[MSN] More than 500 Neolithic objects found in Athens police raid

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More than 500 Neolithic objects found in Athens police raid

10/10/2006
The 81-year-old householder, who used to own a mine in northern Greece, told the police the objects were family heirlooms. He was arrested and is due to appear before a prosecutor to be charged with antiquities theft.

Greek police have found more than 550 ancient objects dating back to Neolithic times after raiding the central Athens home of a wealthy octogenarian, officials said on Tuesday.

"The finds are quite shocking and include objects from Neolithic times all the way up to the Byzantine empire, and archaeologists who have examined most of them are convinced they were illegally dug up," a police official told Reuters.

"This is one of the biggest collections we have found in years," he said.

The 81-year-old householder, who used to own a mine in northern Greece, told the police the objects were family heirlooms. He was arrested and is due to appear before a prosecutor to be charged with antiquities theft.

There are thousands of archaeological sites scattered round Greece, and the government has pledged to crack down on the illegal excavation and smuggling of its national heritage.

It recently won the return from the J.P. Getty Museum in Los Angeles of two valuable ancient artefacts which had been smuggled out of Greece and later sold to the museum, one of the world's richest arts institutions.

It is negotiating for the return of two more artefacts from the Getty, dating back to the 6th and 4th centuries BC.

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