More than 50 years after quietly taking a piece of ancient Greek history, a German woman has returned the stolen relic to its rightful home—proving it's never too late to set things right. The 2,400-year-old artifact—a limestone column top about 9 inches high and 13 inches wide—was originally removed from the Leonidaion, a guesthouse built in the 4th century BC in Olympia, during a visit in the 1960s, reports the New York Post. Greece's culture ministry credited the woman's decision to recent returns of antiquities by the University of Muenster. Inspired by these actions, she handed the artifact over to the university, which then facilitated its repatriation to Greece, reports CBS News.
The ministry publicly recognized the woman's "sensitivity and courage," calling the moment significant for international cooperation and respect for cultural heritage. This marks the third instance in recent years where the University of Muenster has returned ancient Greek items. In 2019, the institution sent back a twin-handled wine cup that belonged to a champion from the inaugural modern Olympic Games in 1896. And in 2024, it returned a Roman-era marble head from a Thessaloniki cemetery.
A senior Greek culture official described the latest return as "a particularly moving moment," stressing the shared responsibility in preserving history. The university's archaeological curator, Torben Schreiber, echoed this, saying, "It is never too late to do the right thing, the moral and the just." Greece continues to push for the repatriation of artifacts around the world—including the coveted Parthenon Sculptures, held by the British Museum.
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