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Italian police have seized an $8.44 million stash of illegally excavated artifacts from an Etruscan burial site in the country’s Umbria region, and placed two people under investigation for their suspected roles in the theft, according to a report by the Associated Press .
Authorities announced the recovery operation Tuesday and said they had been tipped off by photos of the archaeological discovery shared on the black market, which resembled another known Etruscan burial site on a nearby farm. Thanks to aerial photos and phone taps, police were able to locate the looted area on land belonging to a local businessman, who was also known to have the equipment needed to move large patches of land.
The trove of objects dating from about 900 BCE to 27 BCE includes several urns; two sarcophagi believed to be of Etruscan princesses, including one with a skeleton inside; and a burial trousseau decorated with hunting scenes, containing perfume jars and a comb.