It is “a masterpiece”. Bracelets made before Christ also disappeared
Thieves burst with the door of a museum and steal ancient artifacts, including a 2500 -year -old gold helmet
by Oscar HollandCNN
Thieves stole four old artifacts, including a gold helmet about 2,500, after wearing explosives to break into a museum in the Netherlands.
The bold robbery took place at the Drents Museum in Assen during Saturday dawn, according to the Dutch police, who said he had received an explosion complaint at 3:45, local time.
CCTV images released by police show the suspects to open an outdoor door before an explosion launched sparks and smoke to the air. The thieves fled with three gold bracelets, dated about 50 BC, as well as the Cotofeneti helmet of the 5th century AC, an historically important artifact borrowed by the National Museum of History of Romania in Bucharest.
The objects were part of an exhibition about the Dacios, an ancient society that occupied much of the present Romania before being conquered by the Romans. Since July, “Dacia: Empire of Ouro and Silver” presents treasures loaned by institutions of all Romania.
In a press release published on its website, the Drants Museum describes Cotofenei’s helmet – which was discovered in a Romanian village almost a century ago – as a “masterpiece.” Its design features mythological scenes and a pair of eyes, located above those of the user, who thought to deter the enemies during battle, protecting them against the “bad look.”
The exhibition should have ended on Sunday, but the Drents Museum remained closed over the weekend due to the robbery. Its facilities were damaged by the explosion, although there was no injured, the museum said.
Dutch police have announced that they are working with Interpol, the World Police Agency, and that until Sunday had received more than 50 complaints. Investigators are currently looking for information about a gray car that was stolen in the neighboring city of Alkmaar earlier this week and was discovered about 6.4 km from the crime scene shortly after the night robbery.
Police believe the suspects abandoned the stolen vehicle, and fled in another escape car.
In a press statement, the director general of the Drents Museum, Harry Tupan, described the incident as a “black day” for both his institution and the Romania National History Museum.
“We are very shocked by the events last night at the museum,” he added. “In its 170 years of existence, such a serious incident has never been registered. It also causes us a huge sadness towards our colleagues in Romania. ”
