ATHENS, Greece (AP) – A man has been arrested on suspicion of smuggling antiques for trying to sell an ancient marble statue of “exceptional works of art” that once adorned a temple on the famous Acropolis of Athens, or on the slopes around it, Greek authorities said Friday.
Police say the statue from the 5th century BC. was recovered following a month-long police operation that involved an investigation by the Department of Cultural Heritage and Antiquities.
Measuring only about 37 centimeters (14.5 inches) tall, the statue depicts a seated young man sitting slightly to the right. The head, arms and most of both legs are missing, and two small holes are visible behind the left shoulder, from which the rods would probably have attached the statue to a pediment – the triangular end of the pediment above the short sides of an ancient temple.
“It is an exceptional work of art, of a kind that is not easy to find, not even in systematic excavations,” said archaeologist Dimitris Sourlas in a presentation Friday at the Athens police headquarters. He said the statue 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 led them to suspect it came from a temple – which would restrict the search for its origin.
The work was found in the possession of a man from the south of Corinth, who was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of looking for a buyer for the statue at a price of 100,000 euros ($ 119,000), police said.
An investigation is underway into how the piece got into his hands and whether he managed to contact potential buyers for it.
Photos released by police showed that the statue appeared to have been buried for a long time and showed signs of damage due to digging tools.
It is illegal to own, buy, sell or excavate antiques in Greece without a permit.