by Archaeology Newsroom

Last Saturday on June 15, fossils from the protected area of the Lesvos Petrified Forest were found and confiscated by Customs officers of Mytilini Airport during a customs check of passengers boarding a flight to Vienna.

Specifically, as announced by the Independent Public Revenue Authority, during a luggage inspection of Czech nationals the following items were found and seized: three pieces of fossilized tree trunks, 63 segments of fossilized tree trunks collected from the coast and made smooth by sea water, volcanic rock containing coarse aggregates of quartz and 10 beach pebbles.

Investigations then followed with constant briefing of the prosecutor of the Criminal Court of Mytilini. According to the report by the head of the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest, these fossils come from the protected area of the Lesvos Petrified Forest. The latter has been designated a monument of nature and will join UNESCO’S Global Geoparks Network.