Ancient jug was holiday souvenir
A4,500-YEAR- OLD Turkish jug inadvertently brought home as a souvenir by a tourist has been returned to its former home more than 50 years later.
It was made possible thanks to staff at Adam Partridge Auctioneers and Valuers in Macclesfield, who confirmed the origin of the jug after they were approached by Thelma Bishop, who had bought the jug with her husband after visiting Ephesus in Turkey in the early 1960s.
Jason Wood, an archaeologist and specialist consultant in studio ceramics based at the Withyfold Drive auction house, made contact through his Turkish wife with several experts who confirmed the jug to be a genuine early bronze age artefact belonging to the Yortan culture of around 2,500 BC.
It is of a type commonly found as a burial offering in many graves in western Anatolia, and is in remarkably good condition for its age.
Although it had been bought in good faith more than 50 years ago, it became clear that the jug should never have left Turkey, so with the agreement of Mrs Bishop, Jason contacted the Turkish Embassy in London for advice.
The jug was handed over to the Turkish authorities in London on Monday, January 16 and it will be re-homed in the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations in the Turkish capital Ankara.
Jason said: “It is not every day that a prehistoric pot from Anatolia is unearthed near Stockport.
“Given its age, fragility and how far it’s travelled, I’m also astonished at its remarkable condition – better than some 20th century ceramics I’ve catalogued.”
The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism expressed its thanks to Mrs Bishop, from Gatley, and to Adam Partridge Auctioneers for ‘contributing to the protection of Turkey’s cultural heritage’.
A statement from the ministry said: “Their sensitive actions set an example to the auction community, while stressing the importance of transparency in the art market.
“The ministry will be pleased to welcome Mrs Bishop and Adam Partridge Auctioneers to Turkey and will be presenting them with museum passes.”