Canadian Woman Returns Pompeii Artifacts, Blaming Mysterious ‘Curse’ for Her Cancer Diagnosis
“We took them without thinking of the pain and suffering these poor souls experienced during the eruption of Vesuvius and their terrible death,” the couple wrote. “We are sorry, please forgive us for making this terrible choice. May their souls rest in peace.”
The couple stole the stones from Pompeii in 2005 — the same year as Nicole. It’s unclear what relationship the woman had with the couple or whether they stole the pieces on the same trip together.
Before it became a world-famous historical site, Pompeii was once a lost city. It suffered one of the worst tragedies in ancient history when its residents were buried beneath tons of ash and volcanic debris following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
Ciro Fusco/EPA via ShutterstockPompeii officials have received countless returned artifacts that were stolen over the years.
The bodies of those who didn’t make it out in time to escape the eruption lay beneath layers of volcanic ash for thousands of years. The lost city — containing stunningly intact artefacts like its frescoes — was rediscovered accidentally in the 18th century during the construction of a new palace for the Bourbon King of France.
The remains of Vesuvius’ victims who were buried alive in Pompeii were calcified by the layers of ash which formed a protective shell around their bodies.
The skin and soft tissue of these remains later disintegrated but the hard shell that formed over them remained, making Pompeii an eerie yet popular tourist attraction due to the bodies of victims whose final moments were immortalized like statues.
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