Washington: Eighteen antiquities identified in an online auction were handed over to the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Washington for repatriation, Cyprus' Department of Antiquities, said on Tuesday.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the Department of Antiquities announced that on February 23, 18 Cypriot antiquities were handed over to the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Washington. The antiquities had been identified in an online auction by the Archaeological Officers of the Department of Antiquities responsible for monitoring the illegal trafficking of Cypriot antiquities on the internet and were withdrawn following consultation with the auction house, it said in a press release.
The antiquities consist of two vessels of the Early Bronze Age (2500-1900 BC), 11 vessels of the Middle Bronze Age (1900-1600 BC), three vessels of the Cypro-Archaic I period (750-600 BC), one vessel of the Cypro-Archaic II period (600-480 BC), and one limestone male statue head of the 4th century BC.
The Department of Antiquities expressed gratitude to Sloans and Kenyon Auctioneers and Appraisers and the possessors for the voluntary return of the antiquities to their country of origin, as well as to the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Washington for their cooperation and the coordination of the repatriation procedures.