Press Releases

The Department of Antiquities of the Deputy Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Cyprus announces that on 3 December 2024, more than 100 Cypriot antiquities (as well as numerous fragments belonging to archaeological objects) were repatriated to Cyprus. The antiquities had been handed over to the High Commission of Cyprus in London, either by the police authorities of the United Kingdom (UK) or by private individuals. The antiquities include Neolithic stone tools (7^th−6^th millennium BC), pottery dating from the Early Bronze Age (ca. 2000 BC) up to the Medieval period, a Cypro-Archaic terracotta figurine, clay lamps of the Roman period, jewellery of various periods, as well as bronze coins and religious icons dating mainly to the 19^th-early 20^th century. Small quantities of fragments belonging to stone, clay and glass archaeological objects were also returned, as well as tesserae from ancient mosaics.

The antiquities, which had been illegally removed from Cyprus during the 1960s and 1970s, were handed over following requests made by the Department of Antiquities to the UK authorities (through the Office for the Combating of Illicit Possession and Trafficking of Antiquities of the Police Headquarters (Cyprus Police) and Interpol Lefkosia for the removal of the antiquities from auctions, or as a result of voluntary handovers by individuals residing in the UK who wish to contribute towards the protection of Cypriot cultural heritage.

The repatriation was made possible following the coordinated efforts of the Department of Antiquities and the National Committee for Combating the Looting and Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Heritage, and especially the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus (Cyprus High Commission in London), the Ministry of Justice and Public Order of the Republic of Cyprus, the Cyprus Police (Office for the Combating of Illicit Possession and Trafficking of Antiquities of the Police Headquarters and Interpol Lefkosia), the Department of Customs and Excise, the Department of Civil Aviation and the Church of Cyprus.

The Cypriot authorities wish to warmly thank the British High Commission in Lefkosia, the London Metropolitan Police and the North Yorkshire Police for their valuable assistance. Special thanks are expressed towards Ms Lesley Hoyes Hunt and other anonymous individuals who voluntarily agreed to return the antiquities to Cyprus.

The Department of Antiquities, as the competent authority of the Republic of Cyprus for the protection and management of the island’s archaeological heritage, continues its intensive efforts to further protect the cultural heritage both at a local and an international level. These actions are always conducted in close collaboration with the National Committee for Combatting the Looting and Illicit Trafficking of Antiquities. Priorities continue to be the intensification of targeted investigations that aim to identify and repatriate illicitly trafficked cultural objects, the development of new technologies in this field, the training of personnel, and last but not least, the sensitisation of the general public on such issues, considering that the role of the public has proven to be extremely crucial in such matters.

(ΕΚ/IA/GS)