Officials have successfully recovered Etruscan artifacts in Italy dating back to the 3rd Century BC. These were looted from an Etruscan necropolis by a pair of tomb raiders in Umbria. It is alleged that the tomb raiders came across the haul on their land in Umbria.
The artifacts included eight Etruscan urns, two sarcophagi, beauty accessories such as bronze mirrors and a perfume bottle that still has its 2,500-year-old scent. The cost of the Etruscan loot taken by tomb raiders was estimated to be at least $9 million (8.5 million euros).
The Etruscan artifacts recovered in Italy were found in Citta della Pieve, which is a location 90 miles (145 km) north of Rome.
Sarcophagus that contained the skeleton of a woman among Etruscan artifacts
The recovered artifacts came from the illegal excavation of an Etruscan burial site in the central Umbria. https://t.co/m0K9tU4Z9h
— Dr. Charles Mount (@cmount1) November 20, 2024
One of the more interesting discoveries made through these Etruscan artifacts was the discovery of the full skeleton of a woman in her forties inside one of the recovered sarcophagi.
On the other hand, the urns that were in the loot were adorned with scenes from Greek mythology, and some of them even featured female figures with red paint on their lips.
Italian officials recovered the Etruscan loot from two tomb raiders who uncovered an Etruscan burial chamber while they were excavating land they owned. Perugia Chief Prosecutor Raffaele Cantone said the pair “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.”
Officials caught the pair after they posted pictures of their Etruscan discovery online. They hoped that the pictures would attract buyers for the artifacts. This prompted Italian law enforcement to begin an operation in which they used phone wiretaps, stakeouts, and drone surveillance on the two individuals.
The final nail in the coffin for the tomb-raiding pair came when one of them posted a picture of themselves with one of the artifacts on Facebook, which prompted officials to act.
Now the pair faces charges that include theft and trading of stolen goods, as well as jail sentences that could add up to 10 years.
Oggi conferenza stampa sull’indagine svolta dai Carabinieri TPC, coordinata dalla Procura della Repubblica presso il Tribunale di Perugia, che ha condotto al sequestro di reperti etruschi di straordinario valore storico e artistico
🔗 Scopri di più: https://t.co/KvQ6FPNRxH pic.twitter.com/2s8Zm2Cye2— Ministero della Cultura (@MiC_Italia) November 19, 2024
Who were the Etruscans?
The Etruscans were an ancient civilization that flourished in central Italy almost 2,500 years ago. Their settlements are commonly found in the region of Etruria, which is modern-day Tuscany, Lazio, and some parts of Umbria.
The civilization is still the subject of much debate, given that their origins are somewhat unclear. For instance, ancient sources, such as ancient Greek historian Herodotus, claim they came from Anatolia. On the other hand, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, another legendary Greek historian argued the Etruscans were native to Italy.
Modern-day genetic evidence suggests a mix of native italic and external influences on the Etruscans.
It is also worth mentioning that the Etruscans spoke a non-indo European language that to this day has not been completely deciphered, despite its roots being based on the Greek alphabet. However, the alphabet was not the only similarity between the Etruscans and the ancient Greeks.
The Etruscans had also organized their civilization into city-states ruled by kings and, in some cases, even transitioned to a kind of confederation ruled by oligarch and republican systems.