A
priceless 2,000-year-old Aphrodite statue was seized by the police
along with 13 other historical artifacts on July 12 in Istanbul.
Istanbul
anti-smuggling police units contacted two suspects who were trying to
sell historical artifacts obtained from illegal excavations upon
received intelligence.
The two suspects, identified as A.Ş. and
Y.Z., demanded 1 million Turkish Liras for the 13 artifacts, which
included the Roman period statue of Aphrodite, seven bottles, two wine
cups, two cubes and a piece of sheet glass sent as a gift to a princess.
Police detained the two suspects when they brought the artifacts for closer examination.
A.Ş.,
who was a contractor, reportedly said in his initial testimony that he
got the historical artifacts in return for a house he had sold.
Meanwhile, experts announced that the Aphrodite statue was 2,000 years old and priceless.
The artifacts will be handed over to the Istanbul Archaeology Museum after they are examined.