Greece received 22 cultural objects returned by Israel at a ceremony in Athens. The group includes Attic and Corinthian pottery and a bronze female figurine whose authenticity requires further examination. Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni described the handover as the first return from Israel and linked it to closer cooperation against antiquities trafficking.
Geopolitics··Evening
Twenty-two objects return to Greece
Israel returned 22 cultural objects to Greece, bringing the group back to the country. The handover includes ancient pottery and a bronze female figurine.[1], [2]
Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni received the objects on 13 October at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. Israeli Ambassador Pninat Yanay handed them over, with Amir Ganor, head of the Israel Antiquities Authority’s theft-prevention unit, attending the ceremony in the museum’s Altar Hall.[1]
Pottery comes from Attic and Corinthian workshops
The returned group comprises 15 vessels of Attic origin, 6 from Corinthian workshops and the figurine. Of the Attic vessels, 11 are black-figure, 3 are red-figure and one is black-glazed. The pottery dates to the Archaic and Classical periods, with the Corinthian vessels belonging to the Archaic period. The bronze figurine’s authenticity requires further examination.[1]
Officials expand cooperation against trafficking
Israeli authorities located and confiscated the objects during work against illicit antiquities trafficking. Mendoni described the handover as the first return of cultural objects from Israel to Greece. She said officials from both countries had begun exchanging experience and practical knowledge to improve their response to trafficking. Yanay emphasized the significance of returning cultural heritage to the communities from which it came.[1]
