ancient coins belonging to the ancient Lydian civilization to Türkiye.
The
coins, dating from the 7th to the 5th century BC, were handed over to
Türkiye’s Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy in a
ceremony held in Athens on Thursday.
The artifacts were seized by
Greek authorities at the Kipi Border Gate while inspecting smuggled
goods. Following expert verification of their Anatolian heritage,
Türkiye formally requested their return.
“This silver coin
collection, which includes examples minted by the Anatolian Lydians—the
creators of the world’s first coins—as well as cities like Tarsus, Side,
Aspendos, and Soli-Pompeiopolis, is now returning to its rightful land
thanks to this remarkable cooperation,” Ersoy said at the handover
event.
Ersoy highlighted the importance of the 2013 bilateral
agreement between Türkiye and Greece in preventing the illegal trade of
cultural artifacts.
He emphasized ongoing collaboration to
protect shared cultural heritage, noting the significance of
international cooperation in safeguarding such treasures.
In his
speech, Ersoy also expressed Türkiye’s support for Greece’s efforts to
repatriate the Parthenon Marbles from the UK, stressing that cultural
heritage should reside in its place of origin.
Greek Culture
Minister Lina Mendoni, for her part, echoed similar sentiments, saying
as the country is also affected by artifact smuggling, they are
“overjoyed to return these coins to their homeland.”
Mendoni also
reaffirmed Greece’s commitment to strengthening ties with Türkiye in
the fight against illegal artifact trafficking.
Follow us on:
