Two antiquities have been repatriated from Switzerland to Greece on January 23, according to a statement by the Greek Ministry of Culture.
The statement mentions that the two antiquities which had been illegally removed from Greek territory at an unknown time were repatriated from Bern.
According to amna.gr the first is a fragment of a stone inscription from which five verses with main names are partially preserved. The inscription dates to the Hellenistic era (late 3rd – early 2nd century BCE) and is said to originate from the island of Kos.
The second is s fragment of a marble Ionic capital dating to the Roman era (1st – 2nd century CE), with its provenance stated as the Ancient Agora of Corinth.
The objects were delivered by Swiss citizens in the autumn of 2022 and spring of 2023, respectively, to the Archaeological Service of the Canton of the Grisons (Canton des Grisons), which documented their Greek origin.
The ministry stated that the repatriation of the two artifacts “demonstrates the effectiveness of bilateral agreements for preventing and addressing the illegal trafficking of cultural goods that Greece has entered into with many countries, in line with the relevant recommendation of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property”.
The repatriation also shows how effective have been the initiatives in Greece and abroad which aim to raise awareness about the need to protect cultural heritage and fight against trafficking.
Source: amna.gr
