Twenty-nine antiquities were handed over to Greek authorities on Friday (03.10.2025) by Matthew Bogdanos, head of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit and a Greek-American Manhattan prosecutor in New York, according to a statement from the Ministry of Culture. The handover ceremony took place at the Consulate General of Greece in New York, attended by Secretary General of Culture George Didaskalou, Consul General Iphigenia Kanara, and officials from the Directorate for Documentation and Protection of Cultural Goods.
The repatriated artifacts span a broad chronological range, from the Late Neolithic period (5000–4000 BC) to the Late Hellenistic era (2nd–1st century BC), representing significant examples of sculpture, metalwork, and ceramics. Highlights include:
– Two stone axe heads (5000–4000 BC)
– A Minoan agate sealstone depicting a goat (3100 BC)
– Three marble Proto-Cycladic libation vessels (2700–2400 BC)
– A Proto-Cycladic inverted jug (2700–2300 BC)
– A Mycenaean false-mouth amphora (1200–1100 BC)
– Two bronze belt fittings from Western Macedonia (7th century BC)
– A bronze furniture leg shaped as a Siren, likely from a Laconian workshop (~600 BC)
– A marble kouros head (~mid-6th century BC)
– A bronze Medusa Gorgon appliqué, possibly Corinthian (~late 6th century BC)
– A bronze coiled serpent ornament (5th century BC)
– A gold pendant necklace (5th–4th century BC)
– Two iron sacrificial knives (5th–4th century BC)
– Three silver conical cups (~300 BC)
– A bronze plaque with the bust of Atalanta (2nd–1st century BC)
Most of these items had been illegally trafficked and ended up in the art trade, particularly through Fortuna Fine Arts. Months-long investigations by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, supported by Homeland Security Investigations and archaeological documentation provided by Greece’s Directorate, confirmed their illicit origins and led to their seizure and return.
Eighteen of the 29 artifacts had previously entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, with which the Ministry of Culture maintains ongoing cooperation.
Culture Minister Lina Mendoni stated: “Every repatriation of Greek antiquities is highly significant and validates the policy of the Ministry of Culture in recent years. Greece is now internationally recognized as a country that places high priority on combating illegal trafficking of cultural goods—a phenomenon closely linked to organized crime and terrorism.”
She added that Greece’s efforts were acknowledged at UNESCO’s Mondiacult conference in Barcelona, emphasizing the importance of international collaboration.
Matthew Bogdanos said: “This success belongs to my team at the Antiquities Trafficking Unit and our partners at the Greek Ministry of Culture, who consistently provide crucial archaeological evidence. We remain determined—we do not rest, we do not delay. This is the place, this is the time, to fight illegal trafficking of cultural heritage.”
Secretary General George Didaskalou expressed pride in receiving the artifacts, affirming the Ministry’s continued close cooperation with the Manhattan DA’s Office, which he expects will yield even more successful returns in the future.