01 December 2021, press release from the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sport

Following media interest in an agenda item, item 27 of the 48th Meeting of the Central Archaeological Council of Greece, which took place on Tuesday 30 November 2021, the Ministry of Culture and Sport informs that it welcomes the process of returning a fragment of the Parthenon frieze to Greece. That the Acropolis Museum will begin the final stages of this process once the Central Archaeological Council provides its opinion on the matter at its forthcoming meeting, as this is required by law.

The fragment is from Block VI of the Parthenon’s east frieze (Ν.Ι. 1546), currently held at the Antonio Salinas Regional Archaeological Museum in Palermo, Italy. The Antonio Salinas Archaeological Museum has expressed the intention to provide a long-term loan of the fragment to the Acropolis Museum for four (4) plus four(4) years. These loan periods are specified by Italian legislation.

Provided the Central Archaeological Council delivers a positive conclusion, it is planned that the fragment will reach the Acropolis Museum before the end of 2021. In return, Greece will provide the Antonio Salinas Archaeological Museum with a statuette of the goddess Athena, subsequently replaced with a vessel from the earliest phase of the Geometric Period. The two ancient objects will be displayed at different times at the Palermo Museum. The Acropolis Museum will loan both of these to the museum in Sicily. According to Italian Law, the duration of the counter loan is also for four (4) plus four(4) years.

Talks on this long term loan of the fragment between the Regional Government of Sicily and the Minister of Culture and Sport, Lina Mendoni, began in January 2021, as did discussions between the two museums.