Secret Behind an Erotic Roman Mosaic Stolen by a Nazi Captain Unveiled After 80 Years, Set to Shock Pompeii Again
The Return Of The Erotic Mosaic
According to a press release from the Pompeii Archaeological Park, the return of the erotic mosaic marked the conclusion of a story that began 80 years ago, when the mosaic was stolen during World War II.
Pompeii Archaeological ParkThe mosaic is around 2,000 years old and was stolen during World War II.
Then, it was taken by a Nazi captain who assisted with the military supply chain in Italy during the conflict. The captain brought the mosaic home to Germany, where he gifted it to a civilian. The civilian then kept the mosaic in his possession until his death several years ago, after which his heirs contacted a Carabinieri unit in Rome dedicated to protecting cultural heritage.
Realizing that the mosaic was “a work attributable to the wartime plundering of works of art belonging to the Italian state heritage,” steps were swiftly taken to repatriate the mosaic to Italy. The Archaeological Park of Pompeii was then able to determine that the mosaic had originated in “the Vesuvian area,” that is, in the vicinity of Mount Vesuvius, which catastrophically erupted in 79 C.E. and destroyed the nearby city of Pompeii.
But while the mosaic is an important piece of Pompeii’s heritage, many questions about it remain.
The Significance Of The Returned Mosaic
Without knowing where exactly the German captain obtained the mosaic, many questions about the priceless piece of art are unanswered. The mosaic panel features an erotic scene of a man lying in bed with a woman standing over him. Archaeologists believe that it likely dates to between the late first century B.C.E. and the first century C.E. and that it “may have decorated the floor of a bedroom in a domus or villa.”
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