Police recover ancient relics
Greek police recovered more than 70 items dating to the 6th century BC on Thursday, following an operation to net antiquities smugglers in Thessaloniki. The recovered artifacts include gold masks, helmets, small clay and metal statues as well as parts of an iron sword. Two people were arrested in the operation.
On the day they were confiscated the items were transported to the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, where they were viewed by Prime Minister George Papandreou, Citizens? Protection Minister Christos Papoutsis and Culture Minister Pavlos Geroulanos. While Culture Ministry officials noted that the items were most certainly unearthed following illicit excavations in Central Macedonia, archaeologists have yet to determine their exact provenance.
Meanwhile, Citizens? Protection Ministry officials told Kathimerini that given the items? Macedonian heritage, it was imperative that they not to leave the country and run the risk of being ?rediscovered? during an ?official? excavation in a neighboring country.
