ATHENS: A country of amazing archaeological wealth that is both a blessing and a curse, Greece has for decades sought to keep its antiquities out of the hands of smugglers. But even as pressure grows on museums in Europe and the United States to return disputed objects to their countries of origin, police in Greece warn that the looting of ancient sites shows no sign of abating.

“It’s a complete free-for-all, the situation is very hard to control,” says George Gligoris, head of the Greek police force’s special department against antiquity smuggling.

“And in some parts of the country, the spread of illegal digs is simply explosive,” he told AFP.

Gligoris heads a team of 19 officers who cover all of Greece, a country with untapped archaeological wealth still hidden in its soil and sea depths.

In major cities such as Athens and Salonika, construction routinely runs into ancient graves, temples and homes. Monitoring is tougher in the Greek countryside, where farmers often stumble upon archaeological finds while working their fields.

According to police figures, 89 people were arrested on charges of antiquity smuggling in 2005, and over 800 objects of various types and sizes were confiscated in the greater Athens area. In 2004, the equivalent numbers were 90 arrests and over 2,800 objects.

“The first thing Greeks think of when they find an ancient object in their field is how to sell it abroad,” says Gligoris.

The price of an ancient object depends on age, rarity and volume.

According to recent press reports, a Roman-era statuette can fetch around 18,000 dollars, while a life-sized classical Greek bronze statue from the 5th century BC recently sold for seven million dollars.

—AFP