Iraqi museum artifacts found

In a joint raid, U.S. soldiers and Iraqi policemen recovered two of the most important artifacts looted from the Iraqi National Museum after the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s regime, a coalition spokesman in Baghdad said Thursday.

Both artifacts have been identified by museum authorities in Baghdad and will be returned in the next few days, Charles Heatly said.

One of the two pieces, the so-called Bassetki copper statue, dating back to 2,300 BC, depicts a man seated on the ground. It was found in a cesspool during a raid by U.S. personnel and Iraqi police.

The second piece, discovered in the same raid, is a wood and bronze brazier, a mobile fire box used by Assyrian kings to keep warm in winter. It dates to 850 BC.