On Friday, the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced the return of a historical piece dating back to 250 AD
In a statement, the ministry stated, it is the “head of Eros”, which is a separate part of the sarcophagus of Sidamara, a Roman sarcophagus that can be visited in Istanbul.
The sarcophagus is made of marble and weighs more than 30 tons, making it one of the largest of its kind in the ancient world.
The Sidamara sarcophagus was first discovered in 1882 by British Military Consul General Charles Wilson in the ancient city of Sidamara, now the town of Ambar, in the Turkish province of Kerman.
Wilson cut off Eros’ head from the rest of the monument and returned with him to London.
“The missing piece was returned to Turkey on June 10 as a result of cooperation between the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (V&A),” the ministry said.
The missing part was shipped from London with the support of the Turkish Foreign Ministry and Turkish airline, Turkish Airlines, and reattached to the giant sarcophagus after experts from Istanbul Archaeological Museums and the V&A conducted a conservation investigation.
* Translated by Daniel Gallego.
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