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Great Britain has [promised / promissory] to return more than 5,000 [ancient / ancestor] artefacts to Iraq over the next few months. The announcement was made by the British government [thorough / during] the visit of the Iraqi Prime Minister to London earlier this week. The [expatriates / repatriation] marks the largest ever return of antiquities by the UK. [Many / Much] of the items set to return to Iraq were stolen and [smuggled / snuggled] out of Iraq over the past century, [particular / particularly] after the Iraqi wars at the beginning of the century. There is a [laxative / lucrative] trade in stolen artefacts. Iraq's ambassador to the UK was [appreciation / appreciative] of the UK's help. He said: "We extend our [gravity / gratitude] to the British Museum staff for their efforts and cooperation with us."

Many of the artefacts that will [soonish / soon] be on their way back to Iraq were [unearthed / earthed] by British archaeologists a century ago. One valuable item is a [rare / rarity] Sumerian plaque that [years / dates] back to around 2400BC. It was illegally smuggled out of Iraq and put [down / up] for auction in 2019. It was discovered and seized [to / by] police in London. The plaque will be put on [public / publicly] display at the museum before its repatriation. The British Museum said it would continue, "to work with our Iraqi colleagues to research these important [sets / collections] , and in the fight against the illicit trade in antiquities". It added: "It is [viral / vital] that we preserve and protect the world's cultural heritage for future generations to [appreciate / depreciate] and enjoy."