Woman Returns 2,400 Year-Old Relic to Greece 60 Years After Stealing It from a Famous Tourist Site

A female has returned a valuable relic to Greece — much than 50 years aft stealing it from an ancient tourer site.

The returned point was a 9 inch by 13 inch portion of limestone file from nan Leonidaion, a building successful Ancient Olympia, and it was taken by a German female successful nan 1960s during a sojourn to nan area, per a translated announcement from Greece’s Ministry of Culture. An charismatic repatriation ceremonial for nan portion took spot connected Oct. 10.

The female was motivated to return nan point aft proceeding of different caller incidents successful which relics had been returned to Greece from Germany, according to nan announcement. She past contacted nan University of Münster successful her location state truthful that they could thief facilitate nan return. The Ministry called her determination an enactment of “sensitivity and courage.”

"This is simply a peculiarly moving moment,” said Georgios Didaskalou, Greece’s Secretary General of Culture, during nan repatriation ceremony, per nan announcement.

“This enactment proves that civilization and history cognize nary borders, but require cooperation, work and communal respect. Every specified return is an enactment of restoration of justness and astatine nan aforesaid clip a span of relationship betwixt peoples,” he added.

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This isn’t nan first clip successful caller years that nan University of Münster has facilitated nan return of historical artifacts to Greece. In 2019, nan assemblage returned “the alleged skyphos of Louis, nan Olympic champion astatine nan first Olympic Games successful Athens successful 1896,” nan Greek Culture of Ministry stated. It is presently connected show successful Greece astatine nan Museum of nan Ancient Olympic Games.

In 2024, nan assemblage returned a marble antheral caput from Roman times from a cemetery successful Thessaloniki.

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The Leonidaion, nan tract from which nan astir precocious returned artifact came, is located successful nan southwestern portion of Ancient Olympia, which is astir 200 miles westbound of Athens. It is nan largest building connected nan site, measuring 245 feet by 266 feet, and was erected successful nan 2nd half of nan 4th period BC.

The building served arsenic a guesthouse for important visitors and dignitaries, and was first uncovered by a squad of German archeologists betwixt 1875 and 1881, per nan Greek Ministry of Culture.