In September 2026, Greece received back 15 antiquities with a total value of nearly $3 million. They date back to around 4700 and were identified in a collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of Manhattan prosecutors’ investigations into the illegal antiquities trade.
Among the finds are two bronze helmets and three protective abdominal plates from a sanctuary on Crete. The archaeological complex and nearby burials were illegally excavated and heavily looted in 1964–1966. The objects were then taken out of the country, and their origins were obscured through a chain of owners and documents.
Now some of the artifacts can be reunited with finds from the same excavation at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, restoring a lost fragment of history.
