Two precious archaeological finds, stolen and auctioned in New York, have been recovered and returned to Sardinia . They are a prehistoric female stone figurine approximately 35 cm tall and a fragmentary Nuragic bronze statuette, just over 8 cm tall. The finds, part of a larger group of 129 artifacts returned to Italy by the New York District Attorney's Office following a major international cooperation operation aimed at combating illicit trafficking of cultural heritage, were delivered today to the Archaeological Museum of Nuoro by Lieutenant Mauro Lai of the Cagliari Cultural Heritage Protection Unit, responsible for the entire territory of Sardinia, in the presence of Melissa Ricetti, regional director of the National Museums of Sardinia.
The female figurine belongs to the cross-shaped typology, known as "full-plate cruciform," typical of the late Neolithic period. Its considerable size makes it one of the largest examples known to date. The sculpture, although reassembled, is essentially complete, a very rare condition for this class of artifacts.
The Nuragic bronze statuette depicts an archer : the bow rests on his left shoulder, while his right hand, now missing, was probably raised in a greeting. The artifact dates to between the late Bronze Age and the early Iron Age.
The assignment of the two artifacts to the National Archaeological Museum of Nuoro was evaluated by the Working Group for the Destination of Archaeological Assets Returned to Italy and for the Recognition of Artifacts Seized in State Museums and Cultural Sites. " The prehistoric figurine, due to its size and state of preservation, is among the most important in Sardinia's archaeological heritage ; the bronze archer, with long braids falling over his chest protected by a plaque, recalls similar examples not only of bronze production, but also of the statuary of Mont'e Prama," explains the Museum's director, Antonio Cosseddu.
(Unioneonline)