Police in Iran Confiscate Ancient Golden Masks
Police in Iran have broken up a gang of antiquities smugglers and recovered priceless artifacts from the time of Jesus. The treasures, which would have been disappeared into private collections, include two golden masks from the Elamite culture.
Suspicions were first raised in Ganaveh Port in the province of Bushehr. Police tracked the gang to the city of Shiraz where they were arrested and the treasures seized during an attempted sale, according to a report in Mehr News.
The Elamite culture is ancient indeed, dating back to around 3,200 BC and dominating the region directly to the east of ancient Mesopotamia for millennia. They are mentioned in the Book of Genesis in the Bible as a powerful kingdom on the borders of the fertile crescent.
The golden masks are thought to come from the Late Elamite period, and have been tentatively dated to around 500 BC. It is possible that they come from the successors to the Elamite, the Achaemenids who ruled over the first Persian Empire.
Other artifacts recovered include bracelets, a bowl and a statue. The fight against smugglers and looters remains a constant struggle all over the world, but here at least some treasures were saved from obscurity.
Header Image: The golden masks recovered in Shiraz. Source: Mehr News.
