ATHENS: Greece on Thursday returned a hoard of over 1,000 stolen ancient coins to Turkiye in the first repatriation of its kind between the historic rivals and neighbours.

The move came a few months after Turkiye publicly supported Greece in its long quest to reclaim the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum in London.

Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said the hoard of 1,055 silver coins had been seized by Greek customs guards on the border with Turkiye in 2019.

“These coins had been illegally imported,” Mendoni said at a ceremony at the Numismatic Museum, which specialises in currency and medal collections, in Athens.

Greeks are “particularly sensitive” to repatriation issues, she said. “All illegally exported antiquities from whichever country should return to their country of origin,” Mendoni added.

Turkish Culture Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said the operation was the first repatriation from Greece.

Greek and Turkish experts determined that the coins were part of a stock hidden in Asia Minor between the late 5th and early 4th century BCE, she added.

While research is ongoing, it is possible the hoard was secreted in modern-day Turkiye during the Persian Wars expeditions of Athenian general Cimon, a veteran of the 480 BCE Battle of Salamis, she added.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2024