Imagine holding a piece of history in your hands, only to realize it belongs thousands of miles away. That’s exactly what happened to Enrico Tosti-Croce, a Chilean retiree who discovered his family heirloom was more than just a decorative stone—it was a fragment of ancient Greece’s grandeur. In a move that has sparked both admiration and debate, Tosti-Croce recently returned a 1.2kg marble fragment, intricately carved with lotus flowers, to its rightful home in Greece. But here’s where it gets controversial: the artifact wasn’t taken by just anyone—it was his father, an Italian naval officer, who picked it up from the foot of the Acropolis in the 1930s. Now, decades later, this act of restitution raises questions about cultural heritage, ownership, and moral responsibility.
The story begins in the 1930s when Gaetano Tosti-Croce, Enrico’s father, visited Athens as part of his naval duties. During his time there, he collected the marble fragment from the Acropolis, a site steeped in history and significance. The piece, a trapezoidal slab adorned with lotus flowers, became a family keepsake when Gaetano emigrated to Chile in 1949. For years, it sat as an ornament in the Tosti-Croce household, a conversation starter for guests. Enrico recalled, ‘When someone came to my house for the first time, I would show them that stone and say, “This is from the Parthenon.” Some believed me, others didn’t.’ But it wasn’t until Enrico heard about Greece’s long-standing campaign to repatriate the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum that he began to question the fragment’s place in his home.
‘When I heard the news, I said, “Wow, I have a little piece of the Parthenon,”’ Enrico told The Art Newspaper. Yet, his initial pride turned into a sense of duty. ‘It’s my responsibility to return it,’ he concluded. And so, he reached out to the Greek embassy, setting in motion a journey of discovery and restitution.
But this is the part most people miss: after the fragment was handed over, the Hellenic Ministry of Culture made a surprising revelation. The piece wasn’t from the Parthenon at all, but from the Hekatompedon, an even older temple on the Acropolis, dating back to the 6th century BC. ‘It turned out the piece wasn’t from the Parthenon, but from an even older temple,’ Enrico noted, highlighting the unexpected historical depth of his family’s artifact.
Reflecting on his decision, Enrico described a profound sense of fulfillment. ‘When I left the Greek embassy after handing over the piece of marble, I felt a special kind of satisfaction. I don’t even know how to describe it… I felt like I had done something good,’ he shared. His gesture has not gone unnoticed—the Greek embassy plans to honor him, hoping his example will inspire others to follow suit.
But here’s the question that lingers: Should individuals like Enrico be celebrated for returning artifacts, or should we scrutinize the circumstances under which these relics were taken in the first place? Some argue that such acts of restitution are long overdue, while others question the ethics of removing cultural treasures from their original contexts. What do you think? Is Enrico a hero, or does his story highlight a deeper issue of colonial-era looting and cultural appropriation? Let’s discuss in the comments—your perspective could spark a much-needed conversation.
