CNN —A statue of a bearded man striding forward was crafted from black basalt over 2,000 years ago during the Ptolemaic dynasty. Now, it’s finally set to return to Libya, where it was looted during British occupation in World War II, according to the Cleveland Museum of Art. The museum, which has held the piece since 1991, announced the planned return in a Wednesday news release. The statue then ended up at the Ptolemais Museum in Libya, which was destroyed during the British occupation of the area. The statue spent the decades between 1966 and 1991 in the private collection of New York art collectors Lawrence and Barbara Fleischman and was donated to the museum in 1991.

Source: Libya Today June 01, 2024 20:09 UTC