The United States has returned back over 250 stolen ancient antiques to Italy, reported Western media on Saturday.
Italy police have said these valuable articles had been stolen and sold to museums in the US and other collectors in the 1990s.
The ancient artefacts include paintings, sculptures, mosaics, and valuable pottery; some are believed to be 3,000 years old. The antiques belong to the Villanovan age, the Etruscan civilization, the Magna Graecia period, and the Imperial Rome era.
The stolen articles have been located through a network of dealers. There are reports that some items were from Menil Collection Museum in Texas., but the museum rejects the reports saying these items were never part of their collection.
US returns stolen artefacts to Italy
According to the culture ministry of Italy, the possessor of this collection willingly returned back these items to Italy knowing their importance for Italian civilization.
It’s worth mentioning that out of the returned items, 145 are linked to a bankruptcy case against the English dealer Robin Symes.
Italy has been making persistent efforts to reclaim looted antiquities. Last year, in September 2022, New York also returned stolen art pieces valued at £16 million to Italy, including a marble head of the goddess Athena from 200 BC, worth around £3 million.
