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Eighteen Cypriot antiquities dating from the Early Bronze Age to the Classical period have been repatriated from the United States after being identified in an online auction, the Department of Antiquities announced.
According to a statement issued by the Department, the artefacts were formally handed over to the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Washington on 23 February 2026. Their recovery followed the intervention of archaeological officers responsible for monitoring the illegal trafficking of Cypriot cultural heritage on the internet.
The objects were detected during routine monitoring of online auction platforms by specialists from the Department of Antiquities. Once identified as items originating from Cyprus, the antiquities were withdrawn from sale following consultations with the auction house involved.
The group consists mainly of ceramic vessels spanning several historical periods. Two vessels date to the Early Bronze Age (2500–1900 BC), while eleven vessels belong to the Middle Bronze Age (1900–1600 BC). Three vessels originate from the Cypro-Archaic I period (750–600 BC), and one vessel dates to the Cypro-Archaic II period (600–480 BC). The collection also includes a limestone male statue head dating to the 4th century BC.
In its announcement, the Department of Antiquities expressed gratitude to the US-based auction house Sloans & Kenyon Auctioneers & Appraisers and to the possessors of the objects for their voluntary decision to return the antiquities to their country of origin. The Department also thanked the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Washington for its cooperation and coordination of the repatriation process.
The case forms part of the work carried out by the Department of Antiquities to identify and recover Cypriot cultural objects that appear on the international art market. Authorities regularly monitor auction houses and online platforms in an effort to prevent the sale of antiquities believed to have been removed illegally from the island.
Once returned to Cyprus, such artefacts are placed under the care of the Department of Antiquities, where they are documented and studied before potentially being exhibited in state museums or included in national collections.
