Repatriation of a Cypriot Antiquity from Germany

Τhe Department of Antiquities of the Deputy Ministry of Culture announces that on Wednesday, 11 June 2025, at a special ceremony organised by the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Germany, at the Ambassador’s Residence, an ancient Cypriot cylinder seal dated to the Archaic period (750-475 BC) was returned to the Cypriot authorities for repatriation.

Archaeological Officers responsible for the illicit trafficking of Cypriot antiquities in online auctions had located the antiquity on sale in an auction in Germany. Its return was made possible following coordinated efforts between the Department of Antiquities, INTERPOL Lefkosia, INTERPOL Wiesbaden, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus.

The cylinder seal was officially handed over to the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus, Ms Maria Papakyriakou, by the Deputy Minister and Representative of the State of Saarland (where the object was located) of the Federal Government of Germany, Mr Thorsten Bischoff.

The Department of Antiquities expresses its gratitude to both the German and Cypriot authorities for the successful coordination and their actions that led to the repatriation of this antiquity to its country of origin.

(EK/LY/GS)

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