Türkiye receives ancient tomb stele repatriated from Italy

GAZIANTEP, Türkiye

An ancient tomb stele from the Turkish city of Zeugma was repatriated from Italy and is now back home in Türkiye’s Gaziantep province, a minister said Thursday.

“This artifact originating from Zeugma was seized in Italy by the Venetian authorities, who then requested information from our ministry,” said Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy during the handover ceremony for the stele at Zeugma Mosaic Museum.

The head of an excavation team in Zeugma, Prof. Kutalmis Gorky, examined the stele in detail, after which he concluded that the style and iconography of the historical piece originated from Zeugma and that it was illegally removed from Türkiye.

A stele is a standing stone slab used in the ancient world for several purposes, including grave and tomb markers, dedications, commemorations and demarcations. The repatriated tomb stele depicts a woman carved in a stone.

Noting that some unique works of art were produced in Zeugma throughout its ancient history dating back to 300 BC, Ersoy said: “It is understood that the tomb stele…was erected in this city in the 2nd century A.D. by someone from Zeugma who loved his wife very much by writing farewell words on it.”

“On the stele, we can read the words ‘Satornila, a wife who loved her husband. Farewell.’”

“This work carries a human story which contains strong emotions such as separation, sadness and devotion, from almost 2,200 years ago to today,” he added.

The Zeugma Mosaic Museum opened in 2011 and is one of the world’s largest mosaic museums. It holds unique ancient artifacts such as mosaics, Roman-era fountains, a bronze sculpture of Mars – the god of war in Roman mythology – and the famed Gypsy Girl.

- 12,016 artifacts from various countries returned in last 20 years

Turkish and Italian authorities coordinated in gathering and analyzing extensive data and evidence on the artifact’s origin, said Ersoy.

“All our evaluations were compiled into a detailed report, including information on the relevant legislation of our country. This report was then forwarded to the Italian authorities through the Turkish Foreign Ministry, and the return of the stele was requested,” he said.

Following judicial proceedings in Italy, he said an extradition order was issued, and the Turkish Embassy in Rome received the artifact.

Ersoy noted that Türkiye and Italy have been victims of cultural property smuggling. He thanked the Italian authorities for “their sensitivity in this process” and called on all countries and international stakeholders to cooperate and show the same sensitivity for cultural property.

He pointed to Türkiye’s efforts to protect cultural assets.

“The number of countries with which we have signed agreements on the origin, extradition and prevention of illegal circulation of artifacts has increased to 12.

“One of the most important issues is these international protocols. It enables the process to move very fast,” he added.

“Within the scope of this cooperation with the US, we expect new repatriations in the future,” said Ersoy.

“In the last 20 years, we have brought back 12,016 artifacts from various countries,” he added.