Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you.
Posted on 05/05/2026 5:34:33 AM PDT by Twotone
In a coordinated effort spanning multiple agencies and borders, U.S. authorities have repatriated 26 ancient artifacts to Greece, marking another step in the ongoing fight against the illicit trade in cultural heritage.
The operation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with support from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the FBI, and the State Department. The items were recovered following months of investigation, underscoring the growing international cooperation aimed at protecting and restoring looted antiquities to their countries of origin.
“These invaluable objects, illegally removed from their homeland, have now been returned thanks to the combined expertise and jurisdictional reach of our teams and partners,” said ICE Deputy Director Charles Wall. He emphasized the cultural significance of the artifacts, noting that they once played an integral role in everyday life in the ancient world, and praised the investigators and prosecutors involved in their recovery.
The collection includes 25 coins dating from the Greek, Roman, and Byzantine periods, along with a striking marble torso of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine. The sculpture, weighing approximately 500 pounds and standing about 40 inches tall, is believed to date from the 1st or 2nd century CE. It was seized after authorities determined that accompanying documentation contained false claims.
(Excerpt) Read more at tovima.com ...
|
|
Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
Childish… coins? Ancient Greek coins must remain in Greece? There’s nothing wrong with collectors enjoying such things. This is a waste of law enforcement time and money and no doubt involves some of the agents making a few trips to Greece.
Government waste
This is a nuanced issue. It is true that Western European powers took artifacts from Egypt, Greece, India and other “Third World” countries that probably should go back as part of those countries’ national heritage. But its also true that if some of those artifacts weren’t taken, they probably would not have been preserved and studied and may have been destroyed. They weren’t “stolen.” There was no organic program to study the artifacts in Egypt, India or Greece at the time. In fact, at certain periods in history, the artifacts likely would have been destroyed as heretical if they were found. So England, France or Germany finding, taking and studying them in the 1800s was not “stealing” them. It advanced civilization. Now its time to give them back. Does that include every coin? Probably not.
This isn’t about location.
It’s about provenance.
Something crooked was going on.
Ancient artifacts do not belong to a modern government just because they were located in the same place any more than my family's ancient homestead belongs to me rather than its present owner.
During my first trip to Greece, many years ago, I made the very good and likeable Parthenon guide angry by disagreeing with her.
She was decrying the removal of the Elgin Marbles and calling for their return to Greece from the British Museum.
I said, "I disagree. I just wish Lord Elgin had gotten the Venus de Milo before she got her arms knocked off and the Victory of Samothrace before she lost her head and arms."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
