University of Va. to return Greek statues

CHARLOTTESVILLE , Va., Jan. 4 (UPI) -- The University of Virginia plans to return to Italy two ancient Greek sculptures taken from Sicily by tomb raiders and donated to the university's museum.

Created around 525 B.C. and discovered in 1978, the statues have been on display at the university's art museum since they were donated in 2002.

"We're honored that we had them," university art history professor Malcolm Bell III told the Charlottesville (Va.) Daily Progress. "We took good care of them. A lot of students saw them and learned from them. Now we're happy to return them to Italy."

The statues of the goddesses Demeter and Persephone were originally displayed in a temple in Morgantina, an ancient Greek settlement near what is now the Italian city of Aidone, the newspaper said.

The university hasn't revealed the identity of who donated the statues, however, The New York Times has reported New York diamond merchant and philanthropist Maurice Tempelsman previously owned the sculptures.

"We're very pleased and grateful and happy to be getting these magnificent statues back," said Silvia Limoncini, a cultural counselor of the Italian Embassy in Washington. "It's an example of the excellent relationship between Italy and the United States."