Law enforcement officers disrupt sale of Roman artifact in Odesa

An attempt to illegally sell a rare Roman overlay from the 2nd-3rd centuries was prevented in Odesa. The artifact was seized, and its authenticity will be checked by experts before being transferred to the museum.

This was reported by the press service of the Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office.

The Prymorskyi District Prosecutor's Office of Odesa, together with the police, prevented an attempt to illegally sell a rare historical artifact of great cultural significance.

Information about the attempted sale was provided by Maksym Levada, head of the cataloging and monitoring sector of the National Museum of History of Ukraine. According to him, a resident of Odesa tried to sell an openwork patch with the inscription "VICTOR I UTERE FELIX" ("To the winner, enjoy happiness!") through an online auction.

The artifact belongs to the military legionary culture of the II-III centuries of the late Roman Empire. It was put up for auction under the name "Overlay Rome" with a starting price of forty thousand hryvnias.

Law enforcement officers identified the seller and seized the overlay. A commission art expert examination has been appointed to confirm the authenticity and assess the cultural value. After that, the artifact will be transferred to the funds of the National Museum of History of Ukraine for storage and further research.

This is the second case of successful cooperation between archaeologists and law enforcement in Odesa. Earlier, they managed to prevent the sale of a first- and second-century fibula, typical of Germanic cultures of Central Europe and associated with the Marcomanian Wars of the Roman Empire, which was put up for auction with an initial price of one hundred and seventy thousand hryvnias.

In August, Odesa Customs replenished the region's museums with ancient finds that had been illegally exported abroad. The collections of the Izmail Museum of History and Local Lore of the Danube Region received a milk jug, a candy dish, a silver cup holder, and a brass bell made before 1917, while the Odesa Museum of History and Local Lore received silver dishes, a bronze bust dating from 1936-1945, battle axes, daggers, and a Cossack spear.

Анна Бальчінос