A valuable stolen dagger returned to the National Museum after more than three decades

An artefact from 17th century B.C.

7. julij 2018 ob 11.59 • Ljubljana - MMC RTV SLO

In 2015, the dagger was recognized at an auction in Great Britain, which triggered a number of necessary bureaucratic procedures for its return. Foto: Narodni muzej Slovenije/Tomaž Lauko

The history of the dagger from the end of the late Bronze Age, which was stolen more than three decades ago with a few other exhibits, shows that sometimes very unexpected things happen in museums. This week, the precious piece has returned to his home after being returned from Great Britain.

The dagger, which dates back to the 17th century BC and was also known as the dagger of Ig, was stolen from the National Museum of Slovenia in September 1985. During a burglary in two showcases in the exhibition collections, 45 pieces of Bronze Age tools, jewellery and weapons were stolen from the museum, among them a dagger.

Fruitless efforts immediately after theft
The police investigation was not successful at the time, nor were appeals to the public in newspapers, and the offer of a prize for any information revealed no traces. Then, in 2015, the dagger was recognized at an auction in Great Britain, which triggered a number of necessary bureaucratic procedures for its return.

Joint efforts of all participating institutions
The return procedure was led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia with the help of the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in London. The actual return was enabled through cooperation with Interpol and the Art Loss Register. Moreover, the process was also coordinated by the Slovenian Ministry of Culture, the National Museum of Slovenia and the Slovenian Police.

To see the public in the next week
And so this important museum exhibit was returned to Slovenia on Thursday. It was delivered to the National Museum of Slovenia, where its significance for Slovenian cultural heritage will be presented next week, in addition to its story of the last three decades.

State Secretary at the Ministry of Culture Damjana Pečnik, Director General for EU Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs David Brozina, Director of the National Museum of Slovenia Barbara Ravnik and the museum's curator of prehistory Peter Turk will participate in the presentation.