41 historical artifacts of Anatolian origin, which were illegally removed from Turkey, are returning to the land of their birth from the United States.
Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Ersoy said, “We are proud! “The number of works we returned on the 100th anniversary of our Republic reached 3.” said.
With the cooperation and joint work developed between the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the US Manhattan District Attorney’s Office over the last five years, new cultural assets have been added to the cultural assets that have been returned to Turkey since 2021.
Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Gökhan Yazgı and his accompanying delegation received the works returned to Turkey at the Turkish House in New York.
Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Ersoy, in his social media posts after the delivery ceremony, said, “We are proud! We received another group of our works, which were illegally removed from our country, at the Turkish House in New York. As a result of our successful work with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the Homeland Security Investigations Unit, a total of 41 more cultural assets, including bronze heads, busts and silver statuettes, are returning home. The number of works we returned on the 100th anniversary of our Republic reached 3 thousand 59. Our work continues to protect the heritage of these lands.” said.
Important Works of Roman Era Sculpture Arrive in Anatolia
3 bronze statue heads, 1 bronze female bust and body parts of 4 bronze statues originating from the Boubon Ancient City located in the İbecik Village of Gölhisar district of Burdur province, which were returned to Turkey, are among the important works of Roman Period sculpture in Anatolia.
Among the artifacts that were smuggled abroad as a result of illegal excavations in the Boubon Ancient City in the 1960s, the heads of Young Caracalla and Mature Caracalla are of particular importance as they belong to the statues in the sacred area (Sebasteion) of the ancient city where the statues of the deified emperors were erected. In 2022 and in March 2023, two bronze statues belonging to the Sebasteion structure, Lucius Verus and Septimius Severus, were returned to Turkey in 2 and 2022.
The Works Will Be in Turkey at the End of December
Other sculptural works returned from the USA include 6 terracotta female head dating back to the 1th century BC, 1 Minerva-shaped bronze weight dating to the Roman Period, 1 marble Minerva head also dating to the Roman Period, 1 terracotta There is a clay and 1 silver Cybele figurine, 1 bronze Satyr figurine and 1 silver woman figurine.
Among the returned artifacts, there are two bronze helmets of the Phrygian type. The helmets, which were derived from the distinctive leather hats worn by the Thracians and Phrygians and especially those worn by the infantry, date back to the 2th century BC.
Among the important artifact groups returned to Turkey from the USA, there are also 22 Kilia type idol heads.
Kulaksızlar Village of Manisa-Akhisar district is known as the only production center (workshop) of the works known as Kilia (Gallipoli) type idols.
Kilia idols, which are seen in a wide geography starting from Çanakkale and extending from the southwestern corner of Western Anatolia to Antalya, are generally dated to the Late Chalcolithic Period (5th thousand BC) and the Early Bronze Age (3rd thousand BC). It survives to this day as a type of idol unique to Anatolia, found in its settlements.
The work stands out as a terracotta vase in the wild goat style, which is a ceramic making style that dominated Western Anatolia in the 7th and 6th centuries BC, and an Olpe made in black figure technique is one of the oldest examples in terms of form. There are dancing satyrs on this vessel form, which was used to serve drinks in ancient times and includes red-figure examples.
The works received from the United States will be in Turkey at the end of December.
Source: Railly News
