Twenty-nine looted antiquities – from Neolithic axe heads and Cycladic marble bowls to a Hellenistic bronze of the huntress Atalanta – have returned to Greece after being handed over by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in a special ceremony on Friday, October 3.

The artifacts, which date from the Final Neolithic (c. 5000 BC) to the Late Hellenistic period (1st century BC), were presented to the Greek authorities by Assistant District Attorney Matthew Bogdanos, head of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit, at the Consulate General of Greece in New York. The event was attended by Secretary General of Culture Georgios Didaskalou, Consul General Iphigenia Kanara, and officials from Greece’s Directorate for the Documentation and Protection of Cultural Goods.

Among the recovered objects are highlights from across the ancient Greek world: two stone axe heads, a Minoan agate seal stone depicting an ibex, Early Cycladic bowls and jugs, a Mycenaean stirrup jar, a bronze Siren-shaped furniture leg from a Laconian workshop, a marble kouros head, and a bronze Medusa likely crafted in Corinth.

Almost all had been trafficked illegally through the international art market – specifically via the New York gallery Fortuna Fine Arts – before being identified and seized in a months-long investigation led by the Manhattan DA’s Office, with support from Homeland Security Investigations and Greek cultural authorities. Notably, eighteen of the 29 objects had entered the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with which Greece maintains close and ongoing cooperation.

“Every repatriation of Greek antiquities is an exceptionally important event and vindicates the Ministry’s policy in recent years,” said Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni, noting that Greece is now recognized internationally as a country that places the fight against illicit trafficking “high on its political agenda.” She added that such efforts “require strong partnerships and hard work,” expressing gratitude to all who contributed to this latest success.

“This success belongs to my colleagues… both at the Antiquities Trafficking Unit and at the Hellenic Ministry of Culture,” said Matthew Bogdanos, adding: “We continue with determination – we do not rest, we do not delay.”

Secretary General Didaskalou described the return as “a great honor and joy,” emphasizing Greece’s commitment to continued collaboration with US authorities – “cooperation which will undoubtedly bear even richer fruit in the future.”