Man arrested for illegally hoarding ancient artifacts in his garden

A 62-year-old man was arrested in the northern town of Drama on Wednesday for the illegal hoarding of ancient artifacts in his garden.

Police found in the man’s garden fragments of an associated sarcophagus cover, likely dating back to the Roman period, twelve built-in sections of inscribed Muslim sepulchral stele, as well as a shield covered with decoration that resembles an arabesque and dates back to the late Byzantine period (13th-14th century).

The ancient objects were located after a police operation by the Department of Cultural Heritage and Antiquities of the Security of Thessaloniki, in the presence of a judicial officer.

Among the found antiquities are: two parts of a sarcophagus cover (probably from the Roman period), an undecorated Byzantine masonic capital, parts of an eight-sided Byzantine colonnade set in a flower bed and a four-sided Byzantine pessico (and an intact slab) were found, as well as a shield covered with decoration which resembles an arabesque and dates back to the late Byzantine period (13th-14th century).

Found in the man’s garden were objects that according to the archaeologist’s opinion, need further investigation.

These are, among others, is is a buttressed column trunk, which supports the masonry capital, parts of jars, an epitaph of a Muslim tombstone (sariq), capital in second use, part of an inscribed Muslim tombstone stele, four fragments of vases, twelve inlaid fragments of inscribed Muslim sepulchral stele and a bronze accessory.

The objects were examined by an archaeologist of the Antiquities Authority of Drama and it was found that they fall under the protective provisions of the Law on Antiquities, Greek Police said in a statement.

All artifacts found fall under the protective provisions of the Law on Antiquities. In this sense, the man has been arrested.