Two people in Umbria, Italy inadvertently got to play a real life versions of Lara Croft. While excavating on their own land, they unearthed Etruscan burial chambers and several precious artifacts, according to Perugia Chief Prosecutor Raffaele Cantone. Instead of reporting their discovery, they decided to try to sell the artifacts on the black market.
This discovery was made in Citta della Pieve, about 90 miles north of Rome.
The Tomb
Carabinieri art police say the unnamed tomb raiders found eight urns, two sarcophagi, and beauty accessories including bronze mirrors and a perfume bottle that still had some of its original scent. All together, the estimated value of the items is at least 8 million euros or $8.5 million in USD.
One sarcophagus contains the full skeleton of a 40-something year old woman. All eight urns are finely decorated with scenes from Greek mythology. One even has visible red and gold paint on some of the female figures. Impressive considering they date back to 3rd century B.C.E.
The Attempted Sale
Carabinieri art police became aware of the finding after the pair posted pictures of their discovery online trying to find buyers. These posts triggered investigations involving phone wiretaps, stakeouts, and air surveillance drones. Police finally arrested the suspects after one of them posted a picture on Facebook with an artifact.
The duo “had nothing to do with the world of (practiced) tomb raiders” and had a “clumsy,” “amateurish” approach to reaching the black market, the prosecutor said. They now face charges of theft and trading in stolen goods. Charges that could land them in jail for up to 10 years, said Annamaria Greco, lead procuter and investigator.
In 2015, another Etruscan tomb, belonging to the same “Pulfna” family, was uncovered in Città della Pieve. The farmer reported the discovery to authorities and received about 100,000 euros or $105,000 USD as a reward. So these amature tomb raiders may have received some kind of monetary gain, had they not tried to sell off the artifacts illegally.
