Roman grave marker discovered in New Orleans is returned to Italy
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 1
Roman grave marker discovered in New Orleans is returned to Italy
11 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 1
The nearly 1,900-year-old marble epitaph was handed over in Rome on Wednesday in an FBI-led ceremony, alongside another antiquity recovered in the United States.
Found last year by Tulane anthropologist Danielle Santoro and Aaron Lorenz, the stone was identified as commemorating Sextus Congenius Verus and matched records of an item missing from Civitavecchia's museum.
Researchers linked its likely journey to New Orleans to a US soldier who served in Italy, while the FBI said the return was part of the long-running US-Italy cultural property agreement.
How did a Roman sailor's tombstone, looted in WWII, become a garden decoration in New Orleans?
With new laws cracking down on illicit trade, are more hidden historical treasures about to be uncovered?