French authorities have recovered a trove of more than 27,400 looted objects of “inestimable value,” according to a statement released this week. A man identified only as Patrice T. amassed the collection of artifacts, which included Bronze Age jewelry, statue fragments and Roman coins, for personal use and trading purposes, reports Agence France-Presse.
Last fall, Patrice—a Frenchman living in Belgium—told investigators that he’d used a metal detector to unearth 14,154 Roman coins at his recently purchased apple orchard in Gingelom, about 40 miles east of Brussels. But his claims raised suspicions, and officials at the Belgian Agency for Immovable Heritage decided to coordinate with French customs officers to inspect the find.
Read Full Article »