A large Roman-era sarcophagus dating to the 2nd or 3rd century CE excavated illegally at an unknown location in Israel has been returned to the Israel Antiquities Authority.
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Dr. Ofer Gruber, a veterinarian from Rehovot, received the sarcophagus from an antiquities collector who had passed away. Gruber contacted the IAA's Antiquities Robberies Prevention Unit so the artifact could be returned to the state.
The Robberies Prevention Union praised the doctor, and the IAA issued Gruber a certificate of merit.
At this point, the IAA thinks that the sarcophagus was stolen from an archaeological site.
"It's important to know that removing artifacts from their archaeological context does serious harm to the study of the find and the environment where it was discovered," the Robberies Prevention Unit noted.
IAA researchers plan to learn all they can about the sarcophagus and put it on display for the public some time in the future.
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