COPENHAGEN, Denmark – For half a century, a bronze head of the Roman emperor Septimus Severus has been on display at Copenhagen’s Glyptotek museum. But late last month, the museum announced that the statue would be returned to Turkey, following an investigation that concluded the bronze had been illegally excavated and trafficked by an art dealer with a history of illegally dealing in antiquities from Italy and Turkey.
Ny Carlsberg Glyptothek, Copenhagen. Bronze bust of Roman emperor Septimius Severus ( 195-211 A.C.) from Asia Minor. The head will be repatriated to Turkey. [Wolfgang Sauber, Wikimedia Commons, CC 3.0]
According to a statement from the Glyptotek, in May 2023 the Turkish ambassador to Denmark submitted a request for the bronze to be returned to Turkey, which triggered an archeological, archival, and technical analysis of the artifact. Following the investigation, multiple Danish authorities, including the Glyptotek, the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces, and the Danish Commission on the Export of Cultural Assets agreed to return the statue to Turkish hands.
The research indicated that the emperor’s head came from Boubon in southwest Turkey.
“Exceptionally strong arguments and scientific documentation are required to separate a work from the museum’s collection,” said Gertrud Hvidberg-Hansen, director of the Glyptote. ”In the case of this object, both criteria were present. Unique archaeological finds from Boubon have been sold illegally to collectors and museums around the world. In recent years, many of these items, especially those held in collections in the United States, have been returned.”
According to Artnet News, the bronze had been acquired in 1970 from Robert Hecht, an antiquities dealer who throughout his long career was frequently accused of illegal antiquities smuggling; the Italian authorities charged him for that crime twice. Hecht passed away in 2012.
The head had frequently been displayed with a seven-foot tall bronze headless statue, which was purported to belong to the head; the body had been on long-term loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, but it has also now been returned to Turkey.
The statue of Septimus Severus is believed to originally have been housed in the Sebasteion in Boubon alongside statues of other Roman emperors, where they were worshiped as deities. The Sebasteion was only legally excavated in 1967 after artifacts from it had illegally entered the antiquities market.
Septimus Severus reigned for 18 years between 193 and 211 C.E. He was the victor of the turmoil in the “Year of Five Emperors,” deposing his rival Didius Julianus and waging successful wars against other imperial claimants. Septimus Severus brought the Roman Empire to arguably its greatest territorial extent, and led the Empire to defeat the rival Parthian Empire for a time in 197 C.E. While on campaign in Caledonia in 211, he fell ill, and withdraw to the Roman holding of Eboracum (modern-day York), where he died. His descendants formed Severan Dynasty, which reigned until 235; its collapse set off the Crisis of the Third Century, a half-century of disintegration and unrest that nearly destroyed the Roman Empire.
The head – and possibly body – of Septimus Severus are not the only artifacts from Boubon that have been repatriated to Turkey in recent years. Several other statues from Boubon, including representations of Lucius Verus, Caracalla, and an anonymous “Young Emperor,” have been returned to Turkey in recent years following investigations from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.
“Türkiye stands as a uniquely privileged country in terms of its cultural heritage,” said Hakan Tekin, the Turkish ambassador. “However, this richness, while drawing the attention of those who cherish and value this heritage, unfortunately also attracts circles involved in illegal activities. Protecting cultural heritage requires not only physical measures but also raising awareness on both national and international levels. Our country is making all efforts to this end and we are happy to observe the positive results of these efforts especially in the recent years.”
The head of Septimus Severus will be displayed for a final time in the Glyptotek before it is returned to Turkey.
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