15 ancient objects are being repatriated to Greece from Switzerland – See photos

15 ancient objects dating from the prehistoric to the Roman period are being repatriated to Greece from Switzerland, which were recovered following a court order in the context of criminal proceedings, in the Geneva court against a well-known antiquities dealer. These are figurines, clay and copper vessels, a gold diadem with laurel leaves, a torso of a naked male young figure, a bronze statuette of a naked athlete, a pair of bronze anklets and a silver coin (stater).

These objects were under precautionary seizure by the Geneva authorities. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after being informed by the Consulate General of Greece about the case, appointed a lawyer in order to take all the necessary actions to gain access to all the objects that were under seizure. Among them, the existence of 15 antiquities of Greek interest was found. After the relevant documentation, with a court decision issued in July 2022, these objects were definitively assigned to the Greek state, as products of illegal trafficking.

As stated by the Minister of Culture and Sports Lina Mendoni, “The Ministry of Culture and Sports, especially in recent years, attaches great importance to the repatriation of every cultural asset which is inextricably linked to our cultural heritage. The return of cultural goods to their place of birth, beyond a universal issue, is a moral obligation between peoples in the context of the respect and protection of the common global cultural heritage. The need to repatriate cultural property that has been removed illegally or through processes of questionable legality is dictated by the fundamental principles of international conventions, regardless of time limits or limitations. In addition to the products of antiquities in the narrow sense of the term, there are antiquities that have been removed and in any case in a way that burdens the monument or the archaeological environment in which they are part. We work systematically on the basis of a holistic management plan, with main axes: The expansion of the protection of cultural goods, the suppression of illegal trafficking and the return of Greek antiquities to their place.

The competent Directorate of Documentation and Protection of Cultural Property, in collaboration with all the relevant Services, works tirelessly and with dedication, in order to achieve both the return of the illegally trafficked monuments and the awareness of every citizen, to the problem of antiquities hoarding. This effort has yielded very important results and we are convinced that many more successes will follow. I would like to thank the Consul General of Greece in Geneva, Mr. Alexandros Gennimatas, for his decisive contribution to highlighting the case and the repatriation of the antiquities, the attorney of the Greek State, Mr. Romanos Skandamis, as well as for the key role he played in the outcome of this case, the Swiss Archaeological School, as well as the Directorate for Documentation and Protection of Cultural Property for all its actions”.

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