Denmark to return ancient statue head to Türkiye

COPENHAGEN

Denmark's Glyptotek art museum announced on Nov. 26 that it will return the bronze head of Roman Emperor Septimius Severus to Türkiye, after showcasing it for over 50 years.

The statue, which originates from the ancient city of Boubon in Burdur, was illegally excavated in the 1960s and subsequently sold to Denmark's Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in 1970.

The announcement brings to an end an 18-month dispute with Ankara, which claims the piece was part of a statue looted during an archaeological dig.

"The Glyptotek has decided in favor of Türkiye's request to return the ancient bronze portrait," the museum said in a statement on Nov. 26.

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy made a statement on his social media account, saying, “Thanks to the intensive efforts and diplomatic initiatives of our ministry, the head of a statue of Septimius Severus, which was smuggled from the ancient city of Boubon in Burdur about 60 years ago, and the Düver terracotta panels from the Pisidia Region, are returning to their homeland, to our country.”

Ersoy also reminded that the head of the statue had its body returned from the United States after being smuggled there years ago. “In other words, the Septimius Severus statue, which was smuggled from our country in two parts, will be whole again after a long time,” he said.

Stating that with the latest repatriated artifacts, the total number of items brought back to their homeland since 2018 has reached 7,898, Ersoy said: “We are proud to have taken this significant step in our efforts to protect our cultural heritage and pass it on to future generations. I extend my gratitude to Türkiye's Embassy in Denmark, the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Denmark, and the team at the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums for their contributions to this process.”

A statue of the Roman emperor, who lived from A.D. 145 to 211, spent decades in the United States as part of a private collection that loaned it to New York's Metropolitan Museum.

It was sent back to Türkiye almost two years ago — minus the head.

Ankara said the missing head was in the Danish capital, on display at the Glyptotek in Copenhagen for over 50 years.

In 1979, a former museum curator said he believed that the head, acquired in 1970 without any information about its exact origins, corresponded to the decapitated statue in the U.S.

The two bronze pieces were reunited for an exhibition and examined by Turkish archaeologist Jale İnan.

Based on his conclusions, the Turkish embassy in Copenhagen then formally asked Denmark in May 2023 for the head to be returned, a request Copenhagen initially met with skepticism.

"I'm not saying that they don't belong together. I'm just saying that we are not as sure as we perhaps were 25-30 years ago," Rune Frederiksen, Glyptotek's director of collections, told AFP at the time.

It has never been established beyond a doubt that the two pieces belong together, but the Danish museum has concluded that the head is from Bubon, a Roman site in Asia Minor, in the historic region of Lycia on what is now Türkiye's Mediterranean coast.

"Unique archaeological finds from Bubon have been sold illegally to collectors and museums around the world," Gertrud Hvidberg-Hansen, the head of the museum, said in a statement.

"In recent years, many of these items, especially those held in collections in the United States, have been returned. These factors have contributed to our decision to comply with the restitution request from Türkiye," she said.

The head of the Septimius Severus statue will soon be displayed in the country. Its return is seen as a major step in preserving Anatolia’s rich cultural heritage.

It is known that the artifacts smuggled from the ancient city of Boubon were sent not only to Europe but also to the United States. In collaboration with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, the Culture Ministry has successfully facilitated the return of several artifacts to Türkiye. These include statues of Lucius Verus, Septimius Severus, a Young Emperor, and a Draped Woman, along with two busts attributed to Emperor Caracalla, five heads of significant figures from the era, and a bronze bust of a woman — all originating from Boubon.