A US Collector Has Returned 12 Ancient Treasures to Thailand as Part of a Crackdown on Looted Artifacts

Sarah Cascone, 'A US Collector Has Returned 12 Ancient Treasures to Thailand as Part of a Crackdown on Looted Artifacts', ArtNews Net August 3, 2018

An American antiquities collector has returned a dozen looted ancient artifacts, including decorated pottery and bronze jewelry, to Thailand, which has been campaigning in recent years for the return of smuggled treasures. The objects are believed to be between 1,800 and 4,300 years old and made by an ancient civilization in Ban Chiang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northeast Thailand. Thai culture minister Vira Rojpojchanarat announced the return of the prehistoric artifacts on Thursday, the Associated Press reported. It remains unclear how the collector, Katherine Ayers-Mannix, obtained the antiquities, which she turned over to the Thai Embassy in Washington, DC.