Bronze Age Artifacts Seized in Philadelphia by U.S. Customs

Bronze Age Artifacts Seized in Philadelphia by U.S. Customs

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Philadelphia recently intercepted a shipment containing 36 copper-alloy swords and 50 arrowheads dating back nearly 4,000 years to the Bronze Age. The artifacts, originating from the Talish Mountains region of Iran, were seized on February 18 after arriving from the United Arab Emirates. The shipment, falsely labeled as “metal decoration articles,” was destined for Jacksonville, Florida.

CBP officers, with the assistance of an archaeologist from a Philadelphia university, authenticated the items as antiquities from 1600-1000 BCE, likely obtained through illicit excavations of burial sites. Elliot Ortiz, Acting Area Port Director for CBP in Philadelphia, emphasized the importance of protecting cultural heritage, stating, “The deceptive practices used to smuggle these treasures into the United States not only violate our import laws but also undermine efforts to preserve and protect the integrity of cultural history.” The seized artifacts will remain safeguarded by CBP until further disposition.

Bronze Age Artifacts Seized in Philadelphia by U.S. Customs was originally published on rnbphilly.com