Secret Behind an Erotic Roman Mosaic Stolen by a Nazi Captain Unveiled After 80 Years, Set to Shock Pompeii Again
Pompeii Archaeological ParkItalian officials celebrate the return of the mosaic, though its theft means that many questions about it will remain unanswerable.
Aside from its age and likely provenance, archaeologists believe that the mosaic is significant for another reason as well. Rather than depict heroic myths, it seems to show a scene of everyday intimacy between two people and may be part of a cultural turning point in ancient art.
The mosaic joins many other wonders uncovered in Pompeii since archaeological work began there in the 18th century, from a banquet hall full of frescoes and the opulent House of the Vettii to the 2,000-year-old remains of a tortoise and even ancient graffiti.
But, ultimately, many questions about the mosaic will remain unanswered. Because the work of art was stolen, it’s impossible for archaeologists to know where exactly it originated. Thus, it’s difficult to answer questions about the people who may have displayed it some 2,000 years ago. Did they die in the eruption of Vesuvius? Or did they live in a nearby town that wasn’t destroyed?
“Every looted artifact that returns is a wound that heals, so we express our gratitude to the Protection Unit for their work,” Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, said in the press release.
He continued: “The wound lies not so much in the material value of the work, but in its historical value; a value that is severely compromised by the illicit trafficking of antiquities. We don’t know the artifact’s exact provenance and likely never will; we will conduct further studies and archaeometric analyses to ascertain its authenticity and reconstruct its history to the extent possible. The study, knowledge, and public enjoyment of this heritage are the lotus flowers that grow in the mud of thefts driven by the greed and selfishness of those who steal archaeological artifacts from the community.”
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