Four ancient gold artifacts were stolen overnight from the Drents Museum in Assen, Netherlands. The theft occurred early Saturday morning when thieves used explosives to break into the museum’s exhibition of Romanian jewelry. The stolen items included three Dacian spiral bracelets and the Helmet of Cotofenesti, a strikingly decorated piece dating back to around 450 BC. The helmet is considered one of Romania’s most significant cultural treasures.
Romania’s culture ministry is working to recover the stolen artifacts, which had been loaned from Bucharest. Museum director Harry Tupan described the incident as an “intensely shocked event” marking the first major theft in the museum’s 170-year history. Police were notified after reports of an explosion at 3:45 AM local time (4:45 GMT) and conducted a forensic investigation, reviewing CCTV footage from the day.
A burned vehicle was found near the scene, leading Dutch police to investigate its connection to the burglary. No arrests have been made, but authorities suspect multiple individuals were involved and are working with global policing agency Interpol. The stolen artifacts, including the helmet, hold significant cultural value to Romania. In the 1990s, similar jewelry was sold overseas by treasure hunters and had been recovered from collectors in countries like Austria, Germany, and the United States.
The Romanian state has a history of recovering such items but is now seeking help to bring these four “archaeological masterpieces” back home.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czxkpnnlpdvo