Italy Celebrates Return of Stolen Arts
2024-06-01
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1Italy celebrated the return of hundreds of its antiquities from the United States this week.
2The property included ancient bronze statues, gold coins, mosaics and documents valued at $65 million.
3The pieces were stolen years ago.
4They were later sold to American museums, galleries and collectors.
5Their return came after a successful criminal investigation.
6Officials of Italy's Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage presented the returned objects at a press event in Rome.
7A team of American officials attended the presentation.
8They included U.S. Ambassador Jack Markell and Matthew Bogdanos, chief of the antiquities trafficking unit of the New York district attorney's office.
9It marked the latest presentation of property return in Italy's long effort to recover antiquities stolen from its territory.
10The thieves, called tombaroli in Italy, sold to antiquities dealers who often lied on ownership records to resell the antiquities.
11Markell said that the United States is firm in its goal of returning stolen property "to where it belongs...We know that safeguarding this history requires care and vigilance, and this is why we do what we do."
12Among the most valuable pieces presented was a fourth-century Naxos silver coin.
13The coin has an image of the Greek god of wine, Dionysius.
14It was taken from an illegal dig site in Sicily and transported to Britain.
15Bogdanos said the coin was found in New York last year as part of an investigation into a noted British coin dealer.
16It was being offered for sale for $500,000.
17Bogdanos said that other objects were returned from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
18The returned objects also included a life-sized bronze statue of a person, as well as several vases from the ancient Etruscan civilization.
19Italian officials said the returned property also included paintings from the 16th and 19th centuries that once belonged to Italian museums, religious centers and private homes.
20I'm Ashley Thompson.
1Italy celebrated the return of hundreds of its antiquities from the United States this week. The property included ancient bronze statues, gold coins, mosaics and documents valued at $65 million. 2The pieces were stolen years ago. They were later sold to American museums, galleries and collectors. Their return came after a successful criminal investigation. 3Officials of Italy's Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage presented the returned objects at a press event in Rome. 4A team of American officials attended the presentation. They included U.S. Ambassador Jack Markell and Matthew Bogdanos, chief of the antiquities trafficking unit of the New York district attorney's office. 5It marked the latest presentation of property return in Italy's long effort to recover antiquities stolen from its territory. The thieves, called tombaroli in Italy, sold to antiquities dealers who often lied on ownership records to resell the antiquities. 6Markell said that the United States is firm in its goal of returning stolen property "to where it belongs...We know that safeguarding this history requires care and vigilance, and this is why we do what we do." 7Among the most valuable pieces presented was a fourth-century Naxos silver coin. The coin has an image of the Greek god of wine, Dionysius. It was taken from an illegal dig site in Sicily and transported to Britain. Bogdanos said the coin was found in New York last year as part of an investigation into a noted British coin dealer. It was being offered for sale for $500,000. 8Bogdanos said that other objects were returned from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. 9The returned objects also included a life-sized bronze statue of a person, as well as several vases from the ancient Etruscan civilization. 10Italian officials said the returned property also included paintings from the 16th and 19th centuries that once belonged to Italian museums, religious centers and private homes. 11I'm Ashley Thompson. 12The Associated Press reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted it for VOA Learning English. 13____________________________________________ 14Words in This Story 15antiquities - objects from ancient times 16mosaic - n. a decoration on a surface made by pressing small pieces of colored glass or stone into a soft material that then hardens to make pictures or patterns 17museum - n. a building in which interesting and valuable things (such as paintings and sculptures or scientific or historical objects) are collected and shown to the public 18gallery - n. a room or building in which people look at paintings, sculptures, etc. 19vase - n. a container that is used for holding flowers or for decoration