TRIPOLI: A priceless collection of nearly 8000 ancient gold, silver and bronze coins has been stolen from a bank vault in the Libyan city of Benghazi.
The theft of the so-called Treasure of Benghazi, much of which dates from the time of Alexander the Great, is believed to have been one of the biggest in history.
Interpol has been alerted about the theft, which took place earlier this year. Libya's National Transitional Council is believed to have kept it quiet.
London's The Sun newspaper reported that a single coin similar to those in the Benghazi haul was sold for £268,000 ($406,808).
Read more:
http://www.smh.com.au/world/treasure-of-benghazi-theft-may-be-one-of-biggest-in-history-20111031-1ms6f.html#ixzz1cdCEUjLQInside job?
Fadel al-Hasi, Libya's acting minister for antiquities, told the BBC there were suspicions the robbery could have been an inside job.
The bank's employees have been questioned several times, he said.
Burglars drilled through the concrete ceiling of the bank vault to reach the coins.
They targeted the most valuable items only.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15517886Hafed Walada, a Libyan archeologist working at King's College London seems to agree with the theory that it might have been “an inside job”, adding that it appears to have been carried out by people who knew what they were looking for.'
He went on to say that the treasure had been there for many years, and not many people knew about it. The robbers even ignored cash that was in the vault. They just concentrated on the ancient treasures, leaving items of lesser value untouched. He said that in terms of Libya’s historical heritage, “this was a major theft.”
http://tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=1&i=7209
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
