" In effect the goddess has been returned to those who looted her. . ."

La dea di Morgantina

Catherine Schofield Sezgin interviews Jason Felch, co-author of “Chasing Aphrodite”. An excerpt:

ARCA Blog: When you were in Italy, did you wonder if anyone in the crowd had made money from selling “Aphrodite” to the Getty? How well were you able to explain this transaction in your book? 

Jason: Yes, there is plenty of irony here. In effect, the goddess has been returned to those who looted her, broke her into pieces and smuggled her out of the country for profit. Aidone is a very small town, and I was told that several of the locals who attended the ceremonies used to be clandestini — the Sicilian term for looters.

Read the full interview here.