POMPEII – 50 years after being stolen from Pompeii, a 2000 year old fragment of a statue has been returned in a cardboard box with a sorry note.

  Massimo Osanna, the interim Director General of the Archaeological Authority of Pompeii, posted a picture of the anonymous package on Instagram, saying “sometimes they return. By post, almost weekly.” The picture shows the artifact and a note that reads, “50 years ago I removed this fragment from a building at Pompeii. I am ashamed and I now return it to its owner. Sorry!”

  The object in question is a terracotta fragment of a woman’s face from the second half of the first century AD, most likely from the decorative edge of a house. 

  The security at the archaeological site was pretty minimal 50 years ago, though now there are 400 surveillance cameras and the constant gaze of the guards.

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