This 2,500-year-old Greek vase, the Euphronios Krater, is one of several antiquities that New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art says it will return to Italy, which says the items were lillegally taken from its soil. The Met is asking for long-term loans of other artifacts, a precedent archaeologists hope will prompt museums to change their acquisition policies.

ROME — New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art agreed Monday to return antiquities Italy says were looted in exchange for long-term loans of other artifacts — a precedent archaeologists hope will prompt museums to change their acquisition policies.

The agreement, which is expected to be signed today in Rome by Met chief Philippe de Montebello and Italian Culture Minister Rocco Buttiglione, will likely have ramifications across the museum world, thrust into the spotlight by a vigorous Italian campaign to reclaim treasures it says were illegally taken from its soil.

Antiquities experts and archaeologists said that unless the Met and other museums are forced to change their policies to prevent the acquisition of looted treasures, the Met's agreement with Italy will be little more than a one-off deal.

The Met had already announced Feb. 2 it would transfer legal title to Italy of six important antiquities that Italy says were looted, including the Euphronios Krater, a 6th-century B.C. painted vase that is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of its kind.

In exchange, it proposed that Italy provide long-term loans of works of "equivalent beauty and importance."

De Montebello was in Rome on Monday to finalize details of the agreement with ministry officials. As a result, the deal's announcement by the Culture Ministry was not a surprise.

"An agreement has been reached for the return of some antiquities in the possession of the Metropolitan Museum that belong to Italy, including the famous Euphronios vase, the Morgantina treasure and other pieces on display in the Metropolitan," a ministry statement said.

Officials declined to give details other than to say the deal was in line with the proposals.

The 3rd-century Morgantina silver collection was smuggled out of Sicily. The other four objects involve Greek earthenware treasures dating from 320 B.C. to 520 B.C.

Met spokesman Harold Holzer said a few details remained to be worked out, but suggested they would not affect today's signing ceremony.

The Met offered to return the items after saying it had received evidence from the Italians about their origins, a breakthrough in a decades-long dispute that highlighted other battles by countries such as Greece and Turkey to reclaim their cultural heritage from tomb-raiders and the museums that do business with them.

Patty Gerstenblith, a professor of antiquities law at DePaul University in Chicago, said the deal with Italy was very significant because the Met was recognizing Italy's title and ownership rights to artifacts found on Italian soil.