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One of the “Ten Most Wanted” Antiquities Surfaces in Georgia After Half a Century

May 12, 2026

Anonymous Return of 1,500-Year-Old Native American Artifact Revives Cold Case from 1974 Heist 

Washington, DC, 12 May 2026—The Antiquities Coalition’s “Ten Most Wanted” List has reached a third milestone. An ancient ceremonial pottery vessel, one of over 120 pieces stolen from the Kolomoki Mounds State Park in Georgia more than five decades ago, has now been recovered. The Kolomoki mound artifacts, most of which remain missing, have been featured in the Antiquities Coalition’s campaign since it first launched in 2020 to find—and bring home—looted cultural treasures from around the world.

According to surveillance footage reviewed by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, on April 8, a bald man in glasses entered the park’s visitor center, set a cardboard box on the counter, and told a staff member, “I believe this belongs here.” He then walked out without identifying himself. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says he is not considered a suspect in the original theft, but is asking for the public’s help in locating him.

The vessel had been missing since March 1974, when thieves pried open the back door of the visitor center and made off with more than 120 ancient artifacts, all that were on display at the time. Kolomoki Mounds, the oldest and largest Woodland-era Native American site in the southeastern United States, was built by peoples of the Swift Creek and Weeden Island cultures. DNR has said it plans to work collaboratively with federally recognized tribal partners on this artifact and any future recoveries.

“This is exactly why we created the Ten Most Wanted Antiquities List,” said Deborah Lehr, Chairman and Founder of the Antiquities Coalition. “When the public knows what has been stolen, recoveries become possible—even ones that have been impossible for fifty-two years. The Kolomoki vessel is the third piece from the list to be identified, and each one shows that public awareness can succeed where decades of investigation have stalled.”

The Kolomoki vessel joins two earlier successes from the Ten Most Wanted campaign: the recovery and return of a monumental 10th-century sculpture of the elephant-headed god Ganesha to Cambodia and the identification of the Kwer’ata Re’esu Icon of Ethiopia.

Anyone with information about the still missing Kolomoki artifacts—or other objects on the Antiquities Coalition’s Ten Most Wanted List—can submit tips, anonymously if preferred, to:

About the Ten Most Wanted Campaign

The Ten Most Wanted Antiquities list is modeled after the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Criminals list and intended to identify some of the most significant looted, stolen, and missing artifacts from around the world. The intent is to raise awareness about the on-going global crisis of cultural racketeering. Two items on the list have been found to date—successes that stem from engaging the public and the art world in tracking and identifying historic items.

Curated in collaboration with leading experts, the updated Ten Most Wanted Antiquities list now features artifacts from Ukraine, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Guatemala, India, Iraq, the United States, and Yemen. Wanted posters provide snapshots of the pieces’ significance, information about their theft, and their last known whereabouts to help aid in the search for their return.

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