NEW YORK – A total of 55 archeological objects, of which at least three are considered of great value, are being returned to the Greek state at an event at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday, February 23.

The investigation was handled by the Assistant District Attorney of Manhattan and Chief of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit, Matthew Bogdanos, in close cooperation with the Directorate of Documentation and Protection of Cultural Property of the Ministry of Culture of Greece. The Greek antiquities originate from Central Greece, Crete, the Cyclades (Paros, Naxos), Samos and Rhodes.

As Bogdanos clarified, these are not only items from the Michael Steinhardt collection, but also some that were found in the course of different investigations, conducted by the DA’s Office, under the guidance of the Greek-American ADA.

Greek Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni will be present at the event during her visit to New York. Consul General of Greece in New York Dr. Konstantinos Koutras is also expected to attend.

This is the most recent case of repatriation of stolen antiquities and Bogdanos was previously instrumental in the 2017 return of an ancient Greek sarcophagus of great value.