Germany Returns Stolen Olympia Artifact After Decades

On October 10, 2025, a repatriation ceremony at the Ancient Olympia Conference Center (SPAP) marked the return of a limestone fragment of an Ionic capital from Münster, Germany.

Illegally removed from the Leonidaion in Ancient Olympia during the 1960s, this artifact, measuring 24 cm in height and 33.5 cm in width, bears traces of stucco and stylistic similarities to other Ionic capitals from the site.

The Leonidaion, named after its Naxian donor Leonidas, is located outside the Altis in the sanctuary’s southwestern part. As the largest building in the sanctuary (74.80 x 81.08 meters), it features distinctive Ionic colonnades on all four sides. Built in the second half of the 4th century BCE, it served as a guesthouse for prominent visitors. German excavations uncovered its northern section between 1875 and 1881, with the site fully excavated by 1956.

The return was made possible by a German citizen who, having acquired the fragment during a 1960s visit to Olympia, was inspired by recent repatriations from the University of Münster. She handed the artifact to the university, which facilitated its return to Greece. The University of Münster has become a key partner of Greece’s Ministry of Culture, previously returning a skyphos of Loues, the 1896 Athens Olympics victor, in 2019 (now displayed at the Museum of Ancient Olympic Games) and a Roman-era marble male head from a Thessaloniki cemetery in 2024 (now in the Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum). Dr. Torben Schreiber, curator of Münster’s Archaeological Museum, reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to returning illicitly acquired artifacts, stating, “It is never too late to do what is right, ethical, and just.”

At the ceremony, Greece’s General Secretary of Culture, Georgios Didaskalou, expressed gratitude to Münster’s representatives, noting, “This is a deeply moving moment. It proves that culture and history transcend borders, demanding cooperation, responsibility, and mutual respect. Every such return restores justice and builds bridges of friendship between nations.”

The voluntary return adds to a growing trend of repatriations, driven by Greece’s national and international efforts to combat the illicit trade of antiquities. Attendees included Didaskalou, Dr. Katja Sporn (Director of the German Archaeological Institute in Athens), Apl. Dr. Oliver Pilz (Director of German excavations at Olympia), Dr. Schreiber, Vasso Papageorgiou and Elena Vlachogianni (from the Directorate of Documentation and Protection of Cultural Goods), Erofili Kollia (Head of the Ilia Ephorate of Antiquities), and representatives of local authorities.

(Source: Hellenic Ministry of Culture)