Two artefacts dating back to the early Cycladic period in the 3rd millenium B.C. were returned to Greece from Germany. The two masterpieces, a marble Cycladic idol, one of the largest existing, and a rare example of the Cycladic "frying-pan" vessel made of stone, were officially sealed at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, in the gallery where they will be displayed, during an event attended by Culture and Sports Minister Panos Panagiotopoulos, culture ministry officials, representatives of the German government and of the German museum returning the artefacts, as well as reporters.

The two artefacts, “victims” of profitable smuggling, were bought in 1975 by the Baden State museum in Baden, Karlsruhe, in Germany, where they remained as exhibits for 38 years. Negotiations for their return between Greek and German authorities were initiated just three years ago, after the National Archaeological Museum refused to collaborate in an exhibition due to their presence there.