Germany Returns More Greek Antiquities Amid Growing Repatriation Movement

The University of Muenster, which facilitated the latest handover, has now returned three Greek antiquities in recent years. In 2019, it sent back a twin-handled wine cup once awarded to a champion of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, and in 2024, it returned a Roman-era marble head originally taken from a cemetery in Thessaloniki.

“This is a particularly moving moment,” said Giorgios Didaskalou, a senior official with Greece’s Ministry of Culture. “This act proves that culture and history know no borders but require cooperation, responsibility, and mutual respect.”

Torben Schreiber, curator of the University of Muenster’s archaeological museum, echoed that sentiment, adding, “It is never too late to do the right thing — the moral and the just.”

The return of the column capital comes as Greece continues broader diplomatic efforts to recover antiquities removed from the country over the centuries. Its most high-profile campaign focuses on the Parthenon Marbles, which have been housed in the British Museum since the early 19th century. Athens has spent decades seeking their return, gaining increasing international support from European governments and cultural institutions.

Greek officials say this latest repatriation reflects a growing global acknowledgment that cultural heritage should be preserved and displayed in its rightful home. For Greece, each return — however small — represents another step toward restoring the historical narrative that began in the temples, stadiums, and sanctuaries of the ancient world.