FBI Returns Nearly 2,000-Year-Old Roman Tombstone to Italy
An ancient Roman tombstone, approximately 1,900 years old, found in the backyard of a house in New Orleans, has been returned to Italy with the mediation of American authorities.
TL;DR
- A 1,900-year-old Roman tombstone was discovered in a New Orleans backyard.
- The artifact was identified as belonging to Sextus Congenius Verus, a Roman sailor from the second century.
- The tombstone had been missing from a museum in Civitavecchia, Italy, for decades.
- It is believed to have been brought to the US by an American soldier after World War II.
- The FBI returned the tombstone to Italian officials in Rome as part of an agreement to protect cultural heritage.
- The investigation involved anthropologists from Tulane University and archaeologists.