US and Italy collaborate to repatriate artefacts, many of which had been looted or stolen.
Italy has received 337 cultural artefacts repatriated from the United States, comprising archaeological finds, archival materials and works of art, the majority of which originated from clandestine excavations or were stolen from cultural institutions before making their way into the international market.
The items were presented at the Rome headquarters of the Carabinieri unit for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (TPC) at a ceremony attended by culture minister Alessandro Giuli and US ambassador to Italy Tilman J. Fertitta.
The recovery operations involved collaboration between the Carabinieri TPC and several US law enforcement bodies, including the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Treasures repatriated
Among the most significant items are a marble head of Alexander the Great dating to the first century AD, found in the Roman Forum; a bronze sculpture stolen from Herculaneum; and two Egyptian sculptures in basalt.
The items returned through the Manhattan DA’s Office include works dating from the fifth century BC to the third century AD, including sculptures, bronzes, ceramics and jewellery.
A selection of the 337 artefacts repatriated. Photo Agnese Sbaffi, courtesy Ministero della Cultura.
The artefacts recovered with the FBI includes bronzes and terracotta pieces spanning from the Iron Age to the Hellenistic period, while items repatriated with HSI assistance include a ship’s rudder, a Canosan vase and a collection of Roman coins.
Italy-US collaboration
Speaking at the ceremony, Giuli stated that culture “is not lost or forgotten, but protected, recovered and, above all, returned to the community,” adding that the repatriated pieces would be made available for study and public enjoyment and returned to their places of origin.
Ambassador Fertitta noted that the ceremony coincided with the 25th anniversary of close law enforcement cooperation between Italy and the US, describing the partnership as “a concrete example of what we can achieve together.”
The repatriations are underpinned by a memorandum of understanding between Italy and the US, renewed last December by Giuli and US under-secretary for public diplomacy Sarah Rogers.
The agreement extended import restrictions on certain categories of Italian archaeological goods and strengthened customs controls and information-sharing between the two countries.
Since 2022, thousands of works have been returned to Italy, with a combined estimated value running into tens of millions of euro.
Photos Agnese Sbaffi, courtesy Ministero della Cultura.
