More than 600 antiquities have been returned to the Iraqi National Museum after they were found in boxes in Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's office.
The missing historical artefacts, some dating back thousands of years, had been smuggled out of Iraq at various times and ended up in the US.
They were moved back to Iraq in early 2009 but went missing after that.
Antiquities Minister Qahtan al-Jubouri blamed "inappropriate handover procedures" for their disappearance.
It is not clear exactly how the artefacts disappeared from view after being returned to Iraq.
But the 638 items were found on Sunday packed in cardboard boxes in a storage room for kitchen equipment in the offices of Prime Minister Maliki.
The objects include jewellery and clay tablets as well as bronze figurines.
"It's a very important collection," said Amira Eidan, the director of the Iraqi National Museum.
BBC News
