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Culture Minister Lina Mendoni received the objects from the
Israel Antiquities Authority and Amir Ganor, director of its
theft prevention division, at a ceremony held at the National
Archaeological Museum in Athens.
“It is the first time that Israel has returned antiquities to
Greece, marking the starting point of closer cooperation between
the two countries for the protection of cultural heritage,”
Mendoni said. “Every return of a cultural object to its place of
origin has a broader symbolic and moral dimension.”
The collection includes a small bronze statuette of a woman and
pottery comprising slender oil flasks, two-handled amphorae and
drinking cups decorated with mythological scenes and geometric
motifs. The objects are provisionally dated to between about 700
B.C. and 320 B.C.
Athens is broadening bilateral cultural ties as part of its
campaign to secure the return of the Parthenon Marbles. The
2,500-year-old sculptures were removed from the Acropolis and
are now displayed at the British Museum in London.
Greece, under its current conservative government, and Israel
have strengthened energy and defense ties in recent years. In
August, Israel signed a 3 billion euro (about $3.5 billion) deal
to build an air defense system in Greece, dubbed Achilles
Shield, in what was described as the largest defense deal
between the two countries.
Greek and Israeli officials on Tuesday did not disclose how the
artifacts were discovered in Israel or the circumstances of
their illegal removal from Greece. In previous cases,
antiquities returned from private collections abroad have often
been traced to illicit excavations.
Pninat Yanay, the Israeli ambassador to Greece, said the items
were recovered during an “investigation by the Israeli
authorities into the illegal antiquities trade.”
She added: “In both Greece and Israel, archaeology has a special
place in national life. It helps us understand where we came
from and who we are.”
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