An elderly German was arrested after trying to steal an ancient column in Greece (3 photos)

A 61-year-old tourist has become the latest to desecrate historical sites by attempting to take home an archaeological artifact as a souvenir.





A 61-year-old German tourist is facing ten years behind bars in Greece for stealing an ancient marble column. He tried to smuggle it to Italy and claimed he had simply bought it from the Acropolis.

A German man has been arrested in the port of Patras after allegedly attempting to smuggle the artifact out of the country. He hid the column in his car and tried to take it by ferry to Italy.

He told police he bought the column near the Acropolis in Athens and did not know it was ancient.

Greek authorities say the man is charged with antiquities trafficking, a serious crime punishable by up to 12 years in prison in a country known for its rich archaeological heritage. The judge ordered further investigation and released the man on parole, barring him from leaving Greece until further notice.



This comes after a British tourist was arrested in Italy for cutting tiles from a Pompeii mosaic and trying to take them away as a souvenir.

In 2018, a French tourist was fined €200 and given a suspended sentence after he was caught carrying ancient Roman artefacts to Pompeii hidden in a backpack: pieces of terracotta and a shard of marble from the historic Villa Loreia Tiburtina.

However, sometimes stolen artefacts are returned. A tourist who stole a Pompeii mosaic sent it back, claiming it was cursed and that she had gotten cancer.



In 2018, tourists were urged to return pebbles they had brought back as souvenirs from the picturesque Greek beach on the island of Skiathos, where the ABBA musical Mamma Mia! was filmed.

Boxes labeled "Lalaria Beach Stones Return Box" appeared at Skiathos airport after activists said the stones were disappearing from the beach at an alarming rate.

And in 2020, a tourist who stole a piece of marble relief from a Roman museum three years earlier sent it back to Italy along with a letter apologizing for "being such an American jerk."