The Manhattan District Attorney's office has returned 29 antiquities valued at $3 million to Greece, following seizures by its Antiquities Trafficking Unit. The objects were recovered from ongoing investigations into looting and trafficking networks run by convicted traffickers Robin Symes and Eugene Alexander. Two of the items—a Bronze Foot in the Form of a Sphinx and a Bronze Applique of a Gorgon, both from the 6th century B.C.E.—were seized from the Metropolitan Museum of Art this year, having passed through traffickers and galleries before entering the museum's collection.
This restitution matters because it underscores the continued efforts by law enforcement to dismantle illicit antiquities networks that have long exploited cultural heritage. The involvement of a major institution like the Metropolitan Museum of Art highlights the persistent problem of looted artifacts entering prestigious collections, and the case demonstrates how cross-border collaboration between prosecutors, investigators, and foreign cultural ministries can successfully reclaim stolen objects. It also reinforces the legal and ethical obligations of museums to verify provenance.