Israel has returned 22 ancient Greek artefacts that were illegally removed from the country, marking the first such repatriation between the two nations. The handover took place on 13 October at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.
Culture Minister Lina Mendoni received the objects from Israeli Ambassador Pninat Yanay. The collection includes 15 Attic vessels, six Corinthian vases and a small bronze female statuette dating mainly from the Archaic and Classical periods. Israeli authorities seized the items in 2020 during an investigation into illegal antiquities trafficking.
Mendoni called the return a landmark that strengthens cooperation against cultural trafficking and carries symbolic weight. “Every return of a cultural object to its place of origin has a broader symbolic and moral dimension,” she said.
The repatriation coincides with Athens intensifying its campaign for the permanent return of the Parthenon sculptures from the British Museum. Greece continues to reject loan or rotation proposals and presents successful returns such as this one as evidence that cultural heritage belongs in its country of origin.
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