17 June 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Artifacts for sale offered at a Dutch auction house returned to Peru

The Dutch government announced in a press release today that the artifacts that were put up for sale at an auction house were returned to Peru after the examination.

Arjen Uijterlinde, the Dutch Ambassador for International Cultural Cooperation, delivered a collection of privately held archaeological items to Peruvian Ambassador Marisol Agüero today.

The 28-piece collection was revealed when it was put up for sale at an auction house in the Netherlands.

The Dutch Information and Heritage Inspectorate investigated the items’ origins, after which the owner voluntarily returned them, in view of their importance to Peru’s cultural heritage.

The Peruvian government stated in its request for the artifacts’ repatriation that the pieces came from archaeological sites or excavations that were not authorized by Peruvian authorities. After receiving notification that numerous artifacts were being offered for sale at an auction house, the Inspectorate launched an inquiry, which found that the pieces had been purchased in the 1970s by the present owner’s father.

cultura-chimú
The photographs are examples from the Chimu culture.

Following Peru’s request and the Inspectorate’s inquiry, the owner willingly gave up the artifacts, allowing them to be included in the country’s cultural heritage collection once more. During the handover ceremony, Peruvian officials expressed their gratitude for the return of these cultural items, which would be publicly displayed once they are returned to Peru.

The 28 objects, dated between 200 BC and 1,500 AD, come from various cultures. The artifacts belong to the pre-Columbian cultures: Chimú, Chancay, Moche, Wari, and Vicús.

The collection consists mainly of pottery pieces, including decorative jugs and figurines in the form of humans and animals. A number of colorful decorative textile fragments were also returned, as well as a collection of seeds.

The return of this collection to Peru was carried out in the spirit of the UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.

Photos are representative.

Related Articles

A new study reveals that “Bog Bodies” were part of a Millennia-old tradition

10 January 2023

10 January 2023

Archaeologists have studied hundreds of ancient “Bog Bodies” discovered in Europe’s wetlands, revealing that they were part of a millennia-old...

The Enigmatic Architecture of Sacsayhuaman: The Sacred Stronghold of Massive Stones and Mysteries

14 March 2025

14 March 2025

Sacsayhuaman Fortress, located just outside Cusco, Peru, is one of the most astonishing archaeological complexes in the world. Initiated by...

Spanish Stonehenge re-emerges from the ‘Valdecañas reservoir’

19 August 2022

19 August 2022

Submerged by the Valdecañas reservoir for decades, the Guadalperal dolmen has been fully exposed as it was two summers ago....

Bronze Age Treasure Found in Swedish Forests

30 April 2021

30 April 2021

A man who studied the forest to make a map for the orienteering club in western Sweden made an incredible...

A Dancing Muses statue 2175 years old was found in the ancient city of Stratonikeia, known as the city of eternal loves

7 December 2023

7 December 2023

The latest discovery in the ongoing excavations in the Ancient City of Stratonikeia, known as the city of eternal loves...

The 20-million-year-old fossil of a sea creature in the ancient city of Tyana may have been used as a means of payment

22 October 2021

22 October 2021

During the ongoing excavations in the ancient city of Tyana in the Kemerhisar district of Niğde, a 20-million-year-old fossil thought...

7,000-Year-Old Animal-Figured Seals Found in Arslantepe, Anatolia’s First City-State

27 August 2024

27 August 2024

Archaeologists working at the Arslantepe Mound (Turkish: Arslantepe Höyük), a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Türkiye’s eastern Malatya province and...

3D Scans reveal details of ‘unusual’ Roman burial ritual

6 June 2023

6 June 2023

Archaeologists at the University of York, have used 3D scans to study the Roman burial practice of pouring liquid gypsum...

Secrets of the Ancient Walls: 1,700-Year-Old Roman Altar Unearthed at Vuçak Castle in Kosovo

19 April 2025

19 April 2025

Excavations at Vuçak Castle in the Kosovo countryside have led to a remarkable discovery: a Roman altar dating back to...

Unique Gold Ring and Crystal Amulet among 30,000 Medieval Treasures Uncovered in Sweden

7 March 2024

7 March 2024

In the Swedish medieval city of Kalmar, archaeologists from the State Historical Museums unearthed the remains of over 30,000 objects...

Grave Goods Show Gendered Roles for Neolithic Age

16 April 2021

16 April 2021

Grave goods, such as stone tools, have revealed that Neolithic farmers had different work-related activities for men and women. Researchers...

Oldest known alphabet unearthed in ancient Syrian city -500 years older than thought

22 November 2024

22 November 2024

Johns Hopkins University researchers uncovered evidence of the oldest alphabetic writing in human history. The writing was etched onto finger-length...

Archaeologists have found a fort that the Romans built to protect their silver mines, complete with wooden spikes

23 February 2023

23 February 2023

Archaeologists have discovered wooden defenses surrounding an ancient Roman military base for the first time in Bad Ems, western Germany....

Scientists reconstruct Late Bronze and Iron Age Mediterranean silver trade

11 July 2021

11 July 2021

Scientists have recreated the Eastern Mediterranean silver trade across a time span that includes the conventional dates of the Trojan...

Archaeologists in Egypt unearth Roman-era cabin and royal sphinx statue

6 March 2023

6 March 2023

An Egyptian archaeological mission discovered a sphinx statue inside a Roman-era limestone cabin excavated in Egypt’s south. The artifacts were...