News

Stolen 2000 Year Old Roman Statue Recovered – In Belgium

A Roman statue stolen in Italy in November, 2011, has been recovered – hundreds of miles away in an antique shop in Belgium.
Believed to date to the first century BCE, the toga wearing white stone figure of a male without his head was discovered by two Italian police officers on an evening out after a day’s work in the Belgian capital earlier this year.
SC Of Image original copyright Italian Culture Ministry

The officers, intrigued at what they were seeing, checked a worldwide database specialising in stolen works of art before finding the statue had been taken from the Villa Marini Dettina archaeological site in the Italian capital Rome almost a decade ago.

According to reports in the Italian media it is valued at around 100,000 euros.

After the two Italians reported the find to local Belgian authorities the statue was taken ‘into custody’ and later returned to its original home.
It is understood that at least one Italian, albeit posing as a Spanish national, and supposedly a trader / antiques dealer is now going through a legal case to explain his involvement in the case and why he exported the statue from Italy to Belgium – an illegal act without government clearance when related to ancient artefacts leaving Italy.
Amy Wu

Amy is a Taiwanese graduate student based in Phoenix, Arizona, currently home in Hsinchu to ride out the COVID-19 pandemic. She has a passion for Hakka culture, and the rights of minorities around the world. She will cover SE Asian news and topics.

Recent Posts

Egyptian national charged in Boulder terror attack targeting pro-Israel rally

Authorities have charged a 45-year-old Egyptian national in connection with a violent terror attack that…

2 days ago

Ukraine launches massive drone strikes on Russian airbases, war escalates

Ukraine on Sunday launched a sweeping series of drone strikes targeting air bases across Russia:…

2 days ago

Elon Musk sharply criticizes Trump’s tax bill, claims it undermines cost-cutting reforms

Elon Musk has issued a scathing critique of Donald Trump’s marquee tax reform bill, arguing…

1 week ago

King Charles III’s visit to Canada shows support for Canadian sovereignty despite Trump threats

King Charles III arrived in Canada’s capital on Monday for a high-profile visit that Canadian…

1 week ago

President Trump blasts Putin over deadly Ukraine assault, pushes for ceasefire talks

President Donald Trump issued a sharp rebuke of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, calling…

1 week ago

Israeli embassy staff killed in D.C. shooting; suspect shouts “Free Palestine” upon arrest

Two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington were fatally shot Wednesday evening outside…

2 weeks ago