Italian authorities have seized numerous well-preserved artifacts dating back to the third century BCE that were initially plundered from an Etruscan necropolis in the central region of Umbria, according to an announcement from the country’s Ministry of Culture yesterday, November 19. Intended to be sold on the illicit antiquities market, the findings include decorated stone urns, two sarcophagi, and numerous funerary items from the Hellenistic period that police told Reuters are “worth at least €8 million” (~ $8.4 million).
The investigation to recover the illegally excavated objects began last April after the Carabinieri unit for the Protection of Cultural Heritage obtained photographs “depicting numerous cinerary urns with semi-recumbent figures, typical of Etruscan culture” circulating on the black market, according to the ministry’s press release. Overtaken by the Roman empire, the Etruscan civilization prospered in central Italy between the eighth and third centuries BCE. It is renowned for a flourishing artistic and architectural culture marked by a shiny black earthenware pottery known as bucchero ware and multi-functional finely crafted bronze and copper objects that were traded widely throughout the Mediterranean region. While other surviving artifacts from this period include elaborately decorated tombs and statuary, there are little preserved texts and other written materials except for inscriptions.
With the help of a professor from the University of Rome Tor Vergata, investigators were able to pinpoint the site of the necropolis to Citta della Pieve, which is located just under 100 miles north of Rome. Authorities narrowed their search to a local business owner who had property adjacent to the necropolis site. Two people currently face charges related to theft and trading of looted goods, according to prosecutor Annamaria Greco. The pair, who were described as “clumsy” and “amateurish” by Perugia Chief Prosecutor Raffaele Cantone, were identified after one of them posted a photo of himself with one of the looted objects on Facebook, Reuters reported.
In total, police recovered eight urns, which were made of white travertine that was decorated with carvings depicting battles, hunting scenes, and the myth of Achilles and Troilus. They also recovered the sarcophagi, one of which contained a complete skeleton, and numerous funerary beauty items that included four bronze mirrors, a vessel still containing traces of perfume, a bone comb, and bronze buckets and jugs that were often used by Etruscan women during ancient banquet events.
