ATHENS, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- A total of 86 ancient Greek artifacts have been returned to Greece under a repatriation agreement between Greek authorities and a private collector abroad, the Ministry of Culture said Monday.
The foreign collector, whose identity and country of residence were not disclosed, voluntarily returned the items, which span from the Early Neolithic period (around 7,000 BC) to the Late Hellenistic era (around 30 BC). The collection includes marble, bronze and clay figurines, ceramics, helmets and gold funeral wreaths.
"I hope other collectors of Greek antiquities will follow this example," Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said, adding that each repatriation shows growing recognition of the need to return cultural treasures to their country of origin.
The recovered objects will be distributed to museums across Greece.
