Egyptian security forces have seized a Roman-era sarcophagus that was about to be trafficked. Egypt's Ministry of the Interior stated in a briefing on Thursday that «within the framework of efforts to combat crimes related to the possession and trafficking of antiquities, in order to preserve the country's wealth and national heritage, information and investigations by the Tourism and Antiquities Sector and the Public Security Sector, in coordination with the Sohag Security Directorate (southern Egypt), confirmed that two individuals, one of whom has a criminal record, residing in Sohag Governorate, possessed antiquities with the intent to traffic them». The suspects were apprehended in Sohag Governorate, where a complete ancient sarcophagus made of two parts was found in their possession. Confronted, they admitted that the seized sarcophagus resulted from excavations and antiquities prospecting in a mountainous area within the jurisdiction of the Akhmim police center, and that their possession of it was for trafficking purposes. The wooden sarcophagus, depicting a person, contains various colors and drawings dating from the Roman period. The city of «Akhmim» is one of the most important ancient cities in Sohag Governorate and houses numerous archaeological sites and historical landmarks. According to archaeologists, the amount of antiquities still buried underground in the city exceeds what has been discovered so far.
