Last Thursday the U.S. government returned a solid gold ornament, which had been stolen from the tomb of the Lord of Sipan in 1987.

The ornament, which measures 4.5cm by 7cm, depicts a monkey head which was carved from solid gold, and exemplifies the high level of metallurgical skill held by the Moche civilization, who lived between 200 and 800 AD.

The monkey head was retuned during a ceremony at the Peruvian Embassy in Washington last week, after more than a decade of legal proceedings, reported El Comercio.

According to a press release by the Peruvian embassy, the ornament was typical of necklaces worn by the highest authorities of ancient Peru.

The ornament had ended up in the private collection of John Bourne, who had lent it to the New Mexico History Museum in 1998.

In September 1998, the FBI opened an investigation regarding the ornament’s provenance, and kept it in the museum until 2008.

According to a statement by the U.S. Department of Justice, the museum reached an agreement with the Peruvian government this year, which led to the ornament being returned.

Peruvian ambassador Harold Forsyth said the ornament was part of Peru’s history and added that the country would offer it to the world in order “to promote universal admiration for a period of history when the metallurgic art of the ancient Moche culture flourished.”