[MSN] Archeologists, journalists plan vast database of Greek antiquities abroad

[Museum Security Network Mailinglist]

June 15, 2006 - 14:58

Archeologists, journalists plan vast database of Greek antiquities abroad

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) - Greek archeologists and journalists said
Thursday they are teaming up on an ambitious project to catalogue thousands
of Greek antiquities owned by foreign museums and collections.

But organizers said the resulting database would not be used to boost
repatriation claims.

"Our aim is just to catalogue the artifacts, not to seek their return," said
Dimitris Gousidis, head of the northern Greek press union.

"We want to record which Greek antiquities are currently away from their
places of origin, and also how they reached their current locations,"
Gousidis said.

Thousands of artifacts from Greece's rich past are displayed in museums and
private collections all over the world. Most were removed during the four
centuries of Ottoman rule before the country's independence in the 19th
century, while others were plundered during illicit excavations.

The project will be carried out in co-operation with unions of the
University of Thessaloniki archeologists and European journalists.