TURKIYE GETS BACK 1,800-YEAR-OLD TOMB STELE FROM ITALY

Sun 30 Apr 2023:

Turkiye, on Friday, got back an 1800-year-old tomb stele from Italy that was smuggled from the ancient city of Zeugma in south-eastern Gaziantep province, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, said one of the historical heritages was brought back in Turkiye.

“Today, I am happy to be returning another artefact of origin to this ancient city. Our fight against historical artefact smuggling will continue with all our stakeholders,” Ersoy said on Twitter.

Turkiye, got back an 1800-year-old tomb stele from Italy that was smuggled from the ancient city of Zeugma in south-eastern Gaziantep province on Apr 28, 2023 [@TC_Roma/Twitter]

Ersoy also shared a photograph showing the historical grave stele.

The Ministry reported that the stele, which carries important scientific data, was delivered to the Turkish Embassy in Rome.

Italy’s specialized Carabinieri paramilitary police art squad said it had determined after extensive investigation that the object was illegally exported, eventually winding up in a private home in Florence, Italy, after being purchased in France.

The art squad for decades has been in the vanguard of efforts to ensure that artistic and archaeological works are returned to their rightful country of provenance if exported without permission. Its efforts have resulted in hundreds of artworks and artifacts being returned to Italy from prestigious museums and from private collectors worldwide.

The stele was illegally excavated near the ancient city of Zeugma, in what is near Gaziantep, in present-day southeastern Turkey, the police said. It dates from the mid-to-late second century, the Carabinieri said.

Zeugma, on the Euphrates River, was first an ancient Greek settlement and later became part of the Roman Empire. It was founded around 300 B.C. by a general of Alexander the Great.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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