(BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY REVIEW) — Despite the March 14th verdict declaring collector Oded Golan not guilty on all counts of forgery, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) persists in its conflict with the defendant. Prosecutor Dan Bahat announced the IAA’s intention to fight the return of the artifacts to Oded Golan.
Golan and co-defendant Robert Deutsch were acquitted after a seven-year trial involving the alleged forgery of several sensational Israeli antiquities including the first-century C.E. James Ossuary, a bone box bearing the inscription “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus,” and the Jehoash inscription, which may be the first known royal Israelite inscription.