Treasure of King Croesus
- Also Known as Karun Treasure or Lydian Treasure
- Circa 7th century BCE
- Over 200 pieces of coins, jewelry, pottery and other artifacts
- Current Location: Usak Museum, Turkey
- Ownership disputed by: Turkey, items repatriated from Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
- Some items stolen by museum curator from Usak after repatriation
Croesus was the last King of Lydia, a country that existed in modern day Turkey circa 1200 -546 BCE. Croesus was defeated by Cyrus II of Persia in 546 BCE, and Lydia became part of the Persian Empire. Lydia was known for their riches, it is theorized that gold coins were invented in this region in the 7th century BCE.
In the 1960’s, fortune seekers ransacked multiple Lydian burial mounds in modern day Turkey. It is unknown how the artifacts were smuggled out, but in 1967 the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York acquired 200 pieces of the looted artifacts.
In 1984 the Metropolitan Museum of Art began displaying the items and it did not take long for the Turkish government to find out. A subsequent court battle between the Met and Turkey found that the items were illegally obtained and the treasure was repatriated in 1993, where some of the items went on display at The Archaeological Museum in Usak, Turkey.
The story for the artifacts does not end in 1993. In 2005, a piece known as King Croesus’ Brooch, was switched for a fake and sold by the museum’s director, Kazım Akbıyıklıoğlu. It is believed that the director needed money to settle gambling debts. In 2012 the original brooch was located in Germany and finally returned to Turkey in 2013. The details of how the real Brooch was tracked down was never revealed. In 2014, the Turkish government finished building a new museum in Usak that could properly display all of the items.
In the 1960’s, fortune seekers ransacked multiple Lydian burial mounds in modern day Turkey. It is unknown how the artifacts were smuggled out, but in 1967 the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York acquired 200 pieces of the looted artifacts.
In 1984 the Metropolitan Museum of Art began displaying the items and it did not take long for the Turkish government to find out. A subsequent court battle between the Met and Turkey found that the items were illegally obtained and the treasure was repatriated in 1993, where some of the items went on display at The Archaeological Museum in Usak, Turkey.
The story for the artifacts does not end in 1993. In 2005, a piece known as King Croesus’ Brooch, was switched for a fake and sold by the museum’s director, Kazım Akbıyıklıoğlu. It is believed that the director needed money to settle gambling debts. In 2012 the original brooch was located in Germany and finally returned to Turkey in 2013. The details of how the real Brooch was tracked down was never revealed. In 2014, the Turkish government finished building a new museum in Usak that could properly display all of the items.