The United States District Attorney’s Office for Manhattan hinted at the discovery of ancient artifacts worth approximately $2.2 million, which will later be returned to Greece and Italy following the completion of a special repatriation ceremony. During the ceremony, held on February 25, 2024, and attended by Greece’s Minister of Culture, Dr. Lina Mendoni, and the Consul General of Greece, Ifigeneia Kanara, the department identified eleven ancient Greek items belonging to traffickers. These included a votive figurine from 1300–1200 BCE, a marble(funerary) relief from the 4th–3rd century BCE, and other treasures such as a Hellenistic statuette of Atalanta, the 600–500 BCE aryballos(k.flask), and a Greek kantharos(cup), all of which were believed to be intended for trade. The items were reportedly facilitated by traffickers like GIACOMO MEDICiating, VI满脸 BECCHINtoa, and ROBERT HEITHERT, known for illegally transporting artifacts.
The recovery of these items represents a significant achievement in the global effort to combat ancient antiquities trafficking, which has led to the returning of nearly 6,000 items valued at over $460 million. Prior to this announcement, the DA’s ATU had already recovered over 120 antiquities in Italy and Greece, including a Terracotta Kylix Band-Cup found from around 6th century BCE. This piece, made from polished terracotta, was later acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2017 before being seized by the ATU. Other notable items include an Apulian Volute Krater from the 320–310 BCE period and a 4th-century BCE Bronze Patera, both believed to have been moved by traffickers.
The recovery of these artifacts underscores the progress in theTrack and Protection program, which aims to recover and return archaeological andghanian items to their rightful owners. Since its inception at the end of 2017, the ATU has collected and returned approximately 6,000 items, completing over 5,400 returns to 29 countries as of now. The department also announced that it will return a 7th-century bronze head to Greece following an internal provenance review, while the Metropolitan Museum of Art has indicated that some pieces may have been removed from〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〈〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〈〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉〉
This marks the department’s third consecutive special ceremony and a significant step in its long-standing commitment to protect ancient♻️ Pacific. The PAUSE program, guided by the filmmaker STEPHEN ROBERTS, has proven effective in tracking down tracey artifacts from all over the world, despite the challenges posed by modernanhing and academic incentives. The department has also initiated a symbolic Message ofupply ceremony to acknowledge the treasures of the past and look forward to the dangers of the future, with Greek and other馆藏 Beatiley institutions participating as沒 tool. For further details or to learn more, visit the department’s website.
