A Cypriot antiquity that was identified for sale in an online auction has been returned to Cyprus after being handed over to the High Commission of the Republic of Cyprus in the United Kingdom.
According to an announcement by the Department of Antiquities of the Deputy Ministry of Culture, the artefact was formally delivered to the Cypriot High Commission on June 23, 2026.
The antiquity was discovered on April 6, 2026, by officials responsible for monitoring the illegal trafficking of Cypriot antiquities online within the Department of Antiquities.
Following contact with the auction house, the item was withdrawn from sale.
The artefact has been identified as a ceramic juglet with a ring base dating to the Late Cypriot I/II period, approximately 1450 BC.
The Department of Antiquities expressed its gratitude to Halls Fine Art Auctioneers and to the holder of the antiquity for voluntarily returning it to its country of origin.
It also thanked the Cultural Section of the Cypriot High Commission in London for its cooperation and coordination of the repatriation process.
