Greece welcomes return of 29 antiquities from New York

Twenty-nine antiquities person been formally handed implicit to the Greek authorities successful a ceremonial astatine the Consulate General of Greece successful New York. 

The objects were presented by Matthew Bogdanos, caput of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit and Deputy District Attorney astatine the Manhattan DA’s Office, successful the beingness of Secretary General of Culture Georgios Didaskalou, Consul General Iphigenia Kanara, and officials from the Directorate for Documentation and Protection of Cultural Property.

According to the Ministry of Culture, the repatriated works span from the Late Neolithic play (5000–4000 BC) to the Late Hellenistic epoch (2nd–1st period BC) and see important examples of sculpture, metalwork, and ceramics. 

Almost each had been illegally trafficked and passed done the creation trade, notably Fortuna Fine Arts.

Investigations by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and Greek archaeological documentation, confirmed the illicit root of the pieces, starring to their seizure. 

Eighteen of the 29 pieces had entered the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art successful New York, with which Greece’s Ministry of Culture maintains adjacent cooperation.

Culture Minister Lina Mendoni welcomed the repatriation, calling it “an highly important event” that underscores Greece’s committedness to combating antiquities trafficking, a transgression she said is intimately linked to organized transgression and terrorism. She praised the efforts of Bogdanos and US authorities, stressing that “the combat against the amerciable trade successful taste goods requires strong partnerships and hard work” and thanked each who contributed to the return.