Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy introduced the historical artifacts brought to Antalya after being returned from Denmark, and expressed his pleasure in sharing another pleasing result of their work towards the protection of cultural assets and the restitution of those illegally taken abroad.
Historical artifacts of Anatolian origin, which were returned to Türkiye for ethical reasons in line with the evidence presented to the Danish Glyptotek Museum as a result of the studies carried out by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and their own scientific examinations, were introduced to journalists at the Antalya Archaeological Museum.
Among the works, there is the head of Roman Emperor Septimius Severus, originating from the Ancient City of Boubon, Burdur, and 48 terracotta architectural panels, also originating from Düver Village of Burdur.
Minister Ersoy said that they have ensured the return of 7 artifacts in the last 8 years and that they will continue to track down any artifacts belonging to these lands and bring them to Türkiye, no matter where they were smuggled to in the world.
“Today, these works, which have been taken under protection in our country by completing their return processes, have been returned to the heritage that we are obliged to protect and make accessible to our citizens and the people of the world,” Ersoy said, and noted the following:
“The statue head depicting Roman Emperor Septimius Severus, which we secured the return of from Denmark, is among the artifacts taken abroad as a result of illegal excavations carried out in the 1960s in the Ancient City of Boubon. On the occasion of the return of this artifact dating back to the 3rd century AD, I would also like to commemorate the late Prof. Dr. Jale İnan, whose work on this group of artifacts we benefited from. We have indeed achieved significant gains in this fight in the last 5 years, but the work to protect the cultural heritage of Anatolia has been ongoing for decades. Our late professor Jale İnan examined this statue head on site and determined that it was of Boubon origin. In light of the findings made at that time, our Anti-Smuggling Department expanded its work and forwarded our return request to Denmark. I also congratulate Denmark and the Glyptotek Museum for their openness to cooperation and the decision to return it, which they made by displaying an ethical stance. I would also like to thank our Ambassador to Copenhagen, Mr. Hakan Tekin, and our Culture and Promotion Counselor.”
Ersoy drew attention to the fact that another group of artifacts that were returned were terracotta plates of Düver origin, and emphasized that Burdur's terracotta plates of Düver origin were also smuggled abroad as a result of illegal excavations in the 60s and entered collections around the world.
Ersoy stated that the archaeological heritage of the Ancient City of Boubon was damaged by illegal excavation activities in the 1960s and that many artifacts were smuggled into the United States via Switzerland or directly with false documents and origin information during this process.
Ersoy, who stated that many Boubon-originated artifacts had previously been returned thanks to the cooperation between the Anti-Smuggling Division and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, continued as follows:
“In addition to the statues of Lucius Verus, Septimius Severus, the Young Emperor and the Clothed Woman, two busts attributed to Emperor Caracalla and five heads belonging to important figures of the period, as well as a bronze female bust, were returned to Türkiye. These returns were made possible thanks to the submitted documents, eyewitness testimonies and forensic criminological studies. The comprehensive investigations and returns conducted in cooperation with our ministry and the Manhattan Prosecutor's Office have had a significant impact on the world and have become an example.”
“We will share the results of the project with great happiness”
Ersoy, who mentioned that everyone wanted to see the combined head and body of Septimius Severus after many years, said:
“We have started a very meticulous work process on this subject. In ancient times, these statue bodies were made in an extremely idealized manner and were used by combining different heads in situations such as when emperors changed throughout history. For this reason, since fitting the head and body together with a sudden and rapid intervention at the points of separation could damage the work, our conservators will analyze this process very carefully and handle it within the scope of a project spread over time. Of course, we will share the results of this project with the scientific world and the public with great pleasure.”
Ersoy, stating that they are very meticulous about the return of artifacts smuggled abroad, said, “In 2025, we ensured the return of 14 important artifacts. In 2024, we found and brought back 1.149 historical artifacts to our country. Between 2018 and 2025, in 7 years, we ensured the return of 8 artifacts. The number of artifacts returned between 967 and 2002 is exactly 2025.”
“We are traveling every inch of Anatolia”
Stating that it would be wrong to evaluate the activities of the Anti-Smuggling Department only with numbers, Ersoy explained the work carried out by the Ministry to ensure that the works are included in museum inventories without being smuggled abroad.
Ersoy said, “Our ministry officials are literally traveling every inch of Anatolia. They are going from village to village and telling everyone, especially our mukhtars, about the importance of this struggle. We are preparing storybooks not only to raise awareness among adults but also to tell our children, the owners of our future, about the importance of the heritage of the past, and we are providing them with training based on the logic that a tree is bent while it is young.”
Minister Ersoy thanked those who contributed to the return of the artifacts and expressed his hope that the collective success would contribute to global efforts to protect cultural heritage and inspire future efforts.
Ole Toft, the Danish Ambassador to Ankara, expressed his pleasure in bringing the works to their homeland and said:
“The return of historical artifacts is an important but often complicated process. And today, Turkey and Denmark have been able to come up with a beautiful solution, especially for the Emperor’s head. We also celebrate that we have reached this point as a result of a process of mutual respect and cooperation. Denmark’s Glyptotek Museum is returning not only the head of the statue but also 48 terracotta panels. The return of the panels was not requested by Türkiye, but was made at the initiative of the museum after it was understood that the terracotta pieces belonged to Türkiye as a result of the internal investigations of the Glyptotek Museum. Last year, 350 thousand Danes visited Türkiye. 200 thousand of them came to the Antalya region. Turkey has always been an attractive point for Danish tourists with its beautiful nature and climate. More Danish tourists will visit Türkiye in the coming period, and in this context, it will inspire them to come to the Antalya Museum to see these beautiful works.”
