Greece recently confirmed the successful recovery of various stolen objects, including a renowned bronze figure of Alexander the Great from the second century, from a known British antiquities trader after a lengthy court dispute that lasted 17 years.
The search for a way to return the collection of 351 pieces, according to Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni, started in 2006 when officials started looking into Robin Symes' self-named firm both in Greece and overseas.
This huge discovery comes after the recovery of archaeological objects that were taken from Italy and held by Symes and then discovered by Italian and Swiss authorities in 2016.
Greece's cultural ministry did not specifically establish the link between the Greek antiques and the Italian haul, but the recovery of the sizable collection is however a significant triumph.
A white stone figurine from the Neolithic period, dating to the fourth millennium BCE, is one of the special items in the repatriation collection.
The collection also contains a broken marble figure from the Archaic period (550-500 BCE), an Early Cycladic figurine from the time between 3200 and 2700 BCE, and a marble head from the same era that may or may not show a kore or a sphinx.
For Greece, its impressive restoration represents a significant turning point in its ongoing attempts to gain back and safeguard its cultural heritage.
Greece has been fighting an ongoing battle to recover robbed objects that have been placed in museums and private collections across the world.
Pope Francis praised the Vatican's March gift of three Parthenon temple parts to Greece as a noteworthy act of goodwill.
Currently, the legendary monument's pieces are dispersed across several renowned institutions.
The Greek government and the British Museum are reportedly in advanced talks about the possible return of the Parthenon Marbles, also known as the Elgin Marbles, according to recent sources.
Early in the 19th century, a British diplomat named Lord Elgin took these antiquated statues from the Parthenon temple in Athens. Since then, the British Museum has owned them. Greece continues to support their return home.
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