Greece ratifies deal to recoup 161 ancient treasures from US

By NICHOLAS PAPHITIS
Associated Press

Greece has ratified a complex deal for the return, over coming decades, of 161 striking ancient artifacts from a U.S. billionaire’s collection after Athens conceded it had no evidence they’d been illegally excavated and exported from Greece. They date from 5300-2200 BC. Most are from the Early Bronze Age Cycladic civilization, whose abstract but enigmatic marble figurines inspired artists from Pablo Picasso to Constantin Brancusi. Greece’s parliament on Thursday approved the agreement that also involves New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The works will return to Greece gradually from 2033-2048, after being displayed at the Met from 2023-2048. Critics charge that the agreement would whitewash the global trade in undocumented and potentially illegally excavated antiquities.