Repatriated Marcus Aurelius statue on display in Ankara

ANKARA

Sixty-five years after it was smuggled abroad, the bronze statue of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius returned to Türkiye earlier this year and is now on display at the Presidential Millet Library in the capital Ankara.

Dating back to the 2nd-3rd centuries A.D., the statue was originally unearthed in the ancient city of Boubon, located the western province of Burdur's Gölhisar district.

In the 1960s, it was illicitly excavated and taken out of the country, later passing through various hands before becoming part of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection in Ohio, U.S.

The work is considered a rare and significant piece in ancient art for its depiction of Marcus Aurelius as a philosopher, reflecting the emperor’s reputation as a Stoic thinker.

Following years of research and negotiations led by the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry, the artifact was repatriated to Türkiye earlier this year.

The statue is the 13,291st cultural artifact successfully recovered through Türkiye’s ongoing efforts to reclaim its smuggled heritage. It will remain on public display for a limited time at the Millet Library within the Presidential Complex.

Presidential Chief of Staff Hasan Doğan announced the update on social media, writing: “The world-famous bronze statue of Emperor Marcus Aurelius was stolen from Burdur 65 years ago. Thanks to the efforts of our Culture and Tourism Ministry, it has been returned to the land it belongs to and is now waiting for visitors at the Millet Library in Beştepe.”

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Ersoy had earlier promised a surprise exhibition to display the statue in Ankara.

The repatriation marks another milestone in Türkiye’s campaign to retrieve its cultural treasures from museums and private collections abroad.