Except Brutus gold coinbetween 29 antiques are returning from the USthe Cycladic “complex” of figurines is impressive, depicting two female figures with a smaller one on the head of a larger one and dating between 2800 and 2600 BC.

Not only because of its rarity, but also because of the mysterious origin that has puzzled archaeologists. At first sight archaeologists of the Ephorate of antiquities of the Cyclades marked in “K” that it is possibly a figurine from a private collection, which was presented in 1977 at the famous exhibition of Cycladic art of the Vadis Museum in Karlsruhe. However, a closer examination of its size and morphology classifies the figurine as “unknown”.

The Vadis figurine was 21.6 cm high, while the repatriated one was 46.6 cm. Archaeologists also found differences in the arms and abdomen, and the Vadis figurine has a gap between the legs and one leg is not broken, like the figurine returned from the United States. So, archaeologists who spoke with “K” they are led to the conclusion that it is an unknown figurine that has not appeared in the past, not ruling out, however, the possibility that it may be a hoax. If it is, as they say, authentic, it is probably from Ios or Naxos.

The 29 antiques handed over Tuesday night to the Department of Culture by the Manhattan Attorney’s Office are valued at $20 million. Among them is a bronze crater from 350 BC. originating from a chamber tomb and a “Neolithic family”, a module of marble figurines dated between 5000-3500 BC, valued at $3 million and originating from Euboea.

The crater was smuggled to Switzerland, where it was restored by associates of prominent antiquities dealer Robert Hecht (1919-2012), and then smuggled to New York City, according to prosecutors. Neolithic figurines came from Evia with the help of a Greek smuggler and through Switzerland and the famous dealer in illegal antiquities Nicholas Koutoulakis (1910-1996) also ended up in America. The antiques were acquired by a couple of collectors, Leon Levy and Shelby White. The crater was removed in January and the “family” in March 2023, and the Neolithic figurines have been on display at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art since 2000.