US returns haul of stolen artefacts to Italy

The United States has returned much than 250 past artefacts to Italy aft constabulary discovered that they had been stolen.

The creation portion of Italy's constabulary unit recovered the items had been looted and sold to US museums and backstage collectors successful the 1990s.

Among the precious artefacts see pots, paintings and sculptures - immoderate up to 3,000 years old.

Several of the mosaics are worthy tens of millions of euros.

The oldest point dates backmost to the Villanovan property (1000 - 750BC), portion different artefacts were from the Etruscan civilisation (800 - 200BC), Magna Graecia (750 - 400BC) and Imperial Rome (27BC - 476AD).

Most artefacts had been stolen successful the 1990s, past sold done a bid of dealers with 1 enactment seemingly being offered to the Menil Collection, a depository successful Houston, Texas.

The spokesperson said the depository had been offered the artefacts arsenic a gift, but alternatively referred the donor to Italy's civilization ministry.

The ministry said the proprietor of the postulation "spontaneously" returned the items aft constabulary recovered that they had travel from amerciable excavations of archaeological sites.

Separately, the ministry said that 145 of the returned artefacts had travel from a bankruptcy process against an English antiques dealer, Robin Symes, who amassed thousands of pieces arsenic portion of a web of amerciable traders.

Italy has agelong sought to way down antiques and artefacts that person been stolen and sold to backstage collectors and museums.

In September 2022, New York returned $19m (£16m) worthy of stolen creation to Italy, including a marble caput of the goddess Athena dated 200BC, worthy an estimated $3m alone.