New York returns stolen artifacts to Italy

Artifacts

The New York district attorney has returned stolen artifacts worth $19 million to Italy.

The 58 pieces include a marble head of the goddess Athena dated 200 BC, worth about $3 million.

The stolen artifacts were sold to museums and private dealers by convicted looters, Alvin Bragg said.

It’s the city’s latest effort to return looted goods to their country of origin — $66 million has been returned so far this year.

The head of the antiquities trafficking unit promised there would be “many more seizures and many more repatriations”.

Although the pieces have a large monetary value, an Italian police commander described them as “priceless”.

General Roberto Riccardi said he felt particularly happy knowing that these objects would be returned to communities, who would know “where we come from, about our history, about our identity”.