King Croesus' Treasure Stolen in Turkey

Two pieces from the treasure of King Croesus that were returned to Turkey from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York after a long legal battle have been stolen and replaced with fakes, the culture and tourism minister said Sunday. Croesus' golden broach in the shape of a sea horse and a coin were switched with replicas at the Usak Museum in western Turkey, said the minister Atilla Koc, confirming a newspaper report on Sunday... The broach was one of 363 artifacts from the so-called "Lydian Hoard" that was purchased by the Metropolitan Museum in the 1960s. Some 30 years later, the museum acknowledged that it knew the pieces were stolen when it purchased them, and returned them to Turkey.

Turkey detains museum head over fake exhibits
Mon May 29, 2006 5:05 PM BST
Turkish police have detained the head of a museum and eight other people amid a probe into allegations that prized exhibits from the 6th Century B.C. were replaced by fakes, a regional governor said on Monday. The ancient artefacts from the collection known as the Lydian Hoard were repatriated from the United States 13 years ago after being stolen in the 1960s.

Thanks for posting this.. piqued my curiosity

excerpt follows
http://www.worldpress.org/Europe/1491.cfm

From the October 2003 issue of World Press Review (VOL. 50, No. 10)

The Arts

Croesus: The Poverty of Treasure
Cumhuriyet (independent), Istanbul, Turkey, July 21, 2003

What is the material limit of wealth? What is the limit of the money, gold, silver, petroleum, diamonds, emeralds, jewelry, goods, and property that one can possess? The rich man’s wealth tires the poor man’s jaw. No sense in tiring yours truly’s poor hand by writing so many questions about wealth.

Croesus is my idea of a rich man. He stands at the intersection of myth and history. In the Old Testament, he is mentioned as Korah. In the Quran, he is called Karun. He is the man who first coined money. Since the one who has money sets the rules, it is no wonder that the man who coins money is wealthy.

Korah of the Old Testament, that is, Croesus, was commissioned by the pharaoh to suppress the Israelites. Korah was also an Israelite, yet he relied on his wealth and attempted to oppress his own people. Unsurprisingly, he faced the wrath of God and was buried beneath the earth with all his riches.

Anatolia is a place where history is transformed into myth. Lydian King Croesus, alias Karun, as the man who coined money, believed that happiness lay in wealth and prayed to God that whatever he touched become gold. God granted that wish. He touched a stone and it became gold; he touched grass and it became gold. The king was very happy but then he felt hungry. As every piece of food he touched became gold, he could not find anything to eat. He prayed to God again and asked for a piece of food. But God did not answer and Croesus, the last king of Lydia, died of hunger. The moral of the story: Even the most fabulous wealth of the world cannot bring happiness. But try telling that to humankind.

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