The treasure of Croesus

This film deals with the theft in the 1960’s of the artifacts known as the “Treasure of Croesus” from Lydian tumuli in the western Anatolian province of Usak, the history of Lydian civilisation and the facinating tale of the quest for the artifacts. The artifacts were smuggled out of the country and resurfaced in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Turkey’s request for the artifacts’ return by the MET led to the opening of a court case. When Turkish and American experts proved that the artifacts were Lydian, the MET returned the antiques to Turkey without waiting for the results of the court case. Two of the many experts who contributed to this film are Prof. Ekrem Akurgal and Prof. C.H. Greenewelt Jr., the American director of the Sardis excavation.