Ancient treasures unearthed in Athens shop basement
In the basement of a jewellery-artistic store in Athens, artefacts from the 7th century BC were discovered. The find was revealed after the eviction of the tenants.
In Athens, in the basement of a jewellery-artistic store, employees of the National Gallery made an extraordinary discovery. After the eviction of the tenants, behind concealed doors, artefacts dating back to even the 7th century BC were found.
The find includes vases, coins, jugs, and 102 bowls, figurines, amphoras, and other artefacts from the geometric to the Hellenistic period.
Archaeological discovery. Treasures from different eras
In addition to ancient artefacts, 36 icons and religious items from the post-Byzantine period were also discovered, as well as 3,247 coins, medals, and seals spanning from antiquity to modern times. The artefacts were hidden in old boxes, and some were wrapped in newspapers from the 1940s.
The Greek Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, emphasised that many of these items originate from illegal transactions. "Beyond the repatriation of cultural goods exported illegally from Greece, there are also cases of illegal acquisition of goods domestically. One of those cases was identified in the heart of Athens," Mendoni noted.
The future of the discovered artefacts
The discovered treasures have been transferred to museum storage, where they will be kept until the investigation is complete. Greek authorities are conducting an investigation into the origin of these artefacts to determine how they ended up in the basement of the store in Athens. This discovery sheds new light on the problem of illegal antiquities trade in Greece.
