Israel returns 22 ancient artefacts to Greece

Israel returned 22 ancient Greek artefacts to Greece at a ceremony in Athens on Tuesday, October 13, in what Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni described as the first such repatriation between the countries. Mendoni received the objects from Israeli officials at the National Archaeological Museum. She said the handover marked the beginning of closer cooperation between Greece and Israel to protect cultural heritage. The collection comprises 15 Attic vases, six vessels from Corinthian workshops and a bronze female statuette, according to a published inventory. The artefacts were removed illegally from Greece, according to Greek and Israeli officials. However, the officials did not provide a common account of when or how the objects were taken from Greece or recovered in Israel. Israeli Ambassador Pninat Yanay said the Israel Antiquities Authority’s theft-prevention unit located them. Yanay also described the recovery as part of an investigation into illegal antiquities trading. One account said the objects were seized in 2020 from warehouses in central Israel after legal proceedings.