1 20 1 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/77763/archive/files/ed06825bdea6fbbe8bd1d6045102bca7.jpg?Expires=1792627200&Signature=bQj7qFeEproGVvHYcDT%7EXZL-I3wAgPcK2um0idsjs5OcU0s6KqLlSefdhJPLgW0P0d3A5YCL4HVrNmHAie8f4q4vm1Ez91m1pSXslNy7yx7oR69ZZ%7EcJwirTp2G0COK7Mut6DmpQOZ7LYwU9Ar179hP1WaxlXBxMQz3DeIpVLgPrclm3C%7Er%7EqpwtCPNJfPnXecieHW-95XYaFkwlMIBGTkA3XjnYt%7EJVietGMO757gRctzuYoSSo%7EK0q9xci9ywLedJ3FfCZbPyqNSJD4QrM9GCbSX1SLYxqfnQPH%7EHAAy6Kvt5bxMWrVmpj8G9xaQbRQ6SRGcpACXYOMH76vEBubA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM a0fae28d2eb3124b55890f27d67bd522 Physical Object An inanimate, three-dimensional object or substance. Note that digital representations of, or surrogates for, these objects should use Moving Image, Still Image, Text or one of the other types. Object or Group Name The common English name of the object or group of objects. Head of Asclepius Number of Objects Count of objects reflected in this record. 1 Object Type Type of object based on its function. Select from drop-down list. Sculpture – statues, carvings, bronzes, reliefs, figurines Country of Origin The modern country of origin that this object came from (i.e. where it was found). Select from drop-down list. Albania Repatriated? Repatriation status of the object. Select from drop-down list. Yes Year Returned Year of the return of the object to its country of origin. 2009 Returning Entity Institution or individual that returned the object to its country of origin (not a law enforcement agency). Massimo Rossi Receiving Country Country that received the object during repatriation. Select from drop-down list. Albania Status Completion status of MOLA record. Select from drop-down list: Stub (Needs basic research), Incomplete (Missing key fields), In progress (Has been assigned), Ready for review (Complete; awaiting peer review) and Completed (Ready to publish). Only Completed records are made Public. Completed Tags Albania Sources Reliable sources of information related to the object and its repatriation. Preference to primary sources (court records, documents, archival sources) and authoritative secondary sources (media reports, blogs etc.). For links, use a stable URL via Internet Archive. Looting Matters: Butrint Return <a href="http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/2009/05/butrint-return.html">https://web.archive.org/web/20250611013032/https://www.tiranatimes.com/return-of-the-head-of-the-healing-god-asclepius_106968/</a> Return of the Head of the Healing God Asclepius <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20250611013032/https://www.tiranatimes.com/return-of-the-head-of-the-healing-god-asclepius_106968/">https://web.archive.org/web/20250611013032/https://www.tiranatimes.com/return-of-the-head-of-the-healing-god-asclepius_106968/</a> Football Stars Recuperate Stolen Antique Statue <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20250612114640/https://www.tiranatimes.com/football-stars-recuperate-stolen-antic-statue-_106273/">https://web.archive.org/web/20250612114640/https://www.tiranatimes.com/football-stars-recuperate-stolen-antic-statue-_106273/</a> Albania: Stolen Antiquities Face Difficult Journey Home <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20250613132340/https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=122239">https://web.archive.org/web/20250613132340/https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=122239</a> Sending Country Country from which the object was returned during repatriation. Select from drop-down list. Italy See Also Additional records within MOLA that are other objects of interest. These are objects related to a larger collection. Breakout records have omitted 2024 Value information and Number of Objects. <a href="https://mola.omeka.net/items/show/1759">Headless Sculptures of Apollo and Artemis</a> <a href="https://mola.omeka.net/items/show/968">Bust of Empress Livia</a> <a href="https://mola.omeka.net/items/show/2025">Three Roman Heads</a> Reason for Return Why the object was returned. Select from list: Law enforcement seizure; court ordered civil forfeiture; claim from country of origin; voluntary return absent a forfeiture or claim; or other. Law Enforcement Seizure Criminal Behaviors Alleged Criminal behavior associated with the case. Please select all that apply. Theft (stolen from a documented collection, rather than looted) Alternate Name(s) Other names by which the object or group is known; these may be formal titles, museum titles or colloquial titles, if different from the above Object or Group Name. Head of Zeus Images Source of the images uploaded to this record. Images should be labeled A, B, C, etc. For links, use a stable URL via Internet Archive. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20250122115536/https://www.mhk.gov.al/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/32-1.jpg">https://web.archive.org/web/20250122115536/https://www.mhk.gov.al/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/32-1.jpg</a> Size General size of the object (numbered 1-5); 1 - small or fragmentary (e.g. coins or sherds) 2 - medium (e.g. most vases) 3 - large (e.g. between a bread box and an adult) 4 - extra large (i.e. adult human sized) 5 - monumental (larger than an adult human) 2 Object Materials Material(s) that the object or group of objects is made of. Select from drop-down list. Marble Creation Date Year this object was created, in years BCE/CE; use circa if presenting a range. Use specific year, decade or century. 4th century BCE Culture Ancient culture associated with the object. Greek Findspot Approximate site or location where the object was found (i.e. the archaeological provenience). Butrint, Albania Case Summary Narrative summary of the object’s looting, identification by authorities and repatriation. In May 2009, a Hellenistic head of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing, was returned to Albania 18 years after it was stolen from the Butrint Archaeological Museum in southern Albania. The sculpture was discovered in 1932 by Luigi Maria Ugolini, who led the Italian Archaeological Mission at Butrint during the excavation of the shrine of Asclepius. It is believed to depict the demigod Asclepius, who was killed by Zeus for his ability to bring the dead back to life. The head, which portrays an older man with curly hair and a beard, is also sometimes identified as Zeus. It was held in the on-site museum in Butrint until April 1991, when it was stolen along with numerous other works from the excavation. In 2005, Italian Carabinieri discovered the sculpture in an unrelated raid on a private residence in Rome. The antiquities collector Massimo Rossi had purchased it at a Christie's auction in London in 1996. Between 2005 and 2007, Italian authorities confiscated the statue and ordered Christie's to turn over sale transaction records. The name of the collector who consigned the piece to Christie's has not been made public. As Rossi purchased the sculpture legally, Albanian authorities purchased the sculpture from Rossi for its immediate return. In the midst of these negotiations, two former Albanian national football players, Lorik Cana and Igli Tare, also attempted to purchase the piece from Rossi in order to hand it over to Albania. Eventually, in 2009, the Albanian state reimbursed Rossi his purchase price of 20,000 euros for the return of the sculpture. The head was repatriated in a ceremony held at the Albanian Embassy in Rome on May 18, 2009, and is now held at the National Museum of History in Tirana. Date Looted Approximate year that the object or group of objects was excavated or stolen. 1991 Image Captions Write a brief caption for each image included, providing context for what is shown. Images should be labeled A, B, C, etc. Head of Asclepius Provenance Summary A chronological history of the object's ownership history, starting with the oldest date first. Enter a year and summary of the transaction for reach provenance event. 1932: discovered by Italian Archaeological Mission at Butrint, Albania Unknown date: deposited in the Archaeological Museum of Butrint April 1991: stolen from the Archaeological Museum of Butrint 1991- 1995: whereabouts unknown July 3, 1996: sale Christie, Manson & Woods, London, Fine Antiquities, lot 430 July 1996: purchased from above by Massimo Rossi, Rome May 18, 2009: repatriated to the Albanian State Description of Object(s) Provide a brief description of the object or objects in the record. A sculpted head of man with long curly hair and a beard, possibly Asclepius or Zeus. Private Collector Person who acquired the object for their personal collection. Massimo Rossi Value in 2024 US Dollars Value in 2024 US Dollars, adjusted for inflation. Use inflation calculator here: https://www.oanda.com/currency-converter/en/?from=EUR&to=USD&amount=1 50923.76 Current Location Place where the object is currently held. Provide as much information as possible (Institution, City and Country, when known). National Museum of History, Tirana, Albania MOLA Contributor(s) Person(s) who contributed to the information in this record. Anonymous is an acceptable entry. Lisa Duffy-Zeballos Research Notes Any additional notes about research questions, issues or further research needed. Checking Christie auction catalogues for lot information/images- LD Auction Details Include details about the auction, such as: Location of the auction house branch (i.e. London, New York). Date of auction(s). Lot number used to offer the object at auction. Estimated value or value range in the auction listing, displayed in USD alongside price in original currency. Christie, Manson & Woods, London, Fine Antiquities, July 3, 1996, lot 430 Auction Realized Price Approximate sale price of the object at auction. Should be displayed in USD, alongside list price in original currency. USD $25,470 (20,000 euros) Auction House Auction house(s) that offered the object for auction. Christie, Manson & Woods Law Enforcement Entity The law enforcement entities that investigated the object before its repatriation. Carabinieri Alleged Looter Person(s) who removed the object from the findspot or original location. Unknown Alleged Smuggler Person(s) who moved the object out of its country of origin. Unknown Last Known Price, Valuation or Estimate The most recent reported price, valuation or estimate of the object. Should be displayed in USD, alongside list price in original currency. $25,470 (20,000 euros) Year of Last Price Year of the most recent reported price, valuation or estimate of the object. 1996 Peer Reviewed By Person who peer reviewed this record. Michela Herbert Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Head of Asclepius Albania Italy Massimo Rossi