Ancient treasures unearthed in Athens store basement bust
In the basement of a jewellery and art store in Athens, artifacts from the 7th century BC were discovered. The find was revealed after the eviction of the tenants.
In Athens, in the basement of a jewellery and art store, employees of the National Gallery made an extraordinary discovery. Following the eviction of the tenants, artifacts dating back to the 7th century BC were found behind concealed doors.
The find includes vases, coins, jugs, along with 102 bowls, figurines, amphoras, and other items from the geometric to the Hellenistic period.
Archaeological discovery: treasures from different eras
In addition to the ancient artifacts, 36 icons and religious items from the post-Byzantine period were also discovered, along with 3,247 coins, medals, and seals spanning from antiquity to modern times. These artifacts were hidden in old boxes, some wrapped in newspapers from the 1940s.
The Greek Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, emphasized that many of these items originate from illegal transactions. "Beyond the repatriation of cultural goods exported illegally from Greece, there are also cases of illegal acquisition of goods domestically. One of those cases was identified in the heart of Athens," Mendoni noted.
The future of the discovered artifacts
The discovered treasures have been moved to museum storage, where they will be kept until the investigation is complete. Greek authorities are looking into the origin of these artifacts to determine how they ended up in the basement of the store in Athens. This discovery sheds new light on the issue of the illegal antiquities trade in Greece.
