’s return to its rightful home is “a major victory for the international community over those who mutilate heritage”.