Newsroom
A Cypriot antiquity dating back to the Cypro-Archaic period (750–475 BC) was officially returned to Cyprus in a modest ceremony held at The Cotswold Auction Company in Cirencester, United Kingdom.
The rare artifact, a 7 cm ceramic juglet of Black-on-Red II (V) ware, was identified during an online auction by Archaeological Officers from the Department of Antiquities, who monitor illegal trafficking of Cypriot antiquities. Following consultation with the auction house, the item was withdrawn and prepared for repatriation.
Mr Marios Theocharous, Cultural Counsellor at the Cyprus High Commission in London, accepted the antiquity on behalf of the Republic of Cyprus. “We are not simply transferring an object,” he said. “This is a piece of our collective memory returning to the land that gave birth to it.”
The handover was facilitated by Mr Niall Fry, Auctioneer and Valuer at The Cotswold Auction Company, who emphasized the company’s commitment to respecting cultural heritage and praised the “flawless and exemplary” collaboration with the Cypriot authorities.
The artifact is now securely housed at the Cyprus High Commission in London and will later be transferred to Cyprus by staff of the Department of Antiquities.
This repatriation is part of the ongoing efforts of the Republic of Cyprus, including the Department of Antiquities, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Cyprus Police, to protect and safeguard the nation’s cultural heritage and recover antiquities illegally exported from the island.
