Return sought of medieval letter

Athens - The Greek Culture Minister, Mr Evangelos Venizelos called yesterday for the return of a medieval reproduction of a letter written by the physicist and mathematician Archimedes, which he said was stolen by a French family. The manuscript was due to be auctioned by Christie's in New York next week for around $1 million, and Mr Venizelos called on patrons of culture to buy it. The Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem informed Athens last week that the 12th-century manuscript belonged to him and that he wanted it back, Mr Venizelos said.