Italian Police Seize Stolen Etruscan Treasures, Including a Princess’s Sarcophagus
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Italian Police Seize Stolen Etruscan Treasures, Including a Princess’s Sarcophagus

In a significant operation against the illicit trade of antiquities, Italian police have recovered a trove of Etruscan funerary treasures in Umbria, believed to have belonged to ancient aristocratic women, possibly princesses. According to The Guardian, the artifacts were looted from an underground tomb near the town of Città della Pieve and include eight urns, two sarcophagi—one containing the remains of a woman aged 40 to 45—and a variety of beauty accessories. These finds, which date to between 300 BC and 100 BC, likely originated from a prominent Etruscan family. The treasures, valued at approximately €8 million ($8.5 million) according to the Carabinieri art police reported by CNN, were discovered after a police investigation earlier this year. The operation followed clues provided by photos posted online by the suspects - two local businessmen attempting to sell the artifacts to buyers abroad. Police traced the illicit activity to an area near the originally discovered burial site, which had been partly uncovered in 2015 by a farmer plowing his field. Read moreSection: ArtifactsOther ArtifactsNewsHistory & ArchaeologyRead Later