This digital video report tracks the journey of a portion of the Epic Gilgamesh, that was looted from an Iraqi museum 30 years ago. This tablet is one of the oldest religious texts and was part of a 12-tablet collection originally found in the library of Assyrian King Assur Banipal more than 150 years ago. It is thought to be from ancient Mesopotamia and considered the earliest surviving text. It disappeared, along with many other artifacts, during the first Gulf War. Over the past 30 years, the priceless artifact changed hands several times before being acquired by Hobby Lobby and displayed in the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. It was not until 2021, after a federal court approved the forfeiture, that it was returned to Iraq. The objective is to tell the journey of this important artifact.
Many news organizations reported on the seizure of the tablet and its return to Iraq. But the coverage rarely went past a surface description of the event. Arabic-language Irfaasawtak.com shared a complete story of the artifact’s return home. Through sources from the Iraqi Embassy in the U.S. and Iraqi art and history experts about the details that were necessary to return the Gilgamesh tablet, as well as its importance to Iraqis and Arabs around the world. Irfaasawtak.com was one of the few outlets that shared how the Epic of Gilgamesh was finally completed again.
There was a lot of interest in this story. The Facebook link had nearly 5 million views and just under 1,500 comments.
