A marble head of the goddess Athena and a fresco from ancient Herculaneum in Pompeii are among 60 antiques returned to Italy yesterday from the US, valued at $20 million.

A $3 million 2nd-century head and a 1st-century fresco depicting a young Hercules in his mythical battle with snakes were found to be contraband in a joint investigation by US and Italian authorities.

Before their trafficking was discovered and they embarked on the path of repatriation, many of the antiquities were on display in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. As the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said in September last year, the mural and dozens of other antiques were sold through convicted antiquities dealers, some of which ended up in the hands of billionaire Michael Steinhardt – the bulk of the American mogul’s 180 antiques collection. ) was handed over to the authorities in 2021 after agreement with them.

In addition to their economic value, antiquities are “invaluable” to Italy’s historical, artistic and cultural identity, General Vicenzo Molinese, head of the Italian Carabinieri task force dealing with illegal trade cases, told a news conference. yesterday’s works of art and antiques.