Six terracotta statuettes believed to have been illegally exported from Egypt were handed back to Egyptian authorities b...

Six terracotta statuettes believed to have been illegally exported from Egypt were handed back to Egyptian authorities by Greece on Wednesday, in a ceremony at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. The pieces had an unusual origin story. A passer-by reportedly found them eight years ago in a skip in Peristeri, a western Athens suburb, individually wrapped and placed inside a paper bag. They were brought to the National Archaeological Museum, where experts examined them. Those experts determined that two of the six statuettes were fakes, but Greece returned all six pieces together, the genuine ones alongside the counterfeits. Egypt's ambassador to Athens, Omar Amer Youssef, received the artefacts on behalf of Egyptian authorities. Culture Minister Lina Mendoni attended the handover ceremony and described the return as "an act of respect" to the principle of cultural heritage. The Egyptian ambassador thanked Greece for returning what he called "valuable artefacts." The Culture Ministry confirmed the pieces had been illegally exported from Egypt before turning up in Athenian rubbish. #Greece #Egypt #CulturalHeritage