Stockholm’s Museum of Mediterranean and Middle East Antiquities says the marble fragment will be officially returned to Greece this week. It comes from the Erechtheion temple, build around 420 BC. The frieze was taken to Sweden by a naval officer 110 years ago, and remained in his family’s possession until last year, when it was turned over to the museum.
The Erechteion Temple
The officer’s great niece says she was motivated by reading about Greece’s desire to recover friezes from the main temple of the Parthenon, which were taken by Britain’s Lord Elgin in the 19th century, and which are in the British Museum in London.
She’s due to hand over the piece to Greece’s Minister of Culture at a ceremony at the Acropolis on Friday.
