The Treasure of Villena, a unique Bronze Age trove, was stolen from a Spanish museum on Thursday in a rapid, four-minute long heist.
The stolen treasure is a collection of gold bowls, bottles, bracelets, and other pieces dating back to 1000B.C. The ancient objects, widely described as the most important prehistoric trove in Europe, were housed at the Villena Museum, located in the eponymous Valencian town of Villena.
Outside of their historic value, the gold pieces are estimated to have a value of about 1.7 million euros.
The rare, over three thousand years-old pieces were stolen by a group of three hooded individuals, who broke into the museum during the early morning hours of Thursday in a lightning-fast heist that lasted around four minutes. According to the Spanish radio station Cadena Ser, the thieves gained access to the museum after they tore one of its side windows.
Exact details of the heist remain undetermined at press time, as Spain’s Civil Guard and Villena’s local police forces continue their investigation. Per Cadena Ser, the possible involvement of a “group specialized in thefts of historical heritage” is being addressed by investigators as a plausible hypothesis.
Speaking to the press on Thursday, Mayor of Villena Fulgencio José Cerdán expressed that the town is “absolutely devastated” over the robbery, stressing that the stolen trove was part of the town’s heritage.
Visibly affected and teary eyed, Cerdán confirmed that the robbery occurred at around 05:20 a.m. (local time) on Thursday and that it occurred “within minutes.” The Mayor noted that he is abstaining from disclosing further details at the request of local law enforcement, who are still investigating the incident.
Per the Mayor, only a few pieces of the ancient trove were left behind by the robbers, who also stole three of the four Crowns of the Virgin of Virtues that were housed at the museum. The fourth crown, Cerdán explained, was dropped by the thieves during their escape.
Mauro Hernández, archeology professor at the University of Alicante, reportedly detailed to Cadena Ser on Thursday the impact of the stolen artifacts goes beyond the material objects themselves — emphasizing that the treasure was not just part of Villena’s heritage, but also part of Europe’s archaeological heritage as a whole.
The theft of the Bronze Age Treasure of Villena is the latest set of high-profile historic objects stolen from a museum in Europe in recent times. Earlier this month, four Italian Renaissance-era works were stolen from a museum in the Italian city of Messina.