The thieves were caught after one of them posted a photo of himself posing with a stolen relic on Facebook.
Emanuele Antonio Minerva/Italian Ministry of CultureA collection of Etruscan artifacts recovered by the Italian police from “clumsy” tomb raiders.
Italian authorities were recently alerted to photos of ancient Etruscan artifacts circulating online, including sarcophagi, urns, and funerary objects. The images highly suggested the items had been looted, and investigators got to work tracking down the relics and identifying the thieves.
Aided by Etruscan history experts, surveillance techniques, and even drone technology, the police succeeded in recovering the artifacts, which were valued at $8.4 million, and arrested two suspects.
Despite the unfortunate circumstances behind their discovery, the items are providing researchers with a rare opportunity to study Etruscan culture. The collection, believed to belong to a wealthy ancient family, includes intricately decorated urns, bronze mirrors, and personal items that paint a vivid picture of life and death in this mysterious pre-Roman civilization.
Tomb Raiders Plunder Etruscan Artifacts From An Ancient Cemetery In Umbria
Emanuele Antonio Minerva/Italian Ministry of CultureThe recovered artifacts are stunningly well-preserved after 2,300 years.
In 2015, a farmer plowing a field in Città della Pieve, Italy, uncovered an ancient Etruscan burial ground. The Etruscans were a pre-Roman culture that flourished in central Italy between the eighth and third centuries B.C.E., and they are best recognized for artistic contributions like statues, temples, and elaborate sarcophagi.
Last April, Italian authorities became aware of images circulating online that showed a large number of Etruscan artifacts. At first, they were unsure where the objects had come from. Then, they noticed that the name that appeared on some of them — “Pulfna” — had also been seen on similar items found by the farmer a decade ago.
With their search area narrowed down, the police used drones to find the site from which the relics had been excavated and made a list of potential perpetrators who lived nearby and had access to the heavy machinery they would have needed to remove the massive urns and sarcophagi.
Then, one of the suspects posted a photo of himself with an artifact on Facebook. He was arrested alongside another local entrepreneur who owned the land where the Etruscan relics were found. They were both charged with theft and receiving cultural goods. If found guilty, they could face up to 10 years in prison.
“[The looters] had nothing to do with the world of practiced tomb raiders and were clumsy and amateurish in the way they tried to access the black market for looted art,” said Perugia Chief Prosecutor Raffaele Cantone, according to the Greek Reporter.
However, the whole ordeal has brought attention to one of the most impressive collections of Etruscan antiquities in history.
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What Can These Artifacts Reveal About Etruscan Culture?
Emanuele Antonio Minerva/Italian Ministry of CultureSome of the funerary items recovered by Italian authorities.
Researchers from Italy’s Ministry of Culture pored over the artifacts, a collection that included two sarcophagi, eight intricately decorated urns, and a handful of funerary items all dating back to the third century B.C.E.
Inside one of the sarcophagi, researchers found the complete skeleton of an Etruscan woman who was in her early 40s when she died. On the urns, researchers noted inscriptions and depictions of battles, hunts, and myths, like that of Achilles and Troilus.
“The urns, all intact, are in white Umbrian travertine, partly decorated with high reliefs with battle and hunting scenes and with friezes, some of which preserve polychrome pigments and gold leaf coatings,” a press release from the Ministry of Culture reads.
Emanuele Antonio Minerva/Italian Ministry of CultureThe remains of an Etruscan woman discovered in a sarcophagus.
Researchers believe that the items belonged to a single wealthy family, as evidenced by the word “PULFNA” carved into many of the items. Among the funerary objects were a bone comb, bronze vessels, perfume, and more.
“The funeral trousseau is particularly rich, consisting of both earthenware and metal furnishings and pottery, including four bronze mirrors, one of which with the ancient deification of Rome and the she-wolf,” the Ministry of Culture explained.
Overall, while officials are disappointed by the Etruscan artifacts’ illicit journey, their recovery has created valuable opportunities to study and better understand this largely enigmatic culture.
After reading about the recovery of the Etruscan artifacts stolen by tomb raiders, go inside the story of the curse of King Tut’s tomb and how it allegedly led to the deaths of nine people. Then, read about the elusive tomb of Alexander the Great.
