Eighteen Cypriot antiquities returned to Cyprus via embassy in Washington after online auction discovery

Washington, United States. Cyprus’s antiquities department said 18 Cypriot antiquities were handed over to the Republic of Cyprus Embassy in Washington after officials identified them in an online auction. The artefacts were withdrawn from sale and transferred to the embassy on February 23, 2026.

Discovery and withdrawal from sale

The department said the artefacts were discovered by archaeological officers responsible for monitoring the illicit trade of Cypriot antiquities on the internet. Following consultations with the auction house, the lots were withdrawn from sale and handed over to the Cypriot embassy in Washington.

Artefacts and dating

According to the department, the collection includes two vessels from the Early Bronze Age, dating between 2500 and 1900 BC, and 11 vessels from the Middle Bronze Age, dated between 1900 and 1600 BC. It also includes three vessels from the Cypro-Archaic I period (750–600 BC), one vessel from the Cypro-Archaic II period (600–480 BC), and a limestone male statue head dating to the 4th century BC.

Acknowledgments

The department expressed gratitude to Sloans & Kenyon Auctioneers & Appraisers and the artefacts’ possessors for voluntarily returning the antiquities to their country of origin. It also thanked the embassy in Washington for its cooperation and coordination in facilitating the repatriation process.

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