The Treasure of Villena, a precious collection of gold jewelry, stolen in Spain

The Treasure of Villena, a collection of gold work considered one of the most valuable from the Bronze Age in Europe, was stolen almost entirely on Thursday August 27 from a museum in southeastern Spain, we learned from the town hall.

“Around 5:20 a.m., the alarm went off at the Villena museum” et “at 05:24”the thieves had already left the building, a spokesperson for the municipality of Villena told AFP, confirming this heist “ultra-fast and ultra-professional”. “They took away a large part of the treasure”leaving only a handful of pieces, Villena Mayor Fulgencio Cerdán confirmed to journalists. “We are absolutely devastated, I’m still shaking. The truth is that for those of us who are from Villena, it destroys us, it is a part of our heritage, of our wealth”he continued, his voice breaking.

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The Treasure of Villena, exhibited in the small museum of the municipality in the province of Alicante, in the Valencia region, is a set of around fifty pieces, mainly in gold, but also in silver and iron, dating back to around 1000 BC. It includes 29 bracelets, 11 bowls, three bottles and various other pieces. “For specialists, this is the most important set of gold tableware from the Bronze Age with the treasures of the royal tombs of Mycenae, Greece »indicates the museum on its website. “All security systems have been activated”assured the town hall spokesperson, ensuring that there had been no “no failure” of the museum.

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The thieves were traveling in several vehicles and apparently entered the museum through a window, said the Spanish government’s deputy in Alicante Manuel Pineda. Just before the theft, another alarm sounded at the city’s sports complex, and authorities are investigating whether this event is related, and whether it could be a diversion carried out by the thieves. The Treasure of Villena was discovered in 1963 by archaeologist José María Soler inside a container hidden in the bed of a local ravine.