A French woman has voluntarily agreed to return a marble fragment from the Erechtheion on the Acropolis of Athens back to Greece.
Jacqueline Junelles has owned fragment since the 1970s, with the piece dating back to 5th century BC, when it was part of an artistic relief on the Temple of Athena Polias in Athens.
An official delivery ceremony was conducted in Lyon, France by Prefect of Rhône Emmanuelle Darmon and Regional Director of Cultural Affairs of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region Marc Droupe.
Greece’s Culture Minister Lina Mendoni commented on the return of historical items to Greece, saying “the repatriation of illegally exported cultural goods from our country is a political priority. Every voluntary return of antiquities…. causes us special joy and great satisfaction.”
This comes as just last month, the US returned dozens of stolen ancient coins to Greece.
It was the largest collection of its kind to be intercepted by US officials, with 51 coins returned to the National Hellenic Museum in Chicago.
In other recent news about Greek artefacts returning to Greece, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has urged the British government and the British Museum to come to a “win-win arrangement” over the dispute regarding the Parthenon Marbles.
Source : Neoskosmos