An exquisitely carved gold helmet from a Thracian tribe of Romania is among the ancient artifacts that were stolen from a museum in the Netherlands.
The Romanian archaeological treasures went missing in the early hours of Saturday during a robbery at the Drents Museum in Assen, the Netherlands, where they were being displayed as part of a travelling exhibition.
Thieves used explosives to break into the building and left with three Geto-Dacian spiral bracelets from 50 BCE and the exhibition’s central piece, known as the Helmet of Cotofenesti, dated to 450 BCE.
Dutch police has requested the help of Interpol to shed light on the robbery and retrieve the invaluable masterpieces to return them to Romania, where they are considered a national treasure.
Police investigation underway for stolen ancient treasures
Around 3.45 am on Saturday, Assen police received a report of an explosion. At the scene, it became clear that access had been gained to the property by forcing a door with explosives, Drents Museum said in a statement.
The explosion damaged the museum’s premises. No one was injured and no one has yet been arrested. The police reckon there are several suspects.
“This is a dark day for the Drents Museum in Assen and the National History Museum of Romania in Bucharest. We are intensely shocked by the events last night at the museum. In its 170-year existence, there has never been such a major incident,” said Harry Tupan, General director of the Drents Museum.
“After the events, there was contact with the King’s Commissioner and the Deputy, who came to the scene. Several ministries are involved, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Like others, I am shocked,” added the city mayor, Marco Out. “This is something you don’t want as a museum, but also as a city and province.”
Neighbourhood searches are being conducted by police, forensic investigation is in place and CCTV footage is being requested and reviewed.
Fascinating story of the ancient gold Helmet of Cotofenesti
The gold, masterfully carved Helmet of Cotofenesti is a unique ancient masterpiece admired for its cultural value and elaborate artistry, brimming with symbolisms.
It was discovered by chance by a local child in 1929, on the territory of the village of Poiana Coțofenești in Romania and is considered to be a stray find from a local Geto-Dacian La Tène settlement.
It is believed that the helmet was worn by a North Thracian noble who lived in the area.
Very well preserved, the artifact is missing only part of its skull cap.
Its decoration features large studs on the top of the skull, two very large apotropaic eyes on the forehead to ward off the evil eye, a range of mythical creatures, and an illustration, on either cheek-piece, of a ritual enactment.
Those representations bear witness to the Greek and Etruscan cultural influences that were characteristic of the La Tène culture.
A ram sacrifice scene points to ancient Greek iconography, while a pair of Voracious Beasts hints to a popular Etruscan art theme.
According to Dimitru Berciu’s “Thraco-Getic Art” (1969), the helmet seems to have been realized in a Greek workshop, but its “awkward execution” contrasts the perfect technique of a Greek craftsman and is more likely to have been the work of an autochthonous one.
