An ancient funerary stele that was returned to Greece by British authorities was revealed to the public at the Epigraphical Museum in Athens on Tuesday, AMNA.gr has reported.
The funerary stele’s provenance is lost because it was the product of smuggling, but it is said to date back to the 4th century BC.
Stylistic details and the white, fine-grained Pentelic marble indicate it was made in Attica – the ancient district of eastern Greece.
The stele made its way onto a Christie‘s catalogue for an auction on December 8, 2021, when it was flagged for further research by the Greek Culture Ministry’s Directorate of Documentation and Protection of Cultural Goods.
At the time, the funerary stele was given a starting price for 60,000 to 80,000 British pounds. It was eventually determined the ancient monument was a product of antique smuggling.
Greece’s Minister of Culture and Sports, Lina Mendoni, said since the origin of the monument could not be determined so far, it will remain in the Epigraphical Museum of Athens.
Source: AMNA.gr.
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