Thieves stole one of Europe's most important collections of prehistoric goldwork from a museum in southeastern Spain early on Thursday, taking all 66 original pieces of the Treasure of Villena, according to local broadcaster Cadena SER.
Local police and Spain's Civil Guard cordoned off the Villena Museum in Alicante province on Thursday morning as investigators gathered evidence and reconstructed the events. Authorities have yet to comment on the case.
However, Cadena SER reports that the thieves entered the museum after ripping out a window on the side of the building and quickly carried out the robbery.
The stolen collection weighs around 10 kilogrammes and consists of objects, including bowls, bracelets, and ornaments, made from gold, silver, amber and iron. The pieces date back around 3,000 years.
The theft is particularly significant because the objects taken were the originals. For years, Villena displayed a replica of the treasure before moving the authentic collection into the city's current museum, which opened two years ago.
Possible diversion tactic
Minutes before the theft, a false alarm was reported at a municipal sports centre elsewhere in Villena, and investigators are examining whether it may have been deliberately triggered to divert security forces, Cadena SER reported.
Authorities are also reportedly considering whether a gang specialising in stealing historical artifacts was behind the robbery, as well as the possibility that it was carried out on commission because of the unique nature of the objects.
The Treasure of Villena was discovered in December 1963, with most of it hidden inside a vessel buried in a dry riverbed in the Villena area.
It is considered a key collection for understanding prehistoric metalwork in the western Mediterranean and, alongside treasures discovered in the royal tombs of Mycenae in Greece, one of the most important collections of Bronze Age gold tableware.
Two of the treasure's objects were also likely made using iron from a meteorite, according to scientific research published in 2023, potentially dating them to the Late Bronze Age, before people in the region began producing iron from terrestrial ores.
The historical and archaeological value of the stolen collection is considered incalculable.
