The prosecutor Mr. Cyrus Vance Jr. and the deputy prosecutor of Greek origin, Mr. Matthew Bogdanos returned the stolen marble sarcophagus smuggled abroad in the 1980s to the Greek consul general in New York, Constantinos Koutras.Christos Tsirogiannis, a forensic archaeologist and research assistant at the Scottish Crime and Justice Research Center at the University of Glasgow, identified the artifact and alerted authorities. The object, which dates back to 200 AD and depicts a battle between Greek and Trojan warriors, was stolen from Greece in 1988.
Christos Tsirogiannis and the Consul General of Greece in New York, Constantinos Koutras, speak to ellines.com about the repatriation of the sarcophagus.
Christos Tsirogiannis on ellines.com
“The identification of a stolen antiquity, the concentration of all the necessary evidence regarding illegal trade and, above all, repatriation, are elements that allow all Greeks to be proud of their nation, especially in these difficult times . This is my reward as a researcher and archaeologist, the reactions of all Greeks who are “thirsty” to know their history and heritage, constantly offering what they can to their country of origin.”
The Consul General of Greece in New York, Constantinos Koutras on ellines.com
– Tell us a few words about the repatriation of the Sarcophagus to Greece
“This part of the marble sarcophagus, which depicts the battle between Greeks and Trojans, was seized by order of the Manhattan prosecutor of the Royal-Athena Galleries. The repatriation of the sarcophagus is an important step in Greece’s efforts to protect and restore our cultural heritage, which was illegally transported abroad and is either in a gallery, as in this case, or in private collections , either in museums or in antiques sales houses. Much of our cultural past has been looted and I believe it is the duty of all Greeks around the world to be vigilant. We are delighted that this part of the marble sarcophagus has been found and that it will be repatriated in compliance with all the formalities in force in our country.”
– What are the next steps for the return of the sarcophagus to Greece?
“With the permission of the Greek Ministry of Culture, we will receive the part of the marble sarcophagus with all the necessary documents and it will be returned and exhibited at the National Archaeological Museum, which this year celebrates 150 years of its foundation.”
– Two Greeks were involved in this case: archaeologist Mr. Christos Tsirogiannis, who identified the stolen antiquity and informed the authorities and deputy prosecutor Matthew Bogdanos. How difficult is it to achieve a positive outcome in such cases?
“The issue of illegal trade and export of Greek antiquities and their identification is enormous and difficult. There are cases where, for many years, repeated attempts are made without obtaining the desired results to this day, for example the Parthenon marbles, for which, as you know, there is no positive result for the moment. In other cases, the repatriation of antiques is much simpler and smoother. At this stage, the role of the Greek Ministry of Culture and archaeologists must be emphasized. The Greek State, through its Ministry of Culture, always initiates any legal procedure to recover antiquities for which there is documented evidence that they have been looted or for which their return to their origin is considered imperative as an integral part of our history and our cultural identity, returned. Once again, finally, I would like to thank on behalf of the Greek State, the American authorities and in particular the prosecutor Mr. Cyrus Vance Jr. and the deputy prosecutor of Greek origin, Mr. Matthew Bogdanos, who, without their contribution decisive, had the repatriation of the sarcophagus to Greece not been carried out.
The story of the identification of the marble sarcophagus
On January 8, 2017, a new identification of an ancient Greek object illegally exported from Greece and which was for sale in one of New York’s two major galleries, was made by the Scottish Center’s forensic archaeologist and research assistant for Crime and Justice. Research at the University of Glasgow, Christos Tsirogiannis. It was a Roman marble sarcophagus kept in the Royal-Athena Galleries owned by Dr. Jerome Eisenberg in New York.
The section of the sarcophagus depicts the battle between the Greeks and the Trojans, also appears in 4 Polaroid photos and is mentioned in three handwritten notes, all of which were confiscated in 2001 by Italian and Swiss authorities and were archives of the looter of Italian antiques. Gianfranco Becchina. Gianfranco Becchina has already been convicted, both in Italy and Greece, for accepting and handling stolen works of art (antiques), while dozens of antiquities included in the file have been identified and repatriated to Italy and Greece (such as the Macedonian gold crown repatriated from the Getty Museum in 2007 and the case of the marble head of Hermes repatriated in 2015), while others are still pending in Greece (case of the identification of 3 antiquities in Michael Carlos Museum in Atlanta, United States in June 2007). The Royal-Athena Galleries of New York have often been involved in the illegal sale of antiquities, for example pottery from the great theft of the Corinth Museum in 1990. These antiquities were ultimately, almost all, repatriated to Greece. In addition, the gallery’s owner, Jerome Eisenberg, was forced to return to Italy the antiquities represented in the seized Medici and Becchina archives.
On January 13, 2017, the item was confiscated from the Royal-Athena Galleries in Manhattan, New York. Once evidence of the theft was presented, the Manhattan-based art gallery voluntarily confiscated the object, and the repatriation ceremony represents the return of the ancient sarcophagus fragment to Greece, where it will be displayed to the public and the research at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has recently recovered and repatriated several items confiscated in criminal investigations and prosecutions: in August 2014, five ancient coins dating as far back as 515 BC were returned to the Greece following the investigation and prosecution of Arnold Peter Weiss, a coin collector who was convicted of multiple counts of attempted criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree for possessing multiple coins currency that the accused believed to be decadrachms and tetradrachms stolen from the Sicilian towns of Agrigento and Catania.
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