A bronze statue of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, smuggled out of Türkiye more than six decades ago, has returned home and will be unveiled as the centerpiece of "The Golden Age of Archaeology” exhibition, opening on Aug. 6 at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, the capital of Türkiye.
The nearly 2,000-year-old statue will be displayed for the first time in Türkiye as part of a six-month exhibition featuring over 150 rare artifacts, more than 80% of which have never been publicly shown.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to inaugurate the exhibition, which coincides with a three-day international symposium in the capital, hosting more than 250 scholars, including 29 international participants and 33 academic speakers.
Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, commenting on the event Sunday via social media, said the return of artifacts and the exhibition represent more than a historic reunion.
"The silent legacy of history buried beneath the soil has now become one of Türkiye’s most powerful tools of diplomacy,” he wrote, adding that the initiative reflects "a strategic vision shaping Türkiye’s cultural future.”
The statue, dated to the second-third century A.D., had been trafficked out of Türkiye in the 1960s and later entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art in Ohio. Depicting the emperor as a philosopher, it is considered one of Anatolia’s finest examples of bronze sculpture.
Following efforts by Türkiye’s Culture and Tourism Ministry, in cooperation with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, the statue was formally returned in April during a ceremony held at the museum.
The return marks one of Türkiye’s highest-profile recoveries of cultural heritage in recent years.
The exhibition will present a broad range of ancient pieces from across Türkiye. Notable items include a Neolithic-era bowl from Karahantepe, a 3,500-year-old clay tablet from Hatay, a 1,000-year-old perfume bottle set from Antalya, the Skylla Head from Laodikeia, a silver coin of Orhan Gazi from Karacahisar, a sphinx from Gordion and a Roman-era Kybele statue.
Many of the items were returned to Türkiye following international investigations or uncovered through ongoing archaeological and cultural preservation efforts.
Officials say both the symposium and the exhibition reflect the country’s growing global cultural presence and its renewed commitment to reclaiming and showcasing its historical heritage.
