ROME, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Italy Monday handed back to Pakistan a precious haul of stolen antiquities.

    Italy's art police spotted the 100 or so figurines, bowls and terracotta works, some dating back to 5,000 BC, at a northern Italian antiques fair in 2005.

    The vendor was trying to pass them off as earthenware from Thailand.

    The police, helped by experts on Oriental art, succeeded in establishing the true provenance of the artifacts and their huge value, the local media reported.

    Italy will send a team to Pakistan to help restore the artifacts.

    Handing over the articles to Pakistani Ambassador Mirza Qamar Beg, Italian Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli said: "Italy returns works to countries with legal title to them and wants to get its own works back from museums which have them" -- a reference to a long-running dispute with the John Paul Getty Museum in California.

    Rutelli said Italy had started talking to museums worldwide to secure the restitution of plundered artifacts.

    "Some of them have understood and are giving back what was stolen, while others have not understood."