A stolen erotic mosaic panel from Pompeii, looted by a German Nazi captain during World War II, has been returned to its ancient Roman ruins. The relic, dating back between the 1st century BC and AD, was among the heirlooms of a deceased German citizen.
The mosaic’s presence in Germany came to light after relatives contacted Italy’s cultural heritage protection squad in Rome, seeking guidance on its return. Following authentication, the Italian consulate in Stuttgart arranged for the mosaic’s repatriation. It will temporarily be kept at Pompeii Antiquarium until further studies can be conducted.
“We express our gratitude to the protection unit for their work,” said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of Pompeii archaeological park. “Looting antiquities is a wound that heals with every returned artefact.”
The mosaic’s exact provenance is unknown, but further studies and archaeometric analyses will attempt to reconstruct its history. The Carabinieri cultural heritage protection squad has retrieved over 3m artworks and relics since its establishment in 1969.
This return marks the latest in a series of looted artefacts being repatriated from Italy, including wall frescoes from Stabiae in 2021. In recent years, tourists have also returned stolen relics, such as a Canadian woman who sent back pilfered Pompeii fragments after years of bad luck.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/15/pompeii-mosaic-stolen-nazi-second-world-war-return