ATHENS, Greece (AP) – A man has been arrested on suspicion of anti-smuggling for trying to sell an ancient marble statue of “exceptional works of art” that probably adorned a temple on the famous Acropolis of Athens or on the slopes. surrounding him, Greek authorities said Friday.
Police said the 5th century BC statue was recovered after a months-long police operation involving an investigation by the Department of Cultural Heritage and Antiquities.
Measuring only about 37 inches tall, the statue depicts a young man sitting leaning slightly to the right. The head, arms, and most of both legs are missing, and two small holes are seen behind the left shoulder, from which the rods would probably have fixed the statue to a pediment: the triangular end of the pediment above the pediments. short sides of an ancient temple.
“It is an exceptional work of art, of the kind that is not easily found, not even in systematic excavations,” archaeologist Dimitris Sourlas said during a presentation Friday at police headquarters in Athens. The statue, he said, could have been part of a larger composition, but more research was needed.
Authorities did not say why they linked it to the Acropolis area and what made them suspect it came from a temple, which would restrict the search for its origin.
The work was found in the possession of a man in the South Corinthian city, who was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of looking for a buyer for the statue for the price of 100,000 euros ($ 119,000), police said .
It is being investigated how the piece got into his hands and whether he had managed to contact potential buyers.
Photos released by police showed the statue appeared to have been buried for a long time and showed signs of damage from excavation tools.
It is illegal to own, buy, sell or excavate antiques in Greece without permission.