Turkey is pressing Denmark for the return of what it claims to be the detached head of an almost 2,000-year-old Roman statue, allegedly illicitly taken from its soil years ago.
The statue, created from bronze and dating back to 225 C.E., represents Septimius Severus, the Roman emperor who held reign from 193 to 211 C.E. In March, the headless statue was repatriated to Turkey from the United States. Turkish officials assert that the missing head is currently being exhibited at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek Museum in Copenhagen.
The Glyptotek affirmed to CNN that it had been approached by the Turkish embassy to deliberate on the artifact’s repatriation.
According to a spokesperson’s statement to CNN, the museum had previously deduced that the emperor’s head corresponded to the bronze body. However, the museum considers the information on this issue “inadequate and obsolete,” given that the research was carried out more than four decades ago.
Glyptotek’s head of communications, Sofie Konigsfeldt, told CNN that “uncertainty arises because there’s no proof that the fracture surfaces of the head and body align.”
The museum has embarked on technical investigations and “eagerly anticipates clarity on the issue,” Konigsfeldt noted.
This new research will form the foundation for any potential repatriation of the piece to Turkey. However, the decision to return the art piece is not only the museum’s responsibility but also involves the Danish government, Konigsfeldt stressed.
The statue’s body, now showcased at the Antalya Archeological Museum, was repatriated from the United States and exhibited at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2011.
According to a statement from the New York District Attorney’s office, the statue was illicitly taken in the 1960s from an archeological site in Bubon, southwest Turkey, and then clandestinely shipped out of the country.
The return of stolen cultural artifacts is a contentious and enduring issue worldwide. Turkey’s quest to return the head of the Roman statue sheds light on the broader problem of cultural artifact theft and illegal trade. As nations continue to grapple with these historical wrongs, cases such as these illustrate the complexities of navigating rightful ownership and the potential for cultural restoration.
