US formally seizes 'one of the world's oldest works of literature'

The United States has formally sized a $1.6 million ancient tablet that contains a portion of the "Epic of Gilgamesh".

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The NYPost reports that the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) said that the 3,500-year-old tablet has inscribed on it a portion of the "Epic of Gilgamesh", one of the oldest works of literature ever. The DOJ goes on to explain that the tablet dubbed "Gilgamesh Dream Tablet" was illegally imported into the United States back in 2003, and in 2014 Hobby Lobby purchased the tablet so it could be displayed at the Washington, DC-based Museum of the Bible.

However, due to a complaint filed in May 202, prosecutors said that the tablet's rightful owner is the Iraqi government and that it should be returned to its homeland. The DOJ said that Hobby Lobby was willing to part with the tablet and that it cooperated with the agency's investigation into the matter. Acting Brooklyn US Attorney Jacquelyn Kasulis said, "This forfeiture represents an important milestone on the path to returning this rare and ancient masterpiece of world literature to its country of origin."

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