US Returns 337 Looted Antiquities to Italy in Major Repatriation

In a ceremony held at the La Marmora barracks in Rome, the United States returned 337 antiquities, artworks, and archival materials to Italy. These items, which span from the Villanovan period (900–700 BCE) to the Hellenistic era (323–31 BCE), resulted from a collaborative effort involving the FBI, Homeland Security, the Manhattan DA's office led by Alvin Bragg Jr., and Italy's Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage. Of the total, 221 items were retrieved by the Manhattan DA's office, while 116 were recovered on April 10 with assistance from Christie's. Among the notable artifacts are a marble head of Alexander the Great and Egyptian basalt sculptures. This repatriation commemorates 25 years since the initial US-Italy Memorandum of Understanding aimed at combating antiquities trafficking.