Priam was the last king of Troy, the semi-mythical city famously destroyed in the Trojan War by Agamemnon, Achilles and other hell-raising heroes of ancient Greece. A 4,500-year-old treasure collection (supposedly) belonging to him was unearthed by German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann in the late 19th century.

The collection remained with the Royal Museums of Berlin until 1945, when it was quietly taken by the Soviets at the end of World War II. It later reappeared in the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow in 1994, with Russia stating that they’d keep the items as compensation for the destruction of its cities by Nazi Germany during the war.

As the treasure was found in Troy, located in modern-day Turkey, the nation is also involved in diplomatic efforts to have the treasure returned, which have so far been unsuccessful.

Controversial museum treasures fighting to go home