Greece recovers hundreds of stolen antiquities

Greece has finally recovered a treasure trove of stolen antiquities from British dealer Robin Symes, the result of an arduous 17-year legal battle that began shortly after Symes was exposed and then arrested in 2005.

Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni announced the news on Friday, according to the BBC. Although she did not specify whether this is the case, the precious artifacts could have been part of the same treasure that was recovered in a Geneva free port in 2016. A joint operation by Italian carabinieri police and Swiss authorities uncovered 45 crates that belonged to Symes . They had a combined value of several hundred million dollars.

The 351 objects now repatriated to Greece include a 2nd-century bronze statue of Alexander the Great, a Neolithic figurine dating to 4000 BC, and marble pieces from the Archaic period (approximately 700-500 BC). The protracted fight for its return was waged against the discredited dealer's namesake company, Robin Symes Ltd.

Symes was first exposed during a dispute with the family of his former business partner Christo Michaelides, who died in 1999. When Symes refused to return Michaelides' estate to his family, his nephew launched a private investigation into $16 million and a lawsuit against Symes, which he lost and was forced into bankruptcy.

In the process, a long history of Symes underestimating his profits as well as the extent of his assets came to light, and he turned out to be connected to the infamous Italian smuggler Giacomo Medici, who helped him organize the looting of archaeological sites in Italy. It is likely that the crates of antiquities recovered in 2016 ended up in Geneva's free port shortly after Michaelides' death, to remain hidden from the executors of his estate.
Controversy has followed all antiquities with possible links to Symes, including a Roman marble statue offered by Christie's London in 2019 and a Roman marble head sold by Hindman Auctions in Chicago last year. Three lots included in a sale at Sotheby's in London in December also raised eyebrows.

This announcement is just Greece's latest victory in a series of battles over the repatriation of precious artifacts. The Met agreed to return several looted artworks last month, and in March, the Vatican officially handed over three fragments of Parthenon sculptures. Even attempts to resolve Greece's ongoing conflict with the UK over ownership of the Parthenon marbles have, in recent months, shown some signs of progress.