A French woman has willingly agreed to return a marble fragment of the Erechtheion on the Acropolis of Athens to Greece. The fragment, which dates back to the 5th century BC and was part of an artistic relief on the Temple of Athena Polias, will be officially delivered to Greece from Lyon, France.
Jacqueline Junelles, who has owned the fragment since the 1970s, enlisted the help of art historian Jean-Claude Mossiere to facilitate its return. The delivery ceremony will be conducted by Emmanuelle Darmon, the Prefect of Rhône, and Marc Droupe, the Regional Director of Cultural Affairs of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
The repatriation of the fragment is part of a broader trend of returning historical artifacts to Greece, a move that brings great satisfaction to the Culture Minister, Lina Mendoni.