New York officials recently returned a collection of ancient Greek artifacts valued at millions of dollars to Greece. These items were discovered at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and include two bronze helmets, stomach guards, a marble bust of a Roman emperor, and more, with some pieces dating back to 2,700 BCE. According to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, these artifacts were smuggled into the U.S. and were laundered by dealers and collectors using fake ownership histories, museum donations, and exhibitions.
On September 21st, Greece’s Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, received 15 pieces during a special handover event in Manhattan. She remarked on the significance of reuniting these artifacts with other finds from the same archaeological site in the Iraklio museum. Mendoni pointed out that some of the pieces had been trafficked illegally and were now returning to their origins.
Out of the 15 artifacts, five were bronze, which included two helmets and three belly guards from the late 7th century BCE. Investigators traced these items back to looting at the sanctuary on the hill of Prophet Elias at Afrati, Crete. This location was heavily looted between 1964 and 1966, leading to the illegal export of many antiquities. The collector who held these bronze pieces later donated them to the Met, and their value exceeds $2 million. One helmet features elaborate designs of flowers, dogs, and a figure with winged feet holding a serpent.
Another piece in the collection is a terracotta jug with a beak that dates back to around 1750–1700 BCE, taken from a burial site in the Argolis-Corinthia region. This jug was smuggled through Switzerland and the United Kingdom before becoming part of the Met’s collection.
The oldest artifact in the group is a marble figurine of a woman and the lid of a marble box, which is over 1,000 years older than the jug. The collection also includes two bronze and gold bracelets and a marble bust representing the divine spirit of a Roman emperor, known as Genius Augusti.
Despite the Met’s cooperation during the investigation, Manhattan Assistant DA Matthew Bogdanos has expressed concerns over why so many looted artifacts find their way to the museum and why the DA’s office is often the one identifying them. Bogdanos leads the Antiquities Trafficking Unit and has been instrumental in efforts to identify and recover trafficked art in the city.
In a statement, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office reported convicting 18 people for crimes related to cultural property, recovering more than 6,400 cultural treasures worth over $490 million, and returning over 6,150 artifacts to 39 nations. An impressive recovery included 600 stolen artworks and artifacts, valued at $90 million, in operations coordinated with Italian police. What are your thoughts on the efforts to return stolen artifacts?
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Source: Good News Network, by Andy Corbley