Greece To Receive 47 Stolen Artifacts From Steinhardt Collection - Culture Ministry

Forty-seven ancient Greek artifacts from US billionaire Michael Steinhardt's collection, including a Minoan sarcophagus, Torso of a Kouros, a bronze griffin bust, Cycladic vessels, figurines and bronze swords, are returning to Greece, the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports said on Thursday

ATHENS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th December, 2021) Forty-seven ancient Greek artifacts from US billionaire Michael Steinhardt's collection, including a Minoan sarcophagus, Torso of a Kouros, a bronze griffin bust, Cycladic vessels, figurines and bronze swords, are returning to Greece, the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and sports said on Thursday.

"The Ministry of Culture and Sports welcomes the successful outcome of a long-term case investigated by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in New York, returning 47 ancient artifacts to Greece," the ministry said in a statement obtained by Sputnik.

The ancient artifacts originate from central Greece, Crete, the Cyclades, Samos and Rhodes.

According to the case, among Steinhardt's vast collection of thousands of artifacts from various cultures, 180 items were illegally smuggled from the country of origin.