Artifacts from Odessa Archaeological Museum Found on Auction Site
Recently, artifacts appeared on a private internet auction that turned out to be from the funds of the Odessa Archaeological Museum. After discovering this fact, special correspondent Georgiy Ak-Murza of «Dumska» conducted an investigation to find out how such valuable items ended up for sale.
The artifacts in question are smoking pipes of Tatar and Turkish origin from the 16th-18th centuries. These items were put up for sale by a user who signed as Satanov and stated that he was located in Odessa. However, the true origin of the artifacts being museum funds became evident through markings on the pipes. The abbreviation «OGIM» — the old name of the Odessa Archaeological Museum — and other identification marks are clearly visible on them.
Experts confirmed that the items show signs of museum exhibits and therefore became a matter of special concern. Upon discovering the artifacts at the auction, the editorial board of «Dumska» immediately informed the police and contacted the director of the archaeological museum, Igor Pistruy.
The museum director confirmed that the items are indeed part of the museum collections and that he himself discovered them at the auction. He urged to refrain from publications on this matter to avoid harming the investigation.
However, ten days later, Igor Pistruy refused to comment on the situation, noting that the topic of theft of museum items should not be covered in the media. This raised even more questions about the transparency and effectiveness of the investigation.
Currently, law enforcement officials are investigating how these artifacts ended up at the auction and who is responsible for the theft, which seriously jeopardized the preservation of the cultural heritage of the Odessa Archaeological Museum.
