36 Cypriot antiquities repatriated from Australia

Some 36 Cypriot antiquities were repatriated from Australia and returned following an initiative of Australian citizens who offered to return the antiquities in their possession to Cyprus.

The repatriation of the 36 Cypriot antiquities took place after the coordination of the Australian Authorities, the Australian National University, the University of Sydney and the Cypriot Authorities, the Department of Antiquities said.

These antiquities belong to various chronological periods, from the Bronze Age to the Roman period, and include stone tools, clay and glass vessels, clay lamps, bronze objects, and stone sculptures.

Director of the Antiquities Department, Dr Marina Solomidou-Ieronymidou, accompanied by the Head of the Anti-Illegal Possession and Trafficking of Antiquities Office of the Police, Michalis Gavrielides, received the antiquities in Canberra and Sydney, earlier this month.

There, they supervised the packaging procedures of the antiquities, which they accompanied to the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia on May 20.

The antiquities will be preserved and entered into the digital database of the Department of Antiquities.

The Department of Antiquities, responsible for protecting and managing Cyprus’ cultural heritage, said it “will continue its intensive efforts to strengthen the protection of cultural heritage and promote the repatriation of cultural goods to their place of origin.”

“In this direction, the cooperation of all the competent authorities, both at the national and international level, is considered of the utmost importance.

“Cultural property is an invaluable and irreplaceable part of our heritage, both locally and internationally, for humanity as a whole.”