By Tim Binnall
A German woman is being hailed for her forthrightness after she returned an ancient Greek relic that she stole during a visit to the country over 50 years ago. According to a press release from the Greek Ministry of Culture, the pilfered piece was once the top of a column from a 4th-century building. Measuring approximately nine inches tall and 13 inches wide, the relic was taken out of the country by the unnamed woman in the 1960s.
Remarkably, the piece remained in her possession for the next several decades until a few weeks ago, when, inspired by news of "recent returns of significant antiquities from the University of Münster to their countries of origin," she decided to make good on her misdeed from so long ago. In detailing the stolen column top's recovery, the Greek Ministry of Culture credited the "sensitivity and courage" of the woman who will presumably face no penalty for taking the piece in the first place.