Ancient Roman gravestone found in New Orleans back yard returned to Italy

The ancient Roman grave marker found by a New Orleans couple in the yard of their home. Photograph: Courtesy D Ryan Gray and Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans

A nearly 2,000-year-old Roman grave marker discovered in a New Orleans backyard has now been returned to Italy.

The marble epitaph – dating back roughly 1,900 years – was officially handed over to Italian officials in Rome on Wednesday during a ceremony led by the FBI. The event also marked the repatriation of another antiquity recovered in the US, the agency said.