An historical tomb stele from the Turkish metropolis of Zeugma was repatriated from Italy and is now again dwelling in Türkiye‘s Gaziantep province, a minister stated Thursday.
“This artifact originating from Zeugma was seized in Italy by the Venetian authorities, who then requested information from our ministry,” stated Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy in the course of the handover ceremony for the stele at Zeugma Mosaic Museum.
The head of an excavation staff in Zeugma, Prof. Kutalmis Gorky, examined the stele intimately, after which he concluded that the fashion and iconography of the historic piece originated from Zeugma and that it was illegally faraway from Türkiye.
A stele is a standing stone slab used within the historical world for a number of functions, together with grave and tomb markers, dedications, commemorations and demarcations. The repatriated tomb stele depicts a girl carved in a stone.
Noting that some distinctive artistic endeavors had been produced in Zeugma all through its historical historical past courting again to 300 BC, Ersoy stated: “It is understood that the tomb stele…was erected in this city in the 2nd century A.D. by someone from Zeugma who loved his wife very much by writing farewell words on it.”
“On the stele, we can read the words ‘Satornila, a wife who loved her husband. Farewell.'”
“This work carries a human story which contains strong emotions such as separation, sadness and devotion, from almost 2,200 years ago to today,” he added.
The Zeugma Mosaic Museum opened in 2011 and is without doubt one of the world’s largest mosaic museums. It holds distinctive historical artifacts equivalent to mosaics, Roman-era fountains, a bronze sculpture of Mars-the god of battle in Roman mythology-and the famed Gypsy Girl.
12,016 ARTIFACTS FROM VARIOUS COUNTRIES RETURNED IN LAST 20 YEARS
Turkish and Italian authorities coordinated in gathering and analyzing in depth information and proof on the artifact’s origin, stated Ersoy.
“All our evaluations were compiled into a detailed report, including information on the relevant legislation of our country. This report was then forwarded to the Italian authorities through the Turkish Foreign Ministry, and the return of the stele was requested,” he stated.
Following judicial proceedings in Italy, he stated an extradition order was issued, and the Turkish Embassy in Rome acquired the artifact.
Ersoy famous that Türkiye and Italy have been victims of cultural property smuggling. He thanked the Italian authorities for “their sensitivity in this process” and referred to as on all nations and worldwide stakeholders to cooperate and present the identical sensitivity for cultural property.
He pointed to Türkiye’s efforts to guard cultural belongings.
“The variety of nations with which now we have signed agreements on the origin, extradition and prevention of unlawful circulation of artifacts has elevated to 12.
“One of the most important issues is these international protocols. It enables the process to move very fast,” he added.
“Within the scope of this cooperation with the U.S., we expect new repatriations in the future,” stated Ersoy.
“In the last 20 years, we have brought back 12,016 artifacts from various countries,” he added.
Source: www.anews.com.tr
