A fragment of an ancient Iranian sculpture, which could be valued at more than £30m, has been seized by UK border patrol officers.
The Sasanian rock relief, which is more than a metre tall and was carved about 1,800 years ago, had been gouged from a cliff in Iran with an angle grinder before being smuggled to Britain.
It was intercepted by Border Force officers at Stansted airport after they became suspicious of the haphazard packaging.
The relief, which depicts a male figure carved in the 3rd century AD, was apparently intended for the black market.
The sculpture is so unique and valuable that it will never be sold, despite its potential value.
It is carved from calcareous limestone, which is common across Iran, making it impossible to pinpoint its exact location.
Only about 30 known Sasanian rock reliefs exist, mostly dating back to the third century, and almost all are in a relatively small area of Iran, in Fars province.
The lack of an inscription makes it impossible to identify the person depicted, but the figure's dress and diademed headdress signify him as a person of high rank.
The gesture of greeting and submission with a raised bent forefinger is a feature of Sasanian art when figures are in the presence of royalty, which suggests that this was part of a larger composition.
The artefact was part of Operation Pandora VI, which involved actions in airports and at border crossing points and was led by Spain.
The case has been investigated by Interpol and the National Crime Agency, but no arrests have been made so far. The sender, recipient and destination of the package was a UK internet auction site, which claimed it was not expecting it.
The British Museum, which repaired the broken sculpture after it was formally forfeited to the Crown, has received permission from the Iranian government to display the artefact for three months before sending it to the National Museum in Tehran.
Dr St John Simpson, a senior curator and archaeologist in the British Museum’s department of the Middle East, said that looters were undeterred by severe penalties for trafficking antiquities, including the death penalty in Iran.
Despite this, the number of Iranian artefacts on the black market has increased in recent years, he added.
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SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
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