Cypriot antiquities department recovers bronze age juglet from UK auction

A Late Bronze Age base-ring juglet, dating to approximately 1450 BC, was returned to the Republic of Cyprus on June 23. The artifact was identified by officials from the Cypriot Department of Antiquities during an online auction held on April 6. Following intervention by the department, the auction house, Halls Fine Art Auctioneers, and the anonymous owner agreed to withdraw the item from sale and repatriate it. The juglet was subsequently handed over to the Cypriot High Commission in London. The Department of Antiquities has publicly thanked the auction house, the owner, and the Cultural Section of the High Commission for their cooperation. While some reports referred to the item as part of an illegal trade monitoring effort, the artifact was voluntarily surrendered following diplomatic contact. This repatriation is part of a broader ongoing initiative by Cypriot authorities to recover cultural heritage items from abroad.