Burdur: A bronze statue of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, looted from Trkiye in the 1960s, is set to return to its homeland within the next few days. The statue, dating from around AD 50-250 and depicting Aurelius as a philosopher, was illegally excavated from the ancient city of Boubon in Burdur, southwestern Trkiye. It was smuggled abroad and is currently housed at the Cleveland Museum of Art in the US.

According to Anadolu Agency, the statue will soon be returned to Trkiye following lengthy legal and scholarly efforts. The artifact, which stands 1.93 meters (6.3 feet) without its head, will be transported via a charter flight by Turkish Airlines. After being smuggled out of Trkiye, the statue had changed hands multiple times.

Removing antiquities from Trkiye, a region with a rich history of civilizations, is strictly prohibited under law, with penalties for those who violate these regulations. The Cleveland Museum of Art contested the seizure of the statue in court in 2023, arguing that its origins were unclear. However, Trkiye provided evidence disproving this claim, leading to the decision to return the statue.

The statue was officially handed over to Trkiye during a ceremony in April at the Cleveland Museum of Art but remained on display for a special exhibition until July.

Marcus Aurelius, known as the philosopher emperor, lived from 121 to 180 and ruled the Roman Empire from 161 until his death. He is remembered as the last of the Five Good Emperors, a period marked by stability and wise governance. During this time, the empire reached its greatest territorial extent.

In addition to being a powerful ruler, Aurelius was a thinker, known for writing the Meditations, a personal journal of Stoic philosophy. His death at age 58 marked the end of Rome's long period of internal peace, followed by civil war and a more turbulent chapter in the empire's history.