Ancient Olympic Museum robbed

[Thanas]

link

Armed robbers have stolen several dozen artefacts from Greece's Ancient Olympia Museum, which houses one of the most important collections of ancient Greek antiquities, police and reports said.

Two robbers wearing hoods broke into the museum at around 7.30am (5.30am GMT) on Friday before tying up the one female employee on duty at the time, reports from Greece said. The robbers then used hammers to smash display cases, taking away between 60 and 70 items.

"According to the results of the investigation so far, unknown persons immobilised the guard of the museum and removed bronze and clay objects from the displays, as well as a gold ring," a police statement said.

Police set up roadblocks around the museum.

The mayor of Olympia, Thymios Kotzias, told Greek radio that the robbers, who had a gun, first disabled the alarm and then struck as the guard shift was being changed, a report from the AFP news agency said.

"We must wait and see what the local archaeology supervisor will say, but the items were of incalculable value," Kotzias was quoted as saying.

The Greek minister of culture, Pavlos Geroulanos, submitted his resignation following news of the robbery, according to Greek TV. It was not known whether the resignation had been accepted by the prime minister, Lucas Papademos.

The museum is next to the site, about 200 miles west of Athens, where the ancient Olympics were held. It houses many artefacts connected to the original Games.

It is near the Temple of Hera, where the Olympic flame is lit ahead of every modern Games. The torch for the London Olympics will be lit there at a ceremony in May.

Goddamn it.

[Guardsman Bass]

Fuck. I wonder if most of them will show up again when they attempt to sell them, or if they're just going to disappear into the storehouses of some rich, unscrupulous collectors.

[Questor]

Do those kind of people really exist? It seems so... Bond Villain.

[Zixinus]

Why not? If they were fast enough and the museum's security was weak enough, it was just a house with goods that can be pawned off. Only difference is that you need to pawn them off to the right people.

[Simon_Jester]

I think he meant the rich, unscrupulous collectors.

[Thanas]

I think he meant the rich, unscrupulous collectors.

Sure.

Some rich Austrian was caught bragging how he personally robbed Palmyran graves, for example. The father of a well-known European playboy apparently collected stolen Dürers. And don't forget the battle for the restoration of stolen/confiscated belongings of Jews and Europeans, who had their stuff looted by the Nazis. Heck, I bet that if you go through any house of a rich guy you are bound to find at least one or two such things.


It also does not require a lot of criminal intent on part of the collectors. Most people have little to no clues on how to identify ancient art. They most likely think "hey, looks good in my living room".

[weemadando]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0312324065

That book is a good look at the modern grave robbing, museum theft and general looting of the antiquities trade.

[tim31]

CRAZY CONSPIRACY TIME

German archaeologists feared that during this time of Greek austerity priceless relics may be targets of thieves or anarchists. Preemptively they engage in a covert op to secure these items for the greater good. Chancellor Merkel approves this deniable op.

I like the sound of that much more than bogan thieves selling treasures down the river.

[ChaserGrey]

It'd make a good movie. Heck, I think it's a better plot than the fourth Indiana Jones movie.

[KrauserKrauser]

Maybe it is just concerned Greek citizens ensuring that they dont get claimed as collateral in the current bond renegotitions. You know, make.sure they stay in Greek hands instead of being sold.off.to China or Germany to settle the debt.

Coming soon The Acropolis, a Deutsche Bank theme park

[Thanas]

Maybe it is just concerned Greek citizens ensuring that they dont get claimed as collateral in the current bond renegotitions. You know, make.sure they stay in Greek hands instead of being sold.off.to China or Germany to settle the debt.

Coming soon The Acropolis, a Deutsche Bank theme park

Cultural items are protected from any such seizure by both domestic and international law.

[Melchior]

Coming soon The Acropolis, a Deutsche Bank theme park

Too late, already looted and shipped to England. Never been in the British Museum?

[CaptainChewbacca]

CRAZY CONSPIRACY TIME

German archaeologists feared that during this time of Greek austerity priceless relics may be targets of thieves or anarchists. Preemptively they engage in a covert op to secure these items for the greater good. Chancellor Merkel approves this deniable op.

I like the sound of that much more than bogan thieves selling treasures down the river.

Personally, I thought 'ancient olympic artifacts are stolen' sounds like a great plot for an episode of Warehouse 13.

[Solauren]

Maybe it is just concerned Greek citizens ensuring that they dont get claimed as collateral in the current bond renegotitions. You know, make.sure they stay in Greek hands instead of being sold.off.to China or Germany to settle the debt.

Coming soon The Acropolis, a Deutsche Bank theme park

Cultural items are protected from any such seizure by both domestic and international law.

Intelligent, informed people know that.

Does your average citizen know that? Probably not.

[Thanas]

Do you really think these were ordinary Greeks fearing for their treasures due to austerity measures?

[Darth Wong]

Do those kind of people really exist? It seems so... Bond Villain.

I saw an art crime specialist on either the Daily Show or the Colbert Report a few months back, talking about museum security. He said that European museum security is often quite poor because their museums are often housed in very old bulidings. American museums are often brand-new (or at least 20th century) buildings built using modern methods which kept security in mind from the ground up. Old buildings are much more difficult to secure.

In other words, they didn't necessarily need to be Bond villains to pull this off. The building security might have been quite weak.

[Solauren]

Do you really think these were ordinary Greeks fearing for their treasures due to austerity measures?

No. More then likely, it was a greedy asshole.

[Thanas]

Then what was the point of your post?

[Solauren]

It was as support to the idea KrauserKrauser suggest. Someone might have done it to protect the artifacts. Support of the concept, if not the idea itself.

"Someone could have done it, not knowing the items were protected. Very few people are probably are of that law. More then likely, however, it was a greedy asshole."

That probably would have been the better response.

[KrauserKrauser]

There is the possibility the theft was of noble intention but that is almost certainly not the case.

I was just making fun of Germany basically buying Greece out from under itself. I hear indentured servitude is great for the people with the money, not so much for the neo-slaves.

[Thanas]

I was just making fun of Germany basically buying Greece out from under itself. I hear indentured servitude is great for the people with the money, not so much for the neo-slaves.

I see your judgement and interpretation of facts is still lacking.

[Crown]

Lord Byron must be spinning in his grave right now, speaking of which;

Cultural items are protected from any such seizure by both domestic and international law.

Explain the Elgin Marbles then for me.

[weemadando]

Those were a "gift" from a local governor at the time iirc. Or there was a permit from the occupiers of the time. I forget which.

Plus that predates the modern treaties.

[Thanas]

Lord Byron must be spinning in his grave right now, speaking of which;

Cultural items are protected from any such seizure by both domestic and international law.

Explain the Elgin Marbles then for me.

Done way before the laws went into effect. Easy as that.

[General Brock]

According to this AFP followup, three clay items were smashed and the thieves were asking for gold wreaths and a stamp collection, items held at different museums. Doesn't look like an 'honour' theft to protect antiquities, just a smash and grab. The thieves may not even have buyers lined up, which one would normally expect.