In 1938, officials of the Greek Ministry of Culture took note of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini’s aggressive actions and viewed their expansionist rhetoric as a direct threat to Greece. These officials anticipated the potential need to protect the most valued treasures of the country from war and developed a plan that included multiple methods of protection. One of these methods was storing artifacts in nearby caves. At the outbreak of the Greco-Italian War in October 1940, the Ministry’s Archaeology Department was directed to implement their part of the plan….
