Sources from the Ministry of Culture have stated that they will continue to claim the late classical ‘Dorias’ stele which was sold at a Christie’s auction on Wednesday. They said that the fact that the stele was sold does not prevent legal action from being taken to reclaim it.

A similar incident had taken place in 2012 when a marble Byzantine architectural segment from the Temple of the Savior in Messinia was repatriated to Greece after being sold by the same auction house.

The same ministry circles warn that if there is a lack of evidence, then the auction house may withdraw the artifact and then request compensation from the Greek state. The Directorate of Documentation is carefully investigating the circumstances of the illegal activity that took place a long time ago before proceeding to take legal action.

Background

The Greek Ministry of Culture had asked Christie’s to withdraw the late classical ‘Dorias’ stele from the auction house on Wednesday. It was being sold for 104,453.63 euros. The reasons for the withdrawal were based on strong evidence showing that it had illegally been smuggled from Greece.