A stolen 2,000-year-old marble sculpture of the head of the first Roman emperor, Augustus, was welcomed back to Italy on Tuesday, over 40 years after it was illegally smuggled out of the country to Be
A picture of the sculpture provided by the Italian foreign ministry.
A stolen 2,000-year-old marble sculpture of the head of the first Roman emperor, Augustus, was welcomed back to Italy on Tuesday, over 40 years after it was illegally smuggled out of the country to Belgium.
The ancient treasure was handed to the mayor of Nepi, Pietro Soldatelli, at a ceremony in Rome attended by Italian officials including deputy foreign minister Mario Giro and representatives of the Belgian embassy and the Academy of Belgium.
“After more than 40 years of exile in Europe, he’s finally home. Welcome back Augustus,” Soldatelli said.
The hairstyle of the 45-centimetre veiled head suggests the ancient treasure dates to the period before Octavian became Emperor in 27 BC and took the name Augustus.
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