A private collector, a foreign national, has come to an agreement with the Greek Culture Ministry for the voluntary return of 86 Greek antiquities, according to a ministry statement on Monday. The ancient works come from various regions of Greece and span a wide chronological range of periods, from the Early Neolithic to the Late Hellenistic eras.
2. Μαρμάρινο Κυκλαδικό ειδώλιο γυναικείας μορφής, τύπου Σπεδού/Δωκαθισμάτων. Ύψος 35,56 εκ. Πρωτοκυκλαδική ΙΙ περίοδος (2500-2400 π.Χ.)According to the culture ministry, the artifacts include Neolithic female figurines of the naturalistic type, marble figurines and vases of the Early Cycladic Period, ceramics of the Mycenaean Period, bronze figurines of the Geometric, Archaic and Hellenistic Periods, bronze helmets of various types, bronze and silver vessels (hydriae, oinochoe and flasks, respectively), bronze mirrors, important samples of Attic black-figure and red-figure ceramics, a marble tombstone, clay figurines and gold funeral wreaths of Hellenistic times.
Culture Minister Lina Mendoni stated: “ The Ministry of Culture, with great satisfaction, welcomes 86 Greek antiquities, which were repatriated to the place that created them. This specific repatriation is the product of our collaboration with another private collector abroad, who voluntarily returned these proofs of our cultural heritage. I wish and hope that other collectors of Greek antiquities will imitate this example. That they will cooperate with us and return their collections to their natural place. For Greece and the Ministry of Culture, every repatriation, especially one that is voluntary, proves that more and more citizens around the world now consider it necessary to return cultural goods to their countries of origin.”
After the completion of the documentation and recording process, the objects will be appropriately distributed to museums throughout the country.
More pictures: Greek Culture Ministry