Ceremony of handing over - receiving of 29 Greek antiquities

On March 21, 2023, in the presence of the Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni, a ceremony of handing over - receiving of 29 Greek antiquities from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office took place at the Consulate General of Greece in New York.This series of archaeological findings of great value, which reached the hands of antiquities smugglers through illegal excavations, were located in several collections in the city of New York, and returned to the Greece by the Manhattan Attorney General's Office.

These 29  antiquities which, according to the Minister Mendoni, come from different regions of Greece,such as Macedonia, Epirus, Central Greece, the Cyclades and Crete, are considered "particularly important" for the Greek cultural legacy.

The 29 antiquities were located and seized through the actions of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's Office, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Bogdanos, and Department of Homeland Security Special Agent Ivan J. Arvelo, and his associates who worked togetheron the documentation of the seized antiquities,with the Documentation and Protection of Cultural Properties Division of the Greek Ministry of Culture.

During his greeting, the Consul General of Greece in New York, Mr. Dinos Constantinou, welcoming the Minister of Culture and all of the attendees, said that it is a day of joy and pride as it is announced the return of 29 wonderful priceless cultural treasures to their rightful owners, the people of Greece.
«Their repatriation is the result of the American authorities’ diligent work and their outstanding cooperation with the Greek authorities. The return of these 29 exquisite ancient artifacts to Greece is the outcome of the firm commitment of both countries to the recovery of looted antiquities and reaffirms their partnership and friendship» he underlined.

The Consul General also emphasized that unfortunately Greece has seen a significant part of its rich cultural heritage forcibly taken away by smugglers, and for this reason, every ancient object that is smuggled represents a piece of Greek history and collective soul that is missing. «We are truly grateful for the efforts undertaken by the Manhattan District Attorney Office and all those who have worked to make possible the return of these fabulous artifacts back to where they rightfully belong!», emphasized the Consul GeneralDinos Constantinou.

The Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni, on behalf of the Greek Government, thanked the Manhattan District Attorney's Office for the great successes it has achieved in the fight against antiquities that led to the repatriation of hundreds of illegally acquired and trafficked antiquities to their countries of origin, including Greece. She also emphasized that the Greek-american Matthew Bogdanos and his team worked closely with the competent Directorate of the Greek Ministry of Culture, which provided the archaeological documentation and all available information, in order to facilitate the work of the American Authorities.

Ms. Mendoni also mentioned that Greece, over the years, has received a great blow from the action of the antiquities’ smugglers and for that reason, the restoration of her cultural heritage became an absolute priority. In order to achieve this goal, Greece seeks alliances, and close cooperation with foreign authorities, as was done between the Manhattan Attorney's Office and the Greek Ministry of Culture. «The successful cooperation fills us with confidence that many more successes of this alliance will follow. The relationship of trust and close cooperation contributed to the investigation and recovery of the antiquities and to the dismantling of illegal international criminal networks whose action alters the identity of the peoples, as it detaches  the archaeological treasures out of their contexts and transforms them from evidence of the history of the peoples, in simple works of art, emphasized the Minister of Culture.

Assistant District Attorney Greek-american Mathew Bogdanos, who heads the Antiquities Prosecution Task Force, said that as a proud American of Greek origin, he feels that it is even more important that these 29 extraordinary antiquities are being returned to Greece. He also underlined that from his experience the best way to locate and confiscate stolen antiquities from  countries of origin, is the perfect cooperation between District Attorney’s Office, the US Department of Homeland Security and the competent authorities of the country of origin, as was done in Greece’s case. «We all work together, like a good Greek family, day and night, we are passionate about discussing tactics and goals, but we all share the same vision, the return of antiquities to the countries of origin where they were born and belong», emphasized Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Mathew Bogdanos.

Ivan J. Arvelo, Special Agent of the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (DHS-HSI) also gave a speech for his cooperation with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. He underlined that antiquities theft is a multi-billion-dollar business at the expense of cultural heritage of foreign countries such as, the cradle of Western Civilization, Greece and that he feels particularly honored that they were able to join forces and achieve the goal of repatriating these precious antiquities to the Greek people.