ATHENS - Greek archaeologists hope a priest who convinced a gold digger to give up ancient artifacts he unearthed by accident will let them know where the treasures came from. Georgia Karamitrou-Medesidi, director of a local archaeological commission in the Kozani prefecture in Northern Greece said the man had gone digging for gold coins. „During confession, he told a priest what he dug up, and the priest convinced him to give him the artefacts to deliver to us. The priest is a deeply spiritual man and won't divulge the identity of the man," she told Reuters. „We just hope he can convince the finder to disclose the area he was digging in." The find included eight vases, 27 metal objects and 85 copper coins. Surveying the site could reveal clues about them and possibly unearth more. Legends about hidden gold sovereigns -- given by the British to fund Greek resistance to the Nazis in World War Two -- abound in the Greek countryside and digging for them is common.

Ancient artworks however are national property and digging or exporting them is strictly illegal.

Reuters