The United States has returned a cache of smuggled ancient artefacts to Libya as the Mediterranean country struggles to protect its heritage against the backdrop of years of war and unrest. The repatriated items include two sculptures dating to the 4th century BC from the ancient city of Cyrene. A collection of ancient pottery returned to Libya from the United States (Yousef Murad/AP)The other, also a Hellenic bust, had been at the Metropolitan Museum of New York since 1998, the statement said. Both were displayed by Libyan antiquities officials at a reception ceremony in the country’s capital, Tripoli. Libya boasts many ancient Greek and Roman structures, along with a wealth of ancient artefacts in its major museum in the capital of Tripoli and in other museums countrywide, though its archaeological sites have been plundered for decades.

Source: Libya Today March 31, 2022 23:57 UTC