The bronze head of the griffin, repatriated from New York, returned to Ancient Olympia on Friday afternoon and will be exhibited at the archaeological museum.

The handover of the archaeological treasure was made by Lina Mendoni, who described it as a special day, both for Ancient Olympia and for the Ministry of Culture.

As Mrs. Mendoni stated, “After decades of absence, the griffin from the Metropolitan Museum of New York has returned to its natural place, at the Archaeological Museum of Ancient Olympia. A very important find, which was forcibly removed, and thanks to the coordinated efforts of the Archaeological Service, especially the Directorate of Documentation and Protection of Cultural Goods of the Ministry of Culture, with everyone’s help, and the positive attitude of the Metropolitan Museum of New York, it has returned to the place where it belongs, the place where for many, many years, it adorned a large bronze cauldron, a dedication to Olympian Zeus.”

The bronze head of the griffin, which adorned a bronze tripod cauldron and dates back to 650-625 BC, is an excellent example of ancient Greek metalworking.

It is worth noting that in a special ceremony held at the Metropolitan Museum of New York at the end of February, the Minister of Culture received the bronze head of the griffin from Ancient Olympia from the director of the MET, Max Hollein, which until yesterday held a prominent position in the Greek and Roman Antiquities wing.

Photos from patrisnews.com of the griffin’s head at the Archaeological Museum of Ancient Olympia: