CultureA Hellenic sculpture of a head from the ancient Libya city of Cyrene is displayed after it was returned by the United States Thursday, March 31, 2022 ,Tripoli, Libya. (AP Photo/Yousef Murad)TRIPOLI, Libya — The United States on Thursday returned a cache of smuggled ancient artifacts to Libya as the oil-rich Mediterranean country struggles to protect its heritage against the backdrop of years of war, turmoil and unrest. One, named the “Veiled Head of a Female,” was previously in the hands of a private collector of other illegal artifacts, according to a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Libya. Libya boasts many ancient Greek and Roman structures, along with a wealth of ancient artifacts in its major museum in the capital of Tripoli and in other museums countrywide, though its archeological sites have been plundered for decades. Libya has been wrecked by chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

Source: Libya Today April 01, 2022 15:24 UTC