Starting probably from the 1960s, a series of unfortunate clandestine interventions led to a real looting of the important site of Timpone della Motta in Francavilla Marittima. The grave robbers resold the stolen material in Switzerland which was purchased by various European and American museums. The excellent work of the Carabinieri led to demonstrating the connection between the finds that “traveled” on the market and those certainly coming from the regular excavations that were taking place on the site by various international teams. Thus, starting from the 90s and then on several occasions between 2001 and 2018, the finds that returned to Sibari were increasingly numerous, thanks to the work of the Cultural Heritage Protection Unit of the Carabinieri assisted by a group of archaeologists in particular at the Danish Institute in Rome, which continues excavations in the areas plundered in the past century.
Telling the stories connected to the looting and recoveries of the sanctuary of Timpone della Motta in Francavilla Marittima is the mission of “Reversio”, the new archaeological exhibition of the National Archaeological Museum of Sibaritide, which will be inaugurated on Saturday 18 January, at 6.00 pm, at the National Archaeological Museum of Sibaritide of the archaeological parks of Crotone and Sibari, an autonomous institute of the Ministry of Culture led by Minister Alessandro Giuli.
The exhibition presents finds recomposed from illicitly stolen fragments and fragments found in excavations, combining stories of looting and recovery.
The fragments of art and culture returned to Italy from prestigious museum institutions (the Institut für Klassische Archäologie in Bern, the JP Getty Museum in Malibu and the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen) find their context and are compared to those found during the excavations regular to recompose unique objects into a splendid unity, very ancient testimonies of the first contacts between the Enotri people who inhabited the Region in the early age of Ferro and the Greek colonists.
Art, craftsmanship, religion, commerce, but also the fashion of the high archaic age, are all subjects that are illuminated by the new knowledge that these returns bring.
“One of the most serious damages caused by clandestine excavations is the destruction of the contexts of origin, which makes the historical information that the objects bear definitively unrecoverable – declares Filippo Demma, director of the archaeological parks of Crotone and Sibari and curator of the exhibition. The case presented in Sibari is also important because it constitutes a recovery of knowledge, made possible by the tireless work of the Carabinieri and colleagues such as Jan K. Jacobsen and his group. It is also important to underline that the theme of the investigation and the consequent returns, and all the stories of art, commerce, religion, fashion, that we can tell through the finds make use of a setup that makes great use of visual communication: virtual reconstructions and animations contained in short and well-curated video animations connected to each showcase explain the main themes to the visitor, making the journey stimulating and also fun.”
The exhibition invites us to reflect on the collective responsibility in protecting cultural heritage and the need to preserve the memory of our roots. We invite you to immerse yourself in this exciting journey, where history, art and legality intertwine in a story that belongs to all of us.
The inauguration, scheduled for Saturday 18th at 6pm, is open to all and includes free entry.
