U.S. law enforcement agents announced that hundreds of ancient cuneiform tablets looted in Iraq and sold on the antiquities market came from a Sumerian city called Irisagrig. The 4000-year-old tablets are part of a collection of tablets, bricks, clay bullae and cylinder seals that was originally purchased by Hobby Lobby. The collection was turned over to U.S. authorities once it was learned that the artifacts had been looted from Iraq. Irisagrig is an ancient Sumerian city whose exact location is unknown; the city come to light in recent years as numerous cuneiform tablets from Irisagrig have appeared on the antiquities market. The tablets that were confiscated from Hobby Lobby were turned over to Iraqi authorities on May 2, 2018 in a ceremony at the residence of the Iraqi ambassador in Washington D.C. While Irisiagrig is unknown in the Bible, the important Sumerian city of Ur was likely the birthplace of Abraham (Gn 11:27-28).
Off-site Link:
- https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/MAGAZINE-ancient-artifacts-seized-from-hobby-lobby-returned-to-iraq-1.6053308
Link to Original Story:
- http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2017/07/18/Hobby-Lobby-Returns-5000-Artifacts-Fined-243-Million.aspx