Chania News

Dating back to the 16th century Venetian occupation of Greece, two cannons of historical value have been rescued from the jaws of a smelting fire yesterday. They were mistakenly identified as scrap by unsuspecting junk metal merchants.

Weighing about 200 kilos each, the cannons were acquired by a junk dealing Roma couple after the historical artifacts were left outside a Chania workshop for restoration. Usually, they are found in the Venetian-era fort overlooking the harbor.

A local metal smith alerted authorities after the junk dealers pulled in with the cannons and a variety of scrap metal to his store yesterday morning.

Initially the police questioned the couple over their actions. They were later released when it was discovered that they genuinely thought the cannons were scrap metal and were unaware of their historical value.