The prize in this art heist is worth more than its gold. To Romania, the ancient helmet is a priceless cultural heirloom. To the Netherlands, it is a stolen artifact that authorities hope to retrieve to uphold a reputation for safe museums.
The intricate golden Cotofenesti helmet dates back about 2,500 years and is one Romania’s most revered national treasures from the Dacia civilization. It was on display at the Drents Museum in eastern Netherlands on the last weekend of a six-month stint when thieves nabbed it.
The theft of the helmet and three golden wristbands also on display sent shock waves through the art world, and devastated Romanian authorities who thought they were loaning the items to a nation where security for museums was paramount.
Photo: AP
“It is a pitch dark day for us,” museum director Harry Tupan said.
Investigators had found few clues by late on Monday beyond a burnt-out car close to the museum, indicating the thieves wanted to cover their tracks.
The artifacts have “exceptional cultural and historical importance” for Romanian heritage and identity, and their disappearance had “a strong emotional and symbolic impact on society,” Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said.
It was a heist that “even in our most pessimistic dreams, we would not have believed possible,” said the director of Romania’s National History Museum, Ernest Oberlander-Tarnoveanu.
Romanian Minister of Justice Radu Marinescu called the incident a “crime against our state” and said recovering the artifacts “is an absolute priority.”
The helmet’s fame and dramatic studded appearance means it could never easily be sold, raising fears the thieves were after the gold itself.
“It is simply unsellable. The whole world knows it. So, they likely went for the gold to — I almost dare not utter the words — melt it,” Dutch art expert Arthur Brand said.
That would reduce the treasure to a fraction of its cultural and historical value. Gold stands at about 85,000 euros (US$88,712) per kilogram and the helmet is estimated to weigh slightly less than that.
“It is not only about the gold. It is about the cultural heritage,” Tupan said. “And it has been taken in a strange way and hurts incredibly.”
On grainy security video distributed by police, three people are seen opening a museum door with a big crowbar, after which an explosion is seen. Then they must have made off with the loot in a matter of minutes.
“Security, as it is supposed it be, was as far as we know, totally as it should be,” Tupan said. “And now, it is a small battlefield. There is nothing else for us to do but sit and wait and see what will happen.”
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement. Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his impeached vice president, Sara Duterte. While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) showed that at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened on April 13. However,
ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’ Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade today marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, taking place three years into Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and has marshaled the memory of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany to justify his campaign and rally society behind the offensive,
ENTERTAINMENT: Rio officials have a history of organizing massive concerts on Copacabana Beach, with Madonna’s show drawing about 1.6 million fans last year Lady Gaga on Saturday night gave a free concert in front of 2 million fans who poured onto Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro for the biggest show of her career. “Tonight, we’re making history... Thank you for making history with me,” Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd. The Mother Monster, as she is known, started the show at about 10:10pm local time with her 2011 song Bloody Mary. Cries of joy rose from the tightly packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand. Concert organizers said 2.1 million people attended the show. Lady Gaga
CONFLICTING REPORTS: Beijing said it was ‘not familiar with the matter’ when asked if Chinese jets were used in the conflict, after Pakistan’s foreign minister said they were The Pakistan Army yesterday said it shot down 25 Indian drones, a day after the worst violence between the nuclear-armed rivals in two decades. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to retaliate after India launched deadly missile strikes on Wednesday morning, escalating days of gunfire along their border. At least 45 deaths were reported from both sides following Wednesday’s violence, including children. Pakistan’s military said in a statement yesterday that it had “so far shot down 25 Israeli-made Harop drones” at multiple location across the country. “Last night, India showed another act of aggression by sending drones to multiple locations,” Pakistan military spokesman Ahmed
RSS