Headless Sculptures of Artemis and Apollo

Headless Sculptures of Artemis and Apollo

These two sculptures were among several works stolen from the Butrint Archaeological Museum in April 1991 during a period of unrest following the fall of communism in Albania. The headless sculpture of a female figure, possibly Artemis, dates from the Hellenistic period and was discovered in 1926 by Luigi Ugolini during the Italian Archaeological Mission's excavation of Phoenice in southern Albania. The sculpture of Apollo, which dates from the second century CE during the Roman period, was found during Ugolini's excavation of the Nymphaeum of Butrint (ancient Bouthrotos) in 1929.

It is unknown how the works were smuggled out of Albania, but in 1997, they were discovered in the possession of two Greek citizens in Koropi, Greece. The Greek police confiscated the sculptures and handed them over to the Archaeological Museum of Piraeus, which eventually traced their origins to the artifacts stolen from Butrint.

The sculptures were returned to Albania in a ceremony held at the new Acropolis Museum in Athens on February 7, 2008. They were later returned to the Butrint Archaeological Museum.

Three Roman-Era Marble Heads

Bust of Empress Livia

Head of Asclepius

2

Sculpture – statues, carvings, bronzes, reliefs, figurines

Greek

Archaeological Museum of Pireus

Albania

Jason Felch
Lisa Duffy-Zeballos

Michela Herbert