«With this exhibition we have completed the process started with the investigations into the thefts of archaeological finds and continued with their recovery and restitution to the Capo Colonna museum in Crotone”. This is how Lieutenant Giacomo Geloso, commander of the Carabinieri Nucleus for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in Cosenza, described the journey taken by 17 archaeological finds to return to the territory where they had been stolen by tomb raiders during the inauguration of the exhibition “Nostoi, shared returns”, organized by the Archaeological Parks of Crotone and Sibari.
The finds, which have enriched the already precious collection of the Capo Colonna Archaeological Museumwere recovered during the investigations “Temple of Hera” and “Achei” coordinated by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Crotone.
Among the most significant pieces on display are a bronze mirror with a handle in the shape of a draped girl, datable to the first half of the 5th century BC, and a large jug for oils and balms (lekythos), decorated with black figures, produced in Attica, the region of Athens, around 500 BC and attributable to the Edinburgh Painter. There is also a red-figure “hydria”, with a depiction of a quadriga driven by the god Eros and some elegant epychiseis (containers for scented oils and balms) in the Gnathia style. All objects that provide an overview of the main ceramic productions in Magna Graecia and that demonstrate, at the same time, the serious damage caused by the activities of clandestine excavators. This last aspect was underlined by the scientific director of the exhibition, Gregorio Aversa, according to whom «the exhibition tells of an unfortunate phenomenon, such as that of tomb raiders, which has afflicted the areas of Crotone and the Ionian Sea of Cosenza and which we hope will never happen again. The damage that these illegal activities cause – added Aversa – is serious because not only are important and unique finds taken away from the community, but knowledge of them is also prevented».
The exhibition was curated by Filippo Demma, director of the Autonomous Institute of Archaeological Parks of Crotone and Sibari: “The exhibition – said Demma – is the celebration of a return of objects that belong to this land. It is the representation of the history of a recovery that deserves to be told as a cultural testimony of our society that gives value to its past”.
The inauguration was attended by the prefect of Crotone, Franca Ferraro, who thanked the carabinieri for their work. The exhibition, with free admission, will remain open until October 31, excluding Mondays, with daily opening hours from 9 am to 7 pm.
