The New York Times reports that 12 antiquities were repatriated to Lebanon this week by New York and federal authorities. The artifacts, recovered from private collections, include twin marble sculptures of the Greek mythological figures Castor and Pollux dated to the fourth century A.D.; a bronze statuette of a man pouring a libation dated to the first century A.D.; and nine mosaics depicting gods, gladiators, and mythical beasts.

“These pieces sat in apartments, storage units, and museums when they should have been in Lebanon,” said Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., the Manhattan district attorney. The objects were recovered during ongoing investigations conducted by the D.A.’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations.

feature image credit (Manhattan District Attorney’s Office)

source archaeology.org