The United States has returned 83 Roman coins from the era of Constantine the Great to Turkey. Minted in Anatolia during the 3rd and 4th centuries of the Roman Empire, these coins are significant cultural relics reflecting the political and military activities of their time.
Seized in the U.S. in 2015, the coins were identified as originating from the reigns of Emperors Maximian, Constantine I, Constantine II, and Arcadius, produced in ancient Anatolian mints. This restitution follows a 2021 bilateral agreement between Turkey and the U.S. for protecting cultural properties, leading to the coins’ return. They were handed over to Turkey’s Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism, Gökhan Yazgı, by Brian Stimler, the U.S. Embassy’s Charge d’Affaires, during a ceremony at the Museum of the Republic in Ankara.
Yazgı highlighted the significance of the “Turkey-United States Joint Seminar on Preventing Cultural Heritage Smuggling” held the previous week, noting it was a privilege to announce the repatriation of the coins afterward. He affirmed that the 2021 agreement has bolstered the collaborative efforts between Turkey and the U.S. in cultural heritage protection.
“This handover demonstrates the successful and transparent execution of the agreement,” Yazgı stated. “Through robust collaboration, we ensured a swift and secure return of these artifacts.” He underscored the importance of international collaboration in preventing cultural asset smuggling, citing that more than 13,000 artifacts have been returned to Turkey since 2002. This is a testament to the success of international cooperation, not merely a statistic. Yazgı committed to enhancing Turkey’s leadership in protecting cultural heritage through stronger global partnerships, expressing gratitude to ceremony attendees.














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