U.S. Repatriates 30 Ancient Objects to Greece

NEW YORK, NEW YORK—According to an ArtNet News report, the U.S. handed over 30 artifacts to Greece in a ceremony attended by Consul General of Greece in New York Konstantinos Konstantinou and Secretary General of Culture Georgios Didaskalou. The objects, recovered by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), include a Corinthian helmet, a marble statue of Aphrodite, breastplates, a Byzantine silver plate, and a bronze chariot attachment. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said that 19 of the antiquities were surrendered by a New York gallery owner, and three had been seized from a British art dealer. Information about the remaining eight items has not been released. “A nation’s cherished history should never be pilfered, peddled, or marketed for sale, yet for years these antiquities were kept in collectors’ homes, prestigious institutions, and even storage lockers,” commented Erin Keegan, HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge. To read about a Corinthian helmet unearthed in southwestern Russia, go to "Hellenistic Helmet Safety."